Author's note:

I'm… going to go out on a limb and guess that people might have been looking forward to this sequel.

I'm honestly shocked by the overwhelming response to this story; 17 reviews, 35 favourites, and 31 follows for just the first chapter?! That's nearly half the number of favourites and follows for the entire of Time Heals All in just a few thousand words! I can't even begin to express how overjoyed I am at the sheer amount of interest in this series. It's actually a little intimidating in a way, seeing as you're all clearly expecting something on par if not better than before, and now I've got to deliver. No pressure.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Flowerstar for the meticulous attention to detail and making me realise just how God awful my grammar has become. As a result, not only have I fixed the last chapter, but I've also started going back over and correcting all my other stories as well on a chapter by chapter basis. It'll probably take a while, but the results will be well worth it once I'm finally done.

Also, I have fan art already and a story cover! Thanks go once again to the very prolific Nekolover3, who has not only drawn and posted a poignant piece to go with the first chapter on her deviant art account (/art/Waiting-for-you-Whole-Again-532868460) but has also very kindly agreed to make the cover for this story as well along with the permission to use it. If anyone knows of any other fan art relating to this story, please let me know so I can share it with the rest of the readership.

Incidentally, there seems to be a bit of confusion as to my new update schedule judging by some of the responses I've received. To clarify, I will be posting the next chapter of Whole Again every other Sunday at two week intervals. So the next scheduled update will be on May 31st, then June 14th and so on. This is based on London GMT, so it might appear sooner or later depending on which time zone you live in. Hope this clears things up.

Review replies:

Yue Twili - Indeed we are! Hope you like the new chapter.

Kairi671 - Don't worry; one way or the other, I will finish this story and the trilogy as a whole. Updates might be a little slower than my last story, but at least they'll be at regular intervals.

XxWolfMan95xX - Hopefully the wait has been worth it, and with luck the following chapters will live up to your expectations as well.

Firestar5277 - Thank you for reviewing! I'll definitely be updating; though a little and often as you can tell with my new schedule, and things will become very interesting for our heroes over the next several chapters.

The White Guardian - Glad you liked the first story, hopefully this sequel will live up to your expectations.

kboyer36 - Wait no more, here's hoping you find this chapter to your liking as well.

Nekolover3 - It has been a long time coming, hasn't it? But things are finally getting started now that I'm ready to commit to this story for the long run. Thank you for offering to draw the cover for this story, and for coming up with it so rapidly. I'm more than happy to have your artistic skills on board once again and can't wait to se what you can come up with in the near future. Thanks again, hope to hear from you soon.

vengarl22 - I'm happy you're liking this so far. I'm afraid I don't airsoft myself, though I have recently developed an interest and my younger brother has been pestering me to go with him and some friends, so I might be in the near future.

Flowerstar - No, you're absolutely right. I'd much rather someone point out where I'm going wrong so I can fix it sooner rather than not, and you've practically beta read the entire thing on my behalf for which you have my gratitude. As I mentioned in the author's note up top, I've made the corrections you've suggested and started going back over my previous work to check for any other inconsistencies. Believe me there's a lot more than I thought, and if it weren't for you I probably wouldn't have had the motivation to even consider what has proven to be a painstaking but well worthwhile process.

As for sharing the title with the Atomic Kitten song of the same name, it honestly didn't even occur to me. Just one of life's strange little coincidences I guess. Where will Ellen end up? You'll just have to read on to find out this chapter. I'm glad you like the previous story and Whole Again thus far; I'm honestly flattered you think so highly of them.

I hadn't heard of Yooka-Laylee before you mentioned it, but from what I've seen so far this is going to be absolutely massive once they finish development. Like you said, the amount of interest is insane; and with such a massive funding boost from the gaming community Platonic should have the financial security they need to get the job done. I love the old Rareware games, especially Conker's Bad Fur Day with its unique brand of deranged humour and messed up characters (opera singing poo monster, need I say more?) of which I have fond memories. With traditional platformers stagnating somewhat on the major consoles this last year or so, this may well be the chance for a chance to get back to the grass roots of the genre; and a great British comeback for an iconic development team from a bygone age.

Thank you for your help once again; I Hope you like the way things are going in the story so far, and if you see any more mistakes on my part feel free to let me know so I can fix it as soon as.

destiny - With a bit of luck you'll like this one too. Thanks again!

zenith88 - Thank you. I've tried to keep things consistent, and I tend to find it's the little details that make a character both more believable and relatable over time.

Sonachugirl - Well someone sounds excited, fingers crossed this chapter will be up to your expectations as well. I'm glad you agree with my new update schedule; putting out a scratch written chapter every week was exhausting, and at least this way I've got the time I need to get things done properly first time round.

Bulletwitch1985 - Hey again, its been a while hasn't it? I didn't even think about the whole changing voice actors thing between the games until you mentioned it, but I have come up with a few ideas on how to explain it away. Just need to find a way to slot it intointo the story without it being awkward. Glad things have settled down for you and your sister on the home front with regards to your…family issues, fingers crossed they will stay that way.

Good luck with your crossover story, sorry I couldn't check it over for you personally but this probably the next best thing. At least this way you can get feedback from multiple people and tailor the story as you see fit based off their responses. Please let me know when it's up so I can take a look for myself, if only to sate my burning curiosity for what you've got so far.

Regina's not the only one hyped to see Jurassic World, me and the rest of my immediate family are itching to go see it as soon as it comes out. I have to say it looks like it'll be a lot more violent and horror based than the previous films if the trailers are anything to go by, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I honestly think this is going to be an awesome movie, but I'll reserve final judgement until I've actually seen it myself.

Say hi to Regina for me, hope to hear from you both again soon. Take care.

Razor of DOOM - You want more? You've got more! As for the update schedule, see the author's note up top for a brief run down.

GoldenLombaxGirl - You'll just have to find out this chapter, hope you like it!

Dablackwyrm - Hello again my friend! It's great to be back, and I'm more than happy that you're stoked for the sequel. Yeah, unfortunately life's responsibilities do tend to eat into writing time, and I can't count the number of hours I've spent staring at a blank screen waiting for words to materialise. But we get there in the end, and ultimately that's what matters. Hope you like the new chapter.

Jacob Deitz - Like I said, it's an interesting idea and I've given some serious consideration to making it into a truly unique story in a way that I doubt any author has before. I can't give any details yet as it's all just random plot points and concepts vying for attention right now, plus I have to finish this story before I even consider writing anything else. Rest assured though that it's definitely on my 'In' pile of up and coming story ideas, and when I do have something ready to show you'll be credited for the inspiration of said story. Thanks again, hope to hear from you again soon.

I'm always trying to improve as a writer, so please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome, flamers are not.

If you enjoy this story, please feel free to check out the other stories on my account should you wish.

Phew, that's the most number of reviews I've had to reply to since…well, ever. Here's hoping you'll all like Chapter 2 as well.

- RevenantReaper337

Disclaimer:

Ratchet & Clank, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Insomniac Games. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me. Cover art belongs to Nekolover3 and is used with her kind permission.

'Thoughts'

Flashbacks

"Speech"

Chapter 2:

Do I Get Dental?

MCV Talos, Jupiter orbit

Milky Way Galaxy

July 6th 2013

2:48pm London GMT

"Oof!"

Ellen stumbled from the sudden loss of equilibrium caused by the nausea inducing teleportation, ending up with her landing heavily on her metal floor. Realisation of what had happened awoke half remembered survival instincts from what felt like a lifetime ago; her eyes seeking any threats and available cover while her hand went down to her waist band to activate a Quick Select that was no longer there as of eleven months ago when it was fried by tachyon radiation. The room Ellen found herself in was minimalist at best, consisting primarily of riveted metal plating with what looked like gym equipment on one side, a floating flat screen TV that was currently powered off just to her immediate right, and a small projector of some kind but a few paces to her front. Judging by the architecture and previous experience, this looked like the inside of a starship; albeit far better than the stripped down hulks that the blarg used, and the technology looked awfully familiar too.

Before she could ponder further however, the aforementioned projector sprung into life; displaying a life-size translucent representation of an elderly alien with a rather plump figure, a pair of antennae sprouting from his head, lightly-tanned rosy skin, and the familiar three digits on each hand that seemed common with multiple species she had seen on her previous misadventures through space. Pure white hair stuck up in clumps on either side of his head as if he had been electrocuted and an impressively thick moustache sat above his top lip from cheek to cheek.

His attire consisted of sensible black boots and trousers barely held up with a straining belt, with a white shirt and black waistcoat worn under a blue suit jacket sporting a yellow badge with a red letter M embossed in the middle. Finally, a red bowtie and a pair of black-rimmed spectacles completed the ensemble; giving the alien the distinct impression of being an eccentric grandfatherly figure, especially considering the jovial way he greeted the displaced human.

"Welcome, Miss Pearce!"

Ellen blinked in stupefaction before settling into a narrow eyed scowl as she realised two very important things; the fact that this man knew exactly who she was, and that she was able to understand him without the benefit of her destroyed Wrist Com's translator programme. "Who the bloody hell are you, and how do you know my name?"

If the suited alien was off put by her icy manner of address he certainly didn't show it seeing as he pressed on with the same level of cheerful gusto. "I'm Abercrombie Fizzwidget; founder of the Megacorp company in the Bogon galaxy. And after your incredulous experience in Solana, you are exactly the kind of person I need right now."

Well that was...spectacularly unhelpful, though it did at least confirm that he knew about her previous exploits with Ratchet and Clank almost a year ago. That however did raise several red flags and even more questions about her 'host's' intentions.

"Bogon...galaxy? Now you hold on just a minute! I don't know how things work where you're from, but teleporting someone off the street in broad daylight against their will is generally considered to be kidnapping!"

Fizzwidget's face drained of his earlier enthusiasm as he entwined his fingers some what nervously. "I'm sorry to have incapacitated you, but our entire galaxy is in a very precocious situation! I must humbly request your sustenance on a mission of dire urgitude; a mission of superfluous peril, a mission of unequizical imperitude!"

Ellen blinked in the suddenly awkward silence after the exuberant CEO finished speaking with growing intensity in each word, trying to make heads or tails of what he had just said.

"I'm sorry?"

If her ineloquent response bothered him, Mr Fizzwidget didn't let it show as he gestured to his left at the floating flat screen TV that had now powered on to show the same logo as the one on his lapel badge. "A few days ago, this top secret biological experiment was stolen from our testing lavatory-" On screen, an image of a small, blue furred, fluffy creature with floppy two-toed feet, a dinky antennae protruding from its head, and wide, puppy dog eyes was superimposed over the Megacorp logo. "-by this duplitherous criminal mastermind." The screen changed to a pair of grainy black and white stills from surveillance footage showing a tall-looking individual wearing a lightly-armoured suit with a hooded cape and full face mask bereft of any detail, save for the solid, opaque eye pieces that stared back soullessly. "And I need you and your superbulous skills to get the experiment back!"

Ellen merely pinched her nose with a drawn out exhalation of breath, voicing her thoughts out loud as she ran through what she knew thus far.

"So let me get this straight; someone stole your company's pet project in the literal sense."

"Indeed!"

"Somehow you found out about me helping to take down Chairman Drek."

"Affirmulous!"

"You sent what I presume to be a heavily-armed warship to my home galaxy, if the decor is anything to go by."

"Indubitably!"

"Then you had me kidnapped, in broad daylight, with eyewitnesses."

"I...uh, that is-"

"And now you tell me that you want me to risk life and limb on a dangerous mission, in another galaxy where I've never even been before?"

...

"Well, when you put it that way-"

"I'll do it."

"You...will?" The eccentric CEO blinked in confusion before his face split into a wide grin. "You will! Why that's splendiferous!"

Ellen held up a hand in forestalment. "I'll help you find your pet fluff ball on two conditions. First, when the job's done I'll need a way to get back to Earth."

Mr Fizzwidget nodded in acceptance. "Simple enough, and the second?"

The human smiled wistfully in response. "I want to find some old friends of mine from the Solana galaxy, but I don't know where to start."

The portly company head grinned cheerfully in response, making a gesture with one hand to change the images on the hovering flat screen TV once more. "Do this for me and I'd be more than happy to help track down your friends. Of course you'll need to be in superfitory shape to precipitate in this mission. While in transit to the Bogon galaxy you'll undergo heavy training and conditioning; including martial arts, heavy weaponry, survival skills, stealth, macramé, ballroom dance and origami."

Ellen stared distastefully at the rapidly flashing slides shown on screen depicting each of the training fields available before turning her gaze back to the hologram in front of her. "Somehow, I think I might skip the last three, thanks. But before I go anywhere at all, you need to let me get a message to my family."

This was her chance; to claim back that missing piece of her that died in the mendacity of everyday life after Veldin, and more importantly to find her tiny robot friend and the lombax that she loved. Fate may have stolen her away from him last time, but now it was giving her a second chance; one she would capitalise on the fullest extent. And so it was with what was probably the longest distance phone call ever that Ellen managed to leave a message on her parent's answering machine, triangulating her phone's signal through the ship's communications array and off of several satellites in Earth orbit before jacking into the regular mobile network. It would be the first broadcast from a sentient being to Earth from the outer reaches of the Solar system, and the last anyone would hear of Ellen Pearce for a long time to come.

MCV Talos, deep space

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.081 Galactic calendar

9:13am GST

Two weeks...

Two weeks of being confined to the same three, metal-plated rooms on the surprisingly spacious Megacorp vessel, pushing her body and mind to their limits in order to reach the peak condition she needed to survive the coming trials ahead. It had been a strange and awe inspiring sight to see Jupiter through the reinforced, armoured viewing port that was revealed at the push of a button; her nose pressed to the glass as the vessel left orbit and rapidly made its way out of the Sol system past each of the outer planets in quick succession before shifting to faster than light travel. Though she had seen many alien worlds before it was breathtaking to see the planetary bodies she was so familiar with up close, as well as reminding her of what their fate might have been were it not for Ratchet, Clank, and herself stopping Drek's mad scheme cold that day.

Ellen considered herself to be quite fit all thoughts considered, but after such a gruelling workout regime she now had a degree of subtle muscle tone that she swore wasn't there before; probably the nanites in her bloodstream still at work even after all this time. In conjunction with her own prior personal fitness plan over the last eleven months, the result was her physical strength having almost doubled compared to where it was a year ago. She could easily dangle from ledges for extended periods without tiring, run for hours before starting to feel breathless, bench press two thirds her own weight, and hit harder than she ever could previously.

Her newly-invigorated close combat skills were broadened by her introduction to Karachi Mu-Tai; a mixed martial art form that combined the hard hitting and efficient moves of blargian special forces CQC doctrine with the fluidity and adaptability of an ancient fongloid discipline known as 'the way of the violent wind'. There were those in archaeological circles who claimed that the ancient texts from which this martial art form takes its name was actually mistranslated and should read as 'exploding fart', but they have long been dismissed on the grounds that it sounds juvenile and far too silly to garner any academic validity. In any case, the blend of sweeping leg movements and rapid grappling techniques seemed to gel extremely well with Ellen's prior knowledge and now felt like a natural extension of herself.

When it came to weapons however, the human found that she had a fair amount to learn. Though Megacorp's selection of firearms ranged from practical to the plain ridiculous just like the Gadgetron models she had used during her time in Solana, the nature of their operation and upkeep was entirely different. Where as before each weapon required its own specific ammunition which made resupply difficult when a vendor wasn't around, Megacorp had patented a universal smart nanoclip to fit all types of guns from pistols to rocket launchers and everything in-between; making carrying spare magazines for the multitude of weapons she expected to carry a practical consideration rather than the logistical nightmare it would have been previously. It was just as well really that her new Quick Select was a military grade model with twice the capacity of her fried Gadgetron version, and boasted a separate slot for storing spare ammo canisters as well.

Being a Megacorp commando entitled her to a selection of basic weapons and equipment, but she was expected to be self-sufficient when it came to funding and expanding her future arsenal. 'Now I know how Shepard feels,' she mused, thinking back on how many hours she had whittled away on the Mass Effect trilogy prior to her impromptu discovery of life beyond the stars, and how much her life was now almost a mirror image of that digitised world. With such a finite choice of weaponry available, Ellen eventually settled on a load out suited to a broad range of combat scenarios.

Her first choice was the Megacorp Spitfire; a close cousin to the venerable Lancer assault rifle that straddled the line between a carbine and a true SMG in terms of size and performance. The combat rifle for want of a better term was a bullpup design with the magazine located in the butt and a stubby fore grip on the side of the barrel that sported a dull, reddish, paint scheme. While nowhere near as powerful or accurate shot for shot, it made up for these shortcomings with a high ammo capacity and a ridiculous rate of fire that sprayed incendiary rounds like nobody's business.

For situations where firepower and accuracy were paramount, she selected a licence produced version of the Leviathan Hand Cannon; a heavy calibre magnum type pistol developed by a small arms firm that looked like a cross between a long-barrelled hunting revolver and a desert eagle considering the bulky cylinder just above the trigger guard that held the nanoclip magazine and the digitally enhanced optical scope extending along the barrel itself. Testing it out on the ship's shooting range proved that it had a vicious kick in addition to pinpoint accuracy, and a killing punch that could easily penetrate two inches of thick-plated steel. The only real drawbacks was the extremely limited ammo capacity and the fact that despite being considerably more accurate at longer ranges than most conventional pistols, it still couldn't hold a candle to a dedicated sniper rifle.

Finally, for close quarters battle and general utility, Ellen picked out a mono molecular combat knife with a diamond edged serrated blade and a modified hand guard almost like a knuckle duster that fit snugly around her fingers. Granted it didn't have half the functionality that her old Versa Blade had, but at least it was a practical alternative to fighting barehanded against killer robots. Perhaps she could find someone selling a similar model to her old blade somewhere? If bolt cranks and the like were as common in the Bogon galaxy as they were in Solana, then it would definitely be a necessity sooner than not.

Fortunately the Megacorp vessel had a flight simulator as well on which she could gain experience with flying a star fighter; a necessity since she had only flown one once before and it was more luck than anything else that she managed to get it to go in the right direction at all considering how twitchy the neural link interface was. Thankfully Megacorp didn't seem to believe in gimmicky control schemes since the controls for the virtual Star Explorer she was practising on were the traditional stick and throttle type that soon became second nature. Ellen doubted that she would ever equal Ratchet's piloting skills anytime soon - crashes and all - but at least she was now experienced enough to navigate between planets in addition to dogfighting with other ships, or at least in theory. She'd just have to see how things held up in reality once she got intointo the cockpit for real.

The survival training felt like brushing up on the skills she had learned all those years ago from her brother, and the stealth section of the crash course seemed kind of redundant considering how Ratchet and Ellen's previous operational doctrine was 'explode everything that moves'. But she added the knowledge to her growing repertoire of skills anyway seeing as she needed every advantage she could get. That said, what was the deal with the last three training branches? Admittedly ballroom dancing might come in handy for infiltration missions in high society parties, but paper folding and knitting? What was she supposed to do, stab the enemy with a knitting needle while they're distracted by a paper goose? If she didn't think Mr Fizzwidget was a little...off before, she certainly did now after considering his idea of what constituted an elite corporate agent.

Speaking of which, the eccentric CEO had gotten back in contact not ten minutes ago to give her the final brief before she carried out the mission she had been chosen for while gearing up.

"We've used bi-polar vector regurgitation to track the thief's location to a flying base in sector seven, infiltribulate the base and retrieve the experiment." Ellen experimentally flexed her fingers inside the black composite ballistic weave elbow length gloves she now wore before checking over the rest of her new attire.

The form fitting commando suit was predominantly blue with a wide black stripe extending from the neck over the torso and all the way down to the ankles; comprised of the same blend of composite materials as the gloves only made more flexible with a light segmented armour plate over the chest protecting the vitals. Thick black squared padding covered the knees and shoulders down to the elbows to help absorb sudden shocks; a sheaf for her new combat knife attaching to her left bicep for quick use, while a simple utility belt encircled her waist with a silver plated buckle where her Quick Select was now stored along with a second module for reloads. The black laceless boots were of high quality with an excellent grip, but were flexible and soft soled enough to make sneaking around a realistic possibility when needed.

But it was perhaps the helmet that was the most complex piece of gear in the entire ensemble. The dulled grey metal commando helmet not only protected the wearer from incoming shrapnel, but automatically deployed a full face breathing apparatus and sealed the interior completely when submerged or in hazardous environments such as space. The tinted visor negated sun glare as well as providing a wealth of tactical information in the blink of an eye. Weapon targeting, real time health monitoring, Quick Select management, and encrypted communication channels via uplink were but a few of the variety of features available. Though the commando outfit might be considered basic by galactic standards, to Ellen it was state-of-the-art; far more advanced than any army on Earth had in terms of flexibility, protection, and overall effectiveness.

Checking the magazines on each of her weapons, Ellen responded with a cordial nod. "Alright...I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Was there anything else I should know before I go?"

Mr Fizzwidget lifted a finger to his chin in thought. "Actually, there is another commando also en route but under radio silence. You should reconsiliate if possible and extraplate the mission together."

The newly minted commando gave her now employer a brief nod. "So we won't be able to warn them I'm coming... Guess I'll just have to be make sure they know I'm friendly."

Fizzwidget's hologram gave her an encouraging smile before winking out of existence. "Good luck Miss Pearce, I'm sure your mission will have superbitory results."

Securing her helmet on to her head, Ellen initiated the HUD boot up sequence and checked her new Wrist Com was functioning properly before taking the elevator that would lead to the ship's hanger in preparation to launch. If this job was as simple as it seemed, then she would be winging her way to the Solana galaxy and Ratchet before the day was out. Somehow though, she had a feeling that this was just the beginning of something far more complicated, and she was liable to get caught up in the crossfire once more.

"Alright...let's do this."

No real action yet I'm afraid, but I felt the need to get Ellen properly equipped and up to speed before throwing her in the deep end. Don't worry though, she'll be seeing Ratchet sooner than she thinks once the retrieval mission starts next chapter.

Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they're posted and/or updated.

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337