Author's note:

Happy Easter, everyone! Well the results are in and I have to admit being more than a little relieved at the nigh universally positive feedback for the last chapter with regards to the shift in Ratchet and Ellen's relationship, and the way I chose to portray it. I figured it was about time they took their relationship a little further, and considering the challenges to come, they'll definitely need to strengthen the bond between them considering the long road ahead and the uncertain future they will face together.

Incidentally, did anyone catch the brief Star Wars and C&C references, besides the obvious? Kudos and a metaphorical cookie to those that did. In any case, we're back on form after the last, not quite interlude chapter; though not without a slight info dump to start with. Not too much thankfully, but a brief summary that should have been in the previous chapter were I not trying to keep the word count down a bit.

Review replies:

starrat - Thanks again. It just seemed like the right time for them to start taking things further.

DarkEnigma95 - Why thank you, though its still not a patch on Time Heals All (23,000 and counting?! I still can't believe it got so many views). I thought it would more interesting to make them actually work to find the Star Explorer's remains rather than just conveniently stumbling upon it, and became a bit of a theme for the chapter really. I always found the dune monsters to be more of a nuisance really until my supply of rockets and missiles ran dry, in which case they turned into damn bullet sponges for most any other kind of ordinance. The communications building was indeed one of the small structures inside the mystic's little compound; I merely fleshed out what was originally mostly bare interiors in the game and gave each one a purpose. Yes indeed, Ratchet and Ellen have taken the next step in their relationship; and hopefully one that will cement it further still.

If I remember right, then Angela was supposed to have gone on to work with Max Apogee before escaping with him via Dimensionator when Tachyon's forces came looking for them. Beyond that though, I don't think there's any further mention of her in canon; a shame really since I still think she was a far too underused character. Thank you for the advice, although I probably would have ultimately ended up splitting the Dobbo level in half anyway due to the extra, non-canonical content I've been putting in and the ballooning word count; always a bane for me. Take care, and hope you like the new chapter.

OMNISENE95 - You mean like the secret one from Up Your Arsenal, perhaps? It certainly would be interesting, though I'm sure Ratchet's too attached to his wrench in order to give it up for another melee weapon.

Firestar5277 - Glad you liked it, and that's actually probably the best way to sum up the mystic as a whole. It's certainly been a long time coming for Ratchet and Ellen, but like you said, they deserve some time to themselves after everything they've been through so far and what's yet to come. I've starting trying to draft out ideas for Doom Squad, and it might take a while to fully realise, but the results will hopefully be worth it. Any more flattery and I probably will end up the same shade as Ellen's hair. Thank you once again, and hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Seyia-Serena-fan18 - Thank you, and I suspect a fair few readers have been eagerly anticipating Ratchet and Ellen taking the next step for quite some time. To answer your question, my intention is to make this series a trilogy at a minimum, with possible side stories and more in the future. But I don't know If I'd continue on into the Future saga games (Tools of Destruction onwards) considering how long it would take to get there, plus I want to write other stories too.

Tempest Fugit - Heh, loopy… Though I don't think it would work for this particular story, the idea of having Angela as Ratchet's amnesiac, time-displaced daughter would definitely make an interesting story. Ellen trying to explain what a Jedi is to Clank would be pretty funny and excellent material for a shorts, side stories, and omakes collection for this series that I'm considering once this story is done. Also, 'Sire of Fire'? I can't say the heroes have found your friend yet, or will even have much time to search properly considering what's coming up for them, but I'm sure they'll keep an eye out just in case. In the event they can't however, pulling a Lazarus might not be a bad option. Take care.

Razor of DOOM - I wouldn't have put it quite so bluntly, but that pretty much sums it up. You're right in that their first time together wouldn't likely be too adventurous due to getting to know each other more intimately, and I'm not going into detail, but who's to say either hasn't had prior experience? Although I may not have mentioned it in chapter, the uplink station bunker did have functioning shower facilities, and thankfully they got an opportunity to freshen up before heading out back to Clank. Lord knows their no doubt tired muscles would need it, and of course, trying to squeeze back into their commando suits while covered in the previous night's exertions would be uncomfortable in the least. Thanks again.

Destiny W - Thank you; hope you like this one too.

Plasmatik - Nothing wrong with enjoying some fluffiness, and it's certainly a nice way to break up the action. Glad you liked the chapter; hope this one's to your liking as well.

vengarl22 - Thank you very much. I tried to keep things tasteful by leaving the actual act itself off screen, and there does seem to be an awful lot of plot holes throughout the series which often make no real sense. Still, gives me an opportunity to get creative and make stuff up to fill them in. I always found it ironic and amusing at just how materialistic the old mystic is considering he's supposed to be a spiritual man who claims 'possessions are an illusion'. Here's hoping you like the new chapter as well.

BulletWitch1985 - Hey again, and don't worry about. I happen to like bad puns and double entendres, I just can't believe I genuinely didn't see that one coming ever since I wrote that particular fight scene. In canon, Ratchet and Clank just felt far too naïve in not only letting the woman who had spent half the game trying to kill them get away on Tabora, but also not questioning her motives and goals. It's something I tried to correct and make more realistic, so I'm glad you feel I've done it right.

I have to agree with you; aside from the T rating precluding it otherwise, putting in a sex scene just because or to pad out a story without the proper emotional context can often ruin a story. Unless it's essential to the plot in some way or otherwise advances the story, I tend to find it's better to simply imply what's going on without going into graphic detail or otherwise leaving that particular scene to the reader's imagination. Otherwise all you end up with is glorified smut, and though some may like that, it's not everyone's cup of tea.

I know it's way too late now, but say happy birthday to Regina for me. Hope she had a great day, and no, I don't think that's silly at all. Poetry takes quite a lot of though to get right beyond rhyming couplets, and to me at least are an expression of the heart and ones emotions captured in but a few dozen words or so. Regardless of how long, short, or complex it may or may not be, I'm sure Regina will appreciate it. After all, anyone can buy a gift, but creativity? That's priceless. Take care, both of you, and hope to hear from you again soon.

Sonachugirl - Or maybe pull off a Jedi mind trick, perhaps. 'This isn't the ship you're looking for…' All jokes aside though, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and my decision not to include any… shall we say… citrus based activity. Other than breaking Fan Fiction's rating regulations, I just felt it worked better implied rather than going into unnecessarily lurid detail. (Blinks). Huh, didn't even see that connection until you mentioned it; unintentional references are go!

Jadzia Kira Dax - Thank you very much! Hope the new chapter lives up to your expectations.

Guest - And so I shall; though I do have a set update schedule of one new chapter every other Sunday, or two weeks, assuming nothing prevents me from doing otherwise. Hope that helps.

Light Seeker 001 - I think Ellen's already made her opinion on Angela known; though to answer your question, it's a little bit of both. Mostly however, I suspect she will be making it known that her lombax is taken, and lord help anyone who tries to break them apart…

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.

Locked and loaded once again; Ratchet, Clank, and Ellen set out to discover the truth behind the Protopet and Angela's claims. But will they find what they are looking for, or will it prove to be a much tougher task than any of them had anticipated? Find out in Chapter 20.

- 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 20:

A Mission Renewed

As much as she missed riding along with Ratchet and Clank like they used to back during their first adventure, Ellen had to admit that it felt good to slip back into the cockpit of her own Star Explorer; feeling the agile fighter respond to her every touch as they cleared the local star cluster and raced of towards Dobbo. She had to admit Slim had really outdone himself this time, the advanced shielding system having a negligible draw on the ship's power supply and not affecting manoeuvrability one bit, while the improved weapons package was just what the human needed to give her the edge in any potential dogfight situations to come. Not to mention all the other new toys gained from Ratchet's obsessive, but admittedly worthwhile hunt for raritanium and crystal deposits as they scoured Tabora's dune sea on the way back to Clank earlier that morning.

Upon arriving to pick up Ellen's ship, the pair had dropped almost the entire monetary value of their haul on buying the best weapons modifications and upgrade kits they could afford from Slim's unenviable stock; the slippery salesman not even batting an eyelid at the combined six figure sum value of raritanium, platinum bolts, and bolts they had at hand. He did however suggest they create a shadow bank account separate from their Megacorp issued ones for any future large scale transactions; a suggestion the redheaded human took to heart considering it offered a financial fallback option in case Angela was right and their employer did suddenly decide to turn on them. It didn't hurt to be prepared after all. Once that had been established and their prior business concluded, the two commandos went through the catalogue Slim provided on a stand alone console and prepared to do some serious shopping.

The first order of business was to finish upgrading their ships with some of the options they couldn't previously afford; Ratchet opting for the same advanced shielding system his partner had installed previously along with an Electro-Mine launcher, a forward-deployed weapon that emitted surging tendrils of electricity in all directions a few seconds after launch that could fry a ship's critical systems. Ellen on the other hand had her eye on something a bit more potent to complement her already improved Fast-Lock Missile launchers should they come up against the larger Thugs-4-Less combat vessels; settling upon a pair of Sledgehammer class, high yield anti-ship missiles designed for punching holes in capital ships and gutting them from the inside out. Unfortunately that required a modified recessed bay in order to mount the unwieldy things at all, but at least there was plenty more shopping to be done while waiting for the work to be finished.

Though not an official Megacorp vendor, Slim did have a small selection of upgrade kits available that corresponded to a portion of the two commando's growing arsenal and was willing to sell them for a 'moderate' fee in bolts. Ellen's Blitz Gun became the Blitz Cannon; an even wider-bored, double-barrelled version of her old shotgun that fired an expansive cone of electrified buckshot with twice the spread. Her Pulse Rifle upgraded to the much more potent Vaporizer, which - other than the crimson colour scheme and extensive barrel jacket - now fired an utterly lethal red beam of energy that reacted with the target's molecular structure to create a small scale explosion on contact.

The Miniturret Glove also looked almost the same aesthetically aside from a new paint job once the upgrade kit had done its thing, though the renamed Megaturret Glove now deployed automated sentries that shot homing rockets instead of bullets; making heavily armoured foes a lot easier to deal with. Unfortunately Ratchet couldn't find anything for his Megacorp branded weapons that he didn't already have, although the shadowy salesman was able to convert both the lombax and his partner's reacquired Gadgetron arsenal to use the new Nanoclip system; thus solving their ammunition problem and allowing the pair to cut loose without worrying about resupply.

With that out of the way, the two commandos turned their attention towards Slim Cognito's main line of work and the reason they had hoarded what few platinum bolts they could find; weapon modifications. Ellen's eye had long since been on the explosive mod for her Leviathan since she had first seen it back in Megapolis, so it was little surprise that it was among her first choices. It didn't take long to reprogram the hand cannon's internal CPU chip in order to coat each round with a volatile gel, allowing them to be detonated via an installed button the grip, while an improved floating bed recoil dampener would hopefully further lessen the gun's already vicious kick.

Her new and improved Blitz Cannon was tweaked to provide a stronger blast of electrical discharge with each shot; Ratchet opting to have the same 'shock mod' installed in his Heavy Lancer in order to prolong the machine gun's usefulness now that things were liable to get tougher in the days ahead. With the last platinum bolt, the lombax decided on an improving his already stupidly overpowered grenade launcher by purchasing an 'acid mod'; each miniature nuclear bomb now spreading a highly caustic compound over a wide area post detonation and giving a whole new meaning to the term 'splash damage'.

It took a good several hours with the merchant of menace working overtime in order to get everything finished, but was considered money well spent and more than worth the wait in the trio's collective opinion considering how much their overall survivability had increased thanks to his work. it wasn't long after making sure both their personal weapons and ship's munitions stores were fully topped up before they were thanking Slim once again for his services and biding him farewell with the promise of more future business; the two modified Star Explorers soon leaving the secretive man's hidden space station behind and heading towards Dobbo at high speed. Which brings us back to the present, where after a good four hours of flight time the two commandos had little else to do other than see what holovision channels they could pick up in order to pass the time.

"Ugh, isn't there anything worth watching?" Ratchet complained after having been subjected to a constant barrage of reality HV drivel, mediocre dramas, or yet another celebrity cooking show as Clank flipped through one channel after another on the central console.

"There does seem to be a significant proportion of repeated broadcasts," the little robot replied with a frown. "I can not help but wonder if their is a direct correlation between each studio's output and the average intelligence of their target audience."

"I guess daytime TV is just as bad whatever galaxy you live in," Ellen quipped over the open channel between the two ships; the sense of amusement evident on her face as she pulled alongside the red Star Explorer. "But if you're that bored, you could always try looking for that show we saw yesterday. The one talking about Qwark?"

The lombax snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! We never did find out what happened to him. Hey pal, switch over to channel 32. Maybe we can catch a rerun or something.

Clank duly obliged, and as luck would have it, the logo and theme music for Behind the Hero flickered into life on screen; the feedback over the radio indicating that Ellen was watching the same thing too as the screen faded into a video clip of Qwark occupying the witness stand of a wood-panelled court room, wearing a smart suit and striped tie over the top of his spandex costume. "Welcome back to Behind the Hero." The audio was silent other than the narrator's voice, but it was pretty clear that the judge wasn't buying whatever the disgraced hero was spouting considering the mile long scowl on her face. "In yet another setback for the embattled Captain Qwark, the galactic court ordered him to play six billion bolts in damages to citizens suffering from Personal Hygienator syndrome."

The scene soon changed to a still image of Qwark, now wearing a Hawaiian shirt, being led away in handcuffs from a space port by a pair of burly-looking novalian police officers; likely protesting his innocence all the way judging from his wide-eyed, gurning face. "Only two days later, Qwark was arrested trying to flee to Pokitaru. The one time hero, now full time zero, was placed in custody awaiting trial." Cue more footage of the former 'Captain' being forcibly escorted past a score of paparazzi with cameras flashing, only to culminate in monochrome surveillance camera stills of a blatantly empty prison cell; several officers standing in a loose circle around the clearly broken toilet off to one side with bewildered looks. "But the next day it was discovered that he had escaped; flushing himself to freedom. We will return to Behind the Hero, after these messages."

Ratchet shook his head with a chuckle as the show broke for commercials, drawing the other two's attention. "What a nut. Y'know, I almost miss that guy sometimes."

Clank merely raised an optic ridge at the golden-furred pilot's words while Ellen's response was more vocal. "The same asshole who tried to kill us on at least three separate occasions and grabbed my ass before I could deck him?"

"Hey, I said 'almost'," the lombax shrugged apologetically. "And besides, you gotta give him points for trying. I mean, the guy's huge! How'd he even fit down that toilet anyway?"

That... would be a mystery for the ages; one that only Captain Qwark could answer should their paths ever cross again in the future. It seemed unlikely considering they were galaxies apart, but the fact that the former hero was on the loose once more was more than a cause for concern. In all likelihood he'd lay low for a while, especially since all his assets would have been stripped, but what then? Would he come looking for revenge on the trio who had so thoroughly ruined his life and career, or would he simply disappear off the grid and start again elsewhere? It was too much to think about with things as they were, and with the two Star Explorers rapidly approaching Dobbo's orbit there were more pressing concerns at hand; like dealing with this Protopet situation and finding out whether or not there was any truth to Doctor Cross' claims.

Megacorp Testing Facility, Dobbo

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.083 Galactic calendar

12:43pm local time

Much like Rilgar or Batalia back in the Solana galaxy, Dobbo was a predominantly water covered world with multiple clusters of island chains and the occasional larger land mass. Unlike either of said examples however, the planet was largely unpopulated due to the constant and often times violent weather front occupying the northern hemisphere; resulting in semi-permanent dreary skies and making living conditions bleak at best for those hardy few eking a living out of the large scale fishing trade. For Megacorp however, Dobbo was almost the perfect environment to construct a testing facility for dealing with potentially hazardous materials and products; situated as it was within a natural off shore cove far away from civilisation and potential prying eyes. To the three companions though, the infomercial they had previously watched on Tabora didn't quite manage to capture the sheer scale of the place.

A massive two storey factory-like structure occupied a vast majority of the fifteen square mile site; a bronzed monolithic representation of the Megacorp logo sat proudly on top amongst a multitude of thick-based, industrial smoke stacks that released a steady cloud of vapour into the atmosphere. In spite of the grand scale however, passive scans showed that a majority of the facility itself was actually submerged down to the ocean floor; partially for protection from the elements, but most likely because this was where the real testing facility lay isolated from the surface. Being able to flood the place with tons of pressurised sea water was certainly one way to contain any rogue experiments before it could potentially wreck havoc, though it would make getting past whatever security measures lay inside a nightmare if they were anywhere near the expected scale.

It was for this reason and the fact the structure itself was covered in a powerful air defence network that led to the two commandos plus one robot deciding on a less direct approach to gaining the information they needed. To this end, their chosen landing zone was just on the southern tip of a sprawling industrial complex just shy of their intended target; itself a veritable network of floating walkways, storage tanks, and large scale piping for as far as the eye could see. Security wise, there appeared to be a number of unoccupied guard towers set at regular intervals along the complex's outer perimeter, although the only sign of movement came from a steady flow of transport craft lazily passing overhead to parts unknown. Not to say that there weren't automated measures in place, but that would make the two commando's ad hoc plan easier to implement in a way.

Considering the fact that all three still worked for Megacorp and didn't know who they could trust right now, direct assaulting a company facility was just asking for trouble; likely ending up with significant staff casualties and themselves declared rogue agents. To this end, Ratchet would do what he did best and carve a trail of destruction across the industrial complex; being mindful of hurting any personnel but creating a big enough distraction to draw any local security forces to his location. Ellen meanwhile would work alongside him until she could find a way to access the main testing facility itself; infiltrating the labs and grabbing whatever intelligence she could find before hopefully slipping away without detection. Perhaps not the most subtle or original of plans, but one that might just work.

With Clank safely nestled in his regular spot upon Ratchet's back, the two commandos encountered their first obstacle almost immediately after stepping away from their secured Star Explorers; approaching a nearby vendor in search of any new weapons that might be available only to discover that their Megacorp accounts were in fact frozen and locked out of the system. Thankfully they had the shadow bank account Slim Cognito had set up on their behalf to fall back upon, although it did beg the question as to who was trying to cut them off financially and why. With such close timing after their stranding on Tabora, it couldn't have been a coincidence. But was the absent-minded Mr Fizzwidget really trying to get rid of them or was somebody else pulling the strings here? More questions without answers that would have to wait for another time; or at least until there was more to go on than speculation.

Right now though Ratchet was more interested in skimming through the vendor's electronic catalogue for anything useful, with Ellen leaning over his shoulder and pointing out items of interest. First on the list was the Synthenoid; a vaguely humanoid drone that floated over the users shoulder in groups of four and automatically engaged enemies with an arm-mounted pulse laser. While it would have been an interesting replacement for the redheaded human's old Glove of Doom were it not so pricey, she was more concerned with making up for her lack of heavy weapons, and the Bouncer looked like it might fit the bill. Vaguely resembling an elongated megaphone in shape, the cavernous-mouthed grenade launcher was capable of blanketing an area with bouncing sub-munitions from a single cluster bomb that would independently seek out their own targets. Unfortunately it too was prohibitively expensive, but would definitely be going on the 'want' list of future purchases.

Not having splashed out as much as his partner had previously, Ratchet was eager to get his hands on the comparatively cheaper Minirocket Tube; a lightweight rocket launcher sporting an army green finish and a unique recoil dampening system that allowed a surprisingly high rate of fire. Add automatic targeting capabilities plus a high capacity magazine to the mix and you got a devastating package that the lombax simply couldn't be without; a wide grin adorning his features as he bought the weapon with the last of their pooled hoard of bolts and got a feel for it while Ellen looked on with an amused smile.

"Had to be the rocket launcher, huh?" You sure you're still not trying to compensate for something?"

Ratchet shrugged nonchalantly. "You can never have enough firepower, and I Kinda missed my old Devastator." A sly look crossed his face as he leaned in to murmur in her ear. "Besides, after last night, you know I don't need to compensate where it counts, right babe?"

Eyes wide, Ellen's face flushed almost the same shade as her hair at the reminder of what they had gotten up to in that bunker over the course of several hours; even more so when Clank curiously interjected. "Am I... missing something?"

Suffice to say neither organic wanted to broach that particular subject with their little metal friend and did their best to deflect, though not without exchanging more than a few knowing looks between them. For now they had a job to do, but neither human nor lombax would be adverse to a repeat performance once they had both the time and a little privacy to themselves.

Finally setting off at a light jog, the pair followed the floating walkway past a bank of hydroelectric turbines before hanging a sharp right as it abruptly ended; leaping across on to an anchored platform and preparing to continue on to the next in line were it not for the quartet of combat drones before them. Sporting a rust red-painted armoured shell with a crimson visor over its chassis, the upgraded chickenbot v2.0 - as Ellen's helmet projected HUD marked them - was faster, tougher, and apparently still made the same weird glockenspiel sounds when scampering around as its predecessor. They still weren't fireproof though, as Ratchet soon discovered; his lava gun hosing across the platform and scorching through their lightweight frames within seconds once their outer plating was broken.

Crossing back on to dry land again, the slight step up to the raised walkway ahead provided enough cover to hunker down and scope out the area without unnecessary exposure; allowing the duo to observe unnoticed as a patrol began to make their way down the corridor formed between several industrial generators and storage tanks towards them. It was hard to tell at first glance if the tall and predominantly crimson-painted figures were power armour equipped soldiers or robots considering their slick movements and humanoid nature. Thick-plated pauldrons sat upon broad shoulders that moved independently of the equally sturdy and segmented chest piece; the helmet sporting an elongated oval crest in the same pattern and a pair of glowing yellow eyes that swept back and forth, looking for any intruders.

More worrying however was the akimbo plasma rifles they carried, one in each hand, and the fact that the patrol was getting closer by the second. Neither human nor lombax wanted to kill anyone unnecessarily, especially people technically on their side who were just going about their jobs. Thankfully any moral dilemma over whether or not to shoot went out the window when the two commandos internal database recognised the incoming threat as base model Megacorp troopers; mass produced military robots originally designed to guard important facilities and act as expendable soldiers on the battlefield.

Any lingering prelude to guilt was instantly swept away; the one Ellen had been following with her sniper rifle's scope suddenly finding itself missing a head while Ratchet blew a second to pieces with a single high velocity rocket. Despite being decapitated, the first machine continued to fire blindly until a ruby red beam punched through its chest plate and ended the threat permanently; the human shifting aim as two more emerged from a small storage shed off to one side with plasma rifles already blazing. While one dashed for safety behind a small shipping crate blocking part of the corridor, the other robot lay down a steady hail of suppressive fire; Ratchet blindly firing another rocket over his shared cover in the shooter's general direction before leaping after it a heartbeat later.

The mechanized soldier was forced to temporarily cease its plasma barrage in order to dodge, giving the lombax an opportunity to close in and unleash a follow up explosive warhead to the chest at short range. Doing so meant bypassing the other trooper currently leaning around its cover however, evading the reactionary burst of fire as he cleared the jutting shipping crate with a forward flip and leaving the crimson-painted machine trying to track his descent just as a pair of armour piercing rounds punched into its back. The guard robot's torso simply exploded as Ellen thumbed the newly installed button on her hand cannon's grip, ducking under a particularly large chunk of flying shrapnel as she followed behind in her impulsively reckless partner's wake with a lingering scowl at his antics.

Taking the opportunity to completely seal their helmets and tint the visors in order to help disguise their identities, the pair moved past the storage shed and rounded a corner only to pause as the walkway suddenly ended; leaving a good twenty foot gap between them and the misaligned platform ahead currently occupied by more advanced chickenbots. While Ellen picked them off at range with her carbine, Ratchet used his Dynamo to activate a pair of hard light platforms and deftly hopped across to engage up close; the sole remaining drone's armour quickly shattering from a descending overhead strike.

The human quickly made her way across just as the ethereal green platforms began to fade away, and the pair soon managed to boost themselves up to a raised, open walkway that crossed over into what looked like a series of storage sheds with a number of crates strewn across to form a barricade. It was as the two commandos were around mid-way across however that another pair of robot troopers made their presence known, riding twin pillars of flame as concealed jump jets boosted them over the blockade and into the fight. Ellen's Reaver was already sighted and firing before the first had even risen from its crouched landing; concentrating on the unarmoured pelvic region and chewing a hole through its 'gut'. Ratchet on the other hand defaulted to his rocket launcher and had already reduced the other machine to scrap metal before targeting the other; seeing it go down twitching with twin rifles firing sporadically until a final burst to the head silenced it for good.

Unfortunately they turned out to be mere distractions for the rest of their squad; two more troopers moving up to the improvised barricade and sending a torrent of plasma downrange as they fired over the top. Hitting the deck, Ellen tried to make herself as small a target as possible while spraying automatic fire in return; not noticing the oversized, spherical grenade sailing overhead until the last second and promptly ducking her head. The Mini-Nuke detonated just on the other side of the barrier with a momentarily blinding flash of light, practically incinerating the two entrenched robots and a good number of crates in the process while sending out a very short lived shockwave that washed over the nearby redhead. Forcing herself back upright, Ellen shook off the slight sense of disorientation as a shadow loomed over her; accepting the sheepish looking lombax's offered hand and apology as he hauled her to her feet.

"Sorry babe, kinda had to think fast there."

Knowing she would likely have been ventilated otherwise, the human merely raising a hand in forestalment as she replied. "It's fine, just... a little warning next time, yeah?"

Before Ratchet could reply however, the growing hum of an anti-gravity drive had his gaze snapping towards the end of the storage bays where a dull crimson-painted hover tank floated into view; the vaguely triangular body sporting a trio of repulsor units to keep it aloft and turret-mounted autocannon rotating to point their way. "Take cover!"

Fortunately a few of the slagged crates on either side of the now defunct barricade were intact enough for the human and lombax to duck behind them, just as a series of resounding booms announced the first shells streaking by. Apparently there had been more of the combat robots lying in wait as well since they took the opportunity to rush out of the storage sheds and assault the two commandos up close; Ellen's Blitz Cannon blowing one in half at nigh point blank range while Ratchet overloaded the other with his Tesla Claw. Meanwhile, the tank's autocannon continued to lay down a blanket of fire that began to chew through their cover and the surrounding environment at an alarming rate; leaving the pair pinned down and with nowhere to run.

Slinging a few of her new Megaturrets over the top of her nigh collapsed hiding spot, Ellen skimmed through her Quick Select and brought out the Visibomb Gun as the automated sentries unleashed a barrage of rockets that definitely caught the armoured vehicle's attention; holding the launcher nigh vertically and squeezing the trigger. The TV guided missile arched over in a half loop and slammed down directly on to the tank's forward section, tearing through the thinner armour there and joined shortly thereafter by a trio of self-targeting missiles from Ratchet's Seeker Gun. The hover tank slewed to one side from the sudden impacts and threw off its aim, giving the lombax an opportunity cripple the front repulsor unit with a well placed Minirocket while his human partner sent a second guided missile streaking across the void to impact just below the turret's seam and finish it off.

Already slewing to one side as it was, the armoured vehicle's anti-gravity drive ruptured in a shower of burning shrapnel; sending chunks scything across the walkway and dropping the mangled remains into the water below. Peaking around their respective cover a few moments later, Ratchet and Ellen exchanged a glance before moving forward in tandem; Heavy Lancer and shotgun at the ready as they cautiously swept the storage sheds on either side before regrouping at the edge of the walkway looking down on what was left of the tank sinking below. A nearby Versa-Target allowed the pair to swing across the gap to the well lit platform on the other side via Swingshot and Grapple Gun respectively, providing a route further into the industrial complex and a vantage point to observe the main testing facility up close.

The dull grey and imposing walls were bereft of windows or any other obvious access points that Ratchet could see, with a large, grill-covered ventilation fan also being off the cards since it was likely providing oxygen for those who worked inside and therefore couldn't be disabled without consequence. That said, there was a small rocky islet close by that could easily be reached, along with a small jetty beyond that connecting to what looked like a loading bay of some sort; an idea beginning to form in the lombax's mind as his partner turned away from what she was doing to rouse his shoulder.

"Hey, Earth to Ratchet. Are you even listening? I think we're about to have company."

Sure enough there were more of Megacorp's security forces pushing through the mess of shipping crates strewn across the enclosed archway to their right with plasma rifles raised and ready; one hunkering down to provide overwatch while two more continued to advance while firing. Ratchet meanwhile had dragged Ellen with him and taken cover behind a pair of stacked crates off to the left side of the entrance, sporadically returning fire between gesturing towards the islet he had previously been observing. "Think you can make it across there? There should be a way in through that dock, or maybe the roof."

"What about you?" the redhead replied; tossing out a few Megaturrets to keep the robots suppressed and buy more time. "There's probably a lot more security forces here than we thought, are you sure you'll be alright?"

His answer was to pull the human into a brief but passionate kiss, drawing apart with a knowing grin while switching out to his grenade launcher. "I will now. Just make sure to call as soon as you're done so we can get the heck out of here."

Blindly lobbing a Mini-Nuke around the corner, Ratchet waited for the resulting flash and pressure wave to die down in the archway corridor before charging forth into the fray; Clank giving the female commando a cordial nod before they finally disappeared from view. "Good luck, Ellen."

The sounds of automatic fire and numerous explosions filtered Ellen's way, growing slightly distant as her counterpart pushed forward but never truly going away. Shaking her head, the human turned around to observe the imposing sight of the Megacorp testing facility and focused on the task at hand. The jutting islet Ratchet had pointed out did seem to be the best way forward and was easily reachable via Grapple Gun or a brief swim, the latter being off the cards once she spotted what looked like an orange shark's fin cruising above the nearby waterline. The first option didn't feel much better though once she had latched on to the islet's highest point and reeled herself in, legs jarring on impact and barely able to keep a solid grip on the slimy, plant encrusted surface. From here, thankfully, it was a straight shot to the low lying jetty and hopefully inside, the Grapple Gun proving its worth once more and allowing Ellen to quickly zip across the dangerous waters.

The jetty itself was actually nigh identical to the floating walkways the two commando's had been using to negotiate the industrial complex thus far; this particular one leading to an apparently deserted wet dock that disappeared back into the main structure itself. Rising from the prone position she had been laying in while checking for anyone having spotted her approach, the redhead cautiously made her way forwards and ducked down behind a stack of shipping crates. Peeking around her cover, Ellen noted several other good hiding spots between her and an open-faced cargo elevator on the far side; along with a pair of robot troopers patrolling in a set pattern that gave them overlapping fields of view. Actually, this scenario seemed kind of familiar; but from where exactly? It's not like she'd ever had to infiltrate a heavily fortified compound via an underground docks area before, right?

...

"Oh goddamn it," the redheaded commando muttered under her breath as realisation dawned. "All I need now is a cardboard box and I'd be playing Metal Gear Solid for real."

Unlike Snake though, she would only get one shot at this without bringing the entire facility's security forces down on her head, and thus couldn't afford to be discovered until she was well on her way back out of here with whatever she managed to grab. To this end, she waited for the closest patrolling robot to face away before sneaking over to a raised storage tank in a half crouch and crawling underneath; watching the other guard carefully and waiting for an opportunity to move. Several long seconds passed until the first machine came back around again on its circuit, the human letting it pass by once more and sliding forth on her belly until she was safely hidden behind an elongated row of waist high storage containers.

There was only a dozen or so yards between her and the currently open cargo elevator, with no sign of any obvious surveillance cameras or sensors. But it was still open ground with not a shred of concealment, and Ellen doubted she could make it more than a few feet without being spotted by the tightly patrolling robots unless there was a way to distract them. Fortunately there were a few loose odds and ends scattered around from the dock's loading area, including a long forgotten and slightly corroded bolt the redhead found wedged between two of the storage containers behind which she was laying prone. Jimmying it free with exaggerated caution lest she be heard, Ellen weighed the small piece of metal up in one hand and waited for the tireless machines to face away before hurling it over her cover.

Tumbling through the air, the bolt sounded unnaturally loud in the relatively quiet wet dock as it impacted a wall on the far side; the two troopers whirling towards the source and cautiously advancing towards it with weapons raised as the redhead prepared to move. Pulse quickening, Ellen rose into a crouch and chanced a peek around her cover; judging the robots to be sufficiently far enough away to sneak towards the elevator without drawing attention. The noise cancelling soles of her commando issue boots made slipping past the two distracted guards almost too easy; the human finding the appropriate button once she was inside the lift and breathing a sigh of relief as the doors closed.

The elevator began to descend at a steady rate with no immediate signs that anyone knew Ellen was there, allowing her to relax for a moment and plan ahead. Hopefully she would be able to find whatever Angela wanted them to see in the facility's hot labs considering that's where the Protopet would have been developed; but if not, then things were about to get that bit more difficult. With luck, Ratchet could hold out until then.

{()}

The Mini-Nuke had brought Ratchet the opening he needed in order to storm forth into the enclosed archway corridor, vaulting over a shipping crate without pause and nailing an exposed trooper centre mass with his Minirocket tube in mid-air. Another gun-toting robot popped up from behind another row of crates just in front of the lombax's position as he landed, lightning fast reactions allowing him to roll away from twin streams of plasma and respond with another rocket in kind. Considering the area ahead opened up into an expansive and mostly exposed platform bordered by an occupied guard tower, most people would have likely hunkered down and slugged it out or otherwise found another way; especially since a good half dozen or more of the crimson-painted bipedal machines were rapidly advancing while spraying a torrent of suppressive fire.

Ratchet however was not most people, and other than preferring to keep moving during a firefight, Ellen's side of the plan relied entirely on his ability to keep pushing forwards and not get bogged down. To that end, he sent a rocket screaming towards the guard tower's occupant before switching over to his Seeker Gun; blowing the unfortunate robot's legs off before it could get more than a single burst off and charging into the fray. The rest of the mechanised soldiers had already fanned out and taken what cover there was in the spacious area, not letting up for a second as the lombax ducked and flipped over the rain of plasma with typically feline grace while loosing a spread of target-seeking missiles.

Two of the machines took the brunt since they were already in the open and exposed, but the remainder were too firmly entrenched to hit; simply waiting for the last missile to explode harmlessly against a stack of shipping containers before they counterattacked in concert. Ratchet however had already closed the distance and dropped another Mini-Nuke amongst the rearmost troopers, switching over to his Lava Gun as he passed by the closest robot's cover and dropping into a sliding tackle as he hosed it with liquid fire. Fortunately their armour seemed no more resilient to incendiary weapons than the improved chickenbots from earlier and the mechanised soldier went down firing wildly as its internal systems were flash fried, plasma bolts sailing through the air and narrowly missing the lombax as he vaulted back to his feet and closed in on the last trooper remaining.

A flung wrench snapped the machine's helm back on impact and threw off its aim, Ratchet catching his trademark weapon without breaking stride and dancing around a blindly swung plasma rifle before unleashing a flurry of strikes on the robot's unprotected back that culminated with a decapitating uppercut. Letting the sparking and twitching body drop to the floor with a clang, the lombax quickly scaled a ladder on the side of the guard tower and dealt with the legless but still functional trooper there; caving its head in with his wrench and taking a connecting gantry that led further into the industrial complex.

Using his Swingshot to cross a gap in the walkway he was currently following, Ratchet soon found himself on the upper floor of a spacious hanger-like building with a precariously narrow and open bridge across to the other side; the area below which was choked with a horde of the up-armoured chickenbots just waiting to tear apart whoever fell in. It was a prospect more likely than not for anyone attempting to cross immediately, especially since a trio of robot troopers that had been lying in wait chose that moment to attack. The lombax snapped his rocket launcher to the first as it rounded the support beam it was hiding behind and pulled the trigger, rolling away from a stray plasma bolt and dealing similarly dealing with the other two in quick succession before carefully making his way across the bridge.

A wide archway on the other side of the hanger gave Ratchet a good view of the area ahead; or more specifically the cube-shaped, two storey building around thirty feet away with a heavily armoured door that looked like it belonged on a bank vault and a wide, well lit walkway running around the base. A pair of troopers occupied the landing pad that extended from the left side of the structure, but the most pressing issue was the hover tank currently taking up position around mid-way up the building's front; the lombax having a very good idea of what it was searching for as the turret moved back and forth.

A series of well aimed rockets soon put paid to that idea; Ratchet taking advantage of the Minirocket Tube's automatic targeting capabilities to curve each high explosive warhead's trajectory and slam them into the thinner armour on the tank's rear. Though the armoured vehicle managed to reorient itself to face its attacker, the damage had already been done; autocannon fire stitching a line across the hanger interior but not even coming close to the waiting lombax as a final rocket blew off the front repulsor unit, sending the now burning hulk spinning out of control. The tank slammed into the armoured vault door and promptly exploded, showering the immediate area with mangled debris as its anti-gravity drive no doubt ruptured much like the last and attracting the attention of the two robots guarding the landing pad.

Boosting forth with their jump jets, the troopers didn't even get a chance to close the gap before being blown to pieces by the trigger happy lombax with a rocket apiece; latching on to a conveniently placed Versa-Target without pause and swinging across to the other side. Using Clank's Heli-Pack rotors to slow his descent, Ratchet touched down just past where the still smouldering tank wreckage lay and followed the walkway around the building's side; pausing as he rounded the corner at the sight of a fully manned guard tower on the far side of the continuing path. It was times like this that Ellen's Visibomb Gun would have come in handy, wiping out the alert and waiting guards before they even knew what hit them.

But the golden-furred commando was innovative if nothing else and figured he could improvise; leading one of the low-flying transports circling the area and waiting for it to pass overhead before hitting the port engine with his Minirocket Tube. The automated craft lurched violently to one side with smoke belching from beneath a torn wing, the robot guards reacting far too late as it pulverised both them and the top half of the tower upon impact before splashing down in the ocean on the other side with a screech of rent metal. It certainly got the reserve squad's attention as well since they poured out of the building to investigate; facing entirely the wrong way to see the Mini-Nuke arcing through the air from behind and wiping them out wholesale. If that didn't keep the security force's attention away from the main facility then nothing would.

Climbing the attached ladder and alighting on what was left of the guard tower, Ratchet used his Swingshot to pull himself across on to a broken section of walkway before taking a running jump towards the next; Clank's rotors once again proving invaluable in gaining that bit more distance he needed to bridge the gap. There were two more of the robotic soldiers waiting for him on the other side, the lombax avoiding a plasma bolt to the face by tucking into a roll upon landing before springing back up with his Heavy Lancer already blazing. The recently installed shock mod proved to be a lot more effective than he thought against the armoured machines, especially in such comparatively tight quarters; the static discharge disrupting fine motor control and arching between the two due to their close proximity.

With both ventilated robots left twitching on the deck, Ratchet turned his attention towards the building's landing pad he had seen previously off to his left; using his Dynamo to materialise a pair of the now familiar ethereal, translucent green platforms and deftly hopping across to the other side. Once he'd checked the roof access door off to one side in case of any more surprises, the lombax stood on the edge of the elongated and otherwise unoccupied landing pad; looking back over the complex he had traversed and taking in the view. Several fires and plumes of smoke decorated the area; distant alarms calling the scattered security forces to action even as armoured dropships and more hover tanks began to pour from the main testing facility towards where the fighting had been at its fiercest.

"I believe it would be safe to say that our diversion has been more than successful," Clank dryly remarked from over the golden-furred commando's shoulder. "Might I suggest however that we escape before this situation becomes too perilous to sustain."

Though reluctant, Ratchet hummed in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right. We've given Ellen plenty of time to get inside and do her thing, plus I'm kinda getting low on ammo. Let's see if we can find a way back to the ships without running through all those guys."

Left unsaid was the fact he would probably find an excuse to do so anyway considering the lombax was never one to shy away from a fight. But before they could go any further, Clank's enhanced optics spotted an unusually dressed man off to their far right; standing on top of a flora-covered ridgeline that may offer a way to circumvent the entire complex altogether. Ratchet needed no further encouragement once the information was relayed to him; taking a running leap off the end of the landing pad's far side and using an oddly placed row of Versa-Targets to swing across to the other side. Using the forward momentum to pull a front flip in mid-air and nigh perfect three point landing, the lombax was still dusting himself off when heavy footsteps had his gaze snap up to the rapidly approaching and scowling face of what looked like an unusually themed and obviously buff wrestler.

"Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets by the Mathematician."

He actually reminded Ratchet of Qwark in a way, or at least in stature; both being fair-skinned humanoids with well developed, incredibly muscular upper bodies. Where they differed however was in their attire and attitude; the wrestler sporting a ripped, sleeveless green shirt with ragged yellow trim and a pinstriped tie over top, plus matching canary shorts over black leggings. His sturdy looking boots were similarly dark with silver metal trim, while his elbow length black gloves had a plus and minus sign embossed in white on the back of the right and left respectively. The metal linked belt around his waist with the inset divide sign continued the mathematical theme, along with his green hood embossed with the sign for Pi that exposed only his jaw and solid, glowing amber eyes behind a pair of thick rimmed glasses.

'Mathematician' certainly seemed to fit his projected image to a tee, although Ratchet couldn't help but think it to be a bit... lame all thoughts considered as he leaned over to whisper in Clank's audio receptor. "I guess all the good names were taken."

"Watch your mouth zero," the masked man growled out while jabbing the calculator in his meaty fist towards the pair; his hearing apparently a lot better than expected. "Before the Mathematician subtracts your head from your shoulders!"

"Excuse me sir," Clank interrupted with a raised digit, "but as a fellow number cruncher, could I please ask what this is all about."

Drawing himself back up to his full height, the Mathematician gestured to the skyline above him before answering. "That moon's where we divide losers from winners, before adding 'em to the Megacorp Games. There's a challenger up there right now, ready to reduce you to nothing!"

Sure enough, upon craning their necks back sufficiently, the lombax and robot could only just about make out the faint shape of a small, clearly artificial near-orbit planetoid through the dreary cloud cover; similar to the Thugs-4-Less jamming array Ellen had blown up upon their visit to the Maktar Resort. It seemed like an odd place to hold gladiatorial tryouts considering the test facility was supposed to be a secure location, but stranger things had happened to the three companions since they first met.

Blinking away that thought and the mixed memories it brought back, Ratchet turned his attention back towards Clank only to see the little silver robot inspecting a large circular pad nearby with a smaller, luminous-yellow circle set into the middle. Though it looked a little different than what they had encountered previously, the technology itself was all too familiar to the pair from their visit to the blargian robot plant on planet Quartu and later during the final battle on Veldin a year ago; especially since it involved the creation of giant battle mechs until the machine in question was shut down. Clank was clearly thinking along similar lines as he clambered on to the pad, or mores specifically what it had enabled him to become for a short while.

"Hmm... Perhaps I could..."

The little robot's words trailed off as he briefly disappeared amidst a flash of light and whirling machinery; the Mathematician looking on with surprise while Ratchet merely grinned in anticipation as Clank transformed from the ground up once again. A pair of thick set and chunky bipedal legs exploded into being from his diminutive frame; torso gaining mass as it span around and expanded into a hulking, heavily-armoured version of itself with the prior exposed vents and joints covered by even more plating. His arms were proportionately larger as well, with reinforced gauntlets, segmented shoulder guards, and concealable arm-mounted rocket launchers all in their proper places and accounted for. Finally, the now building-sized robot's head expanded into an upscaled version to better fit his new form; that of the nigh unstoppable war machine better known as Giant Clank.

Ratchet looked like the proverbial cat that had gotten the cream as he rubbed his hands together "Sweet. Think you can get us to that moon, pal?"

"I believe so," Giant Clank's voice rumbled in its deeper tone as he crouched down on one knee; allowing the lombax to climb aboard. "It will however take some considerable calculations to reach orbital status with my limited energy reserves."

"The Mathematician can help you with that," the titular wrestler opinioned. "All you have to do is-"

The following equations on optimal trajectories and conserving fuel mass went well over Ratchet's head as the two self-professed number crunchers debated, leaving him to ponder how his human partner was doing on her end as he gazed back over the distant testing facility. Hopefully she would be able to grab what they came for soon and hightail it out of there, especially since most of the security forces had been drawn away in their search for whomever had shot up the nearby industrial complex. But until then, he and Clank had a challenger to beat, and a possible 'in' with the Megacorp Games to gain if - when - they won that could help draw some new leads. With any luck, they would have everything wrapped up and be on their way within the hour.

'Stay safe babe, and hurry. It's all down to you now...'

A bit too much exposition for my liking early on in this chapter, but kind of necessary in order to go over our heroes new weapons and gear in a timely manner without further bogging down the plot. Also, I decided not to include the first armour vendor at this point due to the fact Debonair already gave Ratchet and Ellen their first upgrade back in Megapolis and to avoid possible backtracking. I haven't decided whether or not they will buy any Megacorp branded armour in future chapters yet, though I do intend for the valkyrie to craft them at least one more custom set each before the story ends.

Aside from that, we have Ellen splitting off once again to do her thing, and on an entirely new path which is both canonical and not. The route she takes up until the jetty itself actually exist in the game, but is merely background detail and unfortunately can't actually be negotiated to my knowledge. A shame really since I think it would have been more interesting and made more sense than just teleporting directly into the testing facility itself. How does that make sense in canon anyway, when the whole place should have been locked down tight? Talk about security issues.

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

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337