Author's note:

Good lord, that's a lot of reviews. I still can't believe how popular this story is in spite of the fact very little in terms of plot has actually happened yet, though that's certainly set to change this chapter. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your all your feedback as well as patience with regards to my updating schedule. I know two weeks feels like forever when you're looking forward to something, but hopefully the end result will be considered worth it.

Also, thank you once again to Flowerstar for going through the chapter for mistakes with a fine toothcomb. I know I'm far from perfect when it comes to grammar, especially considering the large number of mistakes I made last chapter, but I think I did a lot better this time and can only hope the quality has been improved overall.

On a random note, has anyone not yet seen Kung Fury? Seriously, if you haven't then for the love of all that's holy, drop everything right now and check out the full movie on Youtube for one of the most brilliantly surreal and satirical piece of 80s inspired indie cinematography I have ever seen. In a word; awesome. Everybody back? Alrighty then, let's get on to the reviews and of course the chapter you've been waiting to read.

Review replies:

XxWolfMan95xX - Heh, well I guess I must be doing something right then. Hope you like the new chapter.

Dablackwyrm - Hey again! Glad you liked the last chapter, and the in-jokes in particular. I tried to get the explanations for Ellen's training and equipment out of the way up front so that things can run smoother once the story starts properly this chapter. Believe me, writing original dialogue for Fizzwidget is a pain in the backside, but I'm gradually getting the hang of it. 'Calm before the bullet storm' is definitely an apt prediction considering what's coming up in the next few chapters, and with any luck you'll like them just as much.

I think we're all in the same boat when it comes to story ideas; so many plot bunnies, yet so little time with everything seeming to conspire against you getting anything done. Out of curiosity, you said you were rewriting an old fic from three years ago, so does that mean you intend to post it? If so, let me know when you do, I'd love to see what you've got. Thank you once again, hope to hear from you soon.

The White Guardian - Aw, thanks. Those are definitely some of the moments I'm looking forward to writing, though the latter may be coming up a lot sooner than you think… When you say you like how I react to reviews, I'm not sure if you mean the fact I try to respond to every single one or the content of each one, but I'll try not to disappoint you either way. Thankfully the next few chapters are already drafted and just need editing so I don't have to worry about rushing them or making sure they come out on time. You're right though on both accounts; having more time means better length and quality overall for any story, though here's hoping the movie is worth the wait as well. Thanks again.

zenith88 - Thank you, and you bet right; for this chapter shall be a lot more Ratchet-centric. Hope you like this one too.

Kairi671 - Glad you like it, thankfully you won't have to wait much longer for their reunion considering what's coming up this chapter…

Sonachugirl - Yeah, I was pretty disappointed too when I heard they were delaying the movie until next year without any real explanation. Still, I'm glad the last chapter could make up for it to some extent and with any luck this chapter will be to your liking as well.

vengarl22 - Thank you kindly, I'm happy you like the story so far. Considering what Megacorp expects of their commandos and what she'll soon be facing, Ellen's going to need to be on par with Special Forces operatives just to stay alive. As for Ratchet…well, you'll just have to see this chapter.

destiny - Fingers crossed you'll like this one too, thanks again!

GoldenLombaxGirl - Maybe~ You'll just have to read on and find out, hope you enjoy!

Flowerstar - Nice to hear from you again, and thank you for taking the time to check over my work, I truly appreciate it. I'm afraid I don't really bother with Eurovision, though I did find it odd that Australia was participating at all considering it's supposed to be an exclusively European competition. Could this be a sign that other commonwealth nations may do so in the future as well? Maybe the rest of the world could join in and we'd have the World-vision Song Contest…On that note, despite the title of this story coincidentally sharing a name with the Atomic Kitten song of the same name, it's eerie now you've pointed it out how some of the lines kind of tie in.

I'd love to have you as my beta for this story, but I haven't the faintest idea how the whole bet thing actually works. Would I E-mail you the chapter, or is there a specific system in place? FF dot net isn't exactly very clear on the whole process. As I said earlier, thanks for checking over the chapter once again. I've already corrected the errors you've graciously pointed out, but I did have a few exceptions. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but these are the few things I feel shouldn't be changed any further since at the moment they work as is:

6) Nope, lavatory. This is Fizzwidget we're talking about here, and his entire speech pattern revolves around substituting and using nonsensical words so it makes sense in this context.

27) I'm afraid 'long, barrelled, hunting revolver' feels disjointed and doesn't make any sense to me when describing a gun with a extended barrel. So instead I substituted it for 'long-barrelled hunting revolver', with the hyphen acting to bridge the words and make the description more understandable.

29) You are right in that the primary player vessel in the second game is the Star Explorer, but Ellen has certainly never piloted one before, her only experience being the space going version of the blarg jet fighter seen throughout the first game. 'Star fighter' simply refers to the ship's class, such as cruisers, destroyers, and so forth, not the actual ship's name. Sorry for the confusion.

I might consider financially backing Yooka-Laylee in the near future once is implemented, but what little I could afford to contribute would be a drop in the ocean compared to the eye watering amount raised so far. I'd have to agree that spending out several thousand pounds, even on such a worthy cause, is just plain ridiculous in this economic climate; but if that's what some people want to spend their hard earned money on, then that's entirely up to them. I can only hope they enjoy their rewards and that their contributions are put to good use.

Quite a few people are asking about the whole voice changing thing for Ratchet, and I have come up with my own explanation which you'll find later in this chapter. I'm afraid I'm not big on social media, so my only methods of contact at the moment are through private messaging, E-mails, and of course review replies. I think everyone's a little disappointed by the R&C movie being pushed back for another year, and you may well be right about the Sly Cooper movie as well if the pattern holds true, but at least you've got plenty to look forward to in the meantime. Not so sure about the latter from the trailer I've seen though, especially Bentley's character model.

Hope you enjoy this chapter, and hope to hear from you again soon. Take care.

BulletWitch1985 - Hi again, hope you're keeping well! Yeah, Ellen's none too pleased at being kidnapped, but she is practically minded enough to make the best of a bad situation; especially since it's her best chance of finding Ratchet and Clank again. As for their reunion, you've probably already guessed, but it'll be a lot sooner than either of them realise.

Glad to hear things are settling down for you both on the home front. I can only hope things will stay that way, and that Regina won't have to make use of her bat anytime soon. I was a bit of a sad sack as well when I heard the Ratchet and Clank movie was being pushed back by a whole year, even though it was supposed to be practically finished. Still, I guess it's one more thing to look forward to next year, and there's always the Sly Cooper movie after that. Take care, hope to hear from you soon.

ReginaDC21 - I'm sorry I missed your previous review, it literally popped up within an hour of me posting the second chapter, so I hope you don't mind if I combine the two together to some degree. Glad you liked the choice of title, though I'm sorry to hear about the dental appointment. Never a fun experience, no matter what. Quite a lot of people have been asking about Ratchet's voice, and thankfully I do have a solution that I think might explain things well enough.

Ellen is definitely better prepared this time around, but considering the dangers she'll be facing in the near future even that might not be enough, and you assume right that Ratchet has gone through the same process with regards to training as well. To answer your other question, these stories are intended to be a series, but I'm not sure how far I'll take it just yet. My original goal was to cover the first three games and then have some original adventures and side stories set in-between. I may go further in the future, but I want to write other stuff too, and churning out another novel sized book in this initial trilogy takes the best part of a year as is. At the rate I'm going, I'll end up being the equivalent to Ratchet and Clank that Treyarch and Infinity Ward are to CoD.

They do say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and I think the same thing applies to movies too. I've enjoyed quite a few films that have been critically panned, and consequently hated a fair few 'popular' ones that are all style and no substance. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. Ah yes, the inevitable delay for the much anticipated Ratchet and Clank movie with no apparent reason given. If it turns out to be a cynical marketing ploy to make sure the tie-in game comes out at the same time then I shall most certainly not be a happy bunny. Nope.

Thinking about starting your own profile? Sounds like a great idea, and with a Sly Cooper story as your first potential entry, colour me intrigued. Most definitely looking forward to seeing what you can come up once you get a chance to write. Hope you like the new chapter, and hope to hear from you again soon. Take care.

Alliance Empire - Indulging in certain citrus based activities perchance? Seeing as this story is T rated, I'm afraid such things are limited to light petting at the very most with a healthy dose of implication. That being said, If there's enough interest then I might consider writing a separate M rated lemon/lime section for this series for those that want it. Hope that helps.

Guest - Ask and you shall receive. I do try to update as rapidly as possible, but I'll definitely be sticking to my bi-weekly schedule for the duration of this story; especially seeing as my time for writing is gradually being whittled away by the responsibilities of real life. That being said, I'm happy you've enjoyed this series so far and hope it'll continue to live up to your expectations in the chapters to come.

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.

After the Ellen-centric nature of the previous chapter, it's time for our favourite lombax to take centre stage once again. Here's Chapter 3.

- 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 3:

Back In The Saddle

Flying Laboratory, Aranos

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.081 Galactic calendar

10:35am local time

"Ratchet reporting in. I'm on final approach to coordinates three-seven alpha."

Dressed in his new commando suit, the adventurous lombax held the Star Explorer he was piloting on a steady course in spite of the buffeting winds in the frigid atmosphere as he closed in on his objective; a visibly animated Mr Fizzwidget giving him some parting words by video link over the cockpit's central console. "Good luck my boy, I'm counting on you."

Ratchet nodded in confirmation. "Affirmative, beginning radio silence." Flipping a few switches on the control panel, he killed all outgoing radio transmissions and anything that might give his ship away as he got ever closer to the intercept point far above the ice-capped mountain ranges of the planet's southern hemisphere.

It had been just over two weeks since he and Clank had been inadvertently abducted in the middle of their interview at the behest of one Abercrombie Fizzwidget; founder and head of the galaxy wide consumer giant Megacorp. Initially the lombax had been thoroughly ticked off at the old man for pretty much kidnapping them both, but soon found the lure of another adventure in the making hard to resist; especially since it gave him an opportunity to take his mind off of losing Ellen in favour of blowing stuff up. Clank however wasn't so keen on the idea, but thankfully the old man gave him a job as head accountant for Megacorp; a position far less likely to result in getting shot at again. Throw in a penthouse suite in central Megapolis, along with the personal use of a robotic masseuse, and his mechanical companion was sold.

It was a shame in a way really, especially since Ratchet no longer had anyone to talk to while on the mission. As he slipped past the drone fighter patrols covering the massive flying base that rapidly dwarfed his fighter with each passing second, the lombax realised just how much he missed having company. With Clank being the voice of reason and Ellen trading gunfire and banter between them, the three of them felt like family of sorts. Messed up and trigger happy maybe, but family nevertheless. Once he swiped the experiment and bought it back to Megacorp, he was definitely going to see if Fizzwidget could help him locate Earth and find a way to get him there in order to locate Ellen. If he could teleport both Clank and himself from half a galaxy away, then surely he could do the same once they tracked down her star system.

It wasn't until he got within a few miles that Ratchet could fully appreciate just how ridiculously big the thief's flying fortress actually was, easily eclipsing the entire blarg fleet that had picketed Veldin at the climax of his last adventure by sheer mass alone. The titanic vessel vaguely resembled a giant silvery grey missile in terms of shape, with a wide rear end housing four powerful engines mounted in pairs that could easily house a light cruiser within each; the very air wavering with the sheer amount of heat and thrust being kicked out to keep the base airborne.

The middle section was somewhat thinner but sported thick armoured panels that seemed to interlock, wide wing-like control surfaces for adjusting course, and multiple smaller scale thrusters that likely supplemented the primary engines. Finally, the bulbous front section was shaped intointo a sleek rounded oval that was almost as thick again as the rear section, with a pair of canard wings providing extra control that was probably more necessary than not considering how hard turning that thing around had to be. How did the thief afford such a ridiculously huge vessel anyway? The running costs had to be astronomical.

Shaking his head to refocus on the task at hand, Ratchet carefully flew under the belly of the lumbering atmospheric vessel and hopefully outside of sensor range while he searched for a way in. The only viable option was a glass panelled observation deck about mid way up, protruding from the bottom of the hull with a narrow emergency hatch at the rear. The buffeting winds were slightly lessened by the bulky ship deflecting away the worst of it, but Ratchet still had a fight on his hands to keep the Star Explorer steady as he minutely adjusted his heading and altitude to bring the cockpit level with the hatch above. Once he had matched the speed and course of the gargantuan vessel, the lombax activated the breathing mask function on his helmet and flipped on the auto pilot before popping the canopy and reaching up to heave against the emergency exit.

With a final shove he was in with the hatch sealed once more, the Star Explorer's auto pilot set to maintain station a good half a mile behind the hulking vessel's wake just in case anything went wrong. Seeing as the air was perfectly breathable and his entrance hadn't triggered any obvious alarms or response from what guards there might be, Ratchet retracted his rebreather and tentatively stepped on to the transparent glass elevator platform just beyond; riding it up through the belly of the ship with his recently acquired Lancer in hand and ready for what might be ahead. Reaching the top of the shaft several seconds later, the lombax stepped off with caution and edged through an automatic door that opened on his approach into a wider corridor; transparent flooring showing off several small nodes in rows underneath and a pair of giant pistons that crushed together on either side inside similarly enlarged transparent tubes.

What caught his attention however was the pair of blue quad-legged combat robots with humanoid upper bodies and a chainsaw for an arm that resembled praying mantis', dropping down from the ceiling on taut steel cables before advancing on him with blades whirling. Snapping up his Lancer, Ratchet unleashed a quick burst at the closest machine while back-peddling away and targeting the other; his helmet projected HUD marking both as Megacorp munitions division MSR I; a budget model security robot.

That was one of the great things about the commando helmet that he was beginning to appreciate more now that he could see it in action; the ability to identify targets, cross reference them with the built in database that grew with each encounter, and use the information to highlight probable weak points for maximum efficiency. Of course, he still had to aim and pull the trigger himself, but with so much prior experience under his belt it was second nature by now.

Leaving the broken robots behind, Ratchet climbed up a short ladder and made his way through a small room with exposed panelling before stepping out on to an enclosed tunnel-like bridge that kept the transparent flooring and skeletal girder theme going. Making his way through the centre of what looked like an oversized drive shaft, he hadn't gotten even a quarter of the way across before another security robot dropped down in his face with its saw arm buzzing. Caught off guard, the lombax ducked a swipe levelled at his head followed by swinging his wrench into an uppercut that staggered the machine; leaving it open to a trio of strikes that caved in its relatively weak chest and left it in a crumpled, sparking heap. The next two weren't inclined to politely wait however, and immediately scuttled forth as soon as they hit the ground in order to close for the kill.

Ratchet met their charge in kind, Lancer punching holes through the first mantis-like robot and chipping away at the second different looking one with a red paint scheme and a flamethrower arm in place of rotary blades; the MSR II. Thankfully the variant went down just as easily as its close cousin, and the lombax soon cleared the claustrophobic tunnel bridge to emerge intointo a much wider room with a wall length observation window on the far side and a trio of security robots powering up with aggressive intent.

Deciding to break out something a little more explosive, Ratchet flung his wrench at the flame spewing machine closest to him; causing it to stagger back from the blow and buying him enough time to un-holster his as yet untested Gravity Bomb. By the time the three robots recovered enough sense to bear down on him, the short statured commando had already launched an oversized spherical shell from the weapon. A smiley yellow face with a single cycloptic eye stamped on the side was barely visible for a split second before it exploded on impact with the steel deck; a violent concussive blast wave pulverising the centre most security drone and blowing the other two clean through the thick-plated glass panes to be sucked into the base's jet stream.

Cold howling winds whipped through the breached windows, bringing with it the wintry chill of the upper atmosphere and the whine of jet engines from the escorting drone fighter squadrons flying alongside; making the lombax shudder despite the thermal protection of his suit as he exited into a short corridor and continued to push on. The further he got into the ship however, the more signs he noted that there may be a third party at play; a disabled sensor grid here, a slumped security robot there, and the sense that someone was just ahead of him around the next corner. The alerted MSRs waiting on the exposed open air walkway he needed to traverse only added to the growing feeling; the lombax dropping one with a burst of Lancer fire before taking its partner by surprise with a thrown wrench that scythed out its legs and sent it teetering over the edge to the mountain range miles below.

Another chainsaw packing robot came out to play from the far side, a mass of silvery metal balls covered in orange sensor clusters sweeping forth rapidly in a manner that reminded Ratchet far too much of the old blarg homing mines for comfort as he bought his Lancer to bear. The helmet projected HUD identified them as PX-6 blade balls, and with the nearest splitting horizontally and deploying a spinning whirlwind of slicing death it soon became apparent why.

Fortunately the tight clusters proved little match for sustained automatic fire and a well placed Gravity Bomb, whittling their numbers down to only a handful that were soon smashed aside by Ratchet's signature weapon and household tool. Finishing off the solitary MSR remaining, the lombax noted the slumped body of yet another inside the next room sporting multiple bullet holes over its ragged frame, still leaking fresh oil and coolant fluid amidst sparking circuitry. There was little doubt now in his mind; there was definitely another intruder in here beside himself, and they were very close by.

Taking another elevator platform after sweeping the room for any more surprises, Ratchet emerged on to a narrow gantry suspended above a cavernous room filled floor to ceiling with translucent storage pods containing dozens upon dozens of inactive MSRs. The quartet in front of him weren't much more of a threat considering how few functioning limbs they had between them, the closest dragging itself toward him with its pincer and chainsaw arms while its broken legs trailed behind in a dislocated mess.

A quick spray of Lancer rounds put the machine out of its misery before a single Gravity Bomb shattered the rest into pieces. It looked like whoever had been here first had just blown through in a rush, not even bothering to make sure of the security robots once they were no longer an immediate threat to their person. Anyone trying to blitz their way through had to be trying to find something important fast, and the only real object of value that he knew of on this flying base was...

"The experiment!"

Ratchet sprinted forth through the automated doors at the end of the gantry and through a series of twisting maintenance passageways, the evidence of a prior infiltration growing every second. It had to be an agent from a rival company, or maybe just some mercs looking to extort ransom money from Mr Fizzwidget in exchange for the protopet. Either way, they weren't getting away with it on his watch! Turning another corner, the lombax found himself in front of a set of bulkheads with double doors that hissed open slowly at his approach to reveal a dark, mostly blank room save for the clusters of monitors on the walls emitting a dull green glow. Edging inside as quietly as he could, Ratchet's eyes quickly accustomed to the gloom and could make out a single small pedestal with an equally small cage sat on top; within which was the blue fluff ball that he came for staring back at him with big, soulful eyes.

"Don't worry little fella, I gotcha."

Thankfully it seemed that the mysterious intruder hadn't gotten this far yet, though that didn't mean that things would be getting easier any time soon. Gloved hands carefully felt around the seams of the cage for any hidden sensors or tripwires that could trigger concealed booby traps as the protopet chittering softly, something he wouldn't put past the thief considering the lengths to which he no doubt went in order to steal the experiment right from under the nose of the galaxy's biggest corporation.

Finding no obvious triggers or failsafes, Ratchet was just about to gently lift the cage when the wall in front of him suddenly split open at breakneck speed and the lights flipped on all at once. Throwing up an arm to shield his eyes, the lombax blinked away the black spots dancing in his vision as he suddenly found himself confronted by the very thief he had been sent to track down, pointing a gun at his head while flanked by both a chainsaw MSR and a flamethrower wielding variant.

Though the criminal's facial features couldn't be discerned behind the featureless mask he wore, Ratchet got the distinct impression he was scowling given the tone of his digitally disguised voice. "I see its time to update my security forces."

Outnumbered and currently unarmed, the lombax threw his hands up in a placating manner and attempted to try fast talking his way out of this sticky situation, or as Ellen would have put it had she been there; baffle them with bullshit. "Whoa-ho-ho! No, hey, no, no, look, I'm just here to fix the...trans...flux-er-coil..."

The thief, funnily enough, remained unimpressed; one of the MSRs scuttling forth to retrieve the experiment and passing it into his waiting hand while he continued to glare at the interloper. "Nice try."

The masked man kept the gun levelled at Ratchet's head while pacing to a nearby hatch, accidentally braining himself on the open door when he failed to duck low enough, much to the protopet's amusement if the chittering snickers were anything to go by. The MSRs apparently found it funny too, at least up to the point where their boss turned his gun on them both before reorienting on the lombax.

"Give my regards to Megacorp."

The weapon hummed ominously with power as it charged up, Ratchet wincing in preparation of the inevitable shot, when help suddenly arrived from an unexpected source. A reverberating roar filled the room, and the thief cried out in stunned surprise as his gun suddenly shattered from the impact of a heavy slug just above the trigger guard; cradling his now unencumbered hand to his chest as he dove through the open hatch.

"Finish them!"

Quickly recovering from the sudden shift in power, Ratchet lunged forward after the thief only for a gout of flame to cut him off courtesy of the MSR II left behind. Tumbling to one side, he caught sight of the red painted machine's torso exploding in a shower of sparks as a fist sized hole punched through the centre; causing it to shutter and spasm for a few seconds before collapsing to the floor, just as the robot's partner bought the buzzing length of its chainsaw arm down in an arc at his face.

In the blink of an eye, the lombax had his wrench in hand and jammed between the rapidly rotating blades with a shower of sparks and the sounds of grinding metal. Teeth grit in determination, he forced the chainsaw arm down to one side; using the momentum to spin low on his axis and sweep the robot's legs out from underneath it before raising his wrench above his head and caving in the metal helm beneath him.

The sound of something dropping from the rafters followed by boots striking the metal floor behind him had Ratchet spinning around with his Lancer extended towards the source, only for him to freeze at the sight of the equally stunned face inches away from the business end of his assault rifle. Despite the change in attire, despite the helmet obscuring most features, he'd recognise that face anywhere. The creamy coloured, lightly flushed skin, small pink lips, dainty nose with a dusting of freckles that petered over the cheeks, and those expressive, icy blue eyes that he was pretty sure mirrored his own right now considering how wide they were with disbelief.

"Ellen...? Babe, is that you...?"

A faint gasp escaped her lips; quivering hands slowly lowering the heavy calibre pistol that he only just realised had been similarly pointed at his head as she seemed to struggle for words. "Fuzz...ball...?"

They stood motionless for several long seconds that seemed to stretch on to infinity, neither so much as taking a breath for fear that the other would disappear. Until at some unseen signal, the dam of emotions built up over the last year apart suddenly burst wide open with a cry born of elation and a longing that had encompassed them both. There were no coherent words, there didn't need to be. Both human and lombax embraced with a fever that was unlikely to die anytime soon, arms holding each other tightly as if afraid that the other would disappear if they let go. Their mouths met hungrily, tongues dancing in an unbridled passion long lost during their cruel separation as their hearts soared in unexpected joy at being reunited with the one they loved after so long.

"God, I missed you."

"Not as much I missed you," Ratchet murmured into her ear before chuckling throatily with a wry grin on his mischievous face, "and...you can call me Ratchet."

He ignored the weak punch to the shoulder in favour of recapturing the human's lips, pulling her into another long kiss that was met eagerly in kind. Ellen felt like she could stay that way forever, wrapped in his warm embrace, but unfortunately her emptying lungs said otherwise. Reluctantly, she drew back with watery eyes and a drawn breath through lips parted intointo a relieved smile while she drank in his form. Whether it had been through a quirk of fate or some deliberate design, she honestly didn't care. Separated by circumstances beyond their control, stranded light-years apart as they had been, and yet here they were together again; almost as if it was meant to be. No matter what happened this time though, neither was willing to let the other go without a fight.

Stepping back to arms length from each other, the lombax took in Ellen's alternately coloured commando uniform with an appreciative eye; especially since it complemented her previously shapely form that seemed even more defined now with the extra muscle tone easily visible through the figure hugging suit. "Damn babe, you look good! But...what're you doing here? Me and Clank thought you were back on Earth."

Ellen shook her head with a light flush tinting her cheeks at the insinuation considering how much the skin-tight protective gear enhanced her...well, everything. For her part, the human couldn't help but notice how much Ratchet's personality had matured, for want of a better term. He was still a smart ass, but seemed a little older and wiser for his experience; the quasi surfer dude accent she had previously associated with him was long gone, and in its stead was a much smoother, lilting tone that far better suited him in her opinion.

Though she wasn't entirely sure how that came to be, it bought to mind the memory of her old maths teacher from secondary school who had gone to the US, spending several years living and working there. When she came back to her old teaching post during Ellen's final year, it was more than a little surprising to find the woman's thick Scottish brogue substituted for a distinctly Americanised accent after becoming acclimatised to her new surroundings and culture. It wasn't exactly the same thing, but perhaps something similar had occurred to Ratchet. She vaguely recalled a conversation that seemed like an age ago back during their adventure in the Solana galaxy, sharing a sun lounger and their early experiences while snuggled up together watching the sunset on Pokitaru.

He'd mentioned the hover boarding icons he'd idolised growing up on Veldin, and in particular a Rilgarian pro-boarder whose manner of speech was awfully similar to one Skid McMarx. With the lack of any parental figures, or anyone else to latch on to with Veldin being so sparsely populated, it didn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to see how such a role model could shape the impressionable young lombax's mannerisms. His exposure to the galaxy at large, along with a greater number of cultures and dialects after their planet hopping adventure, seemed to have rubbed off on the golden furred feline; subtly altering Ratchet's voice over time into the richer, smoother tone that Ellen felt was beginning to grow on her with time.

"And I thought you guys were in Solana," Ellen retorted. "Fizzwidget mentioned another commando making a grab for the protopet, but he definitely didn't mention you. Even after I asked him to help me track you down."

Ratchet's eyebrows shot up in realisation. "You mean you met him too? Lemme guess, one minute you're at home and then boom; slow boat to Bogon with an offer you can't refuse."

She shrugged with a curious look in her eyes. "Pretty much, I take it the same happened to you two as well then? But… where's Clank, isn't he with you?"

The lombax shook his head and was about to reply when he noticed a glint of blue metal moving behind Ellen.

"Get down!"

Reacting instinctively, the human rolled to one side as Ratchet snapped up his Lancer and perforated the MSR that had been sneaking up on her; coming up on one knee with her Leviathan drawn and punching a hole through a second machine that had been similarly trying to blindside him. A steady stream of security robots of both varieties continued to drop in from the ceiling on steel cables like oversized spiders along with the occasional blade ball in an effort to overwhelm the intruders; a notion put paid to by the fact that the pair had faced far worse odds before independently and come out on top. Together however, they were nigh unstoppable. What followed was a ballet of carnage and broken mechanical parts as both lombax and human acted together as one; an unchoreographed dance born from their countless battles side by side that allowed each to read the others actions even before either one had even moved.

Ellen's hand cannon roared in the confined room, punching through the thinly armoured chest of an MSR II as it descended from the roof; a thrown wrench from her partner taking out the blade ball closing in on her as he fired a concentrated burst at another to his right. The human emptied her last two rounds into a chainsaw-wielding model attempting to flank Ratchet before switching the empty weapon for her Spitfire; unleashing a hell storm of incendiary rounds on two of the remaining robots while the lombax ducked under the bladed swing of a third, proceeding to leap up and bring his wrench down over its head with unparalleled force. With adrenaline still pumping through their veins, the pair checked the room for any more targets only to find none still standing; a hatchway on the opposite side from that used by the thief slowly opening with a hiss of escaping pressure to reveal a downward sloping tunnel

"If we're gonna catch that thief, we gotta get off this base. C'mon, let's go!"

With no time to lose, Ratchet slid down what turned out to be a garbage chute with Ellen close behind, only to emerge on the titanic vessel's main port wing with a half dozen MSR IIs eagerly awaiting their arrival. The lack of shelter from the buffeting winds made standing up a challenge, let alone fighting; but the machines seemed to have no such qualms considering the way they scuttled forth, with the strong air currents making their projected flames billow into unpredictable burning clouds.

The lombax's grenade launcher's distinctive thump was drowned out by the howling air flow, but the resulting explosion was definitely loud enough to appreciate as it consumed two of their attackers in a shower of fiery shockwaves that left nought but rent metal to be scattered to the winds. While her partner chambered the next round, Ellen put her Spitfire to good use in shredding one robot's torso before turning her attention to another, even as a second explosive charge sailed overhead to wipe out the remnants.

Of course now that the immediate threat was over, they still had to find a way back inside the lumbering vessel. Fortunately the glass on a nearby bubble windowed frame wasn't bullet proof, a few shots being enough to shatter a pane and allow the two access once they strained against the howling wind still trying to pluck them from the wing. Emerging into a wide bay festooned with crates, spare parts, and various junk, the human and lombax made their way to the far side and the wall length cargo elevator doors, only to halt as they ground open to reveal a fresh swarm of chainsaw MSRs marching forth to greet them led by one of their flamethrower toting cousins. Without slowing their pace one iota, the duo charged forth to meet them in kind; Ellen concentrating fire on the red painted robot closest to them with a hail of bullets while Ratchet launched another Gravity Bomb that wiped out two thirds of the swarm with a single shot before switching back to his Lancer.

The rest of the fight was similarly one sided, the last three MSRs cut down by a combination of automatic gunfire and blunt force trauma via wrench before the two commandos stepped past the twitching bodies on to the newly vacated cargo elevator and rode it up a level. Taking the opportunity to reload during the brief lull, they barely had chance to step through the opening automatic doors once they stopped before a chainsaw arm came slicing through the gap with a whirling of grinding blades that would have taken Ratchet's head off if he hadn't instinctively leapt back at the last second. Recovering from the brief shock that had her heart lodged in her throat, Ellen drew her combat knife and jammed it into the seam between the MSR's neck and head; driving the blade up to the hilt at an upward angle that made the machine spasm for a few heartbeats before collapsing like a puppet with no strings.

Ratchet gave an appreciative whistle at her handiwork. "Thanks babe, that was way too close. How'd you know it would work?"

The human shook her head as she stooped down to retrieve her knife. "I didn't, it was kind of spur of the moment." She grimaced at the lack of give on the lodged blade, especially when it snapped after one pull too many. "Monomolecular my ass! Cheap piece of shit more like, now I'll have to buy another one."

The lombax smirked knowingly seeing as some of his impulsiveness had rubbed off on her from the last time they were together, and the fact that he had a little something for her that he'd been meaning to return. "Don't bother." His hand went down to his Quick Select and came up with the one item he had to remember her by when she had been taken from him that day. A reminder of who he had lost, and the incentive to find her again.

"Here, I think this belongs to you."

Ellen stared at the weapon held out to her before slowly taking it from his grasp. "You... kept my Versa Blade..." She twirled the multipurpose tool and melee weapon experimentally between dexterous fingers, getting a feel for the heft after a year without it.

"We found it a week after you...disappeared."

The human looked up to see Ratchet smiling weakly with a far off look in his eye. "Ever since then I've kept it with me, waiting for the day I could give it back. Course, I didn't expect that to be today."

Ellen rose to her feet and sheathed the returned blade with one arm, followed by giving him a hug with the other. "Aw, thanks fuzz ball. Although...you do know you're traditionally supposed to give a girl flowers, not a knife, right?"

The lombax snickered while giving her a squeeze in return. "Since when have you been that kind of girl? 'Side's, flowers suck at stabbing killer robots."

She snorted in mirth as she released the hug, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Touché, fuzz ball. Shall we?"

The maintenance corridor beyond was cramped and winding with little room to manoeuvre, forcing the pair to move single file with Ratchet taking point and Ellen aiming her Leviathan over the top of his head; blasting their way through the few robots blocking their path. After several minutes of traipsing through the claustrophobic mess of pipes and wiring, the pair emerged into a wider room with some sort of spiked lightning conductor-esque array protruding from the ceiling and four circular ports flanking the sealed exit doors on the opposite wall.

"Trap?" Ellen enquired with a jerk of her head towards the obvious kill zone before them, Ratchet smirking in reply.

"Yup, but when's that ever stopped us before?"

The moment they reached the middle of the open floor, a quartet of MSRs dropped from the ceiling one after the other while blade balls swarmed out of the ports on the wall that were barely large enough to accommodate them. Ellen punched one of the chainsaw wielding robots out of the air before it could land with her hand cannon, quickly targeting a second closing in before shifting focus to the steadily increasing number of silver scything spheres bearing down on her.

Ratchet unleashed a flurry of wrench strikes on another MSR that had the misfortune to drop right beside him, shattering the cheaply constructed armour with each impact followed by an uppercut that knocked its helm off in a surge of crackling electricity. Instinct had him ducking under the swing of the last security robot's saw arm, jumping into a back flip to gain some distance to avoid a follow up attack and using his Lancer to ventilate the machine. His human partner was already using her returned Versa Blade to good effect; graceful movements combined with sweeping strokes carving through the blade balls with ease as they polished off the last drones together.

Exiting on the far side, a small set of steep steps saw them standing in a U-shaped room with two separate doorways that promptly blew open with explosive force to admit even more MSRs of both types in single file.

"These guys really don't want us leaving!" The distinct thump of Ratchet's Gravity Bomb launcher preceded one of its spherical projectiles detonating in the right most door frame and immolating the first few flamethrower wielding bots, even as more scuttled forth over their remains.

"Really? What gave you that impression?"

Ellen's dry reply was punctuated by the stream of burning lead from her Spitfire that tore chunks out of the blue armoured machines coming from the left, idly noting the ammo counter rapidly dropping to zero and switching weapons even as a second overpowered grenade sailed into the crowd that had broken through. No matter how many they trashed, there always seemed to be more robots climbing over the bodies of the dead, and the two commandos were in danger of being overrun.

"I'm nearly out of ammo, we need to go now!"

Ratchet grimaced as he popped a fresh nanoclip into his grenade launcher while Ellen covered him with selective hand cannon shots at any robots that got too close. She was right, but unfortunately there was only one place to go; and that was through the slightly thinned ranks of killer machines set on tearing them apart.

"Concentrate on the left and stay on my tail, I'll clear us a path."

So saying, the lombax dropped his explosive payload into the thickest concentration of robots before racing toward the left most doorway, continually blasting a trail while his partner dropped any stragglers. The passage beyond was relatively narrow, and after a few tight turns the pair suddenly found themselves standing on the precipice of an exposed ledge on the outside of the ship with nought but the snow covered mountain ranges far below the loose cloud cover. To make matters worse, the damn security robots were still in pursuit; their scuttling legs clearly audible as they closed in for the kill.

"You do have a plan, right? Please tell me you have a plan."

Ellen tried to pick off as many of the MSRs as possible once they rounded the corner to their position, Ratchet adding his own weight of fire as he replied. "I'm thinking!"

The human dumped her hand cannon's spent magazine and rammed a fresh one home before continuing to pull the trigger as fast as she could aim. "Well think a little faster, they're almost on top of us!"

The swarm was only twenty or so yards away now, filling the passage way wall to wall with single-minded killer robots. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and so it was that Ratchet decided upon a course of action best described as 'probably suicidal'.

"Ellen...you trust me, right?"

Another cluster of robots exploded in a shower of fragments courtesy of one of the lombax's Gravity Bombs as his human companion parried the stroke of a chainsaw arm and spun around the offending machine to kick it over the edge of the platform.

"Why do I get the feeling you're about to do something really stupid?" Her answer came in the form of Ratchet grabbing her around the waist and pulling them both towards the precipice. "What're you... Oh hell no! You're not really thinking-"

Whatever else Ellen had to say was replaced by a strangled scream intermingled with his own yells as they plunged over the platform edge and away from the massive flying base, the human gripping her beau painfully tight as he fumbled with his Wrist Com. Suddenly a red streak broke through the dispersed cloud cover, their lethal descent averted as the bubble canopy closed on Ratchet's Star Explorer while the two lay sprawled in the surprisingly soft seats as the ship maintained cruising speed.

"Uh, Ellen? You okay?"

The human didn't reply immediately, still rigid with terror from the sudden death drop and not liable to let go of him anytime soon. "You are such an asshole, you know that?"

Ratchet merely sniggered as he planted a kiss on her cheek. "Love you too, babe."

After slowly extracting themselves from the tangle of limbs, the two repositioned themselves properly in their respective seats before refocusing on the problem at hand.

"So, what now? The thief's got the protopet and he's probably long gone by now."

The lombax shook his head at Ellen's question with a frustrated sigh. "Guess we'll have to give Mr. Fizzwidget the bad news and hope he's got another lead to chase up."

So saying, he reactivated the shut down central console and made a video call to their mutual employer; the plump statured CEO appearing on screen after a few seconds.

"Ratchet checking in, sir."

Fizzwidget appeared surprised as he stroked his chin in thought "Incredulous. I didn't expect to hear from you again… Uh, so soon." Coughing awkwardly into his hand, the somewhat eccentric head of Megacorp gave a cheery smile as he saw the human seated beside the lombax. "Well, I see you two managed to rendezfy together!"

Ellen leaned forward to see him better with a small frown adorning her face. "Yeah, we did. Though there was a...slight problem with the retrieval."

Ratchet continued on her sentence with a sheepish smile. "The thief escaped with the experiment, and we have no idea where he was headed."

Fizzwidget however didn't seem overly concerned, slightly shaking his head almost as if he expected as such "Not to worry. I just received an emission which may il-lubricate the matter."

The CEO's image flickered out on the screen and was replaced with slightly grainy black and white security camera footage showing their quarry flanked by a pair of well built lizard-like aliens; each with solid red eyes and spiny fins running down their backs to the base of their prehensile tails, wearing nought but a pair of three quarter length black baggy cargo pants held up with a belt and a bandolier across their chests. Considering the assault rifles they were packing in addition to the various visible knifes and grenades adorning their frames, it was pretty clear these were hired muscle of some sort, and their flanking positions showed that they had at least some semblance of tactics. The pair watched leerily as their employer made enquiries with the bespectacled Megacorp uniformed salesman stood behind a store counter with slightly purple-tinted, greyish skin, and a pair of antennae sticking out of his odd, almost peanut shaped head.

"Do you have any maps for this quadrant of the galaxy?"

"You bet, mister!" The man behind the desk seemed more than a little enthusiastic as he started to create an ever increasing stack of documents with each spoken word. "We've got galactic maps, 3D maps, fold-outs, cut-outs, maps to the stars, and their homes..."

The thief pulled one from near the bottom of the pile, causing the rest to fall off the desk and thoroughly annoy the now glaring employee. "Sorry about that." A brief pat down of his cloaked form also revealed another problem.

"Ah, I seem to have forgotten my wallet." Turning to the two bodyguards, the masked criminal made a nonchalant gesture. "Could you... take care of this?"

One of the thugs leaned over the counter to grab the cowering salesman and threw him at a large button mounted on the wall behind before rejoining his comrade and boss in sauntering out of the store; none apparently hearing the computerised voice announcing the deactivation of the perimeter defences, or the parting words of the shaken employee as his hand raised above the desk.

"You... forgot your change..."

The security footage cut off as Mr Fizzwidget's face appeared once more. "I'm sending you the coordinates now."

Ratchet nodded with more than a hint of determination. "We're on our way. Ratchet out."

Terminating the call, he punched the received data into the navigation computer while Ellen leaned in to gain his attention. "Guess we're in this for the long haul then, huh?"

The lombax cracked a smile as he turned amused emerald green eyes in her direction. "Looks that way. Hey, it'll be just like old times! You and me rolling around the galaxy side by side, blowing stuff up."

His human partner mirrored his expression with a mirthful snort. "Except this time we're getting paid for the privilege, and I get to show you I'm a better pilot too."

Before Ratchet could question what she meant, a few taps of the holographic interface on Ellen's Wrist Com preceded a second Star Explorer sporting a striking Bogon blue paint scheme emerging from the low cloud cover below to settle a dozen feet off their port wing.

"Guess I shoulda seen that coming, huh? Can you set it to follow our course?"

The human nodded as she continued to type in commands. "Yep, just got to alter the auto pilot a smidge. Incidentally, you still haven't told me where Clank's gotten to, and what's with the new accent?"

Ratchet raised a brow as he gave her a sidelong look. "What accent?"

The pair continued to catch up with each other as the Megacorp supplied fighter craft steadily gained altitude, until the atmosphere gave way to the expanse of space with its myriad of twinkling stars; the lombax pilot making sure the trailing ship was still following before accelerating towards their next destination. Little did either commando know that this was to be but the beginning of their greatest adventure yet.

Well there we are, Ratchet and Ellen reunited at long last and back in action. Trying to explain the change in Ratchet's voice has caused me more than a few headaches, but I think I've come up with a viable explanation based off of a similar situation that occurred to me during my early years in secondary school. Let me know what you think.

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

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337