Author's note:

Hey everyone, back again with the second half of the Todano level and perhaps more noticeably a new layout. I've taken prior criticism on board and have drastically shortened the preface so that everyone can get stuck into the chapter straight away rather than having to wade through a few pages worth of reviews and such just to get started. Instead, Reviews will now reside at the end of the chapter along with any other notes for the duration of this story.

Although in the future I'll probably switch to replying via PM; only posting answers to major questions and issues in a dedicated section instead in order to keep the excessive word count from unnecessarily ballooning further still. Also, another noticeable change from here on out will be the formatting, with larger paragraphs broken up to make reading them a damn sight easier rather than walls of text. With time, I hope to go back over and apply the same changes to previous chapters and stories too once I get the chance.

Also, before I forget, The White Guardian has been working on a rather different piece of fan art using the creative capabilities of Little Big Planet on PS4. Check out what he's got so far on Deviant Art; just search for 'Little Big Planet skin showcase Ellen' under his profile name and just imagine the possibilities. But until then, let's get on with the story.

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 27:

More Rockets, Less Science

Megacorp Armoury, Todano

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.083 Galactic calendar

4:47pm local time

The Lava Gun, Ratchet found as he made his way along the edge of the silo, made for a surprisingly good minesweeper when the situation called for it; the arc of liquid flame being just enough to trigger the partly buried explosives strewn along the narrowed shoreside route bordering the reservoir he was currently traversing, and deal with any straggling mutant squirrels to boot. It certainly made the going a lot smoother in any case, and it wasn't long before he found himself stepping through the entrance of short, circular tower at the far end which turned out to be a elevator shaft; riding the platform down a few levels below ground and emerging into the silo complex itself.

A short and very cramped corridor led out on to a raised open-sided gantry that ringed the actual launch bay itself, circling around midway up the positively gigantic multi-stage rocket or ballistic missile sat directly in the middle and giving the lombax a sense of just how big it really was up close. There was no time for admiration however due to the sound of rapid footfalls on mesh-panelled plating announcing the arrival of a Megacorp trooper reaction team, Ratchet turning to face the first one as it noisily pounded along the gantry and giving it a faceful of Minirocket Tube.

Without breaking stride, he ducked under a stream of incoming plasma bolts and leapt up against the silo wall; using it as a springboard to push off and somersault over the second machine's head before hitting it centre mass with another high explosive rocket from close range while inverted. Tumbling into a roll upon landing, the golden-furred commando soon sprung up with practised ease and continued to run towards the other end of the gantry; moving to enter the solitary half-moon entrance way from where he presumed those machines had come from only to almost collide with a third that had been lying in wait.

Snapping away from the trooper's attempt to cave in his skull, Ratchet quickly countered its next swung rifle butt with his wrench before dancing away from a follow up strike; smashing the extended limb with as much force as he could muster and setting the machine up for his intended counter. With one arm joint malfunctioning from the disproportionate amount of force the lombax had brought to bear, the robot trooper elected to backpedal and make use of its secondary plasma rifle only to momentarily lose track of the intruder.

Optics and bio-sensors scanned the immediate 180 degree arc ahead, but were quickly rendered void by the still disguised lombax leaping up from behind and delivering an overhead wrench strike that buried itself deep into the machine's helm, before finishing off the now thoroughly blindsided trooper with his Tesla Claw at point blank range. Letting out a huff of annoyance for his momentary lapse in attention, Ratchet didn't even spare a glance towards the convulsing war machine as it collapsed on the gantry with a resounding clang of metal on metal; ignoring its still sparking and twitching form in favour of checking his Hologuise's integrity and completely sealing his helmet to help further conceal his identity just in case it failed.

Making a second attempt on the entrance way and the abrupt, confined corridor beyond with a much more cautious eye this time, the lombax kept his guard up as he advanced into the much longer and fairly wider room beyond with his Multi-Star ready to let fly. It was a stance well warranted as a pair of troopers were visibly patrolling along the far end beyond several large metal crates that lay strewn around at random; obscuring their lower halves and providing a source of cover once a third emerged from a side passage on the left and immediately opened up upon spotting the pair with a torrent of plasma.

Flipping sideways over the rain of incoming fire as the other two robots rushed to join in, Ratchet let fly with a spread of laser sharp throwing stars before tumbling into a roll that saw him hunkered down behind a soon to be pockmarked crate; letting the bladed projectiles ricochet off the walls and tear into the enemy while he switched weapons once more. Pushing himself back up and into the fray once more after the metal storm had died down, the lombax found his nearest foe missing an arm and covered in multiple gashes across its chassis that exposed the sensitive electronics beneath; making an easy mark for the HK22 Gun's wolf pack of target-seeking missiles and allowing him to focus on the other machines in short order.

Or at least that was the plan until more troopers began teleporting into the room from all sides; the pair taking cover at the rear laying down suppressive fire while the rest began to pile in.

"Ratchet, we are surrounded!" Clank exclaimed, even as his long time friend began to duck and weave with the lightning fast reflexes he was best known for.

"Ya don't say!" the golden-furred commando quipped back pirouetting in midair; unleashing another swarm of autonomous, high explosive missiles before seamlessly changing over to his grenade launcher and dropping its nuclear payload in the densest cluster of foes.

Lombax agility and endurance kept him alive and moving, but even so, his modified commando suit still sported several plasma burns from near misses and the odd glancing blow regardless of how well he fought. It was times like this that Ratchet was actually glad Ellen was elsewhere, regardless of how much the extra firepower would be appreciated. At least this way he could really cut loose without constantly worrying about her getting caught in the crossfire; allowing the lombax to carpet the area with explosive munitions that soon began to thin out the ridiculous number of teleporting squads while also gaining some vital breathing space.

After what felt like an age, but was in fact less than half a minute, it was all over; the lombax only realising upon lowering his still smoking Minirocket Tube from the now torso-less pair of sparking mechanical legs before him due to the sudden overbearing silence. "Well now... That wasn't so bad."

While Clank shook his helm at the offhand comment, Ratchet took the opportunity to reload his arsenal before swapping over to his Lava Gun and continuing on deeper into the silo complex; resuming the search for their employer's whereabouts while ever conscious that the window of opportunity was slipping away by the second.

'Wonder if Ellen's having any luck on her end?'

{()}

Aside from the constant blaring of intruder alarms in the background, things had been relatively quiet for the redheaded human as she made her way inside the bunker-like structure; the only real obstacles coming in the way of numerous permeable force fields that barred the way. These at least were relatively easy to deal with; deft use of her Tractor Beam on nearby containers of liquid rocket fuel allowing Ellen to partially block a portion of the multi-coloured beams and slip through the resulting gap.

It wasn't until she was a few levels down into the seemingly deserted facility - past an inspector bot activated set of blast doors and the subsequent cargo elevator ride beyond it - that she finally encountered the first signs of resistance in a widened, vaguely hexagonal missile storage room with walls covered in blast resistant material.

The gaggle of upgraded chickenbots were already moving before the lift doors had even fully opened; charging straight at the intruder as she stepped out into the short corridor separating the elevator shaft and storage area, and subsequently the cavernous muzzles of her Blitz Cannon too. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the combat drones never really had a chance against the repeated booms of electrified buckshot at such a close range; tearing through their thin armour as if it were wet tissue paper and leaving little more than rust red fragments scattered across the deck.

Racking her scatter gun to chamber the next round as she stepped into the room proper, a quick sweep on Ellen's part revealed that it was surprisingly bereft of both additional security forces or ordinance for that matter. In fact, there was only one missile left in the storage area whatsoever; a short, squat thing sealed in the same kind of container as those filled with rocket fuel she had been making use of earlier. That in itself begged the question of where exactly the rest had gone; especially since there were still recent drag marks on the steel-grated floor from what had to be a fair sized stockpile of similar containers, or perhaps bigger still going by some of the deeper marks.

There would be time to worry about that later however when time wasn't so short, and right now Ellen's main concern was finding a way through the thoroughly sealed blast door on the room's far side. Thankfully the solitary missile container proved to be just as receptive to her Tractor Beam's pull as those she had manipulated earlier; forming the basis of an ad hoc plan as she dragged it along the guide tracking boarding the room and manoeuvred it directly in front of the door before retreating to a safe distance on the opposite side.

Drawing her hand cannon, the human commando took careful aim at the translucent container's base and fired twice; the armour-piercing rounds punching through to embed in the missile beyond and detonating upon thumbing the additional button installed upon the grip. The resulting explosion almost put Ellen on her rear even from thirty odd feet away, such was the amount of force produced; shaking the very building itself and triggering the room's fire suppression systems.

Even with her helmet automatically sealing against the thick, choking mist emitted from ceiling based vents, the human was still left coughing a good minute later after it dissipated from what little had gotten into her lungs. Though in spite of that, and the excessive damage inflicted upon the far storage bay's resistant material coated walls, her improvised breaching charge served its purpose in putting the 'blast' into blast door; hurling what was left into the corridor beyond and apparently scything down a pair of waiting troopers as well if the mangled remains were anything to go by.

"Definitely should have thought that one through," Ellen murmured aloud while checking herself over; the pirated Hologuise having finally given up the ghost and leaving her identity as a commando exposed.

It wasn't like she could do much about that now anyway other than keeping her face covered, and so with Leviathan in hand and caution in each step, Ellen made her way through the gaping demolished doorway and out into what lay beyond. The corridor in question was easily wide enough to accommodate two heavy goods vehicles side by side; numerous wooden crates lying abandoned throughout its length and a half dome of translucent green glass enclosing it entirely. It also gave the human a good view of the factory floor a good storey or so below and the currently shutdown missile assembly lines; confirming her suspicions in part at least as to the facility's purpose.

Still, with the workforce likely having evacuated once the first alarms went off, at least she wouldn't have to worry about any innocents getting caught in the crossfire. But there was still one thing the redhead wanted to know however...

"What's with all the sheep?"

Quite aside from the oddity of seeing Earth-based animals or at least something that looked exactly like them on an alien planet far from home, they weren't exactly the sort of thing someone expects to see in the bowels of a weapons facility. And yet here they were; several of the woolly grazers aimlessly trotting around the corridor without a care in the world while letting out the occasional plaintive bleat.

Weird; but Ellen had definitely seen stranger things on her travels with Ratchet and Clank thus far.

Forcing herself to focus back on the task at hand, the human resumed her advance and picked up the pace upon noting the elapsed time on her helmet's chronometer; exiting via the corridor's far side and emerging out into a massive room packed with multiple layers of active conveyor belts that ran from one side to the other.

Given the amount of ordinance stacked neatly by size, and that nearly the entire right hand wall had been taken up with twenty by twenty foot square monitors displaying shipping orders, Ellen could only hazard that this was likely to be the plant's distribution centre. Security certainly seemed to match at least; with wall-mounted surveillance cameras, clusters of roaming chickenbots, and numerous patrolling troopers in attendance, while the only other exit was blocked off by yet another multicoloured force field barrier.

Time was short, and the chances of sneaking past all of that undetected next to nothing given the circumstances. Outnumbered as she was and with nowhere to hole up, the only real option was perhaps Ratchet's favourite go to tactic when faced with overwhelming odds: hit hard and fast, with as much explosive ordinance as possible. And so as Ellen ducked down out of sight behind a still running conveyor belt, she used the brief calm before the storm to observe the hanger-like room's occupants and plan out her assault for maximum effect; palming one of her Megaturret capsules and psyching herself up for what was to come.

'Really wishing you were here right now, fuzz ball. I just hope you're having better luck on your end...'

{()}

Across a small chasm formed within one of the silo complexes many corridors by a deliberately collapsed section of flooring, the firefight being waged between the defending security forces and currently no longer camouflaged intruder was reaching its climax; the lombax's Hologuise having shorted out from an unfortunate glancing blow.

Two troopers hunkered down behind cover on one side with a guard robot hovered out in the open as heavy support; all three filling the air with various degrees of plasma and trying to vaporise Ratchet through sheer volume of fire. But their target wasn't exactly sitting idle, and as the golden furred lombax made good use of his feline agility to bounce off a nearby wall, he sent a Mini-Nuke sailing across the void that dropped directly between the three machines before they could react; the resulting pillar of nuclear fire unsurprisingly wiping out the already damaged defenders wholesale and leaving few traces behind.

"There... I think that's the last of 'em," Ratchet stated lightly upon lowering his now empty grenade launcher; taking a moment to swap out the spent clip for a fresh one before switching over to his Lava Gun.

"Indeed; but there is no telling as to how many additional security robots are en route," Clank replied with a growing sense of urgency. "We must hurry."

Even as he spoke, the lombax was already taking a ramp up to the next level and around the corner; pace not slowing in the slightest until he came across a heavily sealed blast door with a familiar, triangular mechanism with three ports off to one side. With the borrowed Infiltrator in hand however, and a fair portion of trial and error on Ratchet's part - even with Clank's assistance - it didn't take very long for the lock's internal gyroscopic sphere to be correctly oriented, and the thick-plated metal portal to smoothly slide up into the ceiling. Taking a second to stow the gadget before switching back to something more lethal, the golden-furred commando couldn't help but grouse aloud as he rounded the open doorway and advanced inside.

"Stupid memory puzzles; why can't they just use keys like everybody- Whoa!"

Jerking away in surprise, a heavy ball of pure energy sailed past Ratchet's right ear by mere inches; close enough to singe the fine hairs off of his fur from the sheer heat output alone. The reason for his sudden interruption came in the form of twin mono-opticed guard robots hovering on the room's far side; one immediately unleashing a follow up shot while the other recharged its arm-mounted plasma cannon. Forewarned as he was now though, the lombax was already moving before the second machine could even target him; sprinting towards the closest wall and using it as a springboard to flip sideways through the air over more incoming fire while triggering a pair of rockets from his Minirocket Tube at the closest threat.

Thick armour plating absorbed at least some of the damage, but with one of the robotic guards already reeling away, it was all the opportunity Ratchet needed to switch out to his grenade launcher and end this before they could get lucky. Diving into a roll upon landing and narrowly avoiding yet another deadly ball of plasma, the furry commando quickly spammed off a few more rockets to keep the hulking machines busy before switching over to his grenade launcher on the move; arcing a Mini-Nuke so that it would land directly below the pair and backflipping away to escape the blast zone just before impact.

It was about as far removed from Ellen's more surgical sniping method as could be, but surely even she couldn't argue with the results once the miniature mushroom cloud finally dissipated several seconds later; both guard robots practically obliterated and the way clear once more, sans one crater formed from slagged, radioactive metal and occasional burning crate that is. While the automatic fire suppression system took care of that, Ratchet pushed through the thick rain coming from hidden valves above and past an entry way the bulky machines were previously guarding; soon finding himself in another open elevator shaft and riding its circular platform to the top before stepping off with all due caution.

The lombax hadn't gotten more than a few yards into what appeared to be yet another store room however, albeit one with blue under floor lighting pulsing through mesh decking, when his Wrist Com began to chime with an incoming call. Not recognising the number and with no ID to go one, Ratchet hesitantly pushed the holographic answer button and opted to project the video call onto a nearby wall; a slight haze of static interference resolving into the now familiar image of Angela Cross, who appeared to be in flight judging by the confined-looking seat she was strapped into and view of blurring stars through the canopy behind her.

"This is Angela Cross, calling Ratchet, on secure band seven-echo-foxtrot. Can you hear me?"

"Ratchet here," the golden-furred commando responded, "we read you loud and clear. What's the situation?"

"Just gone from bad to worse," Angela replied with a grimace. "We've just raided a Megacorp communications relay station, and the information-"

"Wait, who's 'we'?" Ratchet interrupted, only to get his answer almost straight away.

"That'd be me and her, mate," came a very distinctive Australian-accented voice from off screen. "Didn't think I'd just abandon me employer now, did ya?"

"Unlike some mercs I could mention," the rogue geneticist on screen groused with a shake of her head. "Still can't believe the Thugs would take over my flying hot lab..."

"But were Thugs-4-Less not working for you?" Clank enquired with a curious tilt of his helm.

Angela merely snorted in annoyance. "Not anymore they don't. Apparently, someone in Megacorp's upper management made them a better offer and contracted the whole company, with my lab's location thrown in as a sweetener. But from the information I managed to pull out of the relay network, it looks like they're supposed to be protecting a secret Protopet distribution centre somewhere near the galactic rim, for when the Protopet goes into mass production."

"Mass production!" Ratchet exclaimed with mounting horror. "Don't they even realise what they've got there?"

"Got the marketing strategy and everything, already lined up," the other lombax remarked with deceptive calm while reaching down to something off screen. "Here, watch this."

Angela's visage disappeared from the screen, only to be replaced with a video showing an alien child wearing a red baseball cap, white sneakers, and baggy blue tee along with blue shorts; probably not much more than eight years old. The little boy was of a humanoid species that Ratchet wasn't familiar with; possessing a short stature, creamy skin, and a distinctly bulbous, almost peanut-shaped head sporting twin antennas. But it was obvious he was upset by something considering the way he sat hunched up against the edge of an ornate fountain in some kind of park space with a ball clutched in one hand, crying and mumbling something to himself while the video's narrator began his spiel.

"Why is Billy sad? Is he cold? Hungry? Or maybe just..."

Still sniffling, 'Billy' suddenly looked up at something off screen only to freeze in terror; eyes widening and body quivering as an all too familiar ball of blue fluff hopped into view. "Oh no... No, no, take it away!"

"Lonely?" the narrator emphasised all too cheerfully.

"NOOOOOOOO!

"Introducing the Megacorp Protopet. Your child will shriek with joy when he meets our adorable friend!" As if to spite his words, the Protopet revealed its gaping maw of jagged teeth in the parody of a smile; playfully hopping toward the petrified boy until his back met the fountain wall. Perhaps realising he was still clutching it tightly amidst his terror, Billy pitched the stripy ball on a flat trajectory that saw it fly directly down the fluffy horror's throat; eyes bulging as it choked and hacked on the foreign object.

"Wanna play ball?" the narrator continued as Billy quickly whipped his head around in search of an escape route, not noticing the Protopet expelling his ball violently at ballistic speeds until being nailed directly in the stomach. "So does the Protopet! Need a partner for tag?" The camera cut away to where the little boy had been thrown by the impact several feet away; desperately scrambling to his feet and taking off at a sprint out of frame as the now snarling, predatory creature gave chase. "Go find the Protopet! Up for some cops and robbers?"

Re-entering the camera's field of view at a fast pace, Billy just wasn't quick enough as the Protopet pounced from behind and sent him sprawling; landing on the terrified child's back and pinning him down before hopping off and clamping its jaws down on his ankles. "Help! Police!"

But apparently no one was around to witness what was happening aside from whoever was filming this terror; the narrator carrying on with the same upbeat tone even as a wide angle shot showed the fluffy blue monstrosity spinning Billy around at high velocity, before suddenly letting go and sending him screaming through the air out of sight. "So is you-know-who. Just ask Billy!"

A quick cut away showed that he was alive at least, landing amongst the roots of a nearby tree and groggily trying to raise his head, before the still image of a grinning Mr Fizzwidget filled the screen; a Protopet held aloft in one hand while the company logo was proudly emblazoned in the background. "The Megacorp Protopet; stop by planet Boldan and get yours, free, from Abercrombie Fizzwidget himself!"

Ratchet slowly shook his head in disbelief as the commercial ended and Angela's face occupied the screen once more, giving her an unreadable look. "This is so messed up... Can't Megacorp see what that thing is capable of?"

"Megacorp plans to market a killer, " Clank added solemnly. "That is simply... unconscionable."

"Which is exactly what I've been trying to tell you," Angela shot back condescendingly; before continuing in a softer, imploring tone. "Now do you understand what I've been trying to do all this time? There will be disastrous consequences for the entire galaxy if that monster is distributed."

"Not if we can help it," the other lombax replied with rising determination. "We helped create this mess, and we're gonna fix it; one way or the other."

Though not quite as expressive, his little robot companion's face was equally firm. "We must get through to Mr Fizzwidget at once. His is the only authority within Megacorp high enough to cease all Protopet related operations."

Angela pinched the bridge of her nose with a long suffering sigh; one born of frustration at the commando team's apparent single track mind with regards to their employer. "Look, If you still think the old man will listen, you should try to catch up to him on planet Boldan. Sending you the coordinates now." Sure enough, a brief chime from Ratchet's Wrist Com a few seconds later indicated a received data package. "Meanwhile, Harding and I are going to start searching for this distribution centre and any others Megacorp might have, maybe shut them down before they're operational."

"We get ya, " Ratchet replied with a nod. "Good luck on your end."

"You too, mates, and your missus," Cash cut in once more from off screen. "Talk to you soon, yeah?"

The older lombax merely shook her head before signing off with a few last words of advice. "Watch your back out there, and whatever you do, don't trust Megacorp."

Once the transmission finally ended and he verified the data packet's contents, Ratchet turned to face his best friend; fist clenched and held up in determination. "This could be our last chance, pal."

Clank nodded back. "Then let us make it count. We should rendezvous with Ellen and set course for Boldan immediately. Time is of the essence."

The golden-furred commando couldn't agree more. With his little robotic counterpart safely on his back once more and the potential fate of yet another galaxy weighing down on their shoulders, Ratchet took off at best speed in search of the nearest exit; pounding along the metal corridors and not stopping for anything, even as he sought to contact his absent partner via Wrist Com, only to be left waiting while it attempted to connect.

"C'mon, c'mon..." he muttered out loud. "What's taking her so long?"

{()}

Ellen had, she decided unequivocally, just about had enough of this place; every corner of the subterranean weapons plant revealing nought but another obstacle in her path and an almost inevitable firefight to go with it. The human doubted Fizzwidget had ever been here in the first place, and even if that weren't the case, he almost certainly wasn't now. All she wanted to do was get out of here and link back up with her companions before any Megacorp strike teams could show up to flush her out, and that meant continuing to blast through whatever stood in her way with perhaps a little more projected anger than strictly necessary.

Things had only started to really go downhill from that drawn out battle over the plant's extensive distribution room; Ellen's plan to create a diversion with some well placed Megaturrets and precision sniping before slipping away past the force field barrier blocking her exit almost instantly shot down once it became evident that there was an inspector bot activated door just beyond. By then of course it had already been too late, and the redhead quickly found herself bogged down in a slugging match with a steadily increasing number of Megacorp troopers teleporting in to replace those lost.

It proved to be a severe reminder of just how lacking she was in terms of mobile heavy firepower, and how much she had relied upon Ratchet to provide it; not to mention the subsequent drain on dwindling ammunition reserves which subsequently left most of her weapons empty. In the end though she had prevailed, and once Ellen had hunted down an inspector bot and dragged its protesting rear over to the locked door with her Tractor Beam, she was on her way again; taking the revealed elevator up to what would prove to be the first of many warhead storage rooms with exceptionally sturdy bulkheads blocking her way forward. Also sheep, for some reason.

Lots and lots of sheep.

In fact, by the time she had simply demolished the third such wall of an otherwise sealed weapons bay by blowing up some of the stock, there were literally dozens of the woolly maggots clogging the corridors in-between; wandering around aimlessly and generally getting in the damn way, with some getting caught in the crossfire. There still didn't appear to be an explanation as to why herds of sheep were traipsing through the bowels of a Megacorp weapons production facility though; unless, God forbid, somebody in the company had played Worms somehow and gotten ideas relating to ovine based weaponry that is.

That thought in turn along with her general annoyance had led to the current situation; whereby a trio of troopers accompanied by a single hovering robot guard occupied a small room just ahead, and a few dozen sheep stood between Ellen and her goal. It didn't take much to get them moving, and once one was sufficiently startled the rest soon followed; stampeding down the narrow corridor in the opposite direction and surprising the hell out of the mechanised security stationed just beyond just before being flattened under a tirade of hooves.

The sole remaining guard robot looked like it didn't quite believe what its solitary optic was seeing as it hovered motionlessly in place, which made it just as easy to dispatch once the human strolled into the room moments later and put an explosive, armour-piercing slug through its helm without breaking stride; the herd bolting away from the sudden commotion and allowing her to pass by unscathed. Letting the doors seal behind her once she had stepped through, subsequently drowning out the constant sound of bleating in the process, Ellen soon found herself in an enclosed circular chamber with no other exit.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were a smooth, sterile white; lacking in any distinctive features and only serving to emphasise the centrally located raised pedestal. But it was the item which lay upon it that caught her attention the most; a squat-looking compact gun with a single stubby barrel set amidst a cone of surrounding, recessed emitters and sporting a dull blue finish. The redhead stepped up and reached forth in curiosity only to pause as she caught sight of a powered on datapad tucked partially underneath, carefully pulling it free and dusting off the screen before skimming through the details, though she had to raise a brow at the given title.

"The... Sheepinator...?"

According to what she could understand of the condensed research notes and specifications for the weapon before her, the Sheepinator was an experimental device designed to alter the target's physical makeup at the atomic level via a process referred to as 'transmogrification'. All the operator would have to do in theory was paint a creature, sentient, or even vehicle with the weapon's beam for a sufficient period of time and it would be converted into a harmless woolly grazer. But the Sheepinator apparently still suffered from teething troubles and wasn't quite perfected; resulting in the device being locked away until such time it could be sufficiently fixed by Megacorp engineers.

Was that why there were so many sheep roaming the plant's corridors? Were they all just company employees who had somehow been accidentally transformed and left to roam free? Ellen honestly didn't know, and nor was there time to contemplate seeing as she had an incoming call from her absent partner; one which she promptly answered. "Hey, fuzz ball. Please tell me I don't have to come and pull your ass out of the fire again."

"We found out where the old man's gonna be, but we gotta get going right now if we're gonna make it on time," Ratchet managed between breaths; the occasional snap of gunfire in the background indicating that he was probably fighting on the move while speaking.

"It would appear that Megacorp has finalised production on the Protopet and plan to distribute it in great numbers," Clank added, only to be temporarily cut off by a deafening explosion that made Ellen wince. "Mr Fizzwidget is scheduled to be at the associated publicity event on planet Boldan this afternoon."

"Jesus Christ..." the human couldn't help but swear at the thought of mass produced Protopets running amok. "If those things get loose..."

"I know," her lombax counterpart replied with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Drop whatever you're doing and get back to the ships, we'll meet you there."

"On the way, see you soon," Ellen acknowledged before the call cut off; tossing aside the datapad and snatching up the Sheepinator before pounding back the way she came, only to halt as she caught sight of a teleporter pad secreted off to one side of the room.

Although it was marked as an 'emergency exit: Assembly Point', the redhead was more than a little dubious about making use of it. There was no telling whether the activation pad even worked or where exactly it might lead; not to mention the induced nausea brought on by being broken down at the sub-atomic level and reassembled elsewhere. But with time short and backtracking liable to take far too long even without the danger of running into Megacorp reinforcements, Ellen realised she had little choice but to take the plunge; pushing down the gnawing sense of unease lining the pit of her stomach and stepping up to the teleporter pad.

Fortunately or not, depending on your perspective, everything appeared to be working just fine and powered up immediately upon Ellen's approach. A rising hum of power quickly proceeded the unwelcome but expected pull and distortion of reality, accompanying a blinding flash of white light that saw her rematerialise back outside on the same railed observation deck adjoining the dam from which she had covered Ratchet on his initial run. Only this time it was occupied, and although momentarily startled by her sudden appearance in their midst, the surrounding cluster of mutant test squirrels quickly rallied and surged forth with hungry eyes.

Ellen's reaction was instinctive, automatically punching the weapon still clutched in one hand towards the nearest foe and holding down the trigger before her brain could even register anything coherent. A constant glowing stream of swirling particles struck its intended target squarely in the chest as it pounced; playing over blood red fur for but a brief moment before engulfing the creature entirely in a brilliant flash of light that left nought but an incredibly confused sheep and several clumps of wool to tumble out of the air and bounce across the deck with a startled bleat.

"Baa?"

Judging by the way their reactions, the remaining squirrels were just as bewildered; not sure whether to continue attacking or if their former pack member turned prey animal would make for an easier meal. That momentary hesitation was all Ellen needed to permanently take the decision out of their claws; sweeping across the gathered crowd with her Sheepinator and converting them all into harmless woolly livestock just as Ratchet cleared the downed force field gate nearby at a nigh sprint. The reason for which was the flight of Megacorp dropships arriving overhead and auguring towards the facilities; preparing to beam down their deadly cargo of fresh troops and eliminate those who dared to attack company property.

The lombax certainly had no inclination to stick around and give them a target, although he couldn't help but slow down and stare at the absurdity of his human partner inexplicably surrounded by milling sheep. "...What?"

"Sheepinator," She offer by way of explanation while raising aloft a new weapon he'd never seen before. "Found it in the weapons planet, thought it might come in handy."

Ratchet blinked as he looked back and forth between redhead, the Sheepinator, and the transmogrified squirrels, before offering her a grin. "Nice find. But, uh... we should probably get out of here, right now."

"Agreed," Clank added. "It will not take long for the security forces to extend their search and ascertain our location."

Yeah, that was probably a good idea; especially since another wave had just arrived to support the platoon strength mixture of troopers and robot guards already fanning out on the ground.

Still, at least they didn't seem to notice as the three retraced their earlier path back across the dam and slipped away; riding the elevator back down to ground level and making best speed towards their parked ships while trying to avoid suspicion. With their pirated Hologuises blown, Ratchet and Ellen were forced to conceal themselves behind a thicket of shrubbery just shy of the ravine spanning bridge as yet another tour group passed by, but otherwise encountered no further trouble en route. That is, until they reached the tour bus drop off point and diverted off into the surrounding foliage; approaching the nearby copse of willow-like trees where their respective vessels lay, only to encounter a most... unusual character.

Stood before them in a small clearing was a tall and gangly youth of yet another species unfamiliar to Ellen; humanoid with three digit hands like many others, but with fair skin and floppy, almost lombax-like ears. It was his mannerisms along with what he was wearing however that drew a raised brow from both commandos; thick square-rimmed glasses perched upon a prominent nose and a clearly home made superhero costume complete with a blanket 'cape' only seeming to epitomise the stereotypical 'nerdy fan' image.

Unfortunately said costume was of a style and particular shade of green associated with but one man who had caused so much strife for the three companions back in Solana, the all too familiar logo now clearly visible on the fan boy's shirt as he did... something to a small device held in one palm with an oversized hammer while seemingly talking to himself about a 'super electro gadget'.

"Qwark..." they chorused together

Jolting upright with surprise at the sudden realisation he had an audience, the costumed youth recoiled with wide eyes and a drawn out, overdramatic gasp upon catching sight of the two commandos stood less than a dozen feet away; an expression that quickly turned to a glare as he posed with fisted hands on hips. "Ratchet of Veldin and the tartan wench; I knew this day would come!"

"The hell did you call me?" Ellen growled out as she took a step forward, only for Ratchet's arm to bar her way in order to prevent premature violence.

"Draw your last, enemy mine," the fan boy continued bombastically while waving around his hammer; apparently oblivious to the impassive looks he was getting. "For I shall smite you with my Hammer of Power, in the name of Captain Qwark!"

The gangly youth's last few words were punctuated by him leaping forth with his weapon raised; Ratchet and Ellen taking no chances as they spilt apart and rolled to either side of his hasty attack, before whirling around with their respective melee weapons drawn for battle. It was however an action that proved to be completely unnecessary due to their potential adversary faceplanting heavily onto unforgiving ground with a pained groan; thanks in part no doubt to an untied shoelace and the hammer's weight subsequently throwing him off balance. It still didn't shut the fan boy up however, nor the tirade of melodramatic drivel issuing from his mouth as he rolled over onto his back with glasses askew.

"Sweet death," he faux choked, "at last we meet. Noblely, I fall on the field of battle. FINISH ME, LOMBAX!"

Ratchet merely rolled his eyes with an almost contemptious snort. "We don't have time for this. Come on, lets get out of here.".

"W-w-wait!" the Qwark fan stuttered angrily as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "You shamed the greatest superhero who ever lived! You owe me something!"

"Qwark's no hero, and probably never really was," Ellen stated bluntly with perhaps a little more harshness than intended. "I mean, this is the same guy who sold out the whole of Solana just to boost his career for crying out loud; including lord knows how many adoring fans. Is someone like that really worth looking up to and admiring?"

"Lies! all of it! The great Captain Qwark is a beacon of truth, justice and freedom for all!"

"I am afraid you are mistaken, sir," Clank interceeded. "The Captain was incarcerated for a good reason-"

Before he could continue however, the rabid fan boy launched himself up with an incoherent screeching cry and straight at the nearby redhead once more; swinging his hammer on a horizontal arc aimed at her upper chest. What he hadn't counted on however was Ellen's multitude of experience and ingrained reflexes kicking into high gear; ducking and using her blade to deflect his weapon away, before grabbing hold of the extended arm and using it as leverage for an over the shoulder throw. The Qwark fan slammed down on his back with an expulsion of air from his lungs as she completed the manoeuvre, lying there with a groan as the human kicked away his weapon and stood back with a frown.

"Sorry, but you didn't exactly give me much of a choice, and right now we've bigger problems to deal with."

"W-we're not done here!" the now dishevelled looking youth wheezed as they passed by. "I won't allow you to further sully the good Captain's name while I yet breathe!"

"Uh-huh, you keep telling yourself that," Ratchet dryly shot back over shoulder without breaking stride. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got a galaxy to save... again."

The trio soon disappeared from view into a copse of willow-like trees, and the faint whine of engines spooling up sounded as the Qwark fan boy forced himself back up into a sitting position for the second time in as many minutes; leaving him staring up with a scowl at the pair of Star Explorers lifting off above the tree line before rocketing towards the heavens. Staggering to his feet, teeth grit with anger at being brushed aside as if he were nothing, the youth reset his thick-rimmed glasses and stewed at the very thought of being brought so low by those cretinous fools.

"Rue this day lombax, and your friends too," he growled out bitterly; a shaking fist rising skywards. "For I, Stuart Zurgo, shall have my revenge for this insult and for Captain Qwark, if it's the last thing I do!"

Little did the departed trio know that they had made an enemy that day; or that the brief encounter's events would have far reaching repercussions in years to come.

Unknown Location, Deep Space

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.083 Galactic calendar

2:07pm GST

"Look, If you still think the old man will listen, you should try to catch up to him on planet Boldan. Sending you the coordinates now." There was a brief pause before the female voice continued once more. "Meanwhile, Harding and I are going to start searching for this distribution centre and any others Megacorp might have, maybe shut them down before they're operational."

"We get ya, " came the expected reply. "Good luck on your end."

"You too, mates, and your missus," Cut in a distinctly accented male voice "Talk to you soon, yeah?"

Flipping a switch on the control panel once the intercepted transmission cut off, the vessel's solitary occupant couldn't help but grin in anticipation. "Well now, wasn't that interesting..."

Manoeuvring out of its hiding spot amongst an asteroid belt, the distinctly golden yellow-painted starfighter angled abruptly to one side before accelerating off on a new course; it's pilot switching to a uniquely encrypted communications channel on his central console and putting out a call that was answered almost immediately. "Well?"

"It's me, I've found her. Moving to retrieve now."

The presence on the other end of the line nodded, its features unrecognisable due to how deliberately scrambled the video feed and audio were. "Good, see that you do. I don't need to remind you how critical the doctor is to the success of stage three; make sure you bring her in alive."

"Understood, sir," Ace replied just before the transmission was cut off from the other end; a growing smirk on his face at what was to come. "Consider it done."

Well we all know what's coming next, and it certainly isn't going to be sunshine and rainbows for our heroes once they hit Todano. A little future foreshadowing there with one Stuart Zurgo and a slightly modified level path since encountering him the normal way wouldn't make sense plot wise. Also a very brief glimpse of the long absent and elusive Ace Bunyon, but as to what he's up to and for whom? That I'm afraid won't be revealed for a good while yet.

Review replies:

Light Seeker 001 - In the game at least, you could technically buy it as soon as you reached the Gadgetron saleswoman on planet Barlow provided you were willing to grind enough bolts for the insane price tag, but I'm not sure whether I'll actually be including it in this story yet. Also, while I can confirm Ellen will be part of the Secret Agent Clank holovid show by the time we get round to Up Your Arsenal, I won't be revealing what her role will be yet. You'll just have to wait and see…

starrat - Thank you kindly, once again.

Firestar5277 - I know, right? Having been pounced upon by one from a park bin once, I confirm that squirrels are indeed evil! Rabbits can certainly be vicious too when properly motivated, and as for Watership Down… Yeah, that's one movie guaranteed to scar small children's minds and anyone else for that matter who was expecting cute and cuddly. To think there's supposed to be a remake in the works too… Thanks again, and take care.

lkdog - Doesn't help the little buggers are everywhere; watching and waiting with those beady little eyes… Not that I'm paranoid or anything *ahem*. Anyway, glad you liked it overall, and good luck on your story too. Cheers again!

Razor of DOOM - Done and fixed, thanks for the spot.

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

DarkEnigma95 - Glad you liked the chapter, and no worries; chapter 4 was posted a hell of a long time back after all. Things are definitely going to get worse before they get better, but long odds are nothing new for ratchet, Clank, and Ellen by now. Thanks again.

Sonachugirl - Me too; they really are a misfit little family in their own kind of way, and that scenario was just begging to be written. Plus Clank trying to pass himself off as a small child was an image that just wouldn't leave me. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last one and, uh, your box too. Take care.

The White Guardian - Hey again, and don't worry; it sounds like you've had enough to deal with as is in order to review, though I'm certainly glad you did. Though I've already responded to your PM in kind, let me just say thank you once again taking the time to build all that on LBP 3, and for sharing it too via Deviant Art. Expect to have a lot more traffic coming your way if I've got anything to say about it.

I have to say, it would be nice if Insomniac could make a more free roaming Ratchet and Clank game that allowed you to explore star clusters and such at will; navigating around by ship before landing planetside and checking the place out on foot or vehicle. I could see it working as an online MMO of sorts with co-op parties, quests, events, etc; not to mention loot of course. For now though, No Man's Sky is shaping up to be a pretty good alternative, and I honestly can't wait to play it.

When playing the level itself, my play style is near enough the same; kill it with fire and use the environment to lethal effect. Of course if Ratchet and Ellen did so then there wouldn't exactly be much of a chapter since they would - no pun intended - blaze through the canon opposition in a matter of minutes, and that doesn't exactly make things interesting story wise. Didn't know the Groovitron worked on vendors in the remake though; I'll have to try that out sometime.

Also, Ratchet-verse logic never makes sense; especially with regards to something potentially lethal. But then again, with the Protopet being given away to the public for free, there will always be a disproportionate number of people willing to turn a blind eye or otherwise ignore the issue at hand until it's far too late. Thank you once again, for everything, and hope you like the next chapter too.

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

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337