I can't believe it. Since I started writing this story, the Ratchet & Clank series has gotten a movie and even a fantastic looking game on the PS5 (which I watched on Youtube, as I can't currently afford a PS5)! Anyway, apologies once again for how slowly this story has been updated. It is certainly not dead, even if it may seem that way sometimes.
Violence warning ahead…
Chapter 28: We're All Gonna Die, and I'm (Not) Okay With That
There was no need to sugarcoat it. Ratchet was being, quite frankly, stupid. When one has acted foolishly, there is a tough decision to be made. Draw attention to the foolish behavior by apologizing or look like even more of a jerk by failing to say you're sorry. In the past, it pained him to admit that he usually fell into the latter category. Now…now he was leaning towards the former because the relationship at risk was not worth sacrificing for the sake of his own dumb ego.
Really, they still weren't speaking? How petty was he?
Even now, however, that pride Ratchet had never been able to fully escape made the act difficult, and he could only hope that their waning time before departure would be the motivation he needed to just get it over with. They say in a relationship you should never go to bed angry. Well, the way he saw it, at least you'd probably wake up in the morning with a second chance to make things right. And if this bit of advice was indeed valid, then it had to be really important not to fly into a black hole angry.
Just a thought.
Ironically enough, it was the robots that would be staying behind as "ground support", while the organics would be the ones putting themselves in mortal danger. Every member of the assembled team had their own reason for going, whether it was revenge, a delusional belief that this was a rescue mission, or to prevent a certain supervillain from getting the wrong idea when he inevitably encountered a particular weapon of questionable mass destruction. Even Captain Qwark had displayed minimal resistance to their plan.
As for the robots, Clank and Lawrence had both decided to stay behind to represent the heroes and deranged supervillain, respectively. It only made sense then that the pair would probably be busy with last-minute preparations of their own on the Phoenix bridge. Ratchet was just about nearing his destination when he walked headlong into their resident redhead just as she was rounding the next corner.
"Oh, Ratchet, I was looking for you!" Ophelia said, bracing herself against the wall behind her to keep herself upright. Even their collision was not enough to dampen her spirits, however, if the wide grin splitting her features was anything to go by. If he hadn't already grown accustomed to her clear obliviousness to danger, he would have simply assumed she had forgotten about today's mission.
"Well, you found me," he said and offered her a hand to help her regain her footing. The last thing he felt like at the moment was small talk, so he could only hope she got to the point. Better yet, he might as well guide her straight to it. "I assume everything checks out, then?"
Ophelia, citing herself as the curator of their resources, had volunteered to perform one final check to ensure they had the necessary supplies. Their week's supply of food was simply a precaution should things take longer than planned. He certainly hoped they wouldn't be gone for that long. But considering they were travelling to a pocket dimension where no one had ever before travelled, there was no way to reliably plan ahead.
"Yep, everything looks good." She fell in line beside him as she made her report, counting off the items on her fingers. "Food, weapons, explosives. I guess it was some sort of medical ship, but once I got rid of all the medical equipment, everything fit just fine."
Ratchet couldn't help but grimace at the implications of her statement. "You sure that was such a good idea?"
She gave him a jovial slap on the shoulder. "It'll be fine. The way I see it, if anything goes wrong, the best doctors in the universe won't be able to save us!" She laughed. "It's just a shame there isn't any room for treats. There would have been, but there's this silly tank in there that I can't get to budge."
Considering it was a medical transport, it was probably a stasis tank to preserve particularly dire patients in a comatose state until they could reach better accommodations. Fortunately, he had never been inside one himself. Just the mere thought of floating inside an enclosed glass chamber filled with a murky green liquid made his skin crawl. "And why would we need 'treats' on a mission like this?"
"Well, you see, I've gotten used to sugar lately…and I'm kind of addicted now." She turned to him with a dire expression on her face. "If I go into withdrawal and become a menace to the team, feel free to put me out of my misery."
Ratchet shrugged. "Yeah, sure thing."
"Okay, you agreed to that way too easily."
Rather than respond, he merely opted for voicing a different concern that was on his mind. "So…you're really not nervous, huh?"
She shook her head. "Nope! I'm finally going to see my ancestors. It's going to be so amazing! The stories I'll be able to tell, about all the years I spent searching for them. About all the cool friends I met along the way." She nudged him with her elbow, while he tried his best to avoid eye contact. "And to think, this was all made possible thanks to Nefarious, of all people! That psycho sure came in handy, huh?"
Ratchet's ears drew low at the supervillain's name, and he settled for a noncommittal sound in his throat that she would no doubt mistake for agreement. "Look, I've got one last thing I gotta do before we go. Let the others know I'll be there soon."
"All right, will do. I look forward to working by your side, Cannon Fodder!"
Ugh, she still remembered that? Ratchet sent her a thumbs up, paired with a lukewarm smile. "Same to you, Agent Numbskull!" The tongue she stuck out at him in response was not exactly unexpected.
But why was this all starting to sound like her plan?
Though Ratchet had been internally rehearsing this moment in his head all morning, Ophelia's interruption was enough to make him entirely forget what he had been meaning to say. As such, when he arrived in the bridge, he found himself standing in the doorway, shifting from one foot to another as he worked up the courage to enter. When he failed to proceed any further, Lawrence turned to him with his usual bored expression, looking as if he had absolutely zero interest in what he was about to say.
"Yes, can we help you with something?"
Come on, this is stupid, Ratchet. Clank is your friend. What are you afraid of?
"Can I speak to Clank alone?"
The butler was silent for a moment, though Ratchet had to wonder if he was truly thinking of an answer or was merely wasting his time. "No, I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment."
Why did he expect anything else?
As Ratchet forced himself into the room, a wave of embarrassing choices washed over him as Clank turned to face him, making eye contact difficult. But he had committed to this, and he needed to follow through with it before they left for one of the most dangerous missions of their lives.
Throwing all forethought out the window and acting on mere instinct, Ratchet knelt down and held out a hand. As soon as their eyes locked, everything he had intended to say died in his throat, replaced by a silent stutter as his lips struggled to speak.
Fortunately, he was spared the trouble when Clank took his hand, wrapping cold, angular metal fingers around the Lombax's softer, gloved ones. "Be careful out there. Ratchet."
A smile tugged at Ratchet's lips, and he shook the robot's hand. "Ah, you know me. I totally won't be."
His friend smiled right back, the response so natural, so genuine. When was the last time they had spoken like this? "Then at least return alive?"
"I think I can manage that."
Their hands parted under Lawrence's watchful eye just as Ophelia poked her head into the doorway. "Come on, Ratchet! We have to go! Now!" The whole command was delivered in much the same fashion as an impatient child awaiting their departure for the promised family trip to the local water park. He had a feeling if he kept her waiting any longer, she was bound to get a lot whinier.
"Fine, I'm coming!" Ratchet stood as Clank excused himself, but before he had gone more than ten paces, he paused to look back. His eyes met the butler's, and he jerked his head in an unspoken gesture that there was something he needed to say.
The robot eyed him, one of his half-lidded optics widening by the slightest degree. Lawrence shuffled over and folded his hands over his stomach, the model of feigned patience. "Yes, did you need something?" The icy tone in which these words were spoken implied that, had the Lombax required anything, it would not have been provided.
Ratchet cut straight to the point. "I'm leaving you alone with my best friend. You better not try anything."
"Or what, might I ask?" Lawrence looked him up and down, and upon having completed his inspection, appeared completely unimpressed by his assessment. "I don't appreciate being threatened. Unlike my employer, there will be no need to manhandle me. Good day."
The Lombax leaned in closer, his words coming out in a low hiss. "He deserved what he got, and you know it."
Not one to be cowed, Lawrence inclined his head, lessening the gap between them even further. "Keep this up, and you'll lose the privilege of claiming the moral high ground. Good. Day."
Indifference, he may have expected. Hostility, sure. But this…Ratchet wasn't exactly sure what to make of this. Nor could he decide if the butler's words had been intended as an insult…or advice.
A small crowd was beginning to form in the hangar bay. Considering their team consisted of only four people, the rest of the group was made up of a growing assortment of maintenance bots, whether repair, janitorial, or anything in between, all of whom seemed quite curious about the current situation. As they approached, Nefarious was just about ready to lunge at Qwark over something, if it hadn't been for Ophelia distracting him with even more pressing matters.
"Here's my big-headed hero!" She came at the supervillain with determined strides, arms wide open. "Oh, I could almost kiss you!"
"I'll have no part in your disgusting displays of squishy affection!" Nefarious held his hands out in front of him in protection against the impending hug she was so bent on inflicting upon him. "I mean it, get away from me, you twit!"
When Ophelia failed to relent, Ratchet was left with no choice but to intervene. "Ophelia, heel!"
Just like that, the Virditian turned on him, fists curled at her sides. "I'm not a dog, Ratchet!"
"You stopped, though. Good girl." As much as he would have liked to drive the point home with a good pat on the head, he decided against it. Considering her temper, it was probably best he didn't push his luck too far.
Ophelia released an aggravated huff that would make any teenager proud. At least she had upgraded from impatient five-year-old. Then again, was that really an upgrade?
"Women. They're raving lunatics," Nefarious muttered, still breathing heavily from his recent ordeal. Of course, whenever the scientist attempted to speak at a diminished volume, that always meant his words were clearly audible.
"What was that?"
Ratchet pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough! We're about to leave, so get in and get comfortable. I have a feeling this is going to be a bumpy ride."
"I get the shotgun," Ophelia said. "That's how it goes, right?"
Nefarious gave a haughty snort at the blunder. "No, I have to operate the Gravity Negation Barrier. You and the big green moron can sit in the back where you belong!" With one final glower directed her way, the lanky scientist slunk into the ship.
"And to think I was about to hug you! Well, you don't deserve my feminine charms, mister! Instead, I shake my fist at you-"
"Ophelia!"
"Yes, sir, Ratchet, sir!"
Once the entire group had settled down inside what he could only hope would not soon be their coffin, Ratchet plopped down into the pilot seat beside Nefarious. With the press of a button, the engine growled to life.
From one of the two seats in the back, Ophelia squealed with excitement.
"All right, last chance to change your minds," Ratchet said.
When no one took him up on the offer, Ratchet launched them into space, his heart hammering in his ears. He had done a lot of stupid things in his life. And flying into a black hole, while simultaneously placing his survival on the skills of a criminal who personally wanted him dead, had to be right at the top.
Honestly, he'd have to place it just above licking the batter off a mixer while it's still plugged in.
Ratchet fired an ion blast in the black hole's general direction. At first, the thin white beam zipped forward in a steady line, completely undisturbed. And then gravity began to kick in, and it began to curve ever so gently towards a single point, like an arrow aiming them towards their destination.
"I hope you know what you're doing."
"I'm the only one here who does," Nefarious said, his voice low and lacking its usual edge. Frankly, he sounded almost…tired. "So unless you want us all to get crushed into oblivion, you'll refrain from questioning me."
"Is that a threat?"
Nefarious rolled his eyes. "Look, I want this whole ordeal over with just as much as you do, furball. And I'd really prefer if it didn't involve us having to speak to each other."
That was one thing the two could certainly agree on. Ratchet breathed out through his nose, but said no more. Best to just go with the flow, Ratchet. Go with the-
We all have to die eventually, he supposed.
It wasn't long before their trajectory was pulled to the right as an invisible force attempted to align them with the ion blast that had since been stretched far beyond its original length like a piece of taffy, spiraling about itself and their ill-conceived destination, the black hole's singularity. And if Nefarious' invention failed, it would be their grave.
Gave new meaning to the phrase "silent, but deadly". Ha, focus, Ratchet, focus.
To his right, the numbers displayed in crisp, green digits in the newly-installed monitor were jumping upwards at an alarming rate. Ratchet could have sworn his heart did a backflip. "Uh, are you-"
"Shut it! You do your job, and I'll do mine!" Nefarious hardly spared him a single glance, his attention focused on the numbers before him as his good hand nervously drummed out an unsteady beat on the hand rest.
Go with the flow, Ratchet. Like a leaf on a river. A river leading to a 50-foot waterfall. With pointy rocks at the bottom. And he wasn't a leaf that would drift safely down, but a vulnerable hunk of flesh and bone that would explode on contact like a melon launched from a cannon.
The ship's hull began to shudder, almost loud enough to cover up Qwark's whispered prayers behind him. From Ophelia, a nervous chuckle escaped. Ratchet glanced sidelong at his co-pilot, who continued to study the numbers that had since started to climb in a near blur.
When Ratchet reached for the controls himself, Nefarious slapped his hand away.
"Ow, what's the deal?"
Even now, the scientist seemed to be purposely avoiding eye contact. "Okay, fine, the Gravity Negation Barrier has one tiny, insignificant flaw!"
Oh boy, here we go. "And that is…"
"It may or may not have an insane power draw, so unless you want this to be a one-way trip, you'll shut your stupid face!"
Ratchet stared at him. "You're kidding me."
Finding himself under such scrutiny, Nefarious had no choice but to finally face his critic head-on. "Excuse me, but you gave me an unreasonable deadline!"
"Uh, excuse me, but I didn't give you any deadline!"
"No more fighting! We're going in!" Opehlia shrieked at the top of her lungs and stretched her arms over her head as if they were really just riding over the peak of a particularly wild roller coaster.
Welp, he tried. Time to die.
It wasn't much longer before the ship began to vibrate with an intensity that made Ratchet's fingers go numb on the steering yoke. And to his right, their resident scientist had begun to type a sequence of numbers into a small keypad.
"You're all about to experience one of the greatest advances in scientific history!" Nefarious yelled, his teeth chattering as the ship's hull rattled around them. In a lower voice, he added, "And you're all probably too dimwitted to appreciate it. Behold!"
Even their current situation couldn't stop the scientist from lifting one thin arm high in the air in an unnecessary flourish before slamming his fist down on a sufficiently oversized red button.
How very cliché of him.
They jerked forward just as a crackling electric barrier consumed them. Just like that, the ship's bone-rattling creaking had ceased and their trajectory began to straighten now that they were no longer under the influence of unseen forces. The barrier was really holding, against all odds, their flight as smooth as if the black hole had simply vanished from existence.
Nefarious cackled. "I told you it would work!" This reassurance was just a bit less promising when even he sounded surprised.
Even under the barrier's protection, however, light had begun to bend around them, Ratchet's vision twisting and distorting as if he was inside one giant fishbowl. Everything existed in all directions and nowhere all at once. Nefarious, Qwark, Ophelia, even the Phoenix somehow existed on a single curved plane.
And in the center of it all, the ion beam circled the black hole's singularity like a neon bullseye, highlighting that single point where there should be no survival. Even if the barrier was as reliable as Nefarious had so boldly claimed, his brain protested against hands that refused to steer them away from the deadliest force in the known universe.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," came Qwark's voice from the back.
"Did you eat bananas before we left?" Ophelia asked. "They say if you eat bananas-"
"Both of you, shut it!" Nefarious snarled.
Ratchet, on the other hand, was currently putting every ounce of his willpower into not screaming.
By now, they had gone too far. By now, the singularity was before them. Time slowed, the last words spoken echoing in a prolonged cacophony, bouncing endlessly inside Ratchet's skull as the numbers on the monitor sped upwards in an indistinguishable blur before simply stopping altogether to spell out the word "Error" in bold, flashing letters. Light stretched further, his vision pulling into endlessly long streaks an atom thick, while his whole being was overwhelmed with a sickening feeling like his stomach being yanked out through his belly button. The barrier fluctuated wildly, sparking, shrinking. It compressed as if clutched within an invisible fist. Any smaller, and it would all be over.
Just when he began to fear this whole nightmare would stretch on for eternity, the next thing he knew, they were…
Ratchet jerked hard on the yoke, instinct steering them around a planet that had popped up directly ahead of them much too quickly for his mind to comprehend. Once he had stabilized their path, he took this opportunity to get a good look at their surroundings.
What stretched before them was an entire solar system that had been forced to exist in a much smaller state, like one giant cosmic model a child might hang up in their bedroom or construct for a science project. While the void of outer space was normally the blackest of black, here it was eerily white, ethereal, as the light of countless stars shone far too close together, far too many suns vying for the same space.
With the press of a button, Ratchet dropped a beacon that would lead them back to the entrance, while Nefarious shut off the barrier, looking as exhausted as the Lombax felt. As they drifted forward, every member of the team remained silent, lost in their own wonderment at the sight of dozens of planets, some intersecting in an impossible fashion. The only way to describe such a surreal place would be to liken it to that of a black hole's stomach, everything it had ever eaten forced to share the same space for the rest of eternity.
Ratchet released a frigid breath of air that hung before him as if frozen in time. It clouded his vision, leaving him with no choice but to swat it away as the radio crackled to life. "-th-krzz-ank. Krzz-you re-"
"Uh, Clank," his voice echoed as if he was speaking into an empty hallway that stretched on with no visible end. He tried again. "Clank, we made it into the black hole. You're breaking up too badly, but we're all okay. Ratchet, out." Even now, his first and last words continued to reverberate in a confusing dissonance.
"Ugh, this is giving me a headache," Ophelia groaned, her complaint only succeeding in adding a second echo to Ratchet's fading one.
"Aren't you going to change the channel?" Nefarious' own echoing words joined the growing chorus of voices.
Ratchet kept his attention directed forward. "What for?"
"We need to follow the signal to that…Four Horsemen what's-it. Didn't Clank tell you anything before we left?"
No. Apparently it had slipped his mind during their sad excuse for a farewell. Once they got back, he and Clank had some catching up to do.
When Ratchet failed to respond quickly enough for the scientist's liking, Nefarious reached out and tapped a few buttons on the ship's radio. Distorted digits popped up on the screen. In fact, everything on the dashboard had gone haywire. Screens showed nothing but static or constantly changing gibberish, while dials spun wildly or just stopped altogether.
"Blasted thing!" Nefarious slapped the radio with the palm of his hand, only succeeding in causing the imposter digits to scroll upwards off the screen, replaced by nonsensical text that looked eerily like an undecipherable message from an ancient language. If it were to say anything meaningful, Ratchet could only guess it was a warning.
"That's not helping!"
Grumbling to himself, Nefarious tried once more to enter the frequency into the ship's radio panel. Although no input was displayed to confirm his attempts were being received, they were rewarded at last with an eerie low groan that fluctuated in volume.
"Hey, Nefarious, if that's your taste in music, then I'd rather not listen to anything," Qwark said. The man's voice was flat, as if it was all he could do to keep his composure. For once, Ratchet couldn't blame him.
"This is the radio signal being emitted by that machine, you simpleton! It should lead us straight to it!"
Ratchet felt nauseous. It would be an understatement to say there was something wrong with this place. Never before had he felt so unwelcome. And he had infiltrated hostile enemy bases and space pirate strongholds, not to mention that one time he had accidentally wandered into the lady's section of the department store. It felt as if they had travelled back in time, to a dead period in history that was stagnant, preserved long past its expiration date like a mummified corpse. They were out of their element. They were out of their time.
They continued onward in relative silence, aside from the radio signal, which continued to grow in strength the closer they got to the source. His ears twitched when he caught Ophelia's quiet muttering behind him. When Ratchet glanced over his shoulder, he spotted her pressing her nose against the window beside her.
She looked over at him, but he pulled his gaze away before their eyes had a chance to meet. "Ratchet, this place looks…kind of horrible. Do you think my people are okay?"
"We just need to stay on course for now. We can't risk losing the signal."
Nefarious glanced over from where he had since slouched in his chair, arms crossed. "Say what now? What are you morons blabbering about?"
"It's none of your concern. Don't worry about it."
Eventually, one planet in particular emerged into view directly ahead of them, its crumpled form akin to a soda can that had been crushed in one's fist. A moon like a shattered egg shell protruded from the planet's surface like a massive pimple. Clearly nothing was meant to pass through a black hole without some sort of consequences. If it hadn't been for Nefarious' gravity negation-whatever, they might have come out the other side as a compressed mass of limbs.
Ratchet shuddered.
"We're almost there," Ratchet said as the planet loomed ever closer before them, their target a crumpled, yet largely intact, ring-shaped space station that intersected the planet just shy of its halfway point, a massive, domed structure to which all pathways led like the spokes of a wheel. Off to his left, he caught sight of a dozen capsule-shaped objects floating outside, many of them rotating slowly, endlessly.
Whatever they were, all of them were ruptured.
He was startled by a change in the radio signal, a buzzing that preceded a low, distorted voice. "Greetings, visitor, and welcome to the Halo of Deliverance. Please proceed to hangar Epsilon."
Ophelia squealed. "They're communicating with us! They know we're here!"
"There's no possible way…" Ratchet said, more to himself than anyone.
Ophelia had since launched herself from her seat so that she could better yell into the radio. "We're here! We're gonna get you out of there!"
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Nefarious said, awkwardly attempting to shove her away with his bad hand. "I thought we were here to blast something, not rescue anyone!"
"Ophelia, sit down," Ratchet said, doing his best to keep his voice calm. "Please."
"What's going on, Lombax? I didn't sign up for-"
"Our mission is exactly what we told you it was. Now sit down, Ophelia. We'll talk about it later."
"But Ratchet-"
"Right now!" He hadn't meant to snap at her, but at least his command had motivated her to return to her seat so that he could better analyze their situation. "It's only an automated voice." Another reassurance meant for his own peace of mind.
"Sure, it is," Nefarious said, though even he seemed doubtful. "But how do they know our language? Clank said these people existed roughly 2000 years ago."
"Why don't we just focus on the fact that they sound friendly, okay?" Qwark said. While his suggestion failed to provide any answers to their questions, Ratchet couldn't deny that it was at least comforting.
But Nefarious was right. How could it be automated and speak in a language that didn't exist yet? Ratchet chewed on his lower lip, his mind struggling to work out this inconsistency as he piloted the ship towards a string of blinking lights that had illuminated in response to their presence, presumably guiding them to the hangar in question. This felt so wrong. Why did it feel as if someone was waiting for them? Someone…or something that had been waiting for two millennia.
He took a deep breath and guided their transport through a large hangar door that slid open at their approach. This would all be over soon enough. Not all questions required answers, not all mysteries needed solving. This place was most assuredly one mystery that was better left an enigma.
The same voice from before returned as the door sealed shut behind them. "Airlock protocol initiated. Equalizing air pressure. Please standby."
"How's there still power?"
"No clue-Ophelia, stay put! We need to stay together!"
Ratchet pushed a few keys on the ship dashboard in order to perform a scan of their surroundings. Since entering the space station, the various monitors and dials had begun to function normally once again, and even their voices no longer echoed as they once had.
The Four Horsemen was close.
"Life support systems have been damaged beyond repair," the ship's monotone voice informed them. "There is a limited supply of breathable oxygen outside. Proceed with caution."
"Ratchet, I want to go out! They need me!"
Ratchet sighed. He wished he still had her enthusiasm for missions like these. "Get a blaster from the back. We don't know what we're going to find."
Before he had even finished, Ophelia had launched herself from her seat and zipped into the back room in a green and red blur. Easing himself to his feet with a groan, Qwark followed suit in much less of a hurry.
When Nefarious attempted to join them, Ratchet stilled him with a hand around his arm. "Oh no, murderous psychopaths don't get weapons."
Nefarious yanked his arm free and rounded on him. "I'm just as much a part of this team as you are, you hairy sadist!"
Ratchet refused to break eye contact as he placed himself between the scientist and the rear storage compartment, the end of his tail flicking. "You're the most disposable member of it, and that's all."
Nefarious snorted, placing his hands on his thin waist. "Oh, so you're still playing the tough-guy act, huh? You know, this whole mission wouldn't have even been possible without me! I think I deserve a bit more gratitude!"
Ratchet didn't even bother to answer, sparing the scientist no more than a hard stare before turning away and joining the others. The transport's rear doors were already open, a shimmering blue energy wall the only thing left between them and the outside.
He leaned against the doorway. "You got everything?"
Qwark hefted the explosive pack onto his back, a pistol already hanging from his belt. "All ready to blow this baby sky-high!"
"Ophelia, you good?"
Ophelia was dancing from one foot to the other in her impatience, the largest blaster she could possibly find cradled in her arms. He pushed it away when she aimed it in his direction. "Ratchet, I need to get out there right now! I'll hold my breath if I have to!"
Before he could voice his doubts concerning her plan, the voice interrupted once more. "Airlock protocol complete. Breathable air is now present. Please proceed."
"Well, luckily for you, that won't be necessary. Let's move out."
Boy, he used to like adventures. Even from within the belly of an unexplored dimension, it was business as usual. When had the fire gone out of his life?
They exited the ship as a group, everyone equipped with an earpiece for communication and everyone, save for a very peeved supervillain, armed with a blaster in case this place wasn't as empty as it looked. As they left the hangar, a bronze, tubular hallway curved out on either side of them, the artificial gravity responsible for cancelling out any incline the space station might have otherwise had. The hallway was lined with archaic orb-shaped lights set along either side of the corridor. These lights blinked continuously between white and an ominous red, quite likely the very same lights that had been used to warn all those people to evacuate before the black hole could consume them. The very same warning, repeating endlessly for 2000 years, unseen by any living soul.
"If there's anything hostile here, we all know I'll be the first to get shot or stabbed or eaten!" Nefarious grumbled, just loudly enough that it was clear he meant to be heard. "But that's fine! I'm only the reason we survived the trip in here to begin with! Why should I get any thanks? I'm clearly a useless waste of time!" Forgoing any illusion that his complaints were meant for his ears only, Nefarious yelled the last words, throwing his arms into the air to erase any doubts that this was a grown adult throwing a tantrum.
"Don't you worry yourself about it, Nefarious," Qwark said, his booming voice hinting at a restored confidence now that he was on his feet again. "If anything happens, I won't hesitate to protect us both." When he attempted to pat the scientist on the shoulder, Nefarious shrugged himself free.
"Don't touch me, Qwark," Nefarious hissed, picking up speed so that he could walk ahead of the group.
"Just give it up," Ratchet said, eyeing Ophelia as she marched alongside him with a suspicious level of alertness. The air was stagnant and hot, stiflingly so, like the air inside a ship parked too long in the sun.
"I just want ol' Neffy to feel like part of the group. Is that so wrong?"
Once this was over…what would they do? If they sent Nefarious back to prison, their role in his escape would be revealed.
No, maybe he'd take care of the job himself. It wouldn't be a crime with someone like him.
"Where are they?" Ophelia asked. "They must know we're here to save them, but where are they?"
From a good ten feet ahead, Nefarious chuckled. "Don't tell me you actually expected to find anyone here!" He turned to face her better, walking backwards as he continued, "You heard what the ship's diagnosis said. This place has limited oxygen. If there were survivors, they would have used it all up by now and still died off." He released a loud cackle and turned away.
"Don't you dare say that! They're here! We heard them!"
"Ophelia, that was just a computer," Ratchet said. Sure, just go with that theory. "We need to-"
With a pained huff, Ophelia ran off down the nearest branching hallway despite the Lombax's continued protests to stay with the group.
Ratchet directed a withering glare in Nefarious' direction. "What the heck is your problem?" was all he said in admonishment before he took off in pursuit of their wayward companion, her shrill calls echoing ahead of him.
"Hey, I'm here! Ophelia's here! I'm like your super distant relative or something!"
Her screams, paired with the constantly alternating lighting, made Ratchet's own trek after her disorienting. "Ophelia, you need to stop this! Get back here!"
"Leave me alone, Ratchet! I'll catch up with you guys once I find them!"
Ratchet followed the sound of her voice down eerily preserved hallways, the blinking red lights and complete lack of decay aside from the musty, humid air making it feel as if the disaster had only just happened. He passed a wall of empty docking stations for escape pods long since launched. It occurred to him that they were the very same shape and size as the cylindrical pods they had seen earlier.
In the end, they hadn't gone far. In the end, they had only hurried on the inevitable.
Just when he began to fear he had lost her, he found her stopped at a dead end where the curve of a grassy hill inexplicably intersected the hallway ahead of them.
Ratchet slowed to a halt, panting to catch his breath. "Ophelia, you can't wander off. We can't risk getting split up…" He trailed off when ragged sobs split the air.
"Where are they, Ratchet! They were supposed to be here!" Ophelia pounded the hillside with both fists.
"Ophelia, I-"
Ophelia took several shaky breaths as she attempted to compose herself, directing her next words towards the ceiling. "H-hey, mystery voice!"
"Don't talk to it!" Talk to what? It was only a computer, after all.
"Tell me, how many people are here?" Her voice cracked, and she wiped her face with her forearm, trying her best to withhold a second wave of sniffles.
There was no reply. "Ophelia, listen to me-"
She shook her head. "No, they're here! I know they are! I'll prove it! I'll-"
"We have performed a full scan of the facility," Ratchet's already pounding heart doubled in speed when the voice finally responded, "and we can confirm that there are four life forms aboard the vessel."
"Four?" she repeated, her voice rising to a squeak. "That can't be right. I don't mean new people, I mean-"
"There are a total of four life forms aboard the vessel."
"Well, where is everyone?"
The voice left no room for speculation. "Dead."
"How?" Ophelia choked. "This place is preserved! How can they-"
"Dead," the voice repeated.
"All the escape pods are missing," Ratchet said. "They all tried to evacuate, but they were too late to escape the black hole! We saw them outside!"
"No, that can't be," Ophelia wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "No-"
"Everyone is dead," the voice confirmed again. Unless Ratchet was merely hallucinating, unless anxiety was simply getting the better of him, he could have sworn he detected the slightest hint of malicious glee in that otherwise robotic voice. "Someday, everyone will be dead. For some, sooner than you think."
"Who are you?" Ratchet hadn't meant to voice the question out loud, but the words had escaped him, nonetheless. "If you're not the computer, then who are you?" He squeezed his hands into fists, nails digging into his palms even through his leather gloves. He was insane. It was just an automated voice. Nothing more. His mind was simply playing tricks on him. He was seeing meaning where there was none.
They both waited in silence, but this time, there was no answer. His heart pounding, Ratchet forced his gaze to return to Ophelia, who stood quivering in the corner to which she had since retreated. Even in the pulsating light, he could clearly make out the tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, I-"
"I know, I know, you were right. Everyone was right. I was just being stupid. I saw how bad things were outside. They couldn't have possibly survived."
Despite her agreement, Ratchet went on, a confession readying on his lips that had been a long time coming. "Ophelia, I need to tell you something. I…I already knew that…" What, that there were no survivors? That the people she believed could save her dying race were already dead themselves? A lot of good your silence did, Ratchet. "But…I didn't have the heart to tell you outright. I tried to warn you, but…" Okay, this wasn't helping. "I'm so sorry," he said again with a feeble shake of his head. There was no way to make this better. But such shallow platitudes were all he could manage at the moment.
Ophelia sniffed. "I wasted so many years of my life looking for them Ratchet. I-I thought that maybe I…maybe I could've had a family again. Maybe…maybe they could have helped me save the Virditians. Shared their knowledge with me, about how they kept the peace…about how they helped so many people. But this was all for nothing! Nothing, Ratchet!" She stomped her foot. "Every day of my life has been one big waste of time!" Her shriek reverberated all around them as she doubled over, as if experiencing physical pain. She might very well have been. He got it. He had been through a similar thing in the past. He thought he was finally going to see the Lombaxes again. And then, well, look at him. Aside from Azimuth, it never happened.
She crumpled to the floor, arms still wrapped tightly about herself, and proceeded to sob louder than before. The sound was raw, the sound of unbridled sorrow that had been held in for far too long. He couldn't exactly rush something like this. But they needed to get out of here. They needed to get the job done.
Ratchet took a tentative step forward. "I understand you're upset, Ophelia. I know…it's going to take a long time to recover from this. But…but hey, w-we're still doing a good thing. Right? We're going to stop Petaer from doing a lot of harm. I know you wanted to help your people, but…you're helping to save the whole galaxy. That's gotta count for something, right? I know this isn't turning out the way you had hoped, but you're still making a big impact. Y-you had said you always wanted to be a part of a team. Or something like that. Well, we're a team. And that means we're in this together."
Ophelia's shoulders had since stopped shaking, her sobbing since quieted down to naught but a soft whimper. When she looked up, her eyes were still red, but the tears had otherwise ceased to fall.
Ratchet held out a hand. "Come on, we need to finish this. We're so close."
Though she said nothing, she took his hand and allowed him to lead her back down the hallway. Realizing he hadn't communicated with the others in a while, Ratchet turned on his earpiece to Qwark's channel. "Hey, Qwark, this is Ratchet." He tried to keep his voice soft. "How's everything going on your end? Is Nefarious giving you any trouble?"
"Oh, Ratchet, everything's going fine," Qwark's voice crackled to life. "And don't you worry about Nefarious. He's been on his best behavior. What was that?" There was a pause, during which Ratchet could just barely make out the scientist's voice. When Qwark continued, it was clear he wasn't talking to Ratchet anymore. "Yeah, we're talking about you. Only good things, though. Only good things."
"Well, we should be meeting up with you guys soon. Where are you right now?"
"We've already found the thing. The…horsemen thing. Don't get the name, though. It doesn't look anything like horses. Or men. More like…anyway, it wasn't too hard. Just keep going inward. You can't miss it."
"Thanks, Qwark. Ratchet, out."
His companion remained silent, her usual enthusiasm completely absent. Even in the empty silence after her outburst, his heart was pounding, and he kept his attention focused ahead. He knew all too well what she was going through. Much of the time, he couldn't bear to think that they were out there. When you really thought about it, just who exactly was truly lost? The entire Lombax race…or just him? They were all together. But not him.
Never him.
In a twisted sort of way, it was almost worse knowing they were out there, but he simply could never reach them. Not unless he was willing to rip a hole in the fabric of the universe or use the Great Clock to undo the war against the Cragmites. And undo the day he met Clank. It was like it was somehow wrong to find his own kind. Why did his dreams have so many consequences?
"Ophelia, I know you probably don't want to hear this right now, but…this really isn't the end of the world." He expelled a deep breath, his voice husky as he continued, "I know what you're feeling, but if you spend your whole life wishing for what you don't have, you won't have any time left to enjoy what you do have. I get what it's like to want, with all your heart, to reunite with your own kind. But I've since realized that it really isn't everything. What really matters are your friends." Man, he was beginning to sound really corny. "They can be the best family in the universe, even if they look nothing like you."
She blinked at him, a strange hesitance in her mannerisms, as if she longed to draw nearer, while at the same time thinking better of it. Her eyes fell away, and she squeezed his hand in her own. "You're a good friend, Ratchet. I don't deserve you."
They continued the remainder of their walk in silence, not another word spoken between them now that an understanding had been reached. Before long, they were passing through a set of double doors that opened wide at their approach. What chilled Ratchet's blood in his veins was not the size of the massive room beyond, nor was it the inconceivably large void in the center that appeared to go endlessly in either direction.
What had drawn his attention and left his mouth hanging open in disbelief was the…thing suspended above the pit by a cascade of countless cables like tentacles that pulsed with an ethereal blue light. Scratch that, the cables resembled arteries more than tentacles, the enormous object bringing to mind a mechanical heart made of the same polished bronze as the space station, the metal ensconcing it not dissimilar to the carapace of some huge, armored insect.
Whatever it was, it defied explanation, a malevolence emanating from it like a poison fog. Sure, he was probably just being paranoid. He had to be. But even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that this machine was not meant to be understood, was not meant to exist. And soon enough, they would set things right.
Their comrades seemed to be in some sort of heated, yet one-sided conversation, to which the superhero could only respond with a clueless shrug. At their approach, Qwark raised a hand in silent greeting, looking relieved for their presence. Most of the explosives were still loaded into the pack on his back. Nefarious, meanwhile, continued grumbling to himself in some currently unknown rage, his focus on one of the explosive charges he had gripped in his good hand. Several more were dismantled at his feet.
Ophelia's hand slipped free of Ratchet's, and she wandered forward to study the device suspended above the pit. This whole thing gave him a bad feeling. Clank never did fully understand what this thing was. Soon enough, no one would ever know for sure. The only people who had known this machine's true purpose were long gone. Considering the destruction it had been able to cause, it was obviously for the best.
Ratchet's hand wandered down to finger the blaster at his waist. This was precisely the sort of thing Nefarious would choose to exploit for his own gain. Frankly, with their detour, he should have been finished setting the explosives by now. "What's taking so long, Nefarious? Get the job done so we can get out of here."
"You think I like working with you twits? Someone's tampered with these explosives! Every charge I've looked at is missing its core. This whole trip has been a big waste of time!" With a growl, Nefarious tossed the object down to join the others left discarded on the floor.
Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Oh, come off it, Nefarious! If anyone's messed those explosives, it would be you!"
"Me? What could I possibly have to gain from this?"
Ratchet advanced, clutching the blaster at his side even more firmly as he leaned in close. "I don't know! You tell me!"
"I want this stupid mission over and done with just as much as you do, hothead! Now get the heck away from me!" Nefarious shoved him, forcing Qwark to intervene before Ratchet could deal a blow of his own.
"Hey, no fighting, you two!" The superhero pulled the pair apart and continued to hold them on opposite sides.
With the Lombax effectively out of reach, the scientist shoved himself away from the larger man's clutches. "Are you really all that thick? The only one here with an ulterior motive," Nefarious pointed an admonishing finger at the next target of his scrutiny, "is her!"
Ophelia looked over from where she had been studying the massive machine, frowning in confusion. She jabbed a thumb at her chest. "What, why would this be my fault?"
"Nefarious, leave her alone!"
"Who else could it be? I never had any access to the bombs, but she did!"
Ratchet stepped forward, placing himself between Ophelia and her accuser. "I told you, leave her alone! Don't blame Ophelia just because you don't know what you're doing!"
"I know perfectly well what I'm doing, you hairy loser! And I'll prove it! Give me the detonator, Qwark!"
With the majority of the explosives still attached firmly to the superhero's back, the reason for his hesitance was clear. While Qwark grabbed the requested item from his pack in absent obedience, he seemed to be in no hurry to actually relinquish it. "I'm not sure I like where this is going…"
"Hand it over! If I was going to blow you up, I certainly wouldn't be standing two feet away!"
When the superhero remained frozen, Nefarious' blunt logic doing little to persuade him into compliance, the scientist pried the detonator from Qwark's hand. Before Ratchet could stop the crazed madman, he pressed the button.
Nothing happened. Unless you counted Qwark's terrified scream, which continued to bounce all about the room in a weakening refrain. Ratchet's heart was pounding. Nefarious was breathing heavily. And Ophelia remained completely unmoved by the whole display.
Realizing he was still in one piece, Qwark released a loud laugh. "Look at that, I'm still alive!" He continued to chuckle in the ensuing silence and gave Nefarious a light punch on the arm. "Remind me next time not to doubt you!"
While Nefarious was busy rubbing his violated arm and directing a disgusted glare in Qwark's direction, Ratchet turned to Ophelia. "Okay, what's going on?"
She retreated backwards a step. "What do you mean…how was I to-"
"Nefarious was right. You were in charge of the supplies, Ophelia. If anyone had the opportunity to tamper with the explosives, it would be you. So what gives?" It was all starting to make sense, like he was nearing the completion of a puzzle he didn't even know he had been assembling. How blind could he be? "Are you working with Petaer?"
"N-no-"
"Tell the truth, Ophelia! You two have been working against us this whole time, haven-"
"He's dead!" Her scream pierced the air, her words continuing to ring in Ratchet's ears even long after they had ended. It wasn't exactly the revelation he had been expecting, but it spoke volumes, just the same. To his left, Nefarious had since wandered closer, a dangerous expression on the supervillain's gaunt face.
"He's dead," she repeated in a voice far softer, but with double the weight. "I…I killed him when he said my plan was crazy. I-I didn't want…I didn't mean to…it just…it just happened." All throughout the confession, she just kept shaking her head, her fingers entwined in her hair, as if even she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I just wanted to be reunited with my ancestors. I thought…together, I'm sure we could have saved the Virditians. What's left of them anyway."
When it was clear that she had no more to say, Ratchet asked, "If your plan was so peaceful, then why'd you have to lie?"
She laughed, a ragged sound that was utterly hollow. "Isn't it easier to accept that someone has evil intentions than good ones? You bought into my story about Petaer. Would you have even believed me if I had told you the truth?"
Ratchet's ears drew low, more and more details from the past months clicking into place. "So you were the one who tried to kill me and Clank." It was a statement, not a question.
"And you were the one who kidnapped me and turned me into a squishy." Nefarious' voice was a low growl. "You're going to pay for what you did! You're dead!" He attempted to steal Ratchet's blaster just as Ophelia pulled out hers.
Ratchet pushed Nefarious away and sucked in a deep breath to compose himself. As quickly as the situation had escalated, a second drawn weapon would only heighten tensions.
"It doesn't have to be this way, Ophelia," Ratchet said, doing everything in his power to keep his voice neutral. It wouldn't do to get angry. To be seen as a threat. But she needed to hear the truth. "Your ancestors were not as peaceful as you think. This…this thing behind you, it's a war machine!"
"You're lying!"
"Clank did the research. This thing was used to hurt countless people."
"Fine," Ophelia said, her free hand squeezing into a quivering fist, "then what is it?"
"I-I don't know, but-"
"You see, you don't know anything! You're just bitter because you couldn't reunite with your people, either! I bet you're happy I failed, just like you did!"
And then, everything happened at once.
Taking advantage of her fury, Nefarious lunged forward, doing his best to disable her despite his broken wrist. Shoving her blaster arm skyward, she managed only to fire ineffectively at the ceiling, but in a motion almost imperceptible in its efficiency, her free hand produced a knife from beneath her layered clothing. With a desperate grunt, she stabbed him in the stomach.
Releasing a gasp of equal parts pain and shock, Nefarious collapsed to the floor as Ophelia fled. Though Ratchet dashed after her, he was too slow to stop her as she slammed a button on the Four Horsemen's surface and retreated inside the door that slid open to accept her, leaving him to beat on the door with both fists.
"Ophelia, come out of there! Please! It's not too late to turn back! Don't become a villain! You don't have to be the villain!"
Behind him, he could just make out Qwark's voice, his soft reassurances shaky. "Just hang in there, Nefarious. Just hang in there, it'll be all right."
"Ophelia-"
"Leave me alone!"
"Ophelia, we can talk this out! I know you're upset-"
Ratchet lurched forward, nearly losing his balance when the machine shuddered against him. He threw himself backwards as cables were ripped unceremoniously from their mounting high above, sparking and severed tendrils falling into the bottomless void while others hung twitching from the Four Horsemen's sides as it launched upwards, the already unstable space station starting to crumple from the damage.
He swore. This was bad. This was really bad. He spun around to find Qwark kneeling on the ground beside Nefarious, who was clutching his stomach in a futile effort to stem the red tide flowing from his wound.
"Qwark, just leave him, we need to get out of here! That…the Four Horsemen is keeping this dimension stable! Without it, this whole place is going to collapse!"
"A Ranger never leaves a man behind!" Qwark rose to his full height, hefting the scientist's thin frame in his massive arms as Nefarious groaned in pain.
"Whatever, let's go!" Not sparing another second, Ratchet fled from the room and down the corridor, the sound of Qwark's own footsteps thundering behind him. A whistle of escaping air caught his attention, the space station's hull breached as the device escaped, alongside their final moments of precious oxygen.
If only a lack of oxygen was the only thing they had to worry about.
All around them, the walls began to disintegrate into ash. Crumbling doors slid shut to isolate breaches in the hull, leaving them with no choice but to seek an alternate route. Against all odds, they managed to locate their assigned hangar just as the space station began to collapse behind them, snapping in half and in a freefall now that it was no longer wedged firmly into the planet's surface. The Lombax and superhero threw themselves into the transport, Ratchet activating the thrusters before the door even had a chance to slide shut.
"Qwark, throw all the dead weight out the back! We need as much speed as we can get!"
Leaving Nefarious slumped in the copilot seat, the superhero dashed into the ship's rear compartment as Ratchet sped off after Ophelia. Glancing over, it was clear the supervillain wasn't faring too well, his entire abdomen now soaked with blood and his breathing shallow. A trickle of red had begun to drip from his mouth. If it was up to him, excess supplies wouldn't be the only dead weight.
Qwark returned a short time later, breathing heavily and clutching the seats on either side of him for balance. Beyond the glass, planets were crumbling in an accelerated state of decay, the former whiteness of this dimension slowly succumbing to darkness as stars preserved long past their time withered and died. And ahead of them, the Four Horsemen sped off towards the black hole.
Beside him, Nefarious released a weak chuckle. "You know," he gasped, his voice wavering, "I made this thing purposely difficult to operate. So you twits couldn't just leave me behind."
When the Lombax failed to respond, he continued, "You…need me. I could…just let you all die. What would it matter now?" Nefarious laughed again, grimacing in pain at the effort. Ratchet merely stared at him, his mouth pressed into a tight line.
Ratchet was yanked back to reality by a warning from Qwark, sheer instinct kicking in as they dodged around the debris of a planet that was breaking apart, like an explosion happening in slow motion. Everything was going black around them and turning on the ship's headlights made little difference. All he had to go by was the beacon's signal on the radar, the dashboard functioning as long as they stayed within range of the Four Horsemen, the one stable thing in this whole crumbling dimension.
According to the radar, the beacon was close. Which meant so was their exit. "So what's it gonna be, Nefarious? We're approaching the black hole."
"Now that's a tough one." Nefarious' words were slurred, strained, as if it took all of his waning strength just to communicate.
They didn't have much longer. If Nefarious didn't do something soon, they weren't going to make the return trip. Just when Ratchet was considering calling the scientist's bluff and attempting to activate the barrier himself, Nefarious gasped for breath before listing off a string of digits. "Enter it," he said, his voice ragged, and repeated the sequence.
Ratchet input the given commands and pressed the final button. The barrier popped into existence just before they entered the black hole, preceded by the Four Horsemen, which bent and stretched upon entry, but was otherwise unaffected by the immense gravity at play. Light bent, time slowed, a dizzying display that no longer had any effect other than causing Ratchet to grind his teeth in impatient frustration.
And then they were back in their own reality. It wasn't too late. It was time to end this. There was no time to even think about what he was doing. It was all done on instinct, just as he had been trained to do.
Ratchet switched the radio channel to the Phoenix bridge. "Clank, Ophelia has betrayed us. She's stolen the Four Horsemen. Open fire on her. Now!"
"R-Ratchet, what is going on-"
"Lawrence, did you get that?"
"Of course," came the butler's usual deadpan, as collected as ever, "firing now."
If Ratchet had been a second faster, had given the order one moment sooner, perhaps what happened next could have been prevented. The device would have been destroyed. Ophelia would have been the only casualty, and it would have been her own doing.
Well, and Nefarious, but he would be no great loss.
Mission accomplished. Time to go home. Time to celebrate another job well done.
Maybe he'd finally retire from hero's work, just as he had been planning to.
He'd give Clank a proper apology. He…he…
Why was this happening?
The Phoenix. It…the Four Horsemen blasted it with a beam that shone with the blinding brightness of a star. Next thing he knew…
There was no sign of it. Even the radar showed nothing but dead space. The Phoenix was gone. Clank and Lawrence were gone.
Clank was gone. He was gone.
Ratchet slammed his fist down on the console. Hard enough to hurt. But the pain in his hand was drowned out by a wound far deeper. His chest…it was filled with broken glass. He couldn't breathe. This was wrong. All wrong.
He had just spoken to his friend. Mere moments ago. If he could just turn back the clock, he'd try again. He'd get it right this time.
An awful sound cut through the stunned silence. Having no idea where it was coming from, Ratchet wrapped his arms around his ears, banging his head down on the dashboard.
"Ratchet, I-I'm so-"
"Don't touch me!" Ratchet flailed at the hand that had touched his shoulder, a heart that had since ceased to function accelerating to one thousand beats per minute. He slumped further into his seat as he felt any remaining presence leave the room.
Ratchet replayed the events over and over again in his mind. That brilliant flash of light, the Phoenix blinking from existence, destroyed so thoroughly that not even a cloud of debris remained. And then Ophelia fled. Like the coward she was. She fled in that horrible machine, speeding off into the distance too quickly for him to even think about giving pursuit.
She had pretended to be their friend. They spent months together. Pretending. Playing a little game of make believe where only one of them was even aware this was so. He knew from the start that she couldn't be trusted. Why hadn't he listened to his gut?
Because he was a stupid hero? Because he was a naïve fool? Because…
"That same kindness could get you killed one day."
Ha, no. No! It would get Clank killed!
It got Clank killed. Clank…
Qwark returned sometime later, when Ratchet was choking back another wave of tears. "Hey, Ratchet…how's it going?"
Ratchet didn't answer.
After a moment's silent hesitation, the man continued, his normally booming voice soft, "I've placed Nefarious into the stasis tank in back. That should keep him alive for now. We need to make course for Kerwan. I know the Rangers have a confiscated Biobliterator there that should-"
Ratchet spun around in his seat, life restored to his form as soon as it had clicked in his mind what Qwark was suggesting. "How can you be so concerned with saving Nefarious when Clank just died?" Spit was practically flying from his mouth. Qwark's disturbing composure sickened him. "Clank was our friend! He was our friend, Qwark!"
"Ratchet, I know you're upset, but you-we all need to calm down and decide on the best, logical course of action."
Ratchet launched himself to his feet, teeth bared. "And saving the galaxy's worst criminal is your idea of the next 'logical' step? This is his fault to begin with! If he had stopped Ophelia or…or not even helped us to get inside the black hole in the first place, then none of this would even be happening! He deserves to die, just as much as Ophelia does!" He'd kill Ophelia for this! Only then might there be justice.
No, there would never be justice. Nothing could ever make this right. Not even remotely. And Qwark just stood there in front of him, silently, like the big, dumb idiot he was. Did he even understand what was happening? Did he even care?
With a snarl, Ratchet shoved Qwark with all his might. At least, he tried to, but the much larger man barely even budged, except to grab the Lombax by the arms in an attempt to hold him steady.
"Look, I understand you want revenge. But I've worked with Nefarious in the past, and believe me, if we're going to stand a chance against Ophelia, we're going to need him."
Ratchet shook himself free of Qwark's grip, only to draw closer, standing on tiptoes to get as close to the man's face as possible. "Oh, really? And who put you in charge-"
"Someone has to be!" the man snapped, his mouth clamping shut as soon as the words had left his lips.
Ratchet's eyes widened at the statement. He knew where Qwark was going with that. Ratchet was just being emotional, wasn't he? Ratchet was being a big baby.
His next words were low, almost a whisper. But he intended for them to cut deeper than screams ever could. "Since when were you ever fit to lead anyone? You've never been anything but a sham."
Qwark's jaw tightened, but he said nothing else, his massive chest merely heaving in some unseen exertion. Ratchet turned away and climbed into the copilot seat, where he proceeded to slump with his back to the other man.
"You want to go to Kerwan? Then do it yourself. Because I'm done."
Who really cared what Ophelia did? The whole universe could burn for all he cared.
There was nothing good left in it anyway.