Author's note:

Hello again everyone and thank you for the overwhelmingly positive feedback for the last chapter. Now that the overextended prologue is finished with Ratchet and Ellen together again, we can finally get into the meat of the story so to speak and let our heroes do what they do best. I know a number of you are a little disappointed about the lack of Clank thus far, but rest assured you'll be hearing from him a lot sooner than you think; though not perhaps in the way you may think…

I'm also pleased to announce that I also have new fan art, courtesy of the ever prolific Nekolover3; who has drawn a full body rendition of Ellen's commando suit and a portrait as well. Both of which can be found on her Deviant Art account under (/art/Ellen-s-full-body-pic-for-Going-Comando-536692837) and (/art/Portrait-Of-Ellen-539201236) respectively. If anyone does know of any other fan art relating to this story, or the previous, please let me know so I can share it with the rest of the readership.

Review replies:

BulletWitch1985 - Well, someone sounds a teensy bit excited there! I'm sticking to canon for the time being, so sadly no Clank yet. But on the flip side, that does mean more time for Ratchet and Ellen to, shall we say, re-ignite their relationship together with some semblance of privacy. It is a bit of a shame that there'll be a different voice actor for Sly Cooper in the upcoming movie, especially since like everyone else I was hoping for Kevin Miller to reprise his role. Perhaps he was too busy? Or maybe you're right and Sly is a bit older in the movie? I guess only time will tell.

Nice to hear Regina's been hard at work on her own story and related artwork, though judging by her review response she doesn't sound too pleased about you taking a peek… Incidentally, why are you two looking after your neighbour's pet spider when your sister can't stand the damn things? Surely he must have some inclination that asking you to do so might be bad for his eight-legged friend's health? Either way, thanks again for reviewing and hope you like the new chapter.

The White Guardian - The way I figure, it's the least I can do to reply and address people's concerns on a more personal basis rather than just a general response in the author's note at the beginning of each chapter. They've taken the time to leave their thoughts and criticisms for each chapter, so it's only right that I return the favour. I'm glad you like the descriptions I've given in this series so far for environments and such. There's an old saying about a picture being worth a thousand words, and though I don't go to such an extreme the principle remains the same in my eyes; to flesh out the details and give the reader a mental image of what a character or object might look like.

You'll be seeing all the events you mentioned coming up this chapter in one shape or another, though I'm afraid one had to be cut down dramatically due to pacing issues for this chapter, so sorry in advance if it feels like a bit of a cop out. Thank you once again for all your encouragement, hope to hear from you again soon. Take care.

Firestar5277 - Glad you liked their reunion, and the chapter in general. To answer your question, not for a good three or four chapters I'm afraid, since I'm sticking to the canon plot for the most part and in the second game Ratchet doesn't run into Clank again until planet Endako for reasons I won't elaborate on since I don't want to spoil things for those who haven't played it. Hope that helps.

Kairi671 - Aw, thank you. Hope you like this chapter too.

Sonachugirl - It's strange how that happens, isn't it? The way being immersed in a different culture for even a short amount of time can subtly alter people's accent and mannerisms in a subconscious effort to blend in. If I hadn't experienced it first hand myself, I never would have believed it could happen, let alone so rapidly. As for Kung Fury, it's a bit like marmite; you'll either love it or hate it. Depends on how funny you find it's ridiculously over the top and tongue in cheek send up of 80's action movies, though I have to admit it does fall a little flat in some places at times. In any case, thank you once again and hope you enjoy the new chapter.

destiny - Glad you're happy with the way things turned out last chapter, hope you like this one too.

Guest - Ask and you shall receive. Enjoy!

Jacob Deitz - That's an interesting thought, though I'm not even sure if I'll get as far as the Future saga yet, let alone what I'll do if I get there. This series was originally conceived as a trilogy, and for the time being that's my goal considering it takes me nearly a year to write each of these stories under my current circumstances. That being said, I did have plans for more original adventures for Ratchet and Ellen set between the games which may yet come to fruition, so who knows what the future may bring.

vengarl22 - Why thank you, though I'm just getting warmed up in terms of both action and romantic moments for our two heroes; especially since they have an established relationship now, and the chance to finally make good on it given time.

ReginaDC21 - Don't worry about the double review, or the sugar induced content of the first, they both raise valid points in their own way. That and I've been there before myself in terms of regrettable actions while buzzing on sugar and/or caffeine. I may have said this in another reply, but we're a little way off from Ellen seeing Clank again yet, although he will be making a short appearance in the next chapter or so depending on how I edit things. Aside from changing a few details to protect the identities of those involved, Ellen's memory of her Maths teacher in the chapter is pretty much what happened to me. It was just so…weird to see the same woman years later and hear a stranger's voice coming from her mouth, but I guess it just goes to show how adaptable to new environments humans really are.

On another note, and as I mentioned in your sister's review reply, why on earth would your neighbour think it was a good idea to get you to look after a frigging tarantula of all things when you can't stand spiders? He does know that, right? Surely that's just asking for trouble on par with me and snakes; they freak me the hell out, with their slithering and- (full body shudder) …yeah, I'm not going to go there. Suffice to say, we do not get along. Sorry, going off on a bit of a tangent there. In any case, great to hear from you again, hope to hear from you soon. Take care.

Dablackwyrm - Hello once again my consistently reviewing friend, I'm more than happy that the chapter lived up to your expectations. I honestly was a bit stuck on explaining Ratchet's change of voice between games until I recalled the event I mentioned in the foot note back my first few years of secondary school. Add a smidge of hypothetical background for probable influences on his personality and there we go. Although their reunion is rudely interrupted by killer robots, I tried to sell the emotional turmoil and the elation the two have at seeing each other again after so long. Since you approve though, I guess I must have been doing something right; in spite of the fact that it took a disproportionate amount of time to come up with the final draft considering how many false starts I had.

Although both Ratchet and Ellen will be packing canon weapons from the game for the most part, I do have several ideas for original and customised weapons that they could gain as the story goes on; provided by a… certain black market arms dealer, perhaps. I'm not a Far Cry fan, but I have seen Blood Dragon in action, and I wholeheartedly agree; the similarities between it and Kung Fury in terms of retro goodness is uncanny with their homage to the weird, wonderful, and just plain terrible movies of the eighties. I think everyone's annoyed as hell that the R&C movie's been pushed back until next year, but like you said, what can you do? Not a lot I suspect, but fingers crossed it'll be worth the wait once it's finally released. Thanks again, and with any luck you'll enjoy the way this chapter turned out too.

GoldenLombaxGirl - Yeah, FanFiction is a bit iffy when it comes to certain things, especially web addresses. But still, I'm happy you liked how the reunion turned out, I was more than a little worried about how it would be received. And yes, James Arnold Taylor has taken up the reins for our favourite lombax. Much as I appreciate the original voice actor, in my eyes at least, Mr Taylor has been, and always will be, the voice of Ratchet thanks to his particular interpretation of the character.

zenith88 - If you thought the last chapter was big, I have no idea what you'll make of some of the later chapters I've got drafted on my hard drive considering their size. Hope you like the new chapter.

Guest (2) - I have indeed, though unfortunately it has been delayed until next year for unknown reasons. From what I understand, the movie will be heavily based on the first game with a few tweaks to accommodate elements from later in the series and could be considered a reboot as such for the franchise. I don't have any intentions on writing a story based off of it for this series at the moment, or at all actually, but ultimately I'd have to actually see it first before I made any kind of final decision. Sorry for any potential disappointment.

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.

Reunited, rearmed, and ready to go! Let's see how Ratchet and Ellen handle their first true mission together as commandos in Chapter 4.

- 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 4:

Retail Therapy

Megacorp Outlet, Oozla

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.081 Galactic calendar

9:14am local time

There were many words that could be used to describe the seasonally dreary world with its overcast skies, constant monsoon weather patterns, and harsh environment, but 'picturesque' was probably not among them. A thick bayou covered almost the entire planet surface among the few land masses overgrown with moss and choking vines; spiky plants and similarly twisted trees that contorted at strange angles, topped with a drooping, lush-green canopy sprouting from the distinctly unpleasant looking yellowed swamp waters that stank of decay. Taking a glance at their surroundings once Ratchet had gotten them planet side and she had brought her own fighter into land nearby on one of the few clear spaces available, the only possible reason Ellen could conceive for Megacorp building what amounted to a giant department store in the ass end of nowhere was simply because the real estate value was probably rock bottom.

"Cheerful. Almost like Orxon all over again."

Ratchet merely shrugged. "Hey, at least we can breathe here and not worry about getting our lungs burned out."

Stepping alongside her, the lombax made sure the Star Explorers were secure before turning his attention to the three storey structure of concrete and glass with the giant Megacorp logo emblazoned across the front, visible a good quarter of a mile away through the swamp thanks to it being brightly lit and one of the few artificial structures still intact on the planet. "Well at least we know where the thief went. Question is, which way do we go?"

Ellen's point rang true seeing as there were two main routes the pair could take; a slightly crumbling metal arch to their right that was strangled by vines, or a gentle downwards slope choked with vegetation to their far left past a vaguely pyramid shaped Megacorp vendor. They could always split up of course in order to cover both; but after having only just got back together after such a long time, neither was willing to let the other out of their sight any time soon.

The journey to the thief's last known location on Oozla was mostly spent getting reaquainted with each other once more and, after a playful argument over Ratchet's changed voice, catching up on what had happened after the two had been cruelly separated the day of Drek's defeat. Ellen felt touched to hear of how many people came to help comb the debris field littering Veldin from the Deplanetizer's destruction in order to help find her, and especially how hard her disappearance had hit the friends she had made in her short time away from Earth.

The Roboshack trio of Al, Bob, and Ed were definitely topping the list of those she needed to call as soon as she had the opportunity, if only to let them know she was still alive, though she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing Clank anytime soon. Ellen could understand why the diminutive robot would want to sit this particular job out seeing as getting shot at was never fun and he had more than his fill last time in Solana, but she still wished she could see him again.

Getting their old team back together again would have to wait however until they had the protopet safely in their hands, and so it was that Ratchet and Ellen topped up their ammo reserves at the vendor before making their way down the rough downward sloping path beyond; hemmed in on either side by moss-hewed rock walls and spiny plants that seemed to spring up everywhere in course thickets. Slowing their pace as they neared the bottom of the gently curving trail, the pair got their first glimpse of the local wildlife in a widened section of the gully separated by a thin strip of fetid swamp water; giant mutant snails. Easily as big as Ratchet was tall, the half-dozen hybrids each had dull blue flesh and a spiked, brown shell, with a single glowing, orange eye, and a quartet of snapping lobster claws on fleshy tendrils that waved back and forth as they slithered around at a startling pace.

Unfortunately the creatures seemed territorial as well; a pair closest to the two commandos lashing out with those sharp pincers and forcing Ellen to jump back as one such appendage snapped at her head. Ratchet managed to stun one of the beasts temporarily with his wrench before pouring Lancer fire into its shell covered hide, only to find it a lot tougher to crack than he anticipated; his partner coming to the same conclusion as an extended burst of her own did little more than annoy the gurgling mutants. Switching to her hand cannon, Ellen found the heavy slugs to be a lot more effective in putting the creatures down. But with the rest of the snail hybrids approaching fast and more jumping out of the surrounding pools of swamp water, they needed to take them down fast or risk being overwhelmed. Hence why Ratchet decided it was time to break out the grenade launcher.

A pair of dull thumps preceded an identical number of Gravity Bombs descending on the closing swamp beasts, twin fiery explosions ripping apart all save one in the ensuing shockwaves that sealed their fate. Ellen's Leviathan roared once again and the survivor was no more, human and lombax both advancing cautiously through the gully with weapons raised and ready for any more that decided to jump out at them. The moss covered walls closed in a little as they rounded a corner before widening out into another part of the bayou flooded by fetid waters and interspersed with gnarled trees rising from the unhealthy looking yellow-tinged soup. What caught Ratchet's attention however was the lab coat wearing Megacorp employee flailing in the swamp near the edge of where their island ended, surrounded by what looked like baseball sized fireflies with glowing orange bodies and snapping mandibles.

"Hang on buddy, we're coming!"

The lombax dashed forward with his human partner close behind, the oversized bugs attempting to dive-bomb the pair only to be cast aside violently by Omni Wrench and Versa Blade respectively as they carved a path. The hapless man renewed his struggles at the prospect of rescue closing in, even as something in the opaque waters seemed to be pulling him down once the commandos reached him.

"Give me your hand!"

Ellen dropped to her knees and stretched out an arm to grasp his own, fingertips brushing each other only for the screaming employee to be suddenly dragged under by an unseen force. Ratchet pulled her back from the water with one hand while the other kept his Lancer trained on the now bubbling spot where the man had disappeared, expecting something to jump out any second.

"Damn it, if only we'd been a little quicker..." Ellen stared sadly at the now calmed swamp waters before picking herself back up, the haunting last image of the alien's terrified face burned into her memory. A reassuring hand on her shoulder broke the human's reverie as she turned to look at the concerned lombax beside her.

"You did what you could. Hell, a second longer and you might of been pulled under too."

The human shuddered involuntarily at the thought of almost sharing the same fate but quickly squashed it down, especially since any lapse in judgement now could be her last if whatever had grabbed the poor man was still around. "Yeah... you're right. But what was he doing out here in the first place? Especially with all these messed up animals we've been seeing prowling around."

Ratchet shook his head as he led them across a clear-bottomed barge that had been moored in place as a makeshift bridge, Lancer up and checking for anything else trying to kill them as Ellen followed close behind. Before the lombax could reply however, a terrified call for help had their heads whipping to the left; a swamp beast crashing down over a fallen log between two rock formations while strange hopping amphibians that looked like a cross between a lizard and a slug jumped out of the bayou waters to attack them.

Standing almost as tall as Ratchet with a burnished, reddish-brown skin, underdeveloped limbs, and a trio of glowing, solid-yellow eyes, the muck dwelling creatures though great in number took very little to actually put down. The lombax smashed one aside with his wrench, leaping up into the air to avoid a belch of toxic fumes before bringing his weapon down in an overhead strike and pivoting to nail another tackling him from the side. Ellen meanwhile had taken to picking off the much bigger beasts with her hand cannon from long range, relying on her partner to watch her back while she took steadily aimed shots that echoed like the crash of distant thunder in the still rainy air.

With the immediate threat gone, the pair quickly doubled back to the rotting wooden barricade and vaulted over it, only to see another Megacorp employee trapped in a dead end trying to fend off more muck dwellers with a snapped off branch. Not wanting to risk accidentally shooting the desperate man, the two commandos drew their respective melee weapons and leapt into the fray; evening the odds and quickly finishing off the creatures between the three. Like the last one they had tried to rescue, the relieved alien slumping down on to his rear was of the same species as the employee from the security footage they had seen prior to setting foot on Oozla; the same prominent antennae protruding from his quasi-peanut shaped head.

"Thank goodness you came when you did. When those... things cornered me, I thought I was a goner. Did the company send you?"

Ellen nodded in reassurance while crouching down to check the still edgy man over for injuries. "Yeah, they did. I'm Ellen and this is my partner, Ratchet." Said lombax raised his hand briefly in greeting before returning to keeping watch for any more of the decidedly unfriendly wildlife that might decide to have a crack at them.

"We're in pursuit of someone suspected of stealing company property. Do you recognise any of these people, mister...?" She bought up a still frame from the security footage Mr Fizzwidget had sent them on her Wrist Com, turning it around so that the weary employee could see the slightly grainy image of the thief and his two bodyguards.

"Jones, Doug Jones." He hummed in thought as he stared hard at the projected image. "Huh... looks like that guy who took off just after the perimeter defences went offline. Couldn't tell you where he went though; far too busy trying to get our people back inside the building and call for help. Me and Gary tried to reach the auxiliary generators out by the tech demonstration area out in the bayou, but we got separated when those creatures attacked us."

The commandos winced involuntarily as they put two and two together, assuming that the man they failed to save scant minutes before had been 'Gary'. Exchanging glances, Ellen stood back up as she helped Doug to his feet while Ratchet grimaced at being the bearer of bad news "I... think we ran into your friend out in the swamp, but... he didn't make it."

The Megacorp employee's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Damn it... I knew we shouldn't have... Please, you have to find my colleagues. Almost everyone ran for the main outlet once the power went down, but Doctor Wayne, one of our gadget engineers, was scheduled to be in the tech demonstration area and I still can't reach his communicator."

Ellen patted the distraught man on the shoulder. "We'll do what we can. Where can we find this tech demo area?"

Doug pointed out past their alcove to the right, back the way they had came. "It's through an archway just past the visitor parking bays; I just hope he's still alive..."

Ratchet nodded in thanks before leading the three back over the fallen log to the rest of the now body strewn islet. "If he's there, we'll find him. It should be a clear run between here and the landing pads; your best bet is to head there and hunker down. Just... stay away from the water. We'll be back before you know it."

Thanking them profusely, the bruised but alive employee took off over the anchored bridge and was soon out of sight to the pair of commandos, now making their way over some oversized lily pads deeper into the swamplands through the myriad of mutant wildlife that persisted on jumping out of the waters at them. Thankfully, the fact that there were two of them meant being able to cover each other's back and pick off the opportunistic creatures before they could get too close; the sole swamp beast that did sent reeling by an overhead strike from Ratchet's wrench.

More of the muck dwellers lay in wait once they reached another islet on the far side, the sheer rock walls forming a narrow miniature valley that forced the human and lombax to engage up close. Drawing her Versa Blade, Ellen bypassed Ratchet as he tore through a pair of the amphibians with a broad sweep of his wrench; thrusting her weapon up into the belly of one muck dweller that tried to take a flying leap at her and rolling with the momentum of the falling body before rolling back to her feet ready for the next. She danced backwards to escape the cloud of toxic breath her next opponent belched out, followed a heartbeat later by springing forth with a diagonal slice that almost cut the creature in two. Spinning on her heel, Ellen saw her wrench wielding partner finish off the last one with a hammer blow that sent its broken body slamming into the rock face before gesturing her forward with a knowing grin.

"Still got the moves, huh? Y'know... I got a few of my own I wouldn't mind sharing."

The human gave him a sly smirk of her own as she moved to take the lead out of the rain soaked gully. "Sounds like fun. I take it it'll be a... hands on experience?"

Ratchet's eyes twinkled a little as he watched her move past before straying down to better appreciate the figure hugging commando jumpsuit's effect on her posterior. "Well, you know me babe. I'm always good with my hands."

Feeling in better spirits for the flirtatious banter, lombax and human both made best speed through the rock lined crevice while keeping their eyes peeled for any hint of ambush. Emerging into a slightly wider, moss-covered strip of land, the pair caught a brief glimpse of what looked like another worker being snatched away by a green blur before they were set upon once again by a large concentration of the mutant snail-like creatures, with more propelling themselves from the murky depths to join in every second.

Back peddling, Ellen emptied her Spitfire into the closing horde; incendiary rounds catching light on any exposed flesh hit while Ratchet went to town with his Gravity Bomb launcher. The man-portable mortar shells tore the clusters of crustacean-clawed terrors apart only for more to take their place, the lombax forced to switch out the empty launcher for his Lancer to cover his fellow commando while she reloaded, before concentrating their fire on one shell-backed target at a time.

It didn't take long for the last mutant mollusc to finally succumb to its wounds, and with nothing else in the immediate vicinity itching to take a chunk out of them, Ratchet and Ellen decided to make best speed across a series of anchored barges towards the Megacorp outlet while the going was still good. Leaping across each bobbing section, the pair swatted aside the odd muck dweller taking residence on the platforms and made short work of the trio of swamp beasts that hauled themselves aboard with hand cannon and Lancer fire respectively. Past the last barge was a relatively recent looking towering gatehouse made from thick, grey metal-plating with blue-tinged street lamps visible through the archway; one of the few signs of artificial construction the commandos had seen for a while and hopefully a sign that the facility entrance was near.

Unfortunately the stairs leading up to the archway a good ten feet above them were collapsed by some unknown force. Bunching his powerful leg muscles, Ratchet simply leapt vertically from where he crouched; grabbing the ledge before hauling himself up followed by leaning back over with his arm extended for a waiting Ellen to grab. Once the lombax had hauled them both up, the pair took the paved slope beginning to be reclaimed by creeping moss down into an open area surrounded by deep pools on three sides, from which a deluge of muck dwellers seemed to suddenly spring the second they got near. Automatic gunfire cut down the first few to leap from the fetid waters, though the two commandos soon found themselves bogged down in a veritable melee as the number of assailants continued to multiply.

Ellen clubbed one amphibian aside with her Spitfire, putting the boot into another before finally having enough breathing space to draw her Versa Blade and carve a path through the suicidally persistent creatures. Ratchet was similarly occupied with the muck dwellers on his side, having switched to his wrench and using broad sweeps to send several of them flying back into the swamp pools like broken puppets. Pushing through the ambush to the much wider central area, the remaining muck dwellers were much easier to pick off, and even the quad-clawed mutant snails that emerged in their stead were quickly discouraged by a Gravity Bomb dropped in their midst. More cries for help drove the human and lombax on, using a series of giant lily pads on the far side of the secluded cove to round a rocky outcropping further out into the swamp before freezing at the sight that confronted them once they reached relatively dry land again.

Protruding from the sickly-yellow waters was a towering green tentacle extending a good thirty feet up into the air with three pairs of jutting red spikes protruding from along its length. Of more concern however was the screaming Megacorp employee held aloft at the tip before being violently dragged under; a second identical appendage following the first tentacle rising back up out of the swamp to loom menacingly, while a single glowing orange eye set on a stalk breached the surface in-between to balefully stare the two surface dwellers directly in the face.

"Well... Guess we know what happened to all the workers now, huh?"

Ellen didn't have the chance to respond to Ratchet's dry comment, far too busy diving to one side as the right most tentacle came smashing down in an attempt to flatten them both. The lombax in question back-flipped away instead, the flailing appendage missing his helmet by inches as he held down the trigger of his Lancer in mid flight and peppered the offending limb with automatic fire. The monolithic creature to which it belonged however seemed mostly unaffected; slowly raising the tentacle back up while the other drew back briefly before snapping forward to slam into the ground with earth shattering force.

Darting around the second blow, Ellen switched to her Leviathan seeing as the bullet hose masquerading as a combat rifle she possessed was barely tickling the damn thing considering how many rounds she had pumped into it. The hand cannon soon proved to be a much better bet, blowing fist sized chunks out of the bastardised parody of a beanstalk and forcing the thrashing limb to retreat into the sickly waters with a bubbling squeal from below.

The remaining tentacle made a wide arc across the scrap of land the two commandos now occupied, attempting to sweep them into the water to be devoured by the beast hidden in the depths. Ratchet and Ellen thought otherwise, barely skimming over the surprisingly fast green limb only to find its twin had re-emerged with a vengeance; the two appendages raining down blow after blow and forcing the pair on to the defensive with barely a chance to retaliate in turn. Seizing a split second opportunity, Ratchet bought them some much needed reprieve with a well timed Gravity Bomb that caught the eye stalk on the edge of the blast radius, the entire visible aspect of the swamp monster cringing with a soul rending screech from below as the flailing limbs sought to cover the shuttering optic.

"The eye! Go for the eye!"

Ellen didn't need to be told twice, setting her stance and bringing her hand cannon up with both hands to sight on the glowing orange orb in the middle of the squirming mass of green flesh with a deep intake of breath. Stroking the trigger caused a reverberating roar to echo through the air; a heavy calibre slug striking the tip of the eye stalk followed shortly by two more that left the hidden predator thrashing with a roar of pain as the appendage exploded ii to a mass of ichor and paste. The fleshy stump soon disappeared below the fetid waters along with the pock marked tentacles, leaving the area in a deathly silence broken only by the constant patter of rain from above and their own ragged breathing.

"Did we get it?" Ellen's eyes darted over the murky swamp with her smoking Leviathan still tightly clutched in both hands as she nervously tried to distinguish between surface ripples from the rain and any actual movement from their elusive foe.

Ratchet followed suit with a wary stance, hairs prickling up on his fur at the feeling of something just waiting to jump out at them. "Somehow... I kinda doubt it."

Their answer came in the form of something breaching the water's surface behind them, human and lombax turning around with a building sense of dread to see a quartet of tentacles rising to loom menacingly while another eye stalk lay nestled in-between with a murderous glare.

"Babe…?"

Ellen didn't dare take her eyes off the obviously pissed off swamp monster as she edged slowly away. "Yeah...?"

In the blink of an eye, Ratchet had grabbed her by the arm and yanked them both out the way as two of the snaking appendages cratered the ground where they had been standing a heartbeat earlier, with the other two immediately poised to strike.

"RUN!"

The commandos took off at a dead sprint, feet barely touching the ground as they skimmed over more giant lily pads and islets surrounded by the sickly-yellow waters with an enraged swamp monster in close pursuit. The few mutant snail-lobster hybrids that blocked their path were dodged around or otherwise ignored in favour of staying one step ahead of the juggernaut on their tail; snapping claws and spiked shells soon crushed under the rampaging tentacles that continued to make the earth shake with each impact that was getting ever closer with each attempt.

Thankfully salvation was close at hand around the next corner, a series of paired streetlights marking a clear path straight to the imposing Megacorp outlet just ahead. Putting on an extra burst of speed with already straining muscles, human and lombax both made it back to solid ground just before the rampaging beast slammed into it with one last effort; thrashing appendages scant inches short of flattening the pair under their considerable weight.

With hearts still racing, the pair hastily backed away from the frustrated swamp monster before turning tail and making their way from the moss and rock hewn path to the paved over dock just outside the facility. Ellen greedily sucked air into her burning lungs, simultaneously keeping a wary eye on the flesh eating abomination even as it screeched and flailed ineffectively against the natural barrier formed by the combination of rock and mulched vegetation some forty feet away just out of tentacle rang.

"I think he might be a bit upset."

Ratchet snorted in mirth from where he stood beside her with one arm supporting her back and the other busy aiming his grenade launcher down range. "Ya think? C'mon, lets get inside before it figures another way around."

Once they had sufficiently recovered, the two made to enter the building only to discover that the damn elevator leading up to the entrance wouldn't work without something to operate the bulbous, silver ball-like device with glowing green orbs set in a triangular pattern next to it. Fortunately a wide-based pedestal near the other end of the dock held the item in question; a predominantly dull-metal bracer with green highlights and a small antennae protruding from the front. And so it was with the newly acquired Dynamo in hand that Ratchet activated the device beside the elevator with a burst of green electricity, the smaller balls rotating freely around the main unit while an ethereal, translucent-green lift platform composed entirely of hard light carried them all the way to the top before flickering out shortly after they had disembarked.

The physics behind such a feat, and why anyone would use such a system to secure the facility entrance only to leave the damn key just lying in the open for anyone to steal, were a mystery that Ellen didn't plan on looking into any time soon. She'd long since learnt from her last planet hopping adventure that logic and common sense weren't as prevalent among the galactic community as one would expect from such technologically advanced civilisations.

Taking the opportunity to fully reload their combined arsenal, Ratchet and Ellen strode up to the oversized glass-paned doors emblazoned with the Megacorp logo that marked the main entrance; cautiously advancing inside with weapons raised once they slid open automatically at their approach. Though the interior allowed them to escape the driving rain, the mass of tangled roots and vaguely pine cone-like plants taking residence along the lobby's otherwise sterile glass and metal walls made it clear that the disabled perimeter defences weren't just keeping the wildlife at bay. It looked like the vegetation had originally intended to be decorative, but if it had already overgrown the place in just a few hours then it was only a matter of time until the whole facility was reduced to a crumbling ruin reclaimed by the wilderness.

"Thank you for choosing Megacorp, where our customers come first."

Crossing over the giant Megacorp logo embossed on the floor, the two ignored the automated PA system and cheesy mall music in favour of swatting aside the few mutant fireflies in the room that were stupid enough to attack them before activating another Dynamo operated lift and riding it up a level; having to transfer across to another moving platform once given another zap by the wrist mounted device that transported them to a balcony on the far side of the lobby. Racks of what looked like a mixture of clothing and various consumer products for multiple species lined the walls in display cases, some already shattered with their contents spilled upon the floor thanks to the infestation of nature pervading the artificial environment at an accelerated rate, along with a few more bugs that just didn't know when to quit.

For what little good it had done, Ellen had to admit that the security lock down was quite an elaborate set up. Three more Dynamo activators revealed a trio of hard light bridges extending from the walls in an angled S-pattern that allowed the two commandos to cross to the gulf between their raised balcony area and the far side of the room without having to negotiate the now overgrown shop floor below. Turning a corner bought the pair into a department dedicated to the latest fashions, with choice outfits displayed in cylindrical Perspex cases around the room, which had a wall comprised of floor length glass windows looking down on the lobby below and a quartet of swamp beasts taking up residence among the displays.

Ratchet charged at the closest mutant mollusc with his wrench held high; a flurry of strikes followed by an uppercut sending the surprised creature crashing through one of the windows and out of sight even as the rest turned to confront the pair with snapping claws. Rounding one of the cylindrical display cases, Ellen pumped a pair of heavy calibre rounds into one of the swamp beasts at point blank range before snapping her aim up to the next one, even as her partner demolished half the room with a Gravity Bomb that tore another to pieces and shattered every pane of glass in the immediate area.

"Megacorp reserves the right to refuse service to anyone."

Human and lombax looked at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing in the devastated remains of the once expertly arranged room that looked like a hurricane had passed straight through it.

"Clean up on aisle seven!"

Ellen snorted in mirth at Ratchet's quip even as they made their way through the carnage to a more secure looking glass-fronted door on the far side marked as 'employees only'. "Yeah, somehow I don't think they're going to want us back any time soon."

Their commando credentials got them past the reinforced portal with but a wave of the lombax's Wrist Com over the lock, and so it was that they found themselves back outside traversing a rain-swept railed walkway with that damn music following them the whole way; leaping over a collapsed section near the end and re-entering via a similar door on the far side. As with most retail outlets, the employee areas were as sparse as the shop floor was cheerful; a dull expanse of grey walls and dim, blue lighting from above guiding the pair as they used a series of Dynamo activated platforms to bypass the cavernous store room that didn't seem quite as overgrown as the public side of the business. Indeed, the vegetation seemed to die off altogether the further the two commandos got into the interior; past the staff canteen and various side rooms until they finally reached a narrow corridor lit by dull, red lighting with a Dynamo activator at the entrance and a reinforced shutter at the far end.

"I'd put good money on the security office being in there. If the servers are still intact, we might be able to get some clues to where our thief is heading from the surveillance footage."

Ratchet nodded in agreement to his partner's voiced thoughts. "Yeah, but first we gotta get inside, and I'll bet they've got some kind of defence system set up."

Motioning her to stay back, Ellen watched on as Ratchet zapped the activator with his Dynamo before taking off down the corridor towards the now opening shutter like a rocket; a series of randomly shaped, angular walls springing up from the floor on the opposite side and advancing towards him on wall mounted rails at a breakneck pace. With typically feline grace, the lombax vaulted the first low wall and flipped sideways around another; describing an aerial ballet through the side scrolling Tetris-like defensive measure with an ease that would make an Olympic gymnast green with envy. A lesser being would have been pulverised by the fast moving walls piling up on Ellen's side, but Ratchet kept going until a final front flip had him inside the security office and slamming a gloved fist on to the override button next to the doorframe.

"Alright, I'm through!"

Once the mechanism had been disabled and the crushing walls had disappeared, Ellen quickly caught up with the lombax and together they began the search for any scrap of evidence needed to locate their elusive quarry. Seating herself in front of the greatest concentration of monitors that were clustered over the walls, the human bought up a holographic keyboard on the surveillance station and, with the aid of her Wrist Com's translator app feeding information directly to her helmet visor, began to sift through the available video footage in the desired timestamp. Ratchet leaned on the back of her chair with the intention of adding his own input when his Wrist Com indicated that he had an incoming transmission from their new boss. Redirecting the video call to an unused monitor nearby, the pair of commandos watched as the familiar portly figure of Mr Fizzwidget materialised on screen.

"Ratchet, Ellen? Come in, are you there?"

The lombax offered a brief salute as his human companion moved to stand next to him. "Copy Mr Fizzwidget, we're both here."

The somewhat eccentric CEO nodded in acknowledgment, but otherwise barrelled on without any preamble. "Listen, I have some new inflammation on our experiment's wherewithal. The thief was indemnified at Megacorp's Maktar resort, and seems to be under the protection of mercenaries from 'Thugs-4-Less'." The image on the monitor changed to show a space station of sorts out in the middle of nowhere that was dominated by a massive module resembling a flat-topped ice cream cone; bulbous and elliptical at the top, while tapering down to a stubby point what had to be several hundred meters below judging by the scale.

"Also, the thugs have towed a moon-sized jamming array into the resort's orbit." As Mr Fizzwidget continued to speak, the picture changed once more from the resort to what looked like a small metal planetoid covered in power conduits and metal towers, some of which seemed to be emitting a visible spectrum of light into space like a strobe. Ellen hummed in thought as her eyes roved over the image in search of any structural weaknesses they could exploit.

"I assume you want us to take it out?" Fizzwidget, having reappeared on screen, punched the air in anticipation before slowly shaking his head in annoyance. "Affirmulus! Its disconfrabulating our annual Galactic Gladiators broadcast. See for yourself."

The CEO's image winked out in favour of a commercial promoting the combat sporting event, an electric guitar solo gaining pace as an enthusiastic narrator spoke over the top. "Ask yourself; are you man enough, hero enough, insane enough to step into the ring with two of the fiercest warriors in the galaxy?" A series of still images portrayed the silhouettes of an antennaed alien followed quickly by a cape wearing hero and a contorted figure with swirling eyes, who was then surrounded by monsters with gaping tooth filled maws. "If you answered 'yes', you're a big, fat liar. But that's okay, because Megacorp is bringing Galactic Gladiators into your home for a special Mega-View event!"

The screen changed briefly to show the Galactic Gladiators emblem depicting the crimson silhouette of an armoured warrior wielding a flail on a metallic-ringed oval, before switching to video footage of a packed arena with big screen monitors hanging from the rafters showing off the particularly powerful looking giant of an alien below. "First, its survival of the fittest in our bio-competition. Be there as Chainblade - CHAINBLADE - unleashes his fury on our gladiator guest contestants. Chainblade has been undefeated in 500 straight matches." The hulking green-skinned behemoth showboating for the cameras with a vicious gleam in his solid-red eyes had to be at least thirty feet tall, clad in heavy-plated armour and brandishing a pair of massive, segmented swords from which he derived his name with a practised flourish that the crowd just seemed to eat up.

"But if the bio division doesn't do it for you..." Suddenly, an action shot of a roaring Chainblade was replaced by a quad-legged gleaming silver robot with plasma cannons for arms and a clearly visible brain beneath its no doubt heavily reinforced transparent dome skull. "...our robotics division will! Chase the adrenaline as contestants face off against our four-armed bandit; the B2 Brawler. Brawler! BRAWLER~" The machine looked to be even bigger than the dual sword wielding gladiator thanks to its incredibly long and flexible legs, and judging by its rapid bird-like movement it was incredibly agile for its size too.

"No living creature is a match for this machine. Watch six tonnes of carbonox alloy hunt for its prey; there's no consolation prize, cause this bad boy's programmed to show no mercy." The image changed once more as the narrator wound up his sales pitch, depicting both Chainblade and the B2 Brawler posing in front of a stylised Megacorp logo. "So what are you waiting for? Call now to bring Chainblade and the B2 Brawler into your living room, but put away the fine china!" The voice over man barked out a dry laugh while the screen flipped over to the event's emblem one last time. "The Galactic Gladiators; only on Mega-View. Call your provider now."

Ratchet rubbed his chin in thought as the transmission cut off. "'Chainblade', huh? I've got the co-ordinates, let's go check it out."

More than a little perturbed at the idea of gladiatorial combat not only existing in such an advanced society, but being considered fit to broadcast to the entire galaxy, Ellen shook her head as she fell into step beside him; the pair making for a Dynamo operated lift near the back of the security room. "Not just yet. We promised Doug we'd find out what happened to Doctor Wayne, remember? I just hope they're both in one piece."

Riding the elevator up to a raised platform, the two commandos stepped up to the familiar form of a teleportation pad leading back to the visitor parking area; one that the human member of the team wasn't particularly keen on using considering the nausea inducing effects associated with her prior experiences of being broken down into sub-atomic particles and being reassembled somewhere lese entirely. Nevertheless, it was the fastest route back, and so with a deep breath and a comforting squeeze of the hand from Ratchet, the pair stepped on to the pad and soon disappeared from sight in a flash of white light; leaving only the sound of the PA system echoing in the dead outlet store.

"Thank you, for shopping at Megacorp. Please visit us again."

{()}

Arriving back at the parked Star Explorers, the commandos were relieved to find a shaken but alive Doug Jones sheltering beneath one of their vessel's wings. Once they had called in an extraction vessel to pick up any survivors and ensured the traumatised employee was safely inside the cockpit of Ellen's fighter, the pair took off through the metal arch they had ignored earlier to search for the missing doctor's whereabouts. It took the better part of half an hour negotiating the fetid waters of the bayou that played host to gnarled trees and twisted girders that rose up like some bizarre modern art piece; fighting their way through a mess of mutant animals, improvised paths, giant man-eating plants, and riding on the backs of surprisingly docile plesiosaur-like creatures across the yellow-tinged soup until they finally caught up with the man exactly where his colleague said he would be.

The good doctor was most definitely alive and well; but upon explaining the situation to him, he seemed to be more interested in hawking one of Megacorp's latest gadgets than the security failure and subsequent ravenous hordes of mutant creatures running rampant all around. Grudgingly paying for the Tractor Beam he was advertising, Ellen made good use of the arm mounted device to rearrange a pair of columns into a makeshift staircase so that they could scale the cliffs on the opposite side of the technology demonstration area and escort Dr. Wayne back to the visitor landing zone.

Thankfully an evac shuttle had already arrived, and once the only two living survivors of the overrun Megacorp outlet store were safely off planet, Ratchet and Ellen made their way to their own vessels; punching in the coordinates on their respective navigation computers before collectively spooling up engines and preparing to head to their next destination. If the thief was hiring mercenaries for protection then things just got a lot more complicated, and Ellen intended to make sure that they both knew what they were getting into well before they faced off against a private army by themselves.

Sorry for cutting things off a bit towards the end there, but what I had originally written out for that section just wasn't interesting and severely dragged things out unnecessarily considering it was simply a side route to get the Tractor Beam. So instead I whittled the content down to a condensed version in order to better pace the chapter overall, and avoid needless waffle taking up space. My apologies once again for any disappointment this may cause.

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

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337