Author's note:

Well that went better than expected for my first go at an interlude chapter in its own right, and with nigh universally positive feedback too. Thankfully things are back on track now, and although I couldn't squeeze everything into a single chapter like I had originally intended, I still think my interpretation of the Todano level kind of pans out in a way that gives it a little more depth than canon. Thanks again for bearing with me through the slight delay, and hope you all like it.

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.

- 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 26:

Tourist Trap

Megacorp Armoury, Todano

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.083 Galactic calendar

4:33pm local time

Due to the delicacy of the situation and the fact that they were once again running a borderline rogue mission on company property, Ellen insisted upon a much more subtle approach this time around in spite of Ratchet's protests to the contrary. Megacorp commandos though they might technically still be in spite of the gradually increasing amount of evidence suggesting foul play, their status certainly wouldn't allow them to waltz into a no doubt highly restricted and heavily guarded weapon production facility without explicit permission which wouldn't be forthcoming anytime soon. There was no way of telling whether Fizzwidget himself or someone high up on Megacorp's board of directors was behind resuming the Protopet project, and until the trio knew otherwise then getting through to the company CEO without bringing down the local security forces on their heads was top priority right now.

An open attack was off the cards due to aforementioned reasons, along with the associated wider consequences of pissing off a galactic super corporation with its own private military; not to mention the potential for collateral damage to both plant workers and civilian visitors that could be caught up in the crossfire. No, this kind of situation required a much more delicate touch; and it was the latter group along with the commercial that Fizzwidget had shown them back at the now defunct deep space disposal facility that gave Ellen an idea as to how they could get in close to their intended target without raising suspicion. So it was as one of the last regularly scheduled airborne tour buses for the day arrived at its designated landing zone that three extra bodies covertly slipped from behind some nearby bushes; joining the gawking group of predominantly robot tourists currently disembarking unnoticed while keeping a discrete distance.

Even the most ignorant of visitors would have been at least a little suspicious of the heavily armed commandos in their midst were it not for the fact both were currently using a bootleg, single use Hologuise supplied by one Slim Cognito in order to blend in with the crowd. Unlike the Gadgetron original, these particular versions allowed the use of weapons without breaking the digital camouflage; the only downside being that said units would burn out within a few hours of first being activated and could never be used again. Considering the pair had already discretely landed on the planet a good half hour previously and left their respective vessels hidden within a copse of nearby willow-like trees, it should prove to be more than enough time to complete their mission. Still, the preset nature of the copied Hologuise meant that the individual projected disguises in question weren't exactly to everybody's liking; something that Ratchet made sure to bring up yet again.

"I still say this idea sucks," the short-statured, chocolate-furred cazar murmured from beneath the Panama hat perched upon his head; hands tucked into the 'pockets' of his faded jeans and podgy belly clearly visible beneath a floral Hawaiian shirt. "I mean, how come I get to be the old guy and you're, well...you?"

The question was directed at the significantly taller markazian woman stood just off to his right; her unflattering, dour green knee-length dress, half-moon spectacles, and hair tied back into a messy bun giving the impression of a prim and proper throwback school teacher from another age. "Not exactly my first choice either fuzz ball, but this is our only shot to get in " she discretely muttered in return while keeping an eye on their surroundings. "So try not to draw any attention. Remember; we're supposed to be a normal family on a day out."

The cazar, who most certainly wasn't a lombax in disguise, offered her a wry smirk to go along with the expected smartass reply as he pointed at each of them in turn. "Yeah, I get it; we're one big dysfunctional family. I'm the awesome dad, you're the overbearing mom..."

"And myself?" queried the surprisingly cultured-sounding novalian child dressed in dungarees and an eye-wateringly yellow baseball cap currently sandwiched between them, who was also holding the hand of his adoptive 'mother' and looking up at the cazar expectantly with brilliantly green eyes.

His 'father' shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, you're the smart aleck kid who knows everything and probably'll end up a millionaire before he's out of diapers."

The markazian schoolmarm couldn't help but suppress a snort of mirth at the idea, but quickly regained her composure as an automaton designed to resemble Megacorp's founder himself teleported in front of the waiting tour group a half-dozen feet away and began to spout its pre-recorded greeting message. "Welcome to the Megacorp Armoury! I'm Abercrombie Fizzwidget, here to give you a guided tour of Megacorp's magnificent achievements in missile technology. Please follow me and remain on the designated path at all times."

"Well, shall we?" Ratchet asked rhetorically; offering a hand to his currently incognito robot friend as the pack of tourists dutifully began to trail after their appointed guide like a flock of sheep.

Clank sighed. "This is undignified, but very well. Let us proceed with all due haste; the sooner we locate Mr Fizzwidget, the better."

Still holding his other servo, Ellen gave it a reassuring squeeze as they set off behind the tour group at a leisurely pace; deeply breathing in the surprisingly clean air and admiring the scenery while maintaining an ever vigilant watch. "Not too fast though. This is the first time we've been out somewhere nice together for a while without getting shot at, and I'd like it to last a little longer yet."

The tour grounds themselves, much like the rest of the remarkably Earth-like planet, were truly beautiful to look at. Set upon either side of a ravine which was topped by a dam nestled between a distant mountain range, the landscaped gardens were carpeted with luscious green grass and weeping willow-like trees with golden brown foliage drooping from slender branches. Various small plants and flowers of complimenting colours and species were arranged along the winding, metal-plated pathway leading through the grounds; flowing neatly around each of the exhibits on the tour and providing park benches for resting on wider, circular sections at regular intervals. Curiously enough, there were also numerous small signs posted forbidding the feeding of any of local wildlife in spite of the fact there wasn't so much as a bird around for miles, but Ellen ultimately ignored it in favour of enjoying the tour with her companions while they still could until reaching their objective.

Though it was still only the latter part of the afternoon and not even dusk yet, the stars could be faintly seen above through the still blue sky and fluffy white cloud cover; only adding to the general pleasantness of the atmosphere and helping to relieve some of the pre-mission tension as they reached the first exhibit. The Fizzwidget-bot halted alongside a sleek and deadly-looking, three-stage ballistic missile stood upon a single external booster within a slightly sunken pit; turning around to face the tour group and gesturing in time with its pre-recorded message. "Megacorp manufactures everything! From hair products to pet toys, and even intergalactic missiles with facial recognition technology; like this one here."

Some of the tour group began to snap pictures with the kind of needlessly complex digital cameras that some tourists seem to favour; one in particular taking time to line up a shot of his robot spouse posing against the missile and subsequently being left behind as their guide zipped forth once again at a fair pace that had everybody hurrying to catch up. The path sloped downwards and gently snaked around a copse of trees to their immediate right; a small raised mound to the left being adorned with a decorative display of flowers and an abrupt drop into the dividing ravine beyond that. It was as they were making their way along the metal-plated walkway however that the hairs on the back of Ellen's neck began to tingle as if they were being watched, or rather stalked by some unseen foe; suppressing the instinct to whip around and draw undue attention in favour of checking with telegraphed, leisurely head movements as if merely admiring the scenery.

"You too, huh?" Ratchet murmured with more than a hint of concern; the disguised human picking up on his tensed frame and twitching ears in spite of the projected holographic camouflage as he too kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings. "Clank, you see anybody tailing us?"

The little robot tilted his head to one side in thought while his antenna no doubt pulsed beneath his concealing novalian visage. "I am afraid that I can not detect any unusual energy signatures in the immediate area. Loath as I am to suggest otherwise, but perhaps the nature of our infiltration has resulted in mutually heightening paranoia regarding potential threats."

He... may have had a point.

If local security had already made them then they would, in all likelihood, already be in the middle of a firefight right now with death raining down from both above and on the ground. While Thugs-4-Less employed mercs were also another possibility, the fact they were still technically under Angela's employ ruled out that option on the grounds that they were more useful to the rogue geneticist alive and indirectly helping her cause than not. Not withstanding Logan's little ambush over Dobbo that is; something that would have to be brought up with the older lombax sooner rather than not. Any further speculation was shelved however once everybody had reached the second exhibit on the tour; another, even bigger and wider ballistic missile perched upon a pair of twin-linked booster stages that pointed proudly towards the sky.

"Here's another missile, which..." the Fizzwidget-bot trailed off hesitantly. "I forget the name of. But it's really big, and goes really far. Anywho, on with the tour! Just to remind you, please refrain from feeding the local wildlife; they can get quite testy!"

Once again the tour guide zipped off at a pace that had the rest of the group hurrying to catch up, leading them over a decorative and fairly narrow humpback bridge crossing over to the other side of the ravine. The disguised trio shadowing them were just about to follow suit when two things of note caused Ratchet and Ellen to hesitate; a shared glance showing that something had clicked in both their minds and set alarm bells ringing. First was the insistence on following the designated path to the letter and the hurried speed of the tour, along with the oddly specific warning against feeding wildlife that neither had so much as caught a glimpse of thus far in the otherwise deathly quiet landscaped gardens. Not so much as a bird sang or an insect chirped; adding to the growing sense of unease they had experienced scant minutes before as both organics closed up so they were now back to back with Clank between them

Secondly however, and perhaps more worryingly, was the fact that the ongoing tour group was currently two members short; specifically the couple who had lagged behind for a photo opportunity at the first exhibit and had now seemingly vanished without a trace. If the lombax and human weren't worried before then they most certainly were now; hands twitching over their hidden Quick Select units as Clank looked between them with increasing alarm. "Ratchet? Ellen? Is there something wrong?"

"We're not alone here..." Ellen nigh whispered; not daring to raise her voice any higher lest she further attract whatever was doubtlessly stalking them.

"Clank," Ratchet began slowly without taking his eyes off the surrounding environment. "I need you to get on my back, right now."

The uncharacteristic sense of seriousness and urgency in his friend's voice inclined the little robot to drop his Hologuise and do so without further question. It was just as well he did, for no sooner had Clank taken up his regular spot on the still disguised lombax's back when the Ellen first caught sight of what had to be their previously hidden foe; leaving her blinking in confusion and genuine disbelief. "What the hell...?"

Peeking from around a nearby tree was what appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be a giant squirrel; one that happened to be around four feet tall and covered in blood red fur, with dull yellow markings clearly visible on its belly and bushy tail. Of more concern however was the prominent serrated claws tipping each limb which left a deep gouge into the tree bark as the abnormally large rodent moved out into the open with a predatory grace that no right belonging to something that should have been cute and fluffy; faintly glowing amber eyes fixed unwaveringly upon its prey and hind legs coiling in preparation to spring forth. Ellen was already instinctively responding as the mutant squirrel pounced almost too fast to follow; covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye with its buck-toothed jaw agape with many smaller, jagged teeth set on tearing into her flesh.

Right up to the point it met a hastily drawn shotgun at virtually point blank range that is.

The subsequent blast of electrified flechettes unsurprisingly blasted what was left of the screeching furry predator back the way it came and sent the remains pinwheeling across the now bloody manicured grass; some of which hit Ellen's projected disguise and caused it to briefly flicker as she automatically pumped another round into the chamber. Ratchet, having already been in mid-swing with his wrench while trying to intercept the fluffy missile, lowered his weapon slightly upon realising it was no longer necessary and shared in his partner's previous disbelief. "Seriously? That was what we were so worried about? I mean, come on! We've already dealt with way bigger than that."

A slight tug upon his shoulder from behind and an extended metal digit pointing off to their immediate left caused the lombax to pause with widening eyes upon seeing what Clank was silently trying to convey; reaching down towards his Quick Select and opting to switch out to something much bigger as he stared back at the semi-circle of mutant squirrels now arrayed along the tree line. "Oh crap."

"They're pack hunters," Ellen finished grimly.

There had to be dozens of them, both on the ground and nestled amongst the trees themselves on overhanging branches; each staring unwaveringly at what each of carnivorous giant rodents likely saw as easy prey in spite of having already lost of their number. Of course they were long used to picking off unsuspecting tourists, and only saw a shotgun packing schoolmarm along with an equally armed and overweight cazar, rather than highly experienced and heavily armed commandos in spite of animal instincts telling them something was amiss. It was perhaps no surprise that the voracious pack of killer fluffy squirrels charged forth as one from across the entire tree line with a bloodcurdling, screeching chorus; some electing to stay groundside and rely upon speed to close in while others leapt forth from their elevated perches and attacked from above with claws eager to rend flesh from bone.

Of course they hadn't taken a possibly pyromaniacal disguised lombax packing a Lava Gun into account, nor the fact he was more than happy to hose nigh everything in sight with liquid fire. Being a clear, dry day as it was, the surrounding landscaped gardens were soon set ablaze; Ratchet sweeping a burning trail across the leading ranks of rapidly closing giant squirrels and burning through their unarmoured forms with contemptuous ease. The pack hunters were incredibly fast and agile for creatures of their size however and adapted just as quickly to the changing circumstances; spreading out to make themselves harder to target collectively while still homing in on their chosen prey with single minded determination.

While the lombax did his best to hold back the wave furry fury on the ground however, Ellen was desperately trying to stave off the airborne creatures with her shotgun before they could drop down directly on top of their position; the lightning assault having prevented her from setting up any turrets and only managing to hold out through the sheer amount of buckshot filling the air. It was all she could do to pump each round as quickly as she could pull the trigger in order to not get swarmed; the shock mod proving its worth once again in helping to tag multiple mutated rodents and causing those who weren't killed outright to spasm with electrical current as they slammed back into the ground. Their luck couldn't last forever though, and as more and more of the bloodthirsty beasts began to get closer in spite of their combined efforts, the redhead knew they were going to be overrun unless something changed very soon.

"Cover me!"

It was perhaps testament to the fact both knew each other so well by now that Ratchet didn't hesitate in the slightest as Ellen slipped behind him; stepping into the breach she had vacated and taking up the slack with a veritable firestorm from his rapidly depleting Lava Gun in order to keep the tide of ferocious fluffy creatures at bay. The precious seconds he managed to buy were enough however for Ellen to finally bring some heavier firepower into play; dropping a tight spread of deployed Megaturrets at the end of the ravine-spanning bridge before switching over to her carbine and putting tight three-round bursts downrange over the lombax's head. "Go!"

Sharply turning on his heels the second his partner called, Ratchet quickly fell back through the prepared kill zone and rejoined her a quarter way up the bridge; using the elevated position to rain down automatic fire upon the remaining giant rodents that suddenly found themselves forced into a bottleneck. The rocket-spewing sentries hadn't been quiet either though, and with both commandos safely out of the way along with clustered targets, it didn't take long for them to declare open season on squirrel kind; decorating the landscaped gardens with a carpet of small craters and explosions that soon reduced what was left of the still suicidally attacking mutants to nothing.

It took a few moments after the dust had settled - during which both commandos had kept their respective weapons raised with fingers poised on triggers - before the tension started to bleed off; the ground littered charred remains and a pair of Ellen's turrets still left tracking for targets. Releasing a shuddering breath, the redhead slowly lowered the Reaver Carbine and flickered her eyes towards the equally relieved lombax beside her; receiving a wry grin on his part along with the expected smartass comment. "'Don't feed the animals', huh? Guess nobody told them."

"Don't think I'll be able to look at a squirrel the same way again, that's for sure," his redheaded partner countered with a grimace. "They're supposed to be cute, fluffy little things that eat nuts, not bloody great slavering killers that eat people. No way that's natural."

"I do not have any records of such a species on file," Clank pondered in thought from where he was still resting on Ratchet's back. "It may possibly be a mutation or an example of genetic engineering gone awry."

"Like the Protopet, or those dog-things we found back on Barlow?"

"Christ, that's all we need," Ellen groused as they began to make their way over to the bridge's far side; switching back to her shotgun just in case any more decided to suddenly spring out of nowhere. "Let's just get this over and done with, before any more of those things turn up."

On that, they could all agree.

Thankfully there didn't seem to be any immediate sign of the now thoroughly diminished mutant squirrel population once they had safely made it across, or further tour group casualties for that matter. But neither commando was willing to take the chance of being ambushed again and so opted to take a more cautious pace; eyes peeled and ears straining for the slightest hint of movement. Following the path towards where the third exhibit lay, that sense of tension almost made Ellen pull the trigger on reflex as she caught sight of a giant fluffy rodent stood next to the thick, almost cigar-shaped missile; only to relax marginally upon realising that it was in fact a life-sized, bronze statue with a plaque at its base.

"'In memory of Bobo; Megacorp's first modified test squirrel and ZX-9 Galaxy Cruise rocket pioneer'," Ellen read aloud. "'Lost during initial research mission into traversing a black hole, never to return'."

"Well, I guess that settles the question of how those squirrels got so big," Ratchet mused. "But why are they running around out here tryin' to eat people, instead of locked up in a lab somewhere?"

"I believe I may have an answer," Clank interceded; citing a news article from a few years back in which an environmentalist group successfully managed to lobby Megacorp and force them to abandon animal testing altogether. Apparently though, they also released some of the more aggressive specimens back into the wild before the remainder could be properly accounted for; the end result perhaps inevitable once they began to multiply without restriction.

"And now we're up to our arseholes in ravenous, fluffy squirrels," Ellen concluded with a sigh as they pushed on. "Lovely."

The lombax beside her gave an amused snort at the redhead's deadpan delivery before refocusing on the route ahead; light machine gun sweeping the path along with his sharp-eyed gaze. "Yeah, and I kinda doubt that's all of them either. C'mon; we can probably make the end of the tour if we hurry."

As it turned out they needn't have worried; a short walk along the meandering pathway cutting through a copse of overhanging trees soon seeing the pair catch up to where the remaining tourists were gathered around the fourth exhibit, snapping away with cameras and phones alike. If anybody had noticed the recent cacophony of gunfire and explosions taking place nearby then they certainly weren't showing it. So oblivious were they to their surroundings that none noticed when the two disguised commandos stowed their weapons and casually rejoined the group at the rear; their 'child' taking up his place between them again as everybody listened to the Fizzwidget-bot up front spout off its pre-recorded message.

"Finally, we have the Triple-B; for 'Big-Ba-Bomb'," the simulacrum stated cheerfully with a dry chuckle at the end; one taken up by a few of the audience as well. "This popular product was instrumental in defeating our competitors throughout the galaxy; making Megacorp the one and only choice."

'And I thought business was cutthroat enough back home,' the redheaded human commented privately within the recesses of her mind; staring up at what had to be one of the biggest missiles she or her companions had ever seen bar the now defunct Planetbuster Maximus and wondering not the first time at just what kind of company she had ended up working for.

Before she could dwell on the subject any further however, a light nudge from the Hologuise clad form of the lombax beside her snapped Ellen back to reality as the tour group moved on to their final stop of the day; an open area devoid of vegetation right next to the towering dam itself. Now all they had to do was slip away and find a way up top where the weapons plant itself was supposed to be so that the three of them could begin their search. But before they could do that however, a problem presented itself in the form of a doting, elderly rilgarian woman who had apparently taken a shine to Clank.

"Oh bless my stars! Isn't he such a little cutie!" she positively gushed while beaming down at the disguised robot; turning her gaze upwards towards where his 'mother' stood with an awkward smile on her face. "Is he yours?"

"My... Nephew, Cl-ark" Ellen improvised hastily with as sidelong look at a distinctly amused Ratchet. "We're looking after him for a few weeks while my sister is away on business."

"How thoughtful of you," the old lady replied before focusing her attention back on the little 'boy'; failing to notice the tension in his aunt and uncle's stances as she affectionately patted his Hologuise covered head. "And what about you, Clark? Are you being a good boy for you auntie and uncle?"

"I fail to see-" Clank began only to change tact at a subtle nudge from his 'uncle'. "That is, yes ma'am, I believe I am."

"So well mannered too," the grandmotherly woman beamed at being addressed so politely. "You really don't see that in kids these days. Back when I was young-"

"Sorry, but we've really gotta go," Ratchet interrupted before she could go off on a tangent and delay them further. "The bus'll be leaving soon, and Clark here needs to go visit the restroom before we go."

Her eyes widened in realisation at his words; one hand swiftly coming up to cover her mouth as she turned to look back at the milling crowd of tourists behind her. "Oh my, how could I forget! And I wanted to get one of those souvenir rocket ships from the gift shop before we left for my grandson. Harold! Harold!"

The latter part was apparently addressed to her husband as she tottered away back towards the remaining tour group and a similarly old rilgarian man stood leaning against a walking stick outside said souvenir shop; bodily dragging him inside despite his spluttering protests. Making sure they were out of sight, the disguised lombax breathed a sigh of relief while running a tired hand over his face. "Finally; I thought she'd never leave."

"You think that's bad, I bet you wouldn't last five minutes with my Gran once she gets going," Ellen murmured in amusement as they carefully began to edge away from the crowd who were milling about or otherwise gathered around the Fizzwidget-bot as it fielded questions; slipping behind a nearby restroom block and heading towards the dam wall itself. " Tact isn't exactly part of her vocabulary, fuzz ball."

"Good job she's not here then," Ratchet replied with a mirthful grin as he directed his attention down towards where Clank stood between them. "Or that 'Clark' here didn't really need to use the bathroom, otherwise we'd be cleaning up one heck of a mess right now."

The little robot merely rolled his optics as he disengaged his now thoroughly overheated Hologuise with a weary sigh; his organic companions following suit shortly thereafter. "Those were exceptional circumstances, Ratchet. How was I to know that my emergency fuel tank purging mechanism would suddenly activate of its own volition?"

Ellen blinked. 'Emergency- Wait... robots can pee?'

The redhead was shaken from her completely random mental tangent by their arrival at a small access lift hidden behind a pair of locked metal doors; the electronic lock proving little challenge to hack through and soon granting access to the three companions. Safely away from prying eyes, Clank retook his usual spot on Ratchet's back while his lombax and human friends checked over their weapons one last time as they slowly ascended before reengaging their respective Hologuise knock-offs once again as the doors slid open to reveal their destination. Peeling out of the elevator with weapons raised and sweeping for targets, the two commandos soon found themselves standing on the narrow, slightly curving path that ran along the top of the dam; thick waist-high walls lining either side and providing a breathtaking view of the ravine stretching out far below.

Unfortunately, a few of those damned mutant squirrels had somehow gotten up here as well and promptly bounded forth to attack at a lightening pace; covering the distance between them within seconds and giving the pair practically no time to react. Speed however was the only thing going for them; the lack of room to manoeuvre on such a confined pathway allowing Ratchet to nail one of the charging giant rodents centre mass with a snapshot from his light machine gun. Ellen on the other hand didn't have anywhere near the lombax's reaction times and thus was only able to get off a panicked burst before being bowled over by a furry mass of teeth and claws; air driven from her lungs on impact with the unforgiving floor and carbine clattering away out of reach as she desperately tried to keep its snapping maw away from her face.

Spittle plastered the visor of the redhead's helmet and an errant claw managed to draw blood from her exposed check in spite of the deathly grip she had on the fluffy beast's fur; causing her to cry out at the sudden flash of pain and instinctively lash out with a right hook that snapped its head away. That was all the opening Ratchet needed to nail the mutant squirrel with a rising uppercut via a panicked anger-driven wrench strike; an audible crack of metal meeting bone accompanying the now limp corpse as it flew up over the dam wall and soon plummeted out of sight. "Ellen! You okay? Where'd it get you?"

Before she could answer otherwise however, the redhead soon found herself on the receiving end of her golden-furred partner's scrutiny and brushing his probing fingers away from her already healing flesh wound with a hint of annoyance. "Hey, stop that! Seriously, I'm fine. See? Nanotech's already gone to work; probably won't even leave a scar."

"Ratchet's concerns are understandable," Clank cut in with a frown of concentration from over the lombax's shoulder' optics scanning his female companion's wound meticulously. "That creature may have harboured a significant number of pathogens or substances upon its claws, which could prove life threatening should they enter you bloodstream."

Although the thought had crossed her mind, Ellen merely offered a shrug in return; having faced much worse injuries and chances of infection before during their first adventure together. "I wouldn't be surprised, and I appreciate it; really. But considering I haven't so much as caught a cold in the last year, even without all the boosters we've been taking lately, then I'm pretty sure all the Nanotech swimming around inside us should easily take care of whatever diseases those mangy squirrels might be carrying."

Ratchet looked dubious but otherwise said nothing for the moment as he extended a hand and helped pull the human back up to her feet, giving the injury a last once over before giving nodding almost imperceptibly. "Alright... I'll drop it for now. But if you start to feel weird or it gives you any trouble then let us know, okay?"

Smiling warmly at their shared concern, the redhead placed a hand on her lombax counterpart's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze while offering Clank a brief rub of his shiny silver helm. "Don't worry, I will. But in the meantime, what do you say we take a look at what we're up against?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he countered with a mirthful grin; watching the human retrieve her carbine from where it had been flung and following shortly behind thereafter as they cautiously made their way across to the far side of the dam.

Hugging the inner-most, waist-high perimeter wall, the pair kept low to avoid being spotted by any security measures but otherwise encountered no further unpleasant surprises along the way; finally emerging out onto a railed observation deck with an excellent overview of the entire facility complex beyond. Mr Fizzwidget's commercial didn't quite do the place justice in terms of sheer scale; nestled amongst a series of craggy peaks and easily covering a good twenty square miles when taking into account all of the sub-depots storage warehouses lining one side of what looked like a spaceport in the far distance. Assuming he was even still here in the first place, finding the old man in a place like this was a daunting prospect; especially if they didn't want to fight all and sundry just to investigate it.

Setting up her sniper rifle on the low-lying wall, Ellen kept her profile to a minimum while using the scope's variable zoom function in order to get a good look at their surroundings; paying particular attention to any roving patrols or static defences that could block their path or raise the alarm prematurely.

Realistically speaking, there were only two main prospects for where their employer might be. The first candidate was the very same towering structure with its neat rows of small, tinted glass windows that they had seen previous on the facility tour commercial; its bland grey walls, surrounding reservoir basin, and flanking anti-air turrets making it appear more like a modern fortress or bunker complex than a working environment. The rooftop-mounted parabolic antenna arrays and satellite uplinks along with the defensive measures hinted at it being a command centre or admin building of sorts; definitely a good place to start looking, and maybe uncover some additional intelligence as well. There didn't appear to be much in the way of external security either aside from some surveillance cameras, although it was probably a very different story on the inside.

Candidate number two on the other hand looked like it would be a lot more difficult to reach, but just as worthy of investigating considering the gargantuan multi-storey rocket or IPBM - she wasn't sure which - protruding from its hardened and recessed silo, plus the raised supporting buildings ranged along the mountainside. It certainly looked important, and the fact the area was kept behind both razor wire fencing and plasma-based force fields added to those suspicions. Security beyond that was tight too; with several militarised, plasma cannon-packing versions of the rivet bots they had previously fought in Megapolis patrolling the exposed no-man's land within the perimeter and multiple patches of disturbed earth that made Ellen suspect it was a minefield. Might explain the exclusive use of flight capable units at least, and lack of any ground-based forces other than some damn mutant squirrels foraging around inside the potentially mine-choked perimeter.

"Sounds like we'll have to split up again, same as Dobbo," Ratchet mused aloud once the redhead relayed back what she had seen; staying crouched down beside her while eyeing the route ahead. "I'll go in loud and take the silo; grab their attention. Should keep some of the heat off your back while you check out the other place."

"Are you sure you want to do that, fuzz ball?" Ellen questioned tentatively upon lowering her scope while shooting him a worried look. "That's a lot of open ground with nowhere to hide, not to mention the mines, and the fact they'll be coming after you in force."

"A dangerous prospect indeed," Clank added from over Ratchet's shoulder. "But viable so long as we have the element of surprise, and additional security forces do not converge immediately."

"Guess I'll have to work fast then," the lombax replied with an all too familiar smirk; one that usually pre-empted him doing something either crazy, stupidly dangerous, or perhaps both at once. "Think you can cover me from back here?"

The redheaded human let out a sigh of inevitability; knowing full well her damn stubborn partner was going to do it anyway regardless of what she might say. "I think so, yeah. Not exactly an ideal position, but I can see you up to the front door at least and pick off anything that gets too close."

The lingering kiss on her cheek wasn't unwelcome though, and certainly lifted the mood a little as pulled back with a fond look in his eyes. "That's my girl. Ready whenever you are."

There was a craggy and slightly sloping, open area between their raised platform and the perimeter fence surrounding Ratchet's personal objective; one that was now occupied by one of the hulking, flying robot guards on a set patrol that saw it pacing consistently along the same path. Predictability quickly became its downfall once Ellen carefully led her target and fired; a brief crimson beam stabbing out and giving Ratchet a clear run up to the perimeter gateway as the now helmless machine crashed back down to earth with wires sparking from its cauterised neck. The lombax wasted no time in covering the distance and was at the force field secured entry point within seconds; still remaining undetected as of yet to the nearby security forces, but unable to gain entry due to the distinctive triangular locking mechanism embedded with a trio of small ports that were arranged into an identical, inverted shape.

It would have been a problem had Ellen not lent the lombax her recently acquired Infiltrator beforehand; Clank assisting in overcoming the lock's built in defences while she maintained overwatch from above and behind. The Infiltrator activated device required both speed and precision to correctly open; having only a finite period of time along with the required motions of an internal gyroscopic sphere in order to crack the lock before being ejected from the system. Because of this, it took a good few minutes to finally get the right combination even with both working in tandem, and by the time the plasma force field gate flickered out of existence there were more than enough gathered opposition just waiting for them on the other side.

"Uh, babe? Got a slight problem here..."

"I'm on it," Ellen murmured back over her the open radio channel between them; carefully lining up a shot through the razor wire fencing and stroking the trigger.

The brief, red-hued energy beam flared out across the gap between the two sides and struck one of the hovering robot guard units directly in the upper torso; causing it to recoil slightly and giving Ratchet the chance to push forward with his part of the plan. Rounding the cover provided by the deactivated gate posts with his grenade launcher in hand, the lombax didn't stop for anyone as he sent a pair of Mini-Nukes arcing through the air along his route; setting off a daisy chain of entrenched mines and clearing at least some of the path ahead. Thankfully it also kept some of the mutant squirrels charging in off his back as well for a few moments; giving Ratchet a chance to focus fire upon the much more dangerous, up-armoured machines moving to target him while continuing to weave through the minefield.

A follow up crimson beam from behind struck one of the hulking, black-painted robots on its arm-mounted cannon; cancelling the building charge and allowing the lombax to target the other with a one-two punch from his Minirocket Tube. In spite of the obvious external damage caused however, even that didn't appear to be enough to actually down the things entirely, and Ratchet was forced to dive aside before a basketball-sized plasma bolt splashed on impact with his previous position. Unfortunately the squirrels were back in force as well, and Ellen had her hands full with trying to pick off any of the fast and furry critters that tried to blindside her partner; meaning it was down to him in order to break the deadlock.

Stepping too close to one of the partly buried mines trigger its proximity sensor as the golden-furred commando sped past, popping out of the loosely compacted dusty soil and giving off a faint whine for a second or so, before detonating with a short-ranged concentric wave of energy that disintegrated the mutant squirrel pursuing closely behind him. Several other mines went off around Ratchet as he was bracketed with more heavy plasma bolts while zigzagging between them; prematurely detonating the hidden explosives and announcing the second robot guard's return to the fray. He needed to end this fast, and with resumed supporting sniper fire clipping one of the machine's thruster units in such a way that it temporarily spun off course, Ratchet made his move.

Somersaulting sideways through the air over yet another blast of plasma, one that incidentally took handful of mutant squirrels in the process, the lombax loosed off a pair of rockets at the hulking guard unit he had previously damaged and finished it off for good; tearing through the already weaken armour plating and violently detonating its internal power source. Landing back on his feet with typically feline grace, Ratchet swung low on his heel and sent one of the persistently vicious fluffy creatures still dogging him flying with a bone shattering wrench strike; completing the pivoting turn and bringing his launcher back to bear once again, only to find it was unnecessary.

Ellen had already beaten him to the punch with what had to be an exceptionally aimed headshot considering the numerous obstacles standing in her way; spearing straight through the last remaining guard robot's single optic and out the other side. Without a processor to guide it, the now useless pile of scrap metal drunkenly wavered to one side before crashing down into a so far miraculously untouched section of mine field with predictably explosive results. Shielding his face from the hail of dirt and debris kicked up by multiple detonations, Ratchet lowered his free hand a moment later after it had passed only to realise there was nothing else left standing; whatever mutant squirrels that had previously remained apparently wiped out and a corpse strewn path dotted with blackened craters marking an almost straight route through it all directly to the nearby silo complex.

"Whoa..." Turning around to face his distant guardian angel, the lombax offered her a wry grin. "Nice shot, babe. Looks like we're in the clear for now."

"Thanks," Ellen replied over the still open radio link with a relieved sigh. "But you'd better get going before anymore show up; they definitely know we're here by now."

Sure enough, Ratchet's sensitive ears picked up the distinctive sound of approaching aircraft from far off; most likely troop-laden dropships from the distant spaceport responding to their less than subtle approach. "Too late for that; looks like back up's already on its way."

Re-sighting her scope on the open sky, the redheaded commando bit off a curse as her narrowed field of vision caught sight of two black spots steadily getting closer by the second. "Damn it, they're a lot faster than I thought... Guess we'll just have to step things up a little is all." Shaking her head as she stood up and stowed her rifle, Ellen briefly met her lombax partner's eyes from where he still stood as she continued. "Stick to the plan: ten minutes tops then meet back at the ships. Any longer and they'll swarm us before we know it."

"I hear ya, babe," her golden-furred partner responded, followed by a brief two finger salute as he turned on his heel. "Stay safe; we'll see you in ten."

"Good luck, Ellen," Clank added as Ratchet resumed his run through the remaining minefield; Ellen continuing to watch over the boys until they skirted around the silo and disappeared from view.

Vaulting over the platform's railings and landing in a crouch, the redhead drew her Reaver Carbine for its flexibility and set off at a fast jog towards the bunker-like structure situated directly in the middle of the reservoir. A pair of thick-set, angled metal anchorage blocks topped by bulbous red warning lamps flanked either side of the land-based bridgehead; providing sufficient cover for the human commando as she carefully ascended the short ramp leading up to the fairly short main span and taking a good look across.

The layout appeared to be near enough identical to that in the facility tour commercial that Fizzwidget had shown them previously, consisting as it did of a widened, circular observation deck consisting of multiple segmented glass panels, with concave mesh fencing flanking either side that terminated directly at the structure's main entrance. What differed however was the obvious surveillance cameras flanking either side of the thoroughly sealed door, plus the surprising influx of mutant test squirrels that were scampering around and chittering to one another; or at least until one fixed Ellen with its solid amber eyes and let out a predatory hiss.

"Goddamn it..."

A streak of blood-red furry fury tore across the suddenly all too short bridge length at a frightening speed with more following close behind; the outnumbered human snapping her weapon up and holding down the trigger. The confined conditions worked to her advantage however, and a torrent of incendiary rounds quickly cut them down before any could get in her face, unlike the last time. Stepping over the excessively ventilated fluffy corpses with a grimace of distaste, Ellen eyed the security cameras now fully pointed at her disguised form on the observation deck's far side and reached down to her Quick Select for something a little more... explosive.

With subtlety having long since gone out the window in favour of expediency, it was perhaps little surprise that she hefted her Visibomb gun shortly thereafter on a direct trajectory; sending a tank-killing, TV guided missile directly at the armoured front door. Once the resulting explosion and subsequent flying debris had settled down, Ellen was left with a scorched facade, two obliterated security cameras, and an entry hole punched through the thick metal plating that she could just about squeeze through with a fair amount of effort. It didn't help that the building's internal alarms were now audible too once she was finally inside; giving the redhead a headache until she dampened her helmet's audio receptors, and an incentive to work faster before the inevitable tide of reinforcements could close in.

Still, with Ratchet drawing at least some of the heat, things should go a little bit smoother even with such a tight window to be operating in. Ellen could only hope that either one of them would find some clue as to Fizzwidget's location sooner rather than not; especially with the clock ticking and a potential Protopet threat increasing by the hour. With that in mind, the redheaded commando shouldered her carbine and pushed forward at an aggressive pace; trigger finger poised and eyes peeled for trouble, while fervently hoping for her companions safety on their end.

Bit of a slow start I admit, but the idea of having our heroes acting as a misfit family in order to infiltrate the weapons plant just wouldn't go away. That, and it makes much more sense than just shooting up the place with ignorant tourists just, you know, casually ignoring the mass destruction going on around them. Also, I tried to make the squirrels much more lethal and scary rather than just fast moving fodder as in canon; the kind of thing that gives rise to nightmares, and will probably make the heroes wary of anything even remotely fluffy or rodent-like for a good while to come.

Review replies:

starrat - Thank you, once again.

OMNISENSE95 - Well, I did say it was going to be something a little different, and it was that or delay another few weeks until I could get the whole Todano arc fully written out. It's also a chance to both write a chapter based upon an original planet and explore a few of the supporting cast a little more too, which can only serve to flesh out their character a little more.

Firestar5277 - Glad you liked the chapter, and my interpretation of how things could have gone 'off screen' so to speak in canon. Angela's fighting style does tend to be a bit tech heavy, though I have to admit not seeing the quasi-Metal Gear parallels until you mentioned it. I've got a few other potential R & C story ideas in mind, and one in particular I really want to see work, but I guess It'll have to wait a while yet until this one is nigh done before starting work. Thank you for reading, and your continued support for my stories. I can only hope to live up to your expectations.

Destiny W - Thanks! Hope you like this one too.

lkdog - Thank you very much, and good luck on your RWBY story.

Tempest Fugit - Hey there, long time no see. It's funny how things snowball really; what started out as a quick 'what if' for filling in the canon blanks and giving Angela a little more of the spotlight quickly snowballing into something much bigger than I ever anticipated. Didn't really realise the parallels between both teams until you pointed it out, but I think it kind of suits in a way; showing that they're not all that different despite originally being on opposing sides. Doesn't mean there won't be a little tension when they're all forced to work together however…

Also, Ellen is probably more than a little fed up at being mistaken for a markazian by now, even if does help disguise her origins from any unsavoury parties that might be interested in Earth. Of course that's not to say she won't correct anyone who says otherwise, through peaceful means or not. Thank EWE (ba-dum tiss!) once again, and hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Light Seeker 001 - Well Angela did hire Cash on as her bodyguard and muscle back at the end of chapter 17, so I don't think it would be that weird for them to be working together. She had to get the Protopet information somehow in canon, and this was my interpretation of how it could have been. As for Stuart Zurgo, we might be seeing him sooner rather than not…

Sonachugirl - Why thank you, I only wish Insomniac had found a way to include her in the following games, even as just a cameo. It's… possible, and probable, that Chilled may have just borrowed it off Google images, but still; one of your pieces ending up on one of your favourite Youtuber's videos? I mean, what are the odds?

Plazmatik - No worries, we all have lives outside of fan fiction after all. Glad you approve, and hope you'll like the next chapter too.

DarkEnigma95 - Yep, that pretty much sums it up, and you remember rightly on the information Angela relays to Ratchet once on Todano. I don't intend for the heroes to do any backtracking unless absolutely necessary in order to keep the plot rolling along smoothly, and they don't exactly need the Box Basher anyway since I'm trying to make things a bit more realistic; meaning a lot less random stacks of bolt-filled crates lying around to be smashed. Also, they've technically already fought the swamp monster's second incarnation already as seen in chapter 4; with Ratchet and Ellen opting to run like hell once the odds had turned against them. Thanks again, and hope you enjoy the new chapter.

The White Guardian - Talk about eleventh hour; I only just caught your review(s) as I was about to post and otherwise would have missed them altogether! Glad you like the title for chapter 24; it took me a bit to think of something appropriate but as you said, it just seemed to fit. I kind of found the Hrugis Cloud level a bit dull myself when compared to the rolling dogfights of prior flying sections, annoying repair drones not withstanding, and wished there was a bit more challenge to it.

On that subject, I too love the ship-based sections from all the games (why there weren't any in Up Your Arsenal I'll never know) and the pure satisfaction of rolling around with your own personalised craft while blowing stuff up; the free flight hub setup from A Crack In Time being a particular standout. I have indeed played and finished the PS4 reboot, and oddly enough, I actually go for the exact same colour scheme for Ratchet and the Ranger ship - a 'Star Jumper' I believe it's called - since it's the best looking combo in my eyes. Sounds like some that'll be some compilation of weird, wonderful, and just plain funny R & C PS4 moments you've got right there, and something I'd love to see should you post the video.

Thugs-4-Less will definitely be playing for keeps from here on out; bringing new weapons, vehicles, and gear out to play in an all out bid to stop our heroes in their tracks. Ratchet and Ellen will likely be wanting to pay Debby another visit too as a result once they catch wind of the merc's upgrades, but even without her assistance they'll be doing what they do best and wrecking havoc. The thugs may want to consider a career change really, really soon...

As for chapter 25, glad to surprise you and that you enjoyed the interlude for what it was. The Bushwhacker is indeed a not too subtle nod to TF2's Sniper considering where cash gets part of his character from, although thankfully he hasn't inherited the penchant for Jarate or similar habits. I tried to really contrast the two characters in this chapter to show how different they were personality wise while still working towards the same goal together. Angela relies upon her intellect and invented arsenal; used to being in control and hating the idea of losing it to the likes of someone like Cash, who by definition is both utterly reckless and world weary in equal measure.

Angela's homemade grenades were a necessity considering she normally only has that one gun in canon plus the thief persona's jet glider built in weapons, and a good chance to show off what she can come up with as a scientist. To be fair though, isn't heavy weapons the way to go? After all, there's nothing quite like cutting loose with the bouncer on an unsuspecting crowd in a enclosed room, with the Mini-Nuke following close second in my opinion. Also, No man's Sky is looking very, very promising and something I'm more than looking forward to myself. Nice planet pack you've been working on there too. Until next time, take care, and hope you enjoy the new chapter.

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

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337