Author's note:
Sorry for being so damn late, but before we finally start I have news both good and bad. The Good news is that I've just about managed to get this chapter finished on my self imposed deadline day in spite of losing a week to multiple rewrites and having to rush the rest to completion. The bad news however is that this will also be the last chapter of Whole Again for a fair while. With the exception of Christmas and family holidays, I've been working on this story virtually non-stop for around 16 months now, and it's really starting to grind me down; not to mention the overall quality is starting to suffer as a result.
In short, I really need to take a break from this story for a while; maybe work on one of my other ideas and omakes to get the creative juices flowing again, albeit at a much slower pace. Rest assured though that I haven't given up on Whole Again and will see it through to the end no matter what, just not yet. In the meantime though, I hope this chapter will suffice until such time I'm able to get started once again, probably a few months down the line. Thank you all for understanding, and sorry for any disappointment this may cause.
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 29:
Arresting Developments
Silver City, Boldan
Bogon Galaxy
G2.17.083 Galactic calendar
12:04pm local time
"Move!"
Ellen was already moving before the words had fully left the lombax's mouth, diving right and throwing herself to the ground as multiple detonations bracketed the space they had been occupying mere moments ago, before crawling into what little cover was provided by the remains of an ornate fountain nearby. Between the constant explosions nearby and that other asshole raining down lethal beams of energy from above, along with a handful of automated machine gun turrets he had dropped off along the way, it was all the redhead could do to poke her carbine over the top and blindly spray rounds in the attacker's general direction; sheer volume of fire keeping her pinned down
It also didn't help that she couldn't coordinate with either of her companions due to some kind of electronic interference scrambling local communications, and had subsequently lost track of them once they had separated. But if the sudden slackening of heavy calibre rounds impacting her deteriorating cover along with slightly more distant explosions were anything to go by, then Ratchet was doing a fine job in splitting the thug's fire and drawing attention away from her precarious position; that momentary loss of concentration being all she needed to set up her own Megaturrets and repay the favour in kind.
Identifying each other as the most immediate threat, the two opposing clusters of sentries targeted one another in a rapid exchange of sparking bullets and trailing rockets; taking the heat off Ellen long enough for her to draw a proper bead on the airborne thug and squeeze off an extended burst that had him jinking away. Another electrified pulse from his extravagantly decorated rifle soon had her ducking back down though as the near miss scored a trench along the tiled plaza; coming close enough to trigger the commando suit's temperature warning alert such was the heat.
Ratchet for his part had been working his way around one side of the plaza at a rapid pace in order to outflank the brothers and hopefully catch them in the crossfire, only for a number of Buddy Bling's deployed sentries to try and shred him in passing; shredding benches and decorative greenery alike in a torrent of fire but otherwise unable to keep up in their attempt to track him. It was a problem that seemed to solve itself as the guns came under sustained rocket fire from Ellen's Megaturrets; a pair of Mini-Nukes lobbed in passing managing to engulf and practically vaporise whatever was left with nuclear fire and give Ratchet a clear run at his own target.
An errant twitch and sudden, leaping somersault to one side saw the lombax just barely avoid a bazooka shell aimed at his feet courtesy of Buddy Boom; the heavy explosive sending out a localised shockwave of concentric rings on impact that could easily shatter concrete. Tumbling into a roll upon landing and narrowly avoiding a follow up shot from the heavy weapon's second launch tube, Ratchet opted to fight fire with fire through way of his Minirocket Tube; loosing off an explosive-tipped warhead that struck the thug centre mass with a resounding detonation.
All that seemed to do however was blacken the merc's incredibly thickly padded vest along with his temper, causing him to momentarily stagger back a few steps from the impact before stalking forth once again with his grenade launcher thumping rhythmically. The constant chain of detonations following his every move certainly forced Ratchet to keep mobile as he continued to pump rockets into the ridiculously well protected thug; continuing to have little effect against Boom's blast suit or even slowing him down as he reloaded his bazooka and any fired once again, taunting the lombax all the while.
To make matters worse, Buddy Bling had apparently decided to shift targets and give the lombax a taste of his lightning bolt-spewing rifle in lieu of the human he believed to be contained by his turrets; the subsequent blue flash and thunderclap striking a nearby tree instead and leaving enough static discharge in the air to make the fine hairs of Ratchet's fur stand on end. It was a folly disproved moments later however as the jetpack-using merc was struck from behind by a cluster of small rockets followed by an extended burst of automatic fire, sparks dancing off the twin turbines housing as he veered away with Ellen's turrets continuing to track and empty what was left of their ammo at him.
"Hey asshole, you forget about me?"
Swapping over to her recently acquired HK22 Gun, Ellen sent a sextet of target-seeking missiles towards the airborne thug and tried to keep his focus on her; splitting the brothers attention and firepower so they couldn't properly coordinate with one another. Unfortunately Buddy Bling was prepared for her this time and defensively raised a gauntlet-covered arm to cover his torso, the missiles exploding harmlessly a good foot or so away against a shimmering blue, translucent barrier that had suddenly sprung into life.
'No fair! He's got shields too?'
The redhead's annoyance was quickly pushed aside however in favour of finding some form of countermeasure, letting off a few more salvos for good measure and scrambling out of cover as her still shielded foe charged straight at her in a sudden burst of speed and crashed through what was left of the now demolished fountain. A chunk of flying debris impacting the small of Ellen's back drew a pained grunt and would have thrown her off balance were it not for the all too familiar rush of adrenaline flooding her veins; instead using the momentum to spin on her heel and loose off a pair of explosive-tipped hand cannon rounds that finally blew out the merc's personal shield and left him momentarily dazed.
Buddy Bling on the other hand was less than enthused at the divots and blackened portions adorning his previously gleaming armour as he continued to take fire, especially once he realised that his 24 carat gold paint job was ruined and raritanium encrusted belt missing a good few cut stones as well. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, messes with the ice! Get 'em, boys!"
Having taken the opportunity to hunker down behind a raised flowerbed nearby that offered nowhere near as much protection as she would have liked, Ellen was just about to press her advantage when she caught sight of a large silver canister flung her way; splitting open in mid-air and disgorging a gaggle of chickenbots that surged forth the second they hit the ground. Worse still, the bulbous lumps on either side of their diminutive frames looked suspiciously like explosive charges and Ellen didn't feel like taking any chances; a theory quickly confirmed once the first one to take a heavy calibre hand cannon round exploded spectacularly along with two others caught in the blast radius.
By the time she had backpedalled and taken down the remainder with her shotgun, the redhead's assailant was already airborne and easily soaring out of range once more; alighting himself atop a nearby boutique and dropping another cluster of automated turrets before switching back to his beam cannon. Constant movement made Buddy Bling an exceptionally hard target to hit; only staying still long enough to get a bead and fire once his weapon was charged and preventing her own deployed turrets from drawing an adequate bead on him.
More concerning however was the constant stream of blue energy that now stretched from his gauntlet to where Buddy Boom was still engaged in his own vicious battle and covered him in a shimmering blue glow; one that seemed to resist all forms of damage considering the Mini-Nuke that just splashed harmlessly against it, along with anything else Ratchet could throw at him. All the lombax knew was that the appropriately named Buddy Boom had suddenly turned the tables once more and left him on the defensive; allowing the much larger merc to spam bouncing grenades and bazooka shells with impunity as he stalked forth, taunting all the while.
"What's the matter runt, can't stand the heat?"
Backflipping away from yet another bazooka round that blew chunks out of the plaza beneath his feet, Ratchet countered with a stream of faux lightning from his Tesla Claw in an attempt to short out the shield; the surface crackling with electricity but otherwise doing damn little. Boom's blast suit had already proven to be virtually immune to all forms of explosives due its very nature, with bullets only marginally more effective when concentrated on a single spot through sheer volume of fire. But thanks to the ridiculously resilient shield he was practically invincible right now; with Ratchet unable to land a decisive blow, nor properly target the jetpack equipped thug soaring above who seemed like the obvious power source considering that energy tether between them.
Or at least not without being blown to pieces while otherwise distracted anyway.
It didn't help that unassailable merc insisted on saturating everywhere he went with a constant rain of explosives that kept the lombax on the run and unable to truly fight back, something that was starting to get old really fast. But thankfully that soon became a non-issue once his partner started laying down supporting fire; her turrets taking on their counterparts atop the same building Buddy Bling was orbiting while a crimson beam from her Vaporizer struck his left gauntlet just off from its glowing core, causing it to spark and fizzle out altogether while he cursed up a storm. More importantly, it killed the connection between the two brothers and the translucent barrier protecting Boom to flicker out of existence; leaving him exposed to Ratchet's frustration driven assault.
"My turn!"
There was no telling if Bling had a back up shield or any other tricks up his sleeves and Ratchet intended to push the advantage before he could otherwise do so; leaping over the shockwave from an incoming bazooka shell before promptly switching over to his grenade launcher and dropping its localised nuclear payload directly on Boom's position. What he hadn't expected however was for the merc to point his bazooka directly at the floor and pull the trigger mere moments before impact; the resulting detonation propelling him almost vertically and back across the plaza to the lombax's astonishment, with no visible signs of harm upon landing heavily on both feet.
"The hell?" Ellen blurted incredulously over their radio link while rolling aside from another blue beam lancing out at her from above. "Did he just rocket jump?!"
Taking advantage of the two commandos bewilderment, Buddy Bling opted to drop off a fresh batch of drones before activating his undamaged gauntlet's personal shield and diving straight at the human once more; aiming to permanently flatten her against the plaza's unforgiving tiled floor. What he hadn't counted on however was Ratchet's rapid reactions and the fact his jetpack's exhaust nacelles were left exposed even when his shield was active; presenting a tempting target for the lombax's Heavy Lancer as it filled the sky with shock-modded rounds.
That didn't stop the now recovered Buddy Boom from trying to interfere with a fresh spread of grenades however, but he was currently too far away for them to do much more than cause property damage until he could lumber back into range. That in turn gave Ratchet a chance to adequately lead the threat to his partner as she triggered her Jump Pack and leapt out of the merc's way; several electrified bullets pinging off his shield and striking the nacelles, overloading sensitive internal machinery and causing it to cough out black smoke.
Bling's charge faltered and he almost ploughed into the ground with the sudden loss of power, his shield popping too as power was redirected and shunted into the jetpack in an effort to keep him airborne. Before either commando could exploit the thug's sudden vulnerability however, an incoming bazooka round and its subsequent shockwave reminded them that Boom was still in play and back in effective range; another cluster of grenades detonating between them as his brother used the covering fire to beat a hasty retreat on his single functioning engine. It was as Ratchet and Ellen prepared to respond in kind however that the merc in question suddenly hunched down and leaned forward, exposing his back mounted missile pack and its protruding cargo.
"Let's see how you like this!"
Eyes widening in realisation, Ellen broke left and hunkered down behind a miraculously intact barricade while Ratchet dove sideways and jammed down the trigger of his Tesla Claw as a pair of missiles streaked forth across the short distance between them; each warhead splitting apart into multiple micro missiles that continued to swarm forth in an irregular, shifting patterns. Though the arcing electrical discharge managed to tag several and cause them to prematurely detonate in midair it still wasn't enough; the remainder continuing on unimpeded towards their intended target and blanketing the area with multiple detonations that tore up vast swathes of the plaza and everything in it.
Having alighted himself next to his brother, Buddy Bling ejected his ruined jetpack to save on weight and settled back with a grin as they waited for the smoke to clear out; eager to confirm the results of Boom's handiwork and collect on their reward. "Nice shooting bro, ain't no way they're walkin' away from that. Pizza party, here we come!"
Buddy Boom merely remained focused upon where their opponents had disappeared, taking the opportunity to reload while replying with slow deliberation. "Not yet we're not; not without seeing the bodies." The last two missile on his back-mounted pack cycled into launch position as he braced himself and prepared to fire once again. "Just to be sure..."
Unfortunately for them, the brothers would have their answer a lot sooner than they thought; the sarcastic response brewing on Bling's lips replaced with a startled cry as a ruby red beam cut through the lingering smoke and struck the protruding warheads in Boom's missile pack, blowing both it and the contents to pieces. The blast suit, while ruptured, managed to save his life once more as the resulting shockwave slammed him into the unforgiving ground and stole his breath, with Bling not faring much better considering how far away his groaning form had been flung.
But both mercs were accustomed to violence if nothing else and quickly rallied themselves once more, eyes narrowing at the two sullied figures striding through the nigh dissipated clouds of smoke and debris. The taller redheaded one stowed a rapidly cooling sniper rifle in a single fluid motion, while the shorter lombax beside her had a Minirocket Tube resting over one shoulder and a vicious grin on his face as they advanced closer.
"Hey fellas, you miss us?" Ratchet paused for effect before looking over his dirty but otherwise virtually undamaged commando suit. "Oh wait, you already did."
Oddly enough, they didn't seem to appreciate his sense of humour one bit; Bling spamming drones and turrets on the move as he sought a better position while both of Buddy Boom's heavy weapons spat explosive death as the two sides closed once more in a clash of bullets, bombs, and blunt instruments. Certainly the brothers were fighting much more cohesively than they were before, actively supporting one another and trying to hem the two commandos in through sheer weight of fire while bombarding them all the while. But Ratchet and Ellen had more than enough experience fighting together against insane odds and were hardly going to back down now, ever conscious of time slipping away and opting to break out the heavy artillery.
Now that she didn't have to worry about accidentally hitting her own companions, Ellen managed to leapfrog from cover to cover and push herself close enough to unleash her Bouncer on the mercs general position; the spread of bouncing bomblets wiping out whole swathes of drones and turrets, along with forcing Buddy Bling to hunker down behind his shield. She soon had to relocate herself however as Boom arced a bazooka shell to land directly on top of her current position, but thankfully the follow up grenade salvo was thrown off target by a pair of rockets from Ratchet's launcher to the chest; the lombax in question agilely leaping from one obstacle to another between shots and keeping up the pressure.
It didn't help that Bling was now actively trying to demolish any nearby cover with his extravagantly decorated cannon between sending out yet more chickenbots and sentry guns in rapidly diminishing numbers, particularly focusing upon those the lombax was using as vantage points and constantly keep moving on the run. Ellen meanwhile was alternating between keeping him busy with her HK22 Gun's homing missiles and working her way into shotgun range, ducking down behind a crumbling barricade before a piercing blue beam meant for her took a chunk off the top and dropping another cluster bomb to deal with the latest drone wave.
She was quickly forced to vacate the position however just before it could be flattened entirely by another explosive barrage and the brother's wrath seemed to focus upon her once more, giving Ratchet the opportunity he needed to hook around the otherwise preoccupied Buddy Boom's rear and hit him in perhaps the only weak point on his blast suit. Now that the missile pack had been violently removed from play, a good patch of the lumbering merc's back was exposed to the elements along with the burnt flesh beneath; something the lombax had no hesitation in exploiting to the fullest as he accounted for the projectile drop of his Meteor Gun and held down the trigger.
It probably would have worked too if it weren't for the weakened shield that had sprung into life around the merc and flickered with every impact; a swung bazooka almost catching Ratchet in the face had he not pulled in the nick of time, shooting all the while. Ellen tried to land a decisive blow on Buddy Bling herself - or at least force him to drop the projected barrier - but was far too preoccupied with trying to keep the seemingly never-ending waves of turrets and drones at bay, and so only managed to score a glancing hit with her hand cannon before having to break away.
Her snapshot must have hit something vital however as Bling's second gauntlet began to short out along with the shield protecting his brother; a brief look of panic registering on his face along with a bitten off curse. "Dammit! These fools are tougher'n we thought... Smoke and go bro, we're outtie!"
Smashing through several of the remaining drones swarming them and leaving Ellen to run one through with her Versa Blade, Ratchet tuned his attention back to the brothers only to see Boom slinging an arm over Bling's shoulder and hauling him away just as a quartet of smoke grenades filled the air with a choking grey cloud. The growing sound of whirling rotor blades from above announced the return of the attack chopper from earlier and it wasn't particularly hard to figure out what they had in mind; a hail of suppressing cannon fire and rockets keeping Ratchet and Ellen pinned down while the wounded mercs clambered aboard its extended wings once more and bugged the hell out.
By the time either commando could muster themselves the loaded down helo was already clawing its way skywards; rotor downwash dissipating the smokescreen in swathes and allowing them an uninterrupted view of the completely devastated plaza. It also meant they could clearly see the chopper's passengers as they flew overhead; Bling tapping at something on his cradled arm while Boom yelled back over his shoulder. "You might've won this time but we'll be back; assuming you live that long... All yours boys!"
Ratchet was sorely tempted to send a rocket their way before the chopper could get out of range while Ellen tried to lead it with her sniper rifle, hoping to maybe take out the rotor housing and force a crash landing. But before they could do anything of the sort, the shield walls keeping them penned in on either side of the plaza powered down and the entrenched mercs waiting impatiently at the Silver Bay hotel across the road opened up without hesitation; bathing the area with a swathe of fire and forcing the pair to scramble for cover.
"Oh come on!" Ellen exclaimed as she hunched down behind one of the few barricades still left standing in the plaza, swapping over to her Visibomb Gun and angling the muzzle so that it stood vertically. "Can't we get a break, for five minutes?"
"I guess not," Ratchet quipped back over their radio link as he shot forward with plasma skimming by close enough to burn through proximity; snapping off a rocket downrange as his partner's launched TV guided missile streaked overhead and sliding into cover behind a heap of assorted debris. "But hey, at least we won't get bored."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that won't be an issue here fuzz ball," the redhead responded dryly; twin detonations reverberating across the road separating both sides along with angered yelling and a marked increase in gunfire raining down on her position. "But what about Mr Fizzwidget? By the time we get past these guys he could be long gone."
"Agreed" Clank added from his position on Ratchet's back; the lombax in question vaulting over a collapsed barricade and loosing off another pair of rockets before rolling into concealment once more. "It is likely that Thugs-4-Less will soon seek to evacuate Mr Fizzwidget off world should they feel unable to prevent our incursion. We must hurry before it is too late."
Another remotely controlled missile from Ellen's Visibomb Gun quickly followed the first in angling towards a set of fortified mini bunkers lining the hotel's front stairs, one of which was already a smouldering ruin. Before it had covered half the distance however, the warhead's built in nose camera picked up a plasma cannon-packing brute just as he released his weapon's built up charge in the redhead's direction; forcing her to duck low with a fearful yelp as the top half of her cover was vaporised entirely.
That also meant she was no longer in control of her TV guided missile however and so it continued upon its present course without interruption; slamming into the top of the Silver Bay hotel's faux marble facade and sending debris raining down, along with revealing two previously cloaked figures as their active camouflage temporarily flickered out. "Heads up, we got snipers!"
True to Ratchet's words, a pair of Thugs-4-Less' dedicated marksmen were perched on either end of the building's roof and attempting to lead the pair now that their positions had been exposed. Ratchet twitched to one side as high velocity rifle rounds cracked through the air far too close for comfort, leaving a visible contrail in their wake as the lombax barely managed to jink away in mid-run and taking out the brute targeting his partner with a far flung Mini-Nuke now that he was close enough before rolling behind cover once more.
His actions also had the fortunate side effect of giving Ellen enough time to rally and setup her Vaporizer, allowing the human to pick off one of the snipers while he was otherwise distracted and force the other one to relocate. "Concentrate on the others, I'll keep them off you."
"Gotcha." It wasn't really clear whether Ratchet was responding to the redhead's words or the mercs doing their damnedest to tear him apart as he finally crossed the street and got stuck in up close; pirouetting between bolts of plasma and what fortifications remained upon the Hotel steps while unleashing a flurry of steel from his Multi-Star up close. But the end result couldn't be disputed once the whirling maelstrom of blades had begun to tear through armour and flesh with equal measure when spammed in sufficient numbers; still ricocheting off the nearby walls until running out of energy and leaving behind a quartet of thoroughly ventilated corpses in his wake.
Once they were sure the immediate area was clear, Ellen soon caught up once she was sure the second sniper who had gone to ground wasn't about to make a reappearance and the two commandos made their way up the hotel's front flight of stairs with weapons at the ready. In spite of their expectations however, the lobby was oddly deserted with little sign of any thugs save for a few discarded ammo crates which were subsequently pilfered. It was the same story for the main elevator car once it reached ground level, ramping up the human's inherent paranoia as Ratchet motioned her aboard and punched the button for one of the uppermost levels; prompting the question as to why they would need to ascend at all, let alone so far up.
The answer to Ellen's question became clear once the lift doors opened on to what turned out to be an exclusive bar for high flying guests situated just below the main penthouse suite; the kind of place where old money and new met to discuss business and strike deals while showing off their respective wares over some ludicrously expensive drinks. That didn't really explain the dual Megacorp branded weapon and armour vendors sat in one corner though, but neither commando was liable to complain considering they would be rifling through the combined inventory soon enough.
What held their attention however was the truly massive floor length windows taking up three of the respective walls; offering an unparalleled view of Silver City, and more importantly their intended objective roughly around two blocks away. The convention centre's domed roof easily stood out over the surrounding, much shorter buildings even without the additional Protopet themed bunting draped practically everywhere; as did the fact there was no visible security presence of any kind from this distance, even with Ellen's sniper rifle scope zoomed in to the max much to the trio's concern.
In fact, the very streets themselves looked practically deserted when they should have been teeming with life and nary a single air car occupied the sky; leading the increasingly uneasy human to a single conclusion as she spied several mercs lying in wait across multiple rooftops. "A city wide curfew... The thugs were expecting us to hit here somehow; knew we'd come after Fizzwidget and set things up so we'd be ambushed at every turn."
"If that's true, then the old man might not even be here," Ratchet mused aloud with fingers absentmindedly rubbing his chin; long used to the redhead's paranoid streak and the way it was frighteningly accurate upon occasion. "Heck, this whole thing's starting to smell like one big trap and we're walkin' right into it."
Clank nodded over his partner's shoulder in ascent as he weighed into the conversation before it could become derailed. "While the significant amount of organised resistance and prepared defences suggests that our arrival was anticipated, our current mission has not changed. We must locate Mr Fizzwidget and implore him to postpone all Protopet distribution indefinitely before it is too late."
Lowering the Vaporizer's scope from her eye, Ellen took one last glance out the window and exhaled deeply in an attempt to ease her growing tension before finally turning away; stowing the weapon in one fluid, practiced motion while giving the little robot and lombax her full attention. "I know; and to be honest, if Fizzwidget really was scheduled to be at that convention centre then he's likely already long gone. But we've come this far, and if there's even the slightest chance of finding him and ending this thing right here today, then we have to try." She offered a small smirk. "Doesn't mean we have to play by the thugs' terms though; we'll just have to find a way an alternate route that avoids the worst patrols and chokepoints. Any ideas?"
There was a moment of silence during which Ratchet looked between her and the nearest window in contemplation, before locking eyes with Ellen's once more. "I... might have one, but..."
The redhead raised a wary eyebrow in return however, for she knew that look all too well. And if there was one thing she knew for certain by now when it came to his 'ideas'... "I'm not going to like it, am I?"
Unfortunately, she was proven right all too soon.
After having checked out the armour vendor's available sets, only to find their recently emptied coffers meant even the modestly priced Tetrafiber armour was beyond their means, Ellen soon found herself led towards one of the floor length windows off to the bar's side which was swiftly shattered with an extended burst of automatic fire. It took her a moment to realise what the frankly insane lombax's plan was however as she stared down at the sheer multi-storey drop with a growing sense of nausea; his equipped Gravity Boots and expectant look being the final straw. "You can't be serious."
He wasn't, and after a brief argument during which he tried to reassure her extremely well placed fears, Ellen was similarly geared up and hovering on the edge between safety and oblivion; heart mouth suddenly dry and heart pounding in her chest as they took the plunge together with Ratchet tightly gripped her hand. In spite of her fears however, the human's Gravity boots adhered tightly to the thick strips of metal framework surrounding each glass paned window on the way down; providing solid traction along with free movement as they tentatively began to walk down the side of the hotel one step at a time.
"Christ, this is so weird," Ellen muttered aloud as she gingerly tested each step before committing; slowly gaining more confidence by the minute but still painfully aware of just how much could go wrong should something fail. Not to mention the fact that the horizon was now technically at a ninety degree angle and the way that messed with her sense of motion, plus the additional effects of gravity on her body.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Ratchet comforted with a pat on her shoulder as they continued to descend. "Just think of it like that cage match back on Joba; only, y'know, less giant robot spiders trying to take us out."
"...Really not helping, fuzz ball." Especially since there wasn't anything else to distract her from the fact they were still a very long way up the wall, with the hands ticking away on a nearby clock tower's face acting as a reminder of just how little time they had.
Unfortunately for them however the thugs had to get wise sometime, and so it was perhaps little surprise that one of the hotel room's sliding glass doors balcony doors below slid open as they passed somewhere around the thirteenth floor; a lizard-like head poking out and looking around before craning around to fix them with blazing red eyes. "Hey! I've got 'em! They're walkin' down- Gah!"
The merc's words were abruptly cut off by a burst of automatic gunfire courtesy of Ratchet's Heavy Lancer; several electrified rounds striking across his exposed upper torso and sending him staggering backwards over the balcony's railings. Ellen quickly whirled round as a second thug burst forth from the now shattered window pane on the same level off to her left, his plasma rifle coming up for a second shot only to be blasted clean off the edge with her Blitz Cannon at nigh point blank range.
As if on cue, multiple thugs began to sporadically fill the numerous balconies below before training their weapons skywards; Ratchet and Ellen quickly finding themselves running a gauntlet of energy blasts and falling debris from near misses as they fought their way down floor by floor. The mercs may have been great in number but their fixed locations made them an easy target for the two commandos; each cleared balcony jutting out far enough to act as a shield while a combination of close assault weaponry and tossed explosives through each window passed discouraged anybody trying to take them from behind.
Before long they were nearing the waterline at the Silver Bay hotel's lower reaches; a few well placed rockets along with homing missiles courtesy of Ellen's HK22 Gun blowing away the plasma cannon-packing brute waiting for them on one final balcony before all was still once more. Carefully peeking inside the still open glass doors from above the frame, Ratchet silently motioned her to follow as he eased himself inside and adhered to the metal ceiling within; Ellen following suit shortly thereafter with a lurching stomach and blood rushing to her head from the sudden shift in gravity.
Together they carefully made their way through what turned out to be the hotel's kitchens without encountering any signs of either employees or further resistance; dropping to the floor and proceeding through a series of storage closets and locker rooms with weapons raised, before finally finding a fire exit that led back out on to street level. Or rather an urban green space in the midst of the city that was enclosed on three sides; probably a recreation area for local employees considering the number of doors opening on to it from local businesses, with a fine of the bay area too through a decorative glass barrier that also doubled as a windbreak.
The recently deployed mixed squad of armoured mercs and combat drones courtesy of a passing dropship however were a lot less of a surprise by now, and as they fanned out while a pair took up overwatch positions on a raised observation deck opposite to the one upon which they currently stood, Ratchet and Ellen burst into action once more. A mixture of Mini-Nukes and cluster bombs blanketing the ground below in a seemingly non-stop chain of explosions, wiping out the approaching chickenbots and those thugs unable to find cover wholesale before a murderous barrage of return fire could be properly brought to bear.
Heavy plasma cannon and thrown grenades mixed in with supporting rifle fire from above, quickly shredding portions of the two commandos raised position and the surrounding barriers behind which they were currently sheltering. But Ratchet had no intentions of getting bogged down in a drawn out firefight and quickly vaulted over the edge before landing below with typically feline grace; ignoring his partner's bewildered shout over the din of battle and racing towards the nearest foe while unleashing a flurry of ricocheting throwing stars in his wake.
Cursing to herself at his recklessly impulsive behaviour, Ellen switched her attention back to the two thugs providing overwatch just across the way; seeing one duck back down to reload while the other opted to take a free shot at the exposed and seemingly unaware commando down below. A launched plasma grenade from her carbine's under-barrel launcher soon put paid to that idea however; arcing through the air and sticking to the opposite deck's low wall, before going critical with enough force to obliterate both it, a good portion of the structure, and the partially concealed mercs in a grisly display that left damn little behind.
Another plasma cannon blast from one of the surviving brutes had her ducking once again, but by then Ratchet was in the thick of it doing what he did best; wrench singing through the air to connect with one merc's exposed head and using his stunned bulk as a meat shield against the torrent of incoming energy bolts, before dashing forth to the next enemy in line. This one at least had the sense to keep some distance and try to overwhelm the lombax with sheer volume of fire, only to find his target a lot more agile than anticipated and able to flip out of the way with almost contemptuous ease while rapidly closing in to melee range at a breakneck pace.
A twirling somersault and subsequent diving roll under a descending rifle butt brought him into striking distance; Ratchet springing up behind the all too slow merc and bringing his wrench around in a whirling arc, only for a sharp crack to permeate the air along with an all too familiar vapour trail. Tracing its point of origin back from the now thoroughly dead thug revealed a certain redhead lowering her rapidly cooling sniper rifle with an acknowledging wave of her free hand; Ratchet's face morphing into one of annoyance at the accompanying subtle smirk as she dropped down to ground level and caught up at a fast jog. "Hey, no fair! I had that guy right where I wanted him!"
"And it just so happened to be where I could take him out first," Ellen replied with a raised brow to go with a hint of amusement colouring her tone. "You'll just have to be a little quicker off the draw next time, fuzz ball."
"Kill stealer," the lombax shot back.
"Sore loser," she countered in kind.
Clank merely rolled his optics with a venting sigh at his two companions increasingly childish spat as they crossed over to mini park's opposite side; jostling one another good naturedly in spite of their increasingly contradicting and illogical jibes that culminated in both throwing an arm around the other and laughing aloud. Organics could be very strange at times; especially during their courtship rituals as he was inadvertently discovering observing his two companions interactions over time. But for the time being there were more important matters to consider, and Clank was quick to refocus their attention back on the task at hand.
"The convention centre should be located just beyond these surrounding structures, approximately 600 metres ahead of our current position. I recommend all due haste if we are to reach Mr Fizzwidget in time."
"Then how about we take a shortcut," Ratchet mused upon eyeing a nearby wall; experimentally raising a leg against its metallic-panelled surface and giving a triumphant cry upon finding his Gravity Boots stuck firmly without faltering. "race ya to the top?"
"You're on," Ellen replied with a slight grin.
The lombax may have had a head start but she quickly followed suit; initially trailing behind the lombax's rapid ascent only to catch up with Grapple Gun assisted strides that soon had them almost neck and neck. It wasn't quite what Clank had in mind, but even he had to admit that such an unorthodox method would likely allow them to reach their goal much more swiftly while bypassing any additional Thugs-4-Less forces at street level.
He could only hope that the same would hold true once they reached the rooftops.
{()}
"What do you mean, 'unstoppable'?!" Logan's voice roared over the open communications link. "You two knuckleheads should've had them dead to rights, and now they're tearin' through my guys like a hungry snagglebeast in a slaughterhouse!"
The sheer force of volume caused the two thoroughly battered brothers camped out on the top of a three storey building downtown to flinch back involuntarily from the tablet-like device now held at arms length; with Buddy Boom gesturing for Bling to speak with a jerk of his head, much to the other's annoyance. "Hey, we did our part and hit 'em with everything we got; but that whacked out lombax and his crazy bitch are a lot are a lot tougher'n you said. Sure as hell ain't worth a pizza party, and I ain't losin' my bro to that kinda shit."
"Never seen anybody move like that before," Boom added with his usual rumbling tone. "Seemed to know what we were gonna do before we did, and It was all we could do just to slow 'em down. Getting out when we did was the smart thing to do; at least now we know what we're dealing with"
"Damn it!" Logan cursed aloud, along with a profuse string of words in his native Lakish that even had Bling raising a brow at its sheer creativity.
There was a brief moment of silence following the tirade, during which the two siblings exchanged questioning looks, before their boss took a deep breath to calm himself and spoke up once more. "Alright... I can salvage this... Where are you right now?"
"Couple of blocks out from the convention centre, boss man." Buddy Bling answered for them both. "Choppers are all busy going after those assholes who wrecked us though, so it'll probably take a while to get there."
"Meet me there in ten, and get everybody we got left on that convention centre pronto," the mercenary leader growled out with a simmering rage audibly simmering below the surface. "I'm coming down there to deal with this, personally."
{()}
"-ing hell!" Ellen bit off as she dove behind what looked like a streamlined air conditioning unit; the pursuing chopper's rapid cannon fire stitching a line across the rooftop they were currently traversing and tearing her cover apart.
Or at least until Ratchet sprung over the top of a fire escape anyway; the flying machine's pilot too fixated on his target to notice the salvo of rockets slamming into the fuselage from below until it was far too late. That didn't mean his friends weren't paying attention however and the remaining two helos still dogging the pair opened up without hesitation; relentlessly pursuing the two sprinting commandos with a ceaseless barrage of cannon fire and rockets in equal measure.
They had been at this for the best part of a city block by now and the whole thing was getting old fast; with the only silver lining - as Ratchet would point out much later - being that at least the situation gave Ellen a chance to get over her fear of heights considering that they were constantly having to leap from one building to another to avoid being turned into so much confetti. Though he may have technically been right in spite of her urge to correct him with a smack to the head, overcoming her phobia was about the furthest thing from her mind at the time as she tucked into a roll upon hitting the next rooftop along; springing back up into a run and pointing the HK22 Gun's bladed muzzle over her shoulder before rapidly pulsing the trigger.
Though a fair few flew wide without properly tracking thanks to juddering manner in which they were fired, the remaining missiles homed in on the closest chopper in such numbers that it was impossible to evade them all. A chain of multiple explosions and flying debris briefly filled the air before the helo's scattered remains rained down on the street below; the last remaining attack chopper bursting through the resulting cloud of black smoke with blades whirling and cannons blazing a trail of hot death.
With explosive rockets tearing chunks out of the building's roof in their wake as well, the fleeing commandos promptly leapt over the edge just before it exploded into so much rubble and landed heavily upon the towering multi-storey apartment block next door that was currently little more than girders and obviously very much under construction. Ratchet was fortunate enough to tumble to a halt atop a rare section of metal floor panelling but Ellen wasn't so lucky; slightly misjudging the jump and ending up dangling from one of the outermost girders with the air knocked out of her lungs upon impact.
She still had the presence of mind to hold on though through a combination of instinct and sheer determination, and once Ratchet had shaken the metaphorical cobwebs out of his head he was quickly by the human's side with both arms reaching out to grip her own. "Don't worry, I gotcha!"
No sooner had the lombax hauled her back up on to relatively solid ground however when the pursuing chopper made its menacing presence known once more; the pilot's viciously grinning visage clearly visible as he mercilessly raked their exposed position with cannon fire. Ratchet and Ellen were already moving however, and thanks to the construction site's enclosed nature and numerous materials scattered around, their airborne assailant found it a lot harder to draw an effective bead on them.
A large, tarpaulin covered crate nearby provided temporary cover and a much needed chance to regain their collective breath; being at just the right size and angle to block any direct line of sight to the chopper buzzing back and forth outside. Unfortunately it didn't do a damn thing about the squad of heavily armed and armoured thugs streaming in from the current floor's opposite side however; each seemingly equipped with Gravity Boots of their own and making full use of the exposed metal panels running along the inside walls and ceiling to compensate for the distinct lack of flooring in some places.
"Don't these guys know when to quit?" Ellen yelled out over the sound of her own shotgun blast as they pushed through the skeletal structure in tandem; catching the brute traversing the wall to her left via an exposed ventilation duct square in the chest with a tight spread of electrified buckshot. Though it wasn't enough to breach his armour, the sheer amount of kinetic force knocked the thug off balance and away from the magnetic surface; crashing down on to a support beam and through an unfinished section of flooring before plummeting into the depths below.
Retracing the merc's route, the two commandos soon found themselves running along the exact same section of wall to avoid the now gaping hole in the haphazard flooring covering this level of the structure; alighting on the far side with Ratchet in the lead and a pair of enforcers bearing down on them with shields raised together. The use of heavy weapons in such a potentially fragile environment was simply asking for trouble, meaning it was time for the lombax and human to get creative; Ellen ducking down behind some nearby metal crates and laying down a hail of suppressive fire with her carbine that pinged off their hard light riot shields as the merc's shotguns thundered in return.
Ratchet on the other hand was taking advantage of his partner's distraction and sprinting forth in a serpentine manner; vaulting on to a small pile of girders left on their side and using them as a springboard to flip up and over so that he was now running upside down across the metal-panelled ceiling without breaking stride. As it was, the enforcers didn't even seem to notice the lombax passing overhead thanks to Ellen holding their attention; his Meteor Gun raining a stream of flaming death directly on top of the pair's exposed heads, before disengaging his Gravity Boots and dropping down behind them with OmniWrench already in hand.
The sudden attack from such an unexpected quarter forced the enforcers to break their defensive formation in an effort to avoid the micro scale meteor shower striking down from above and pat out any fires; Ellen ruthlessly exploiting the opening and arcing one of her custom carbine's acuminated plasma charges between the pair with predictably messy results given its potency. Ratchet meanwhile had already spotted the pulsing orb in mid-flight and subsequently backflipped away from the predicted blast radius before it could detonate; neatly avoiding a spearing beam of energy that sliced cleanly through a nearby girder courtesy of an armoured brute and moving into the fray once more.
One thing seemed to blend into another as the lombax and human fought their way across the half built structure, with both sides making full use of their Gravity Boots to exploit the unconventional battlefield from virtually every which angle going. Partial floors, unfinished ceilings, and mostly bare walls simply became another terrain feature to traverse and made for some particularly frantic firefights since what little cover was around could easily be bypassed. It also didn't help that the last remaining attack chopper was still loitering around outside either; cannons and rockets sporadically strafing their predicted positions at every opportunity and further destabilising the entire structure.
But as the two commandos ascended up a flight of skeletal stairs leading to the unfinished building's current penultimate floor a solution of sorts came to hand; Ratchet spying a large metal container dangling from the jib of a nearby crane via a steel cable, while several stacks of industrial scale pipes - easily big enough to comfortably walk through - lay scattered around in neat rows. There didn't appear to be any more thugs in the immediate area, and so when the solitary helo dogging them rose from the floor below with weapons undoubtedly poised to fire, the pilot soon found himself staring down staring down the barrel of Ellen's sniper rifle as she took careful aim above his cockpit and squeezed the trigger.
A ruby red beam lanced out and struck the crane jib just shy of the anchor point to which it was attached; gravity taking its course as the cable's multi ton cargo dropped directly on top of the hovering chopper like a certain Norse god's descending hammer. Or at least it would have, were it not for the pilot's surprisingly fast reactions that saw his craft junk hard left with mere inches to spare; easing back on the throttle and just managing to stop before the rotor blades could strike the building's outermost girders.
Which was where option B came into play; Ratchet targeting one of the stacks of industrial pipes closest to the helo's position and hitting it at the base with a well aimed Mini-Nuke. The merc never knew what hit him as literally dozens of the massive metal tubes cascaded off the buildings edge, crushing the chopper like a tin can under the sheer force of impact alone and sending what was left crashing into the ground far below with a thunderous detonation of unspent ordinance.
"Well... I guess that's that," Ratchet quipped as he and Ellen carefully leaned over the unfinished floor's edge to get a better look; both taking advantage of the brief respite to catch their collective breath while there was still an opportunity to do so. "And look; we finally made it."
Sure enough, the convention centre they had been slogging their way towards through Silver City's mercenary choked streets was quite literally across the street and several floors below their lofty position; one side backing on to the nearby coastline while a small, decorative plaza of white stone and luscious greenery led up towards the imposing and currently closed set of front doors. Of course they still had to find a way to reach it first; which meant either making their way down to the construction site's ground floor and continuing on foot, or knowing Ratchet...
"You want to jump across, don't you?" Ellen responded with an irritable tone and blank expression; obvious not enamoured with the idea one bit.
"...Not exactly," the lombax began while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I kinda had something different in mind."
"But the distance is far too great for us to successfully cross even with our current equipment and capabilities," Clank began with a puzzled frown. "How else would you intend us to reach the convention centre?"
The answer didn't exactly make Ellen feel any better.
{()}
Were someone to be watching the immediate airspace around the Silver City convention centre a few minutes later, they would have seen the curious sight of three distinctly different figures leaping off of nearby tenement block under construction with the aid of a collapsible glider; a stiff ocean breeze just barely keeping it aloft as it steadily bled altitude. Tightly gripping on to the lombax's back in muted terror with Clank sandwiched between them, Ellen questioned not for the first time why hell she had even agreed to such an insane stunt in the first place; the damnable, flimsy glider unsurprisingly sluggish under Ratchet's ministrations and threatening to stall at any second.
It was however the fastest available method with which to reach the convention centre in time, as much as she was loathe to admit it, and if all else failed at least she had her Jump Pack to fall back upon and prevent being plastered across the plaza below should things go belly up. In fact, deliberately dropping off of the glider in mid-flight was actually part of the plan once they got closer; the redhead really not looking forward to it but psyching herself up nevertheless as Ratchet steered them towards her drop point with a yell over his shoulder. "You ready for this?"
Not trusting herself to speak at first, Ellen gave a hesitant nod and deployed her Jump Pack's control surfaces before finally vocalising a reply. "As much as I'll ever be, and regretting it every second."
"I'll make it up to you later," the lombax promised before turning his attention back to what lay ahead. "Okay... Drop now!"
The glider angled up slightly to bleed off speed and Ellen felt her stomach lurch as she reluctantly let go and briefly tumbled through the air; Jump Pack's thrusters flaring into life a heartbeat later and angling her down towards the convention centre below. The redhead stumbled a little but otherwise remained upright once she hit the domed rooftop's flatter outer rim; grabbing hold of a nearby light fixture to arrest her forward momentum and prevent it from carrying her over the edge. Trying to calm her thumping heartbeat, Ellen took a moment to watch Ratchet circle around once before bringing the glider down in a textbook landing upon an unobscured section of the plaza's main pathway. "Alright, we're down. How's it looking up there?"
"About as well as can be expected I guess," Ellen replied over their radio link as she watched over the top of her sniper rifle's scope; keeping the lombax covered as he quickly passed the now compacted glider on to Clank for storage and took off towards the building's entrance at a rapid pace. "I'll try and find a roof access as soon as you're in. I Just hope Fizzwidget's still in there somewhere, otherwise this'll all have been for nothing."
"I hear that," Ratchet murmured; his fast moving form passing out of sight just below her position without so much as a hint of further Thugs-4-Less activity, much to their joint suspicion. "Door's open, I'm heading inside. Lemme know what you see from up there, and be careful; this looks way too easy."
"Yeah, and it worries me..."
Scooting away from her vantage point, Ellen managed to find a service hatch of sorts after a brief search around the glass dome's perimeter; the rudimentary lock easily bypassed via the heated edge of her Versa Blade and allowing the human entrance into the darkened interior below. The flexible soles of her commando boots quieted the impact as she dropped down on to mesh-grilled gantry running around the upper most reaches of the convention centre's main hall; the dimmed overhead lighting helping to conceal her further while sneaking forward into a decent overwatch position where she could cover the whole interior.
What she saw once her Vaporizer was setup and properly sighted however instantly had Ellen's instincts on edge. For the while its interior was appropriately decked out with Protopet paraphernalia, the convention centre was completely deserted save for a solitary and all too familiar figure stood directly amongst the organised chaos; natural sunlight streaming down from the tinted glass dome far above and highlighting his rotund features for all to see.
"Mr Fizzwidget?"
"No, Ratchet, Wait!"
But it was already too late, and all Ellen could do was watch from her lofty perch as the lombax raced across the exhibit-covered floor far below; throwing away all caution in favour of gaining their employer's attention. It was as their employer turned around to face Ratchet upon approach however that he realised something was off; the old man's unseeing eyes combined with mechanical movement and a faint sheen across his entire body leading to but one conclusion. "This isn't Fizzwidget..."
It was in fact - now that he could see up close - an exceptionally detailed hologram projected over a robot body; one much like the automated tour guide from Todano. This one seemed to be capable of more than just a few canned sound bites however, and actually seemed to be aware of the lombax's presence given the way it cheerfully gestured towards him. "Well hello there! Would you like a free Protopet sample? Available today only, courtesy of Megacorp."
"Ratchet, get out of there right now!" Ellen's voice resounded through his helmet's internal speakers. "It's a-"
"FREEZE, KNUCKLEHEADS!"
From out of nowhere, dozens of heavily armed mercenaries materialised around the convention centre's main hall where display booths once lay; each utilising the same Hologuise-alike device as their sniper counterparts to remain out of sight until they could spring their ambush. Multiple plasma rifles and heavy weapons were trained on Ratchet and Clank's completely exposed position, the lombax gritting his teeth and internally cursing up a storm while desperately trying to find a way out that didn't involve getting charbroiled alive.
Before he could think any further on the situation however, a small portion of the surrounding firing squad parted way for the PMC's overall leader as he strode into the inner circle with the Buddy brothers flanking on either side and a victorious grin plastered across his maw. "Youse two are under arrest for attempting to bump off Mr Fizzwidget, and your little friend too. Now, why don't you save yourself some trouble and tell us where she is?"
"Not here," the lombax ground out with an accompanying venomous glare. "Just like Fizzwidget, right? I'll bet the real one never even-"
"Save it fuzzy, you're not foolin' anyone," Logan interrupted with a dismissive wave of his slab-like hand; his features taking on a much more vicious, predatory glare. "And don't worry about you're floozy; she'll be joinin' you and your metal buddy real soon at our new maximum security prison." He paused briefly to lean forward, a cruel smile slowly taking possession of his lips." Or what's left of her once we're through anyway."
"You sonnova-"
Just as he was about to lunge forward, a sudden weight slammed into the back of Ratchet's helmet with enough force to dent it and sent him sprawling to the floor; head swimming and vision blurring as he attempted to lift himself back up. A brief electrical discharge from an enlarged stun gun put paid to that idea and quickly silenced Clank's resulting cries of alarm; causing the lombax to convulse uncontrollably on his side with muscles spasming in agony. Barely able to raise his head once the current had blessedly stopped flowing through his body, Ratchet had but a brief moment in which he locked eyes with the shocked icy blue of his partner rooted to her perch far above before one of Logan's heavy combat boots descended upon his unprotected face.
And then he knew no more.
I know I'm evil for leaving you all on such a cliffhanger, but at a nearly 10k word count this seemed like the best place to stop for now. The original intention was to have Ellen's reactions and the run up to Aranos all wrapped up by the end of this chapter, but since the boss battle took so damn long to finish and ate up more space than originally intended, she'll get her chance to shine next time around in a separate chapter altogether. On another note, after multiple rewrites and dawdling over the idea, I decided not to kill off the Buddy bros straight away. Mostly because I have plans for them further down the line; but as to what, you'll just have to wait and see…
Thank you all once again for your continued patience and support, without which this series would likely never have gotten so far, and hope you enjoy whatever I may come up with in the meantime.
Review replies:
jozs001 - Like I said before, the current arc doesn't really lend much opportunity to fluffiness, but there certainly will be more to come. In the meantime though, I'm thinking of putting together some lighter, fluffier omakes once inspiration strikes me.
Bastion - I can't remember myself, but I'm glad to have inspired you to give the old games a whirl once again, and that you've enjoyed my interpretation of the early series thus far. I've never really had anyone spell it out quite like that before, but I guess my more recent stories do tend to have a more cynical, realistic edge tainting established and otherwise innocent universes, but without going grimdark. I wouldn't say that made you a bad person; merely that you know what kind of story you like, and who is to say otherwise?
Now you mention it though, I'm actually considering going back over A Warhorse In Equestria soon and fixing its frankly awful formatting, along with adding some new content too if I can. Just have to see where my muse takes me. But until then, thanks for reviewing, and hope you enjoy the latest chapter.
Firestar5277 - Glad to hear you survived the legion of fluffy evil, and that you liked the chapter overall. Considering his track record, I have to admit giving Ratchet the Sheepinator may not have been the smartest of ideas; but the constant review comments have given me some really random potential omake material, or perhaps something I might include in the next chapter(s). Not really decided yet.
The jury's still out on what to do with the Qwark action figure just yet as well; though I can't say that there aren't enough options on the table already going by you and your fellow reviewers suggestions. Lord help Stuart Zurgo; I suspect he's about to have a very bad day… And thank you for your kind words and encouragement; I can only hope that I will continue to grow as an author and entertain for years to come, while taking heed of yourself and others alike who help make these stories possible. Take care for now, and hope to hear from you again soon.
starrat - Thanks again!
Guest - Other than the fact most of them are now exceptionally dead? Not sure what else to say really, other than that the Buddy bros will be the last in that particular list. If you do have any specific enquires though, feel free to ask and I'll answer the best I can.
Destiny W - Glad you liked it, and hope you this one too.
Guest (2) - A fair while off yet, but quite possibly. Of course, he'll have to get approval from her parents first…
Flowerstar - Well hello stranger, it's been a very long time indeed and a busy one at that by the sounds of things, so don't worry about not being able to beta read. Can't say I've ever heard of Trend Orchestra, but if he's as good as you say then I might just have to give his covers a listen. I do think congratulations are in order though for the voluntary writer post, and with luck it might be the first step on the path to something greater still. Just try not to stretch yourself out too far too fast, lest you be snowed under with looming deadlines and lord knows what else. Hope you had fun at comic con, and enjoy the upcoming Play Expo too. Who knows, maybe you'll find another Ratchet cosplayer there too.
Considering how fast I crank out chapters on such a tight schedule it's small wonder really that mistakes will continue to creep in, although I'd like to think I'm getting better with time. Glad you liked the chapter overall, and as for Clank discovering just how far Ratchet and Ellen's relationship has gone? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Earthside's going to be fun to write too once I get to that point, along with awkwardness and misunderstandings from finally meeting Ellen's family in the flesh. We may well see some more feline traits from Ratchet as well, and of course there's always the Pierce family dog to consider…
I haven't seen the movie yet so I'm definitely looking forward to the home release, although I'll probably just wait until they're in stores and pick up a copy from whoever offers the best deal. Odd bit of foretelling there too; perhaps someone took inspiration from your blog or just so happened to be on the same wavelength? Stranger things have happened after all. In the meantime, good luck with your future endeavours, and hope you like this concluding chapter too. Take care!
DarkEnigma95 - I've probably said this before, but the Meteor Gun is just so …meh, for want of a better term. Small wonder they fixed it for UYA, although it was already too late by then really. Still, glad you liked the chapter, and you're not too far off location wise. When we last left them, our heroes were in the area dotted with barricades just outside said tower with the steps running up to it, and where the two thugs playing rock, paper, scissors can be found in game. I just expanded upon the area and turned it into a more open plaza for the purposes of the story, with the tower filling in for an upmarket hotel. Hope that helps, and sorry for any confusion it may have caused.
Light Seeker 001 - I haven't decided what exactly will be done with the Qwark action figure just yet, although your suggestion is duly noted. Also can't comment on the final battle yet since I'm still planning things out, but rest assured it'll be a damn sight better than canon if I can help it.
Sonachugirl - Mine too; though I can't think of anyone who doesn't like the Bouncer to be honest considering just how much fun it is. I can't help but wonder whether the level this chapter is based upon is the one you're thinking of, but either way things just got that bit more interesting. Hope you like the boss battle too, even if it did end up a bit long winded, and there's nothing wrong with a little bromance. Hell, I can't really think of a better example than Ratchet and Clank in canon as the series progressed, and still one of my favourite partnerships of all time.
Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they're posted and/or updated.
Thanks for reading
- RevenantReaper337