Author's note:

Hey all, if you haven't done so already then I recommend you skip back to chapter 11 and read that first since the proper chapter is now in place. Unfortunately doesn't recognise changing an existing chapter's content as an 'actual' update, and so it won't have registered on anyone's alerts or otherwise, much to my annoyance. Ergo, chances are most of you regular readers will have missed it until now, unless of course you've been checking back constantly.

All done? Alrighty then, let's get on with the long delayed and concluding half of Barlow. Although before we begin, I just thought I'd clarify that the following review replies are only for the actual chapter 11 which replaced my note of apology. The replies for that, along with those pertaining to chapter 10, are now on the chapter 11 review replies list. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

Review replies:

StaticBomb93 - I'm glad you like the chapter, and thank you for understanding. I have to admit the last chapter was a bit rushed since I wanted to update ASAP, so there's likely more errors than usual that I didn't catch as a result. As for what might be missing? I couldn't say for sure; although perhaps it's because that chapter and this one were originally supposed to be a single whole before being split apart, and so the prior doesn't have a solid conclusion.

Firestar5277 - Thank you, I… couldn't resist having an innuendo there; especially with Ratchet's relatively short stature and penchant for stupidly large weapons. As for your question, I'm not entirely sure which direction to take yet, although I am leaning more towards the latter option for Nefarious considering his fixation with the Secret Agent Clank series and his extensive holovid collection in his secret Aquatos base's office.

Of the trio, I'd probably hazard that Ellen would likely hate Nefarious the most. He is trying to wipe out or subvert all organic life after all, and the comparison between his goals and those of certain Earth based tyrants from the last century is all too easy. Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of not including Lawrence in some capacity during the next story in this series and I'll try to make sure he gets at least a little extra screen time.

Sonachugirl - Hey again, and considering the nature of their relationship, yes, yes he does (Smirks). Your memories serve you well; as a matter of fact, that's actually coming up in this chapter along with the hoverbike race which caused me so much grief to get right. I did try to check out your colors gallery, but the link didn't work and I couldn't seem to go any further once I searched for 'Dawnera Colors' or work out where to go from there. Probably just me being a bit thick, sorry about that. In any case, thanks again for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Tempest Fugit - New reviewer and a flatterer at that! Seriously though, thank you, although I don't think I'm all that good. I'm guessing you're of the same mind as me in a way when it comes to being invested in a story only to find it's unfinished and likely to remain so for a very long time. In a word; frustrating. Still, I'm glad to hear that you consider this story good enough to be the exception to your normal reading habits.

The ACK and STIKY sound like a welcome addition to Ratchet and Ellen's growing arsenal and might be a viable replacement for the RYNO II. Although considering their utterly lethal potential, it's likely I'd restrict their use to the final stages and will probably be necessary considering what I'm planning for later down the line.

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.

Ambushed again, will our heroes be able to break through and reach the Desert Riders in time? Find out in Chapter 12.

- 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 12:

Old Faces, New Leads

Vukovar Canyon, Barlow

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.082 Galactic calendar

10:38am local time

As the leading elements poured through the solitary gap in the perimeter wall, Ratchet let loose with the last of his Seeker Gun's active-homing missiles before backing away to cover his partner's flank; using his Multi-Star to sow confusion among their swelling ranks while Ellen finished up planting more Miniturrets. Having finished her task, the human immediately switched back to her Blitz gun and gave one of the swordsmen trying to blindside her a face full of buckshot for his trouble; racking a new round into the chamber and continuing to fight defensively in order to save what little ammo she had left.

Although the two commandos had reaped a bloody toll between them, there just didn't seem to be an end to the murderous scavengers pouring across the bridge. More and more began to fill the pseudo-arena space and soon overran the few sentry guns left standing. With their backs almost literally to the wall and options running out fast, help came at the last minute from an entirely unexpected source. It started with rabid snarling coming from beyond the perimeter walls, followed by one and then dozens more of the mutant dog-like creatures Ratchet and Ellen had been dealing with; dropping into the enclosed plateau and lunging at the nearest living thing in sight.

What had once been a mainly one-sided battle had quickly devolved into a free for all; the tribesmen forced to defend themselves against a tide of orange-furred horrors and giving the three companions a much needed distraction. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, the lombax and his red-headed partner quickly began to carve themselves a path towards the bridge; dodging around the snapping jaws of a sharp-toothed pack as they mobbed a solitary scavenger and blasting away anything that got too close. Ellen was forced to put down a pair of snarling mutant mutts with her nearly empty Blitz Gun as they got close to the bridgehead, but otherwise encountered no more resistance as they sprinted across to the other side and left the two groups to tear into each other.

Letting Clank interface with a nearby control panel and retract the bridge, Ratchet took a moment to remove his helmet and wipe the sweat from his brow. "Well that oughta keep 'em busy for a while. Guess we're going in, huh?"

The question was accompanied by a gesture towards the surprisingly preserved building just behind them; a towering three-storey structure nestled between two large rock formations with a set of carved stone steps out front and a massive Gadgetron logo hanging above the only visible entrance. From what they could see of the interior once they had gotten through the dust-encrusted glass doors that had seen better days, this was Gadgetron's local outlet store from before the planet was abandoned.

Surprisingly the interior was incredibly clean; mood lighting running along the crescent-shaped display cases lining either side of the spacious shop floor while slightly fading framed pictures of various products lined the walls. But before either commando could investigate further, the relative silence was suddenly broken by a flatulent noise reverberating throughout the structure followed by the distinct smell of burning gas and a startled feminine cry from behind a nearby counter.

"Oh my!"

Spinning around to face the source with their weapons raised, the human and lombax found themselves staring down a well built yet distinctly feminine robot with an overly generous bosom; a tri-digited hand covering her mouth in embarrassment. her predominantly pale green frame was shaped to resemble a short-sleeved kimono, with pink highlights on her arms and a stencilled capital G embossed above the left side of her chest. A black solid metal hairpiece with short, vertically protruding pigtails covered her otherwise smooth and rounded silver helm, while a pair of wide almond-shaped cyan optics stared back at them sheepishly.

"Excuse me. I think I just blew another vacuum tube."

Ratchet blinked in confusion for a heartbeat before shaking it off; lowering his Heavy Lancer and giving the mechanical woman a friendly smile. "Ah, don't worry about it. Y'know, I'm pretty good at repairing things. Want me to take a look?"

Apparently that was entirely the wrong thing to say; the broadly framed female drawing herself up with as much indignation as she could muster. "My word! You young people are so fresh these days!"

"Ratchet!" Ellen hissed at the lombax; his eyes widening in realisation at what the robot thought he'd been implying even as she turned an apologetic look towards the kimono clad machine. "Sorry about that. Ratchet means well, but doesn't always think things through before he opens his mouth."

The matronly robot's expression softened along with her tone, a kindly visage crossing her features in response to the human's words. "Oh don't feel bad, I guess I'm just old fashioned about that sort of thing." Brightening considerably at the prospect of an actual conversation after who knows how long, her optics sparkled with anticipation as she leaned forward on the counter. "Did you know that I've been with Gadgetron since the beginning?"

"So you... sell these gadgets?" Ratchet queried while gesturing to the multitude of framed pictures portraying numerous products adorning the walls; trying to both steer the conversation back on track and avoid the inevitable 'old lady's life story' before she could get going.

Fixing the furry feline with a bemused look, the robot merely gave him a warm smile before replying. "Darling, they sell themselves. Here, why don't you take a look at our electronic catalogue. I assume you already have an account with us?"

Skimming through the some what limited selection on the long outdated terminal once it had flickered into life bought back memories of the trio's first adventure together back in the Solana galaxy, each and the struggles they had been through. Old favourites such as the Bomb Glove and Tesla Claw were present, along with a few weapons they hadn't really bothered with last time like the Decoy Glove and Walloper. What caught Ellen's attention however was an all too familiar angular missile launcher, with a wide muzzle, a small TV screen located at the rear, and a silver-plated finish. The Visibomb Gun; her previous anti-armour weapon of choice and a welcome sight considering how much she had struggled to deal with Logan's gunship.

Better still, because the two had already purchased them before, a majority of the available weapons were free since they counted as replacement products under the original warranty. To this end, Ratchet picked a Bomb Glove for nostalgia's sake and a Tesla Claw for its lethality in crowd control, while Ellen snagged another Bomb Glove for herself and, of course, a fully loaded Visibomb Gun along with as much ammo as they could carry. Since these older weapons couldn't take universal Nanoclips and the likelihood of finding another Gadgetron vendor in the Bogon galaxy was practically zero, the pair would have to ration their use as much as possible until they could find a way get around the limitation. Maybe that weapons dealer from back in megapolis could do something?

Among the stock that was still full price was a singular example of the new and improved RYNO II which had Ratchet practically salivating at the prospect of getting his hands on one, although the seven figure price tag shot that idea down instantaneously. It was as the human was skimming through the last few pages of the catalogue though when a particular item caught her eye; a roughly oval-shaped silver-painted device attached to a black three-point harness with a pair of bulbous nozzles flanking the top on either side and a third, wider example pointing down from just below the centre.

"Is that some kind of... jet pack?"

"That, sweetie, is the Gadgetron Jump Pack," the kimono clad robot corrected.

Listening to the saleswoman's pitch while skimming through the onscreen specs herself with her limited language skills, Ellen found herself growing more and more interested by the minute. The Jump Pack was essentially the equivalent of Clank's Heli-Pack or Thruster Pack upgrades, allowing the user to jump higher and glide further thanks to the primary thruster and two retractable lateral motion nozzles. Once secured snugly on the wearer's back, the compact device could easily be operated by either manually a pair of thin control sticks mounted on flexible arms or via a helmet linked interface that used neural pulses to interpret the desired action and react accordingly; thus allowing the operator to keep their hands free for combat or other activities.

Considering the only unit left was a display model that had see better days, Ellen managed to get a fair discount on the Jump Pack and wasted no time in strapping it on. Finally she had a way of keeping up with Ratchet and Clank when navigating long jumps that didn't involve hanging on to the lombax for grim death; although she would miss the excuse to latch onto him during long Heli-Pack powered descents and the intimacy of his firm arms holding her tightly against his soft fur.

Thanking the saleswoman for her help, the two soon made their way out of the air cooled comfort of the old Gadgetron outlet via a set of doors on the opposite side of the building and back into the arid atmosphere outside once again. As they trailed across the cracked surface of dust strewn parking bays and away from the store, Ellen couldn't help but wonder why the kindly robot was still on Barlow long after her employers had abandoned it. Was she stranded here since the company left and simply continued to work out of a misguided sense of loyalty? It would explain the distinctly outdated weapons in stock, and perhaps might have been where the local tribesmen were gaining some of their weaponry from. In any case, they would deal with it later when the opportunity presented itself. Right now there was a biker meet to find and time was slipping away.

After a ten minute trek through a shallow gorge surrounded by steeply sloping rock walls and populated by several packs of genetically modified dog creatures, the three companions finally caught wind of their intended destination. From across a wide and deep sinkhole stood one the same tattooed and leather clad biker from the Desert Riders infomercial Ellen had seen after blowing up the orbiting Thugs-4-Less jammer; a deep scowl on his face as he stood leaning over his currently part disassembled ride, while the distant rumbling of motorcycle engines sounded a seemingly never ending chorus from behind a plexi-glass barrier looking out onto an old mining camp just beyond.

"Well it looks like we're in the right place," Ratchet mused. "C'mon, let's see if that guy knows anything."

The sinkhole was a fairly easy obstacle to negotiate thanks to Clank's Heli-Pack, but for Ellen it would be the first real test of her new Jump Pack. Taking a few steps back to build up speed, she sprinted towards the ledge and triggered all three thrusters at the last second with a startled yell from the sudden acceleration; flailing through the air and hitting the ground hard on the opposite side.

"You alright, babe?"

Ellen accepted the lombax's hand from where she was sprawled out and hauled herself up, staggering slightly and holding her free hand to her helmet as she tried to gain her bearings. "Ugh, I think I need more practice before trying that again."

"Hey, who let you in here!" Apparently their less than subtle approach had attracted the thick set biker's attention since he was now stood looming over the trio with a thick blue-skinned digit jabbing towards the lombax's face. "Get lost 'fore I flatten your robot into a hubcap."

The Desert Rider emphasised his last words by slamming his palms together and rubbing them against one another; something that had Ratchet brandishing his wrench within a heartbeat and a growl rising up from his throat. "Touch him... and it's plasma city!"

Ellen's own retort died on her lips at the lombax's choice of words, giving him a strange even as a hand hovered over her Quick Select in anticipation of trouble. "…'Plasma city'?"

Ratchet shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand while giving her a sheepish smile. "Hey, it sounded a lot better in my head."

All other thoughts went out the window however as the tattoo and leather clad biker began to sniffle; his bottom lip quivering and tears beginning to glisten in his eyes. "Oh gosh, you didn't have to yell." More quietly, he added to himself between sobs. "Why did he have to yell?"

The two commandos exchanged incredulous looks at the sudden U-turn in the man's demeanour; the human mouthing a bewildered 'what the hell?' towards Ratchet who himself was awkwardly struggling for words. "Uh... Hey man..."

"Ah can't hear you, la-la-la-la!" Clamping his shovel-like hands over his ears, the Thugs-4-Less seemed to be regressing further into a child-like state with each passing second, pausing only to tentatively point towards Clank who had otherwise been silent up to this point. "Only the little guy."

"Sir, it is okay," the diminutive robot began with a reassuring smile. "We are your fellow Desert Riders."

The biker paused to wipe the various secretions from his nose, his eyes lighting up in rising hope. "Ya... are? So you understand my... sensitivities?"

Clank responded with a friendly nod and an open armed gesture. "Absolutely sir, we just came here to race."

"Well... you can borrow my Bluebell," the Desert Rider offered, gesturing towards the partially dismantled bike behind him and seeming to brighten up considerably at the minute machine's words. "So long as you're gentle; she just needs a few repairs."

Stepping into the conversation for the first time, Ellen inclined her head with a gentle smile of her own towards the overly sensitive man. "Thank you, and don't worry about your bike. We'll have Bluebell fixed in no time."

On the short walk over to the aforementioned vehicle however, the human began to have second thoughts once she seen the state of the crimson painted machine. In its full glory, the hoverbike would have been a powerful and awe inspiring ride; based around a monstrous central jet turbine running through the fuselage with a pair of supplemental outboard boosters and a quartet of cavernous exhaust pipes that seemed deliberately designed to make as much noise as possible. The sloping-armoured front fairing bore a gold painted horned skull motif, a quartet of powerful headlights, and was bereft of a windshield, while the comfortable leather seat and the traditional controls were nigh identical to any other motorcycle on Earth. What was different however and clearly marked the bike as a combat vehicle was the heavy calibre ventral machine gun protruding from the bottom of the fairing and a pair of missile launchers just forward of the handlebars.

Right now though the hoverbike was a mess; gunked oil and parts of the engine scattered all around the frame while wires stuck out of the anti-gravity drive and what looked like caustic acid was leaking from the primary fuel cell. Thanks in part to her college engineering course and time spent working with her brother on his old crotch rocket years ago however, Ellen had at least a rough understanding of what was wrong with the machine in spite of the vastly advanced technology, much to Ratchet's pleasant surprise.

Together they managed to narrow the problem down to a feedback loop in the electrical ignition system and a general lack of proper maintenance that eventually caused a massive build up of fluids in the engine itself, preventing it from starting. With few replacement parts on hand the two had to get creative; draining the unpleasant concoction from the engine block and using some spare phials of Nanotech to repair the worst of the damage before Ellen reconnected the fuel lines once the cells had been swapped out. Using his Electrolyzer on a nearby diagnostic terminal, Ratchet checked over the wiring with a keen eye and, once he was satisfied everything was as good as they could get it, gestured for her to try the ignition.

Hauling herself up into the saddle, Ellen pushed down firmly on the starter switch and after a brief delay the hoverbike roared into life before settling down to a throaty purr. The human revved the throttle a few times to check everything was functioning, but couldn't keep the stupid grin off of her face if she tried at the rumbling noise and the fond memories it brought back. Getting Ratchet to let her participate in the race however was a task within itself; although once she had successfully argued that she was the only one of the three with any actual experience on a bike of any kind, he grudgingly agreed on the provision she didn't take any unnecessary risks.

"Right," Ellen clapped her hands together before turning her attention to the leather clad biker looking over his machine with approval and catching his attention. "Where do I sign up for the race?"

{()}

As it turned out, all the human needed to take part in the race aside from a bike was a provisional membership card for prospective junior Desert Riders, and was out on the starting grid before she knew it. The circuit itself from what Ellen had been able to find out was essentially a figure of eight with a small loop sat inside of a much larger and vaguely oval second; interspersed with several tight turns, speed enhancing magna strips, and jumps that ran through the remains of an old Abandoned mining settlement. Lining up next to her competitors near the back of the twenty strong pack, she ignored the few dirty looks sent her way and concentrated on making sure Bluebell was truly up to par before the race finally started.

"Alright you wannabe Desert Riders," came a megaphone enhanced voice from atop a nearby silo that had been converted into a control tower of sorts, "start your engines and let's get this race started!"

There came a cacophony of noise that was felt as much as heard once nigh two dozen jet propelled hoverbikes roared into life, their riders shifting in their saddles with eyes glued on the starting lights dangling from an old catwalk running over the track between two buildings. Ellen watched red turn to amber seemingly in time with her own racing heart, the oxygen mask on her commando helmet sliding into place and acting as a buffer against any debris that was likely to fly in her face in the next few seconds as she coaxed the throttle and kept the revs high.

The last light flicked to green, and the racers leapt off the line at a breakneck pace that saw more than a few close calls as they jockeyed for position. The sudden force of acceleration nearly yanked Ellen's arms out of their sockets as desperately clung onto the handlebars, her unsteady start seeing her dropping back into last and the rest of the pack speed off during the precious seconds it took to regain control. Tucking her head down to decrease wind resistance, she weaved in and out of the large silos dotting the course and began to pick up speed as she entered the skeletal tunnel at the end leading into the first sweeping right hand corner.

Barely scraping around one rider on the outside, she just about managed to get the heavy bike back away from the barrier and slip by another as the track went through some sort of cooling plant. The chambers within still contained pools of water, but Ellen was able to avoid the worst of it by making use of several ramps to jump over with a bone juddering landing and move up a few places. A sharp right followed into an industrial pipe lined tunnel followed by a second and a sweeping left that led to a speed enhancing magna strip that powered her past the competition and back outside into the local mountain range at a blistering speed.

A long and winding right hand hander followed through an arch carved through the rock and beneath an overhanging crop that looked like it could give way at any time before diving straight back into a grille-floored industrial plant with still whirling fan blades and robotic arms positioned along the walls. It was taking the human all her concentration just to keep her bike in one piece as she jinked around the numerous abandoned equipment and one unfortunate rider's mangled wreck, her eyes narrowly focussed on what was just ahead and reacting accordingly as the route suddenly veered right off the production line and dropped down a collapsed section of mesh flooring onto the solid bedrock below just beside another racer.

Little could be seen in the dank cave beyond what their headlights could pick up, the two bikes trading paint as they tried to edge past one another without being dashed against the numerous sharp rocks protruding from the walls. Seeing light spilling in from the exit up ahead, Ellen throttled off and tightened her turning radius to compensate for the narrow gap; the human's opponent attempting to out brake her and failing to bleed off enough speed in time as his ride clipped a boulder and pinwheeled out of control. She sped past just the tumbling wreck and out into the blinding light with inches to spare; her stomach leaping into her throat thanks to the sudden drop that bottomed out the bike a few second later in a shower of sparks, impacting with the weather worn surface of an incredibly narrow suspension bridge that quickly blurred by.

A banked right hand curve led through the crumbling remains of another former Gadgetron compound through which the commando followed a quartet of bikers vying for position, settling onto a wide valley floor that was interspersed with several grazing Saur-Beasts shortly thereafter and really allowing her to cut loose. Pushing the throttle to the max, Ellen tucked in behind the small group to lower her wind resistance before triggering one of the hoverbike's three nitrous tanks and rocketing past; the jet turbine screaming and the human along with it in exhilaration as the horizon briefly blurred from the sheer velocity.

The valley funnelled in towards a right curving concrete tunnel that gave way to metal as it ran beneath a large structure, splitting into two distinct paths before branching again. Ellen opted to take the middle route and ducked to avoid another bike flying across her path from below, catching a brief glimpse of it landing on the raised lane to her right as she tried to take the corner as tightly as possible. Hitting the mesh-grilled ramp at the end of the tunnel where all of the routes converged, the human pushed her bike to the limit as she ascended before suddenly finding herself flying through the air past a packed grandstand full of cheering spectators and on to the home stretch before quite literally hitting the start line once again with a resounding thump.

"How am I doing guys?!" she yelled into her helmet's mike; struggling to make herself heard over the buffeting winds in spite of the audio dampeners assistance as she zipped in and out of the silos in her way once again.

"You are currently in twelfth position," Clank's voice calmly stated in her earpiece. "At your current rate of advance, I predict you will soon be upon the race leaders within another complete circuit."

Ratchet cut in as she cut by a pair of slower racers on the inside, skimming around the right curving open top tunnel leading into the cooling plant's water logged chambers. "You're doing great babe; keep that up and you've got this thing in the bag for sure!"

By now the pack was fully stretched out along the course, leaving Ellen with a lot of catching up to do if she wanted to claim overall victory here. Punching the nitrous once she had hit the sweeping S-curves of the industrial pipe lined tunnel just beyond, she kept as close as possible to the apex of each turn as she gradually closed the distance between her and the rider in front. They both hit the magna strip just outside the tunnel exit simultaneously and almost reached take-off speed as their hoverbikes screamed along the lazy right hand loop skirting around the mountain range. Ultimately however it was the human who managed to out turn her opponent, leaving him in her wake as he scraped along the guard rail and heading into the industrial plant beyond at full throttle.

Two more riders were duking it out amongst the production line's heavy machinery and were almost too preoccupied to notice when Ellen blew past them; wrenching her bike into a high speed turn and dropping into the collapsed section at the end once again with a bone juddering thump. Speeding through the darkened cave at a lethal velocity, the human dared not even blink as she concentrated on keeping her bike in one piece while avoiding what little she could see with both her headlights and the dying embers from a burning wreck dotted throughout. Blinding daylight came up all too fast at the cave exit, and by the time Ellen could see once again she was already halfway through freefall and bottoming out on the suspension bridge just beyond before she could even blink.

Pouring the speed on, she fired off the last of the nitrous and was soon tearing around the banked curve through the ruined compound and back into the Saur-Beast valley behind the eighth placed racer; narrowly avoiding one of the purple-scaled reptilians as it trundled across the course and catapulting past into the concrete tunnel beyond. Taking the low route this time once she was inside, Ellen used the dip in the road and subsequent ramp to launch her bike across on to the otherwise inaccessible high lane with an elated cry; incidentally passing by another rider as she filtered in at the end and accelerating up the mesh-grilled ramp leading to the start/finish straight. The human briefly defied gravity as she flew past the grandstand once again with the crowd almost drowning out her engine's noise before physics reasserted themselves and bought her back down to earth almost on top of the chequered line.

With only five more bikers between Ellen and race leader, the third and final lap would require every ounce of her skill to claim first place. She tried to cut as close as possible to the silos dotting her route in order to minimise any loss of speed; slowly but surely closing the distance on the rider in front as he entered the open topped skeletal tunnel curving in towards the water treatment plant and tucking in behind. Capitalising on the slipstream effect to boost her speed, the human sailed over her opponent at the first partially filled cooling chamber's ramp and landed almost on top of the second set without once touching the water and the fourth place racer just disappearing around the corner ahead.

Pushing the hoverbike to its limit, she tucked her head down to lower any wind resistance and chased after the rider in front through the sweeping turns of the industrial pipe lined tunnel. Running over the magna strip just beyond the exit, Ellen felt her vision begin to blur around the edges from the sheer blistering speed as she left the other biker in the dust; barely managing to keep her ride from ploughing into the gently curving mountain side section's outer barrier and over the side. The long derelict industrial plant's interior held no surprises for the human, her machine's roaring engine echoing inside the cavernous interior as she kept up the pace and soon dropping down through the broken section at the end of factory floor and into the dank cave beneath once again.

In her haste to catch up with the race leaders however, Ellen was starting to make mistakes; high speed and poor vision making a deadly combination in such a dark environment thanks to the nigh invisible debris field scattered throughout. There were several close calls, and she was almost flung from the saddle thanks to a glancing impact with the charred remains of a burnt out bike frame, but managed to cling on with sheer determination and her helmet's visor only just managed to polarise in time with the sudden onset of daylight as she flew out of the exit and briefly soared through the air before gravity reasserted itself once more.

Gunning the throttle and racing across the suspension within seconds, Ellen soon spotted the front runners clustered together as she blew through the crumbling compound's walls at the end and rode the banked curve in towards the spacious valley floor beyond. The first placed rider was pulling away from his rivals as they battled for second, the lumbering Saur-Beasts occupying the course forcing them to deviate from the racing line and bleed off speed in order to avoid a collision. With no time to spare, the human hunched low over the handlebars and pushed her machine to the absolute limit; missing several of the hulking herbivores by inches as she screamed past the other two podium-placed racers and set her sights on the last obstacle between her and victory.

The race leader was already through the concrete tunnel entrance at the valley's end before the redhead could blink, following hot on his heels and trying to squeeze every last bit of power out of her bike's overtaxed engine. He took the low-lying route and used the ramp to jump across towards the high inside lane while Ellen kept to the middle; knowing that any unnecessary air time would only serve to slow her down. They were neck and neck by the time their lanes filtered in towards the tunnel's end, practically trading paint as they hit the final mesh-grilled ramp together and accelerated towards the narrow portal at the top with everything their already roaring engines had left.

Suddenly they were flying; the weightless sensation only fleeting as the two hoverbikes drifted apart in the air and the spectators lining the final stretch made their presence known as the pair edged ever closer to the finish line. The ground rushed up towards them and for long seconds it was anyone's guess who would ultimately be triumphant. There could only be one winner however; and by shifting her weight forwards, Ellen was able to angle her bike in just such a way to lower her air resistance and hit the finish line hard a split second in front with a bone shuddering force; the anti-gravity drive's cushioning effect being the only reason she hadn't flipped end over end after pulling that stunt.

With the adrenaline bleeding out of her system, Ellen was finally able to relax and let her hammering heart calm back down to normal levels as she cruised around the circuit for her victory lap. Barely able to keep the wide grin off of her face as she listened to her two companions accolades through her earpiece, she simply revelled in the feeling of being astride such a powerful bike and enjoyed the ride while it lasted before she had to return.

{()}

"Great racing, buddy!"

Ellen had barely powered down the bike and gotten down from the saddle before being snatched up by the owner into a squeezing hug that pinned her arms against her side and left her legs dangling above the ground. Shooting the distinctly unhelpful lombax a glare at his snickering, she was surprised when he gently set her down a moment later and produced an open face motorcycle helmet from behind his back. Covered in a flame motif, numerous short spikes up the middle, and sporting a pair of red tinted goggles that seemed to be permanently glued in place, it certainly screamed 'biker gang' to anyone at a casual glance.

"Here, take this helmet so the guys know you're one of us." Seeing as the other two organics present already had their own helmets however, he simply elected to shove it on Clank's head with a meaty fist instead.

"Thank you, sir," came the minute robot's distinctly muffled reply; unsurprising considering the helmet came down past his shoulders and obstructed his vision.

Any further conversation was halted however when a shrill ringing tone filled the air; the leather clad biker's eyes widening with surprise as he pulled a smart phone-come-tablet from his back pocket and checked the caller ID. "Uh-oh, incoming message from the boss."

Turning the device around so the three companions could see as well, Ratchet and Ellen watched intently as the blank screen flickered into life with what appeared to be a live transmission. On the darkened bridge of a starship against the backdrop of space, an oddly familiar humanoid figure cloaked in shadows took centre stage. A pair of glowing red eyes were the only discernable feature they could make out since it stood in stark contrast against the black shroud, or at least that was until a distinctly gravely voice pierced the silence. "Attention all Thugs-4-Less employees."

"Logan..." Ellen whispered aloud, eyes widened slightly before she managed to school her features once again. Somehow the Thugs-4-Less leader had survived plummeting nearly thirty storeys in a burning gunship to pancake on the streets below; bouncing back from what should have been a fatal crash and apparently none the worse for wear. Seriously, what did it take to kill this guy?

"First of all," he continued, "whatever slug-brain's been eating all the choochi bars in the break room better quit stuffing his face, or I'll-"

Logan's flow of words halted as the entire bridge sudden lit up, causing the mercenary commander to shield his eyes with an angered growl. "Hey, turn those lights off! Its bad feng-shui." Waiting until the area was entirely dark once again, the Thugs-4-Less leader cleared his throat with a scowl before pressing on once again.

"Next, our space ron-days-vous point has been moved to, and listen up knuckle heads, the Feltzin System; sector 1-2-3-4-5. If you're no good with numbers, find a buddy to help ya. Lastly, the company picnic is this Sunday, and don't forget to bring your own juice this ti-"

The lights all came on at once for a second time, infuriating Logan and apparently inciting his wrath upon one unfortunate employee if his next words and pointing finger at someone off screen were anything to go by. "Hey! I saw that Cletus! You just earned yourself a write up."

The screen soon faded to black as the transmission ended and the blue-skinned biker gave a disarming smile as he put his smart phone/tablet device away. "Don't worry, the boss only yells 'cause he loves us."

Clank's reply was still muffled by the over-sized helmet practically draped over him, although that didn't affect his ever polite tone. "Yes sir, I do feel his affection."

Leaving the mismatched pair to converse, Ratchet kept an eye on the Thugs-4-Less employee as he leaned over to whisper in Ellen's ear. "Did you see that broadcast?"

"Damn right I did," she whispered back. "I thought we got that bastard back in Megapolis."

"Well apparently you didn't kill him enough," the lombax mused. "Still, we should probably scope out that rendezvous point.

Clank, having bid the overly sensitive biker farewell and extracted himself from the far too big helmet, passed it to the human for safekeeping as he interjected his own opinion. "Yes, we might intercept some stray transmissions."

With Clank taking up his regular position on Ratchet's back once more, the two commandos made their way back across the sinkhole and back towards the Gadgetron outlet; hanging a right and blasting their way through a service tunnel packed with even more mutant dogs that had been carved through the mountainside. A short worker's lift at the end deposited them just inside a small cave, and upon walking out into the daylight they soon found themselves back at their initial landing zone once again. Just as they had finished restocking their collective ammo reserves and were preparing to head out however, something sparkling from within the top floor of a two storey building behind her parked ship caught Ellen's eye. Curiosity getting the better of her, the human clambered up the embankment behind her Star Explorer and tried to get a better look.

"What is it, babe?"

"I don't know," she yelled back over her shoulder. "Just... give me a minute. I'm going to take a closer look."

So saying, the human pulled out her Grapple Gun and aimed for the lip of an open doorway that appeared to have a small service lift but no obvious button to call it down to the ground floor. Pulling the trigger, she waited until the claw had bitten into her intended target and began to reel herself in. Pocketing the device once she was safely back on solid ground, Ellen drew her hand cannon and carefully stepped into the corridor beyond with her eyes peeled and weapon raised; taking a brief right before the room expanded into something that had her blinking in disbelief. Other than the raised walkway she was traversing and a small island on the far side, the rest of the chamber was filled with a massive Olympic swimming pool sized block of solid ice. How it managed to stay frozen in such a warm climate she had no idea, nor why it was even there in the first place, but now was hardly the time to speculate.

Shaking her head to clear it of such thoughts, Ellen continued along the walkway and soon caught sight of a glint of light on the metal ceiling just ahead; seemingly reflecting back up the corridor where she had originally came from and likely to be the source of what had originally caught her attention. Taking another service lift at the end down a level, the human felt even more bewildered by the sight of a bespectacled alien with almost creamy brown fur and a bushy white beard. Dressed in a scientist's lab coat as he was and wielding a stubby gun with a pistol grip that almost resembled a miniature blue and orange cement mixer, the man was clearly some sort of researcher.

Somehow though, he was entirely encased in an ice block; As in an actual, cartoon physics, rectangular cube of frozen water. How the hell did that even work? Apart from a nearby pool filled with a sheet of ice there was literally no moisture around at all, let alone a sufficient temperature to prevent it from melting. Having come this far though she was not about to leave empty handed; applying the heated edge of her Versa Blade to the deep frozen scientist's prison and let physics do the rest for long enough to swipe the device. Before she could go too far though, the ice block began to crack and fracture before shattering altogether, depositing a fully alive and elated egghead; though apparently his joy was reserved for an entirely different reason than simply being free and, well, not dead.

"It works!" he crowed. "My invention works!"

"Um... Are you alright?" The human began hesitantly, taking an involuntary step back and instinctively brining her blade up into a ready stance as the seemingly oblivious excitedly inventor explained his device while waving it around and demonstrating it on the nearby iced over pool.

"It's called the Thermanator; it fires charged thermal pellets that can thaw an ice block or freeze a body of water. Gadgetron will pay me millions!" The scientist was practically bouncing in place by now, gleefully hugging the device to his chest with a faraway look in his glazed eyes as he imagined what he could do with all that money.

Unfortunately, Ellen reflected, it was down to her to be the bearer of bad news, and right now there was no easy way to let him down from where he'd built up his hopes. "Look, I don't know how long you've been stuck in that ice block, but to the best of my knowledge Gadgetron has been operating in this galaxy for years. Pretty much everyone around here buys Megacorp products these days."

The inventor spluttered in garbled confusion for a moment at the human's revelation before his shoulders slumped in defeat. He brightened considerably a moment later however upon giving her a thoughtful look. "Hey... maybe you'd like to buy it."

After seeing it in action and considering some of the often times bizarre situations she had found herself in last time around, Ellen was more than happy to snap it up for the measly 1,000 bolts fee. But as the inventor started to walk off while muttering aloud about the chances of Megacorp hiring him on, she recalled the old and likely very lonely robot saleswoman still running the Gadgetron outlet years after the company had abandoned the planet and everyone else left on it. "Hey, wait a sec..."

Having gotten his attention, Ellen explained the mechanical woman's plight and asked if he could keep her company in exchange for her calling in an evac ship to get them both out of here should they wish. Having known the employee in question from his tenure here a decade ago, the white-bearded scientist agreed and the pair soon retraced the human's steps back up the elevator and past the ice room, before taking the other lift back down to where an impatient Ratchet stood with his arms crossed and foot tapping out a steady tempo.

"Guess you did find something after all. So, who's this guy?"

A brief round of explanations later and the company parted ways; the former Gadgetron scientist taking the concealed elevator in the cave they had used earlier in order to reach the retail outlet while Ratchet and Ellen prepared their ships for take-off. With the triangulated coordinates provided by Clank's considerable number crunching capabilities, the two commandos had the approximate location of the mercenaries rendezvous point locked into their respective navigation computers and were soon soaring towards the heavens once again. As they breached the atmosphere and were angling towards their intended destination however, the communications suite on Ellen's Star Explorer chimed with an incoming call; the central console's video screen flickering into life with the roguishly grinning visage of an all too familiar markazian commando.

"Hey there sweetheart, you miss me?"

Before the human could give an answer however, Ratchet's voice cut in along with his distinctly scowling image in a small window now occupying the top right corner of the screen; turning the call into a three way conference. "Hey! her name is Ellen, pal; try using it."

"That a fact, kid?." Ace responded smoothly before turning a salacious smile towards the camera, seeming to stare directly into her eyes. "A pretty name for a pretty girl, and one I wouldn't mind getting to know better."

Ellen merely sighed, tiredly rubbing her eyes and electing to steer the conversation back on track before the veteran commando could rile up her lombax partner any further. "What do you want, Ace? Last we heard you were still chasing up your own lead on finding Doctor Cross."

The markazian's mood lost its playful edge and he was suddenly all business, giving the camera a grave nod as his eyes gained a flinty edge. "It was a bust. Damn mercs knew I was coming and ambushed the meeting point; took out my contact before he could tell me much of anything and chased my ass halfway across the spaceport."

"Similar to what's been happening to us," the redhead mused with a frown. "Everywhere we've been so far, Thugs-4-Less always seem to be one step ahead."

Ace shook his head in disbelief, his gaze slightly distant as he looked away at something only he could see. "Almost sounds like someone on the inside's feeding 'em intel on our movements, but who... and why?" He waved a hand dismissively before refocusing on the camera once more. "Not important right now. What I did find out from intercepting their comms is that there's supposed to be some kind of way station out in the Feltzin system where the mercs are gonna meet up; figured it'd be the best place to start looking for information on where the good doctor might be held."

Ratchet blinked. "Huh, that's where we're going right now."

"Really now?" the older commando questioned with interest, his lips parting into a predatory grin. "What do you say we all go pay them a visit together? Send me the coordinates and I'll meet you there."

With Clank having sent Ace the relevant data packet, the three commandos exchanged their farewells before ending the call on a surprisingly amicable note considering who they were dealing with. In spite of the way he irked the human and rubbed her feline partner entirely the wrong way, they both recognised his lethal effectiveness inside the cockpit from their last encounter and weren't about to turn down free help considering the hornet's nest they were likely about to walk into. The thief's trail may have gone cold for now, but it was only a matter of time until they caught a break, and this looked like just such an opportunity. With the four of them working together, the thugs wouldn't know what hit them.

Phew, we're finally done here. There's actually quite a lot happening this chapter and it was hard to try and pin things down to just the essentials rather than go off on a tangent. Although it caused me no end of headaches, I think I did a half decent job with the hoverbike race and can only hope it lived up to your expectations.

I did consider extending the interactions with the Gadgetron robot saleswoman but cut it for the same reason as skipping a majority of the path for finding the Thermanator; it took up way too much room, and just wasn't interesting enough to keep in considering we likely won't be seeing Barlow again, or at least any time soon.

On the flip side, I went back and added some more to the end of the chapter when I realised it had been a while since we last saw Ace and that the next chapter would be the ideal time to reintroduce him. Considering the upcoming space battle and what else I have in store, things will certainly be interesting when Ratchet, Ellen, and Clank are forced to rely upon him.

Also, before I forget, I'll be away on a family holiday within the next few weeks so there's a fairly good chance subsequent chapters will be delayed and PMs unanswered for extended periods. I'll do what I can to stay on schedule in the mean time, or update earlier if possible, but the chances of me doing so are looking pretty slim right now with the amount of writing I have to catch back up on.

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

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337