Author's note:

Hi everyone; it's been… quite a while, hasn't it? For that I can only apologise, and without going into the gritty details, chalk my extended absence up to some unfortunate unpleasantness in my personal life as of late. The kind that that really screws with family bonds and requires my full attention to patch things up and prevent things from spiralling further out of control. Leaving damn little time to even think about writing, let alone anything else beyond the immediate issues at hand.

There's finally some light at the end of the tunnel though, and with my life starting to get back on track, I've been typing like crazy this past week in order to make up for lost time. But while I'd intended to wrap up Grelbin this chapter and get on with the plot, it ended up being a lot longer than anticipated, and the quality dropped off into so much 'meh' as it progressed. Mostly due to rushing and trying to cram so much in without exceeding my 10k word count limit, which is why I've decided to cut things off where I have, rewrite and flesh out the second half, and post it as its own chapter instead.

Fingers crossed, it'll be ready in the next few weeks, but until I'm back in a good headspace once again, I'm not going to make promises I can't keep. So for now at least, I'll just have to put out chapters as and when I'm able as opposed to on a regular schedule. Once again, sorry for the inconvenience, and hope you'll stick with this story until its conclusion. Even if it is taking an age to finish.

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 48:

Iceolation

Tundor Wastes, Grelbin

Bogon Galaxy

G2.17.100 Galactic calendar

12:07pm local time

"That no good, lazy son of a..." Angela muttered aloud, trailing off as she detoured around a particularly large stalagmite emerging from the cavern floor. "Where does he get off, making us do the grunt work while he lounges around on a deckchair and does nothing?"

Ellen sighed in exasperation, sweeping her shotgun across the darkened depths before them as they steadily made their way back to the surface at long last. Her finger poised on the trigger and helmet's low-light function bathing everything in her vision with an eerie glow. "You're really not going to let this one go, are you? Even after everything the old man's done for us, and especially for me." She paused momentarily, concentrating on a perceived flicker of movement off to her right, before shaking her head in dismissal. "What's your problem with him anyway?"

"My problem is that we're stumbling around down here in the dark, risking our asses in a condemned mineshaft full of who knows what, just so we can find more of those stupid crystals," the lombax groused, a mile long scowl hidden beneath her full-face mask. "If he wanted them that badly, why didn't he go get them himself?"

Because he's already busy maintaining the force field and making preparations to unblock that underground passageway?_ Samus suggested, perhaps a little too dryly given the way Angela bristled. You know, the one you've been steering us towards all this time, and our only way inside the mining-_

"Alright, alright already! I get it!" Angela growled in annoyance, levelling a glare at the little robot hovering overhead. Her glowing blue optics offering at least some form of illumination in the ever-growing darkness. "Doesn't mean you have to look so smug about it, though."

...

You're just upset because that YETI in the last tunnel tore a hole in your new jacket, aren't you?_

"Wha- No! Why would I-"

"Would you two pack it in already? The sooner we deliver these crystals, the sooner we can get out of here for good." Ellen sighed once again, this time in growing frustration at her companions constant needling of one another. "God, I swear... It's like dealing with a couple of three year olds sometimes."

A chorus of indignant denials soon answered her, shortly followed by a few brief moments of blissful silence. But with tensions high and tempers fraying, Ellen knew it was only a matter of time before the whole cycle began again, just as it had for the past quarter of an hour or so. Something she couldn't really blame either of them for since the dark and claustrophobic series of tunnels unnerved her badly, and they had already been ambushed four times during the descent so far. The handful of YETIs that occupied these mines seeming to have a knack for striking while at their most vulnerable, and without wanting to risk heavy weapons bringing the roof down upon their heads, a whole lot harder to counter in such close quarters. Hence the fresh set of dents and scrapes upon her armour, along with Angela's now partially shredded winter overcoat and the damaged fur-lined jacket beneath, courtesy of Debby's unyielding insistence on wearing it before they left for Grelbin. Something she was grudgingly glad of now, given that it also doubled as a form of light body armour and already proved its worth twice over.

Though the fact that they were stuck underground on the whims of some crazy old hermit still chafed at the lombax's sense of dignity and brooding resentment, and while perhaps a little biased thanks to his part in saving her life, Ellen could definitely sympathise. Her conversation with the mysterious man had certainly been... enlightening, once Angela had a chance to vent her pent up anger on him, if a little frustrating. The experiences in her nightmarish dreamscape had raised so many questions in her already churning mind, and while he had answered a few in his ever cryptic manner, Samus' reminder of just how tight their schedule was meant cutting things short in favour of getting back on track with finding the underground passageway Angela had been searching for. Something the mystic was all too happy to help with, considering that the entrance was located directly behind the crystal monolith... thing at the epicentre of his personal force field dome.

Which in turn led to the discovery that the reinforced structure housed not one, but rather two abandoned mining tunnels, and of course the one they wanted to take was conveniently blocked off with a ridiculously large mass of boulders that could easily squash a small transport ship. Explosives were quickly ruled out due to risk of collapsing the mineshaft altogether, and there was no way any of them were getting through that frozen over mass of rock without specialist mining equipment that they simply didn't have. Thankfully, however, the old man was quick to come up with a solution. Unfortunately for them, it was one that involved scouring the other mineshaft for more of those strange crystals, 'Grelbin moonstones' as he called them, so as to aid in 'aligning the forces of the universe'. Which, given the previous results that she had both borne witness to and been on the receiving end of, Ellen assumed to involve some more of his physics defying, Jedi style bullshit in spades. So of course she wholeheartedly agreed to what seemed like a fairly straightforward fetch quest.

Though now that they were actually down here in this dark, foreboding labyrinth of half finished tunnels and murderous monsters like the protagonists of some kind of sci-fi dungeon crawler, Ellen had more than just a few second thoughts. Even if she did trust the mystic to see things through on his end, despite last seeing him do little more than sit down and meditate without so much as otherwise lifting a finger. Though where exactly he had dragged that deckchair from was still a mystery...

A faint glow from the somewhere up ahead soon roused Ellen from her meandering thoughts, with a raised palm abruptly silencing the others as she cautiously advanced with her Blitz Cannon at the ready. Prior experience having long since taught them that the YETIs liked to lay traps around the half buried crystal deposits throughout the tunnel network; their constant glow ruining an unwary victim's night vision and leaving them vulnerable to attack. Moving with soft steps around the next corner and peaking around a jumbled pile of frozen over mining equipment, she soon spotted the outline of one in a prime ambush position, nestled amongst a cluster of stalagmites. It's thick winter coat and otherwise dark conditions easily allowing it to blend in, were it not for her helmet's enhanced imaging display and the fact that she now knew what signs to look for. Along with the most expedient way of dealing with said YETI before it could get any more smart ideas, courtesy of her Leviathan hand cannon and its remotely triggered, explosive tipped rounds.

Three quarters of a clip and one extremely dead snow monster later, Ellen was quickly stepping past the messy remains at a brisk pace with Angela and Samus at her heels once more. Snagging whatever crystal fragments they could scoop up in passing, but otherwise ignoring the remainder in favour of putting some distance between them and the ambush site before any more YETIs could show up. Finding themselves in a vaguely familiar junction a few moments later and with no obvious pursuers, a distant portal of otherwise blinding natural light from somewhere off to their immediate left spurred the trio on faster still. The darkened passageway of carved rock and ice soon giving way to much more artificial surroundings of metal and reinforced concrete, before finally bursting through the mineshaft entrance and the relative safety of the surface world beyond once more. Angela and Ellen both taking the opportunity to slump against the nearest wall and catch their breath while Samus hovered protectively overhead, stealing nervous glances back towards the gaping pit from which they had just escaped.

"Never... Again..." Angela wheezed between gulps of air, heart still pounding and adrenaline slowly bleeding off. "I don't care what that old coot needs, I am not going back down there for some stupid crystals."

"You and me both," Ellen muttered, before drawing one final deep breath and pulling herself together. "You okay up there, Samus?"

Getting a silent and distinctly worried nod in return, the redhead once again took the lead as they traipsed back outside of the structure and towards the deckchair parked nearby, where the mystic still sat in a classic lotus position with eyes closed and both palms held face up. His breathing slow and even in deep meditation, with each exhale producing an accompanying, drawn out 'ohm'. Though the image of Zen and enlightenment was somewhat ruined by the half drained cocktail sat upon a small glass table within arms reach, complete with bendy straw and little paper umbrella. Where the hell was he even getting all this stuff from?

"We're back," Ellen announced unnecessarily as she stepped in front of the old man, his eyelids slowly flickering open at the sound of soft snow crunching beneath her boots, "and we come bearing gifts. Is this enough to get those boulders removed?"

Slowly stretching out with a lazy, almost feline grace that belied his age, the mystic's Cheshire grin certainly seemed appropriate as he regarded the crystal fragments held out towards him with an approving eye. "Ah, yes... Your arrival with the moonstones is most fortuitous, for it is in this very moment that the forces of the universe have aligned, and I am able to move these rocks."

"Well isn't that a coincidence," Angela growled darkly, arms folded and levelling a distinctly unamused glare his way. One that was entirely ignored as the old man once again closed his eyes and resumed chanting, his left arm stretched out towards the mine entrance with clawed fingers gradually raising towards the sky at a glacial pace. Ellen giving an audible intake of breath as the crystals gently floating out of her arms and into a loose orbit above his head, pulsing with a growing thrum of power and dull lavender glow.

Scant seconds later, the gathered trio could easily hear the grind of stone upon stone as two massive boulders and several tons worth of rock were lifted several feet off of the ground. Eyes wide and jaws agape as, with a frown of concentration, the new age mystic shifted the entire mass away from the previously blocked mineshaft and neatly stacked it in front of the other. The crystals' glow dying away and gently falling to the compacted snow below, their power seemingly expended, while just as slowly lowering his arm once more. A sense of long held wisdom and underlying amusement dancing in his distinctly orange eyes as they lazily opened shortly thereafter with one final exhale, neatly mirroring the faint smile upon his lips directed their way.

"The path is now clear. But be wary, for there is much danger along the way."

"Don't I know it," Ellen replied wearily, wondering just how much meaning she should take from his words beyond the immediate, given their previous conversations. "And thanks again for agreeing to help us. There's no way we would've gotten past that cave in on our own."

Smiling warmly, the old man leaned back in his deckchair with an approving nod. "Your gratitude is comforting, child, but unnecessary. For to know the Cosmos' touch, and accept it, is truly the greatest blessing of all.

"That's great and all, but can we get going now?" Angela groused, arms still folded and impatiently shifting from one foot to the other. "Time's wasting, and we still have a rendezvous to make."

I'm afraid she's right_ Samus added, a hint of worry in her optics as she orbited around Ellen until they were at eye level with one another. We need to leave within the next hour if we want to meet up with the others at Mr Cognito's place, and... Well..._

"I know. I get it," Ellen sighed, turning an apologetic towards the old man. "Sorry to cut and run like this. I'll make it up to you another time, and you still owe me an answer."

"Until we meet again then, child," he replied with an enigmatic smile and all too knowing twinkle in his eye. "May the Cosmos guide you on the path to enlightenment."

With Angela having already forged on ahead before she could finish speaking and Samus opting to trail close behind, Ellen stole one last glance over her shoulder at the strange and powerful hermit who, while overly helpful, provided more questions than answers. She didn't know who he really was or where he came from, let alone the source of his otherworldly abilities and its relationship to those weird crystals. But most importantly of all, the smug bastard never revealed what she really wanted to know. A question that had burned deeply within, ever since she had first seen Ratchet's Star Explorer being reassembled back on Tabora through the power of his mind alone.

"Are you, an actual, honest to God Jedi?"

He had simply smiled back at her, a mere quirk of his lip really, and given a vague promise that he would tell her when she had achieved 'true enlightenment'. Whatever that meant. But perhaps, in a way, it was answer enough to draw her own conclusions, and upon finally catching up with her companions at the mine entrance, Ellen put such thoughts out of her mind in favour of focusing on what lay ahead. Because straight run to the main facility or not, the old man's warning had given her a bad feeling about the second tunnel, and what might be waiting for them at the end given how abysmal the team's luck had been thus far.

"Really hope I'm just being paranoid about this," the redhead muttered under her breath, Switching over to her little used Spiderbot Glove and sending a disposable drone ahead of them through the newly cleared mineshaft entrance.

You say something, Ellen?_ Samus queried with a puzzled tilt of her head, optics wide and focused upon her closest friend. Angela almost mirroring her with a raised brow and seemingly permanent, impatient scowl doubtlessly present beneath the mask.

Shaking her head, Ellen shot them a quick, apologetic look before focusing back on the holographic video feed displayed above her Spiderbot Glove, guiding it further into the unexplored tunnel. "It's nothing, and in any case, best I can tell, it doesn't look like there's anything immediately lurking inside. Shall we?"

"It's about damn time," Angela grumbled, keeping her voice low as she warily slipped inside with cautious steps and pistol leading the way. "Let's get this over with before something else comes along to screw things up."

{()}

Far above the beleaguered trio currently making their way underground, the hulking form of an automated, long range cargo vessel slowly began its descent into the atmosphere. The howling winds and bitterly cold conditions not affecting its flight path one bit as the ship's core programming reoriented itself with millimetric precision, slavishly following the active beacon transmitting from within the mining facility as it had done so many times before, before finally docking at the designated bay set aside for the all too infrequent supply runs. Worker drones and automated loaders swiftly moved into position as the massive ship finally powered down, lining up in neat rows and waiting for the front ramp to finish descending so they could begin unloading its precious cargo, while industrial cranes hanging from gantries far above prepared to ferry larger shipments to their requisite drop off points.

Had any of them been capable of intelligent thought, they might have been somewhat... concerned with the lack of any response from the looming vessel. Its running lights and control surfaces clearly dead, while sparks flew from what little could be seen of any machinery inside the otherwise pitch black interior, along with several industrial shipping crates that looked like they had been torn apart by some kind of wild animal, with the deep gouges and bite marks were anything to go by. As it was, however, the drones knew only their programming, and thus had no qualms about trundling into the obviously ominous cargo bay's interior like some third rate horror movie protagonist. Oblivious and otherwise uncaring of the organic stowaways lurking within, surrounding the intruders with hunger in their eyes and matted fur drenched in the oil of their previous victims. An unquenchable need to consume and destroy that could never truly be satisfied, and was about to be turned upon an unsuspecting mining station in full force.

From the comforting safety of his monitoring station, far away from the mayhem which was about to unfold, Ace Bunyon simply kicked back in his chair and watched the pirated security camera feeds with an anticipatory grin. Most of the screens dedicated to various angles of the docking bay area and connecting areas, save for a single window focused upon the main targets of this little field exercise. The mismatched trio having somehow found their way inside the emergency underground access tunnel leading into the facility's lowest levels, and were currently advancing cautiously along its length as if they were expecting an ambush at any second.

"Well, I'd hate to leave a girl disappointed," Ace chuckled to himself. The former commando's Megacorp security privileges allowing him easy access to the mining station's defensive measures, and more specifically, the demolition charges strategically placed throughout as a final resort. His fingers continuing to dance across the holographic keyboard being projected by his Wrist Com, before pausing as a small number set along a specific corridor far underground were highlighted on a real-time 3D map of the entire complex. "So how about we get this party started with a bang."

{()}

Paranoia had been Ellen's constant companion ever since her first adventure back in the Solana galaxy, and had only grown stronger since with each successive encounter. Being genre savvy, thanks to a steady diet of action and horror movies over the years, probably didn't help in that respect either. The relative silence, save for the sounds of their footsteps and dull hum of electricity through thick cables running across the ceiling, leaving her constantly on edge with every passing second that something didn't jump out of some dark recess and try to maul her face off. In fact, their journey along the underground passageway had gone surprisingly well; almost unnaturally so given prior experience. Which, in retrospect, probably should have been their first clue that something was inevitably about to go horribly wrong.

An innocent blinking red light flickering in to life just as Ellen passed by, accompanied by a growing electronic whine that had all three of them rooted to the spot. Angela's masked face whipping from one side to the next, until finally settling upon the offending object at the base of a support strut immediately to their left with a sharp intake of breath. The words clipped and almost screeching through the voice scrambler as she suddenly turned and bolted away, quickly leaving the others in her dust and struggling trying to catch up to somebody whose species could put most others to shame in terms of sheer speed when properly motivated.

"Bomb! Run!"

Adrenaline spiking and heart pounding a mile a minute, Ellen could do little more than push herself harder still in a desperate attempt to outrun the inevitable. The additional weight of Debby's new armour feeling more like a curse than a gift at that moment, given how much it slowed her down, and leaving her lagging far behind as Samus swiftly shot past with all thrusters flaring at maximum power. But countless hours of training and bitter experience, combined with the Nanotech flowing through her body, had long since shaped her into what most people back home would consider peak human condition. Which meant that, while never likely to rival most galactic species in terms of physical prowess, Ellen was still gaining speed at a rate that would make any Olympic athlete proud, and actually just managed to pull ahead of her little robotic friend when the first demolition charge finally went off a few heart-stopping moments later. Each brief explosion quickly being drowned out by the next in line, not to mention the deafening rumble of collapsing debris as it cascaded from the ceiling behind her in a daisy chain of destruction.

Thankfully, however, the tunnel exit was well within sight some fifty yards or so ahead, and couldn't come quick enough given the way Ellen's muscles burned with the strain of keeping one step ahead of the veritable wave of sparking cables, torn metal plating, and chunks of masonry nipping at her heels. Stray chunks of masonry pelting her back in greater numbers with each passing second as she flagged and the tide inevitably closed in, threatening to bury Samus and herself entirely until a sudden, desperate idea sprung to mind. The former infobot squeaking in surprise as she was snatched out of the air without warning and tightly held against an armoured chest plate, shortly before Ellen triggered both her otherwise neglected Charge Boots and Jump Pack simultaneously. The resulting, violent burst of acceleration causing the pair to briefly scrape against the already collapsing ceiling and almost wipe-out altogether until Ellen could regain some semblance of control, and even then it was still a close run thing as they blew through the tunnel exit scant seconds before it could become their permanent tomb.

With a choking thick, choking cloud of dust and debris following in their wake, Ellen cut all thrust and rolled over in midair as she tried to bleed off their forward momentum. Barely avoiding a startled Angela mere moments before crying out in pain as she slammed into the unforgiving floor back first and skidded across the floor with an unholy shriek of metal upon metal. Stopping, of course, was another matter altogether, and it was perhaps little surprise that upon picking herself back up from where she had been forced to hit the deck, Angela found her other two companions lying in a sprawled, groaning heap several yards away. With Ellen somehow having ended upside down against a now dented wall with both legs splayed over her head, while Samus lay draped across her helmet with half-lidded optics.

"You two okay?" she asked, staggering over a large chunk of rubble and over to the redhead's side.

"Just peachy," Ellen groaned in response, unsurprisingly sluggish after such an impact as she rolled over on to one side and gratefully took the lombax's extended hand before using it to haul herself up. Samus having likewise recovered enough to drunkenly lift off and hover close by, though still clearly feeling the effects if the tiny servo rubbing at her head was anything to go by. "What the hell was that? Some kind of booby trap?"

Slowly shaking her head, Angela glanced back over her shoulder and couldn't help but grimace at the now thoroughly blocked off tunnel exit. "Not exactly. If I had to guess, I'd say it was part of the facility's self destruct system. But to go off like that without warning, and with us still in the tunnel..."

You think it was deliberate, not a malfunction_ Samus stated, optics narrowed in thought. But if that's the case, then why not set off all of the bombs at once while we were still stuck in there?_

"Because whoever set them off wanted us trapped in here, not dead," Ellen replied, shifting her weight from one leg to the other as she took in their immediate surroundings. "Which means they probably know exactly who we are, and why we're here."

"And if that's the case, they're probably monitoring us through whatever cameras this place still has running," Angela finished, directing a suspicious eye towards the ceiling and any likely hiding spots. "The question is who, and what they expect to get out of this. If it were Megacorp, then we'd probably be up to our eyeballs in guard robots by now, and I doubt Thugs-4-Less have the resources left after what happened on Snivelak, plus it's not their style. Which means we're looking at another party here."

But who else even knows we're here, and what do they expect to get out of this?_ Samus insisted, servos wringing together nervously as she too glanced around for some unseen foe.

"Damned if I know, but we're not going to get any answers just standing around here," Ellen replied, taking the opportunity ensure her weapons were fully loaded before switching back to her shotgun once more. "Let's keep moving. I just hope the safe house hasn't been compromised as well."

A thought which weighed heavily upon their collective conscience, considering the implications of somebody else getting their hands on what Angela had stashed away there, including some of the original documentation on the Protopet project. The team moving quickly, and relatively quietly, as they cleared the rubble strewn room and the few cramped corridors beyond. Emergency lighting bathing the underground area in a constant, dull red glow that strobed across the walls in a regular pattern, and only served to give Ellen horror movie vibes as she checked every corner for lurking hostiles along the way. Thankfully or not, in spite of her ever present sense of paranoia, there were none to be found, and the trio soon located a stairwell that led back up to what passed for ground level. The thickly armoured security door at the top gradually yielding with a groan of metal upon metal, and leaving the redhead frozen at what see could see beyond.

"Well, at least we definitely know we're not alone here now," Angela murmured, peeking over Ellen's shoulder and taking in the devastated room with a grimace. Or perhaps 'massacre' would be more appropriate, given its current state.

Though calling it a 'room' was, perhaps, more than a little inaccurate, considering that their 'security door' appeared to be an emergency exit for the mining facility's primary docking bay; given its cavernous nature and the massive transport ship occupying the half to their right that easily dwarfed everything else. Of more pressing concern, however, was the smashed drones, broken machinery, and dismembered robot parts strewn across its entire length. Deep bite marks and long, clawing slashes haphazardly decorating almost every available surface in equal measure, along with splashes of thick, clinging oil that even now dripped from the walls like rivulets of blood.

"Jesus Christ..." Ellen breathed, clutching her weapon tightly enough for the hardened casing to faintly creak, and with a growing, nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What the hell happened here?"

Maybe the YETIs got inside?_ Samus suggested. Nervously peeking over the redhead's other shoulder with widened optics, and frankly too terrified to do anything but cling on to her armour with a vice-like grip. Or... something bigger..._

"Can't be, unless they came off of the ship," Angela replied. Warily eying the hulking vessel's still lowered cargo ramp, and what little could be seen of the darkened interior. "No... This is something else. Something I've seen before, back when I was still working for Megacorp."

"Like what?" Ellen questioned, only for her breath to hitch as realisation dawned but a moment later. "Wait, you don't mean..."

While a bit of a jump in logic, perhaps, given the circumstances and Angela's previous career path, It didn't take a genius to connect the dots. Especially since the answer was already written over the lombax's face; her free hand balling into a fist and teeth clenched in barely constrained frustration. The trail of carnage all around them bearing more than a striking resemblance to that seen in the secret test footage Ratchet, Clank, and herself had previously seen on Megacorp's earlier Protopet experiments, and its' potential aggression in particular. But to cause all of this and wipe out the entire docking bay's population...

"Unfortunately, I do," Angela finally replied, quietly seething. "This was no coincidence, and if I'm right, then we're looking at a stage two, or even a stage three mutation of the Protopet's base form. Maybe even something worse."

Um...Angela? I'm a little lost here_ Samus interrupted, still clinging to Ellen's back as the redhead cautiously advanced into the cavernous room with her shotgun leading the way. What do you mean, 'mutation'?_

Taking a deep breath, and making sure to keep an eye on their rear all the while, Angela began to recount her time spent working in Megacorp's genetics division, and her work on the Protopet in particular. Having heard most of it before, Ellen tuned the lombax's words out for the most part in favour of picking her way through the robot corpse-strewn docking bay. Her senses straining and finger poised on the trigger as she cleared a path towards what was left of the oversized, and thoroughly ruined, pair of blast doors on the far side. Although she did perk up and chime in once again when Angela started going into detail on the Protopet's rising aggression response in lab conditions, and its accompanying voracious appetite in particular.

"So what you're saying is that, given enough time and reason to be pissed off, the Protopet somehow... evolves into something bigger, meaner, and more lethal?"

"Essentially, yes," Angela replied, sweeping her pistol over a shattered stack of crates at some perceived flicker of movement. "I suspect it's derived from one of the animal donors we used as the Prototype's genetic base code, though I couldn't tell you what species exactly. Zoology was never my area of expertise. But the effect usually wore off after a few hours at most, with the creature returning back to its base state once the perceived threat was over. Though we could never figure out just where the hell all the extra mass was coming from, or going back to between transformations."

"Sounds more like some kind of Digimon on steroids," Ellen muttered under her breath, feeling even more antsy at the distinct lack of opposition or any other sign of life. "But if mutant Protopets were responsible for all this, then where the hell did they all go? Shouldn't they be trying to maul us right about now?"

Don't say that! Are you trying to jinx us?!_ Samus shot back with barely restrained panic, tightening her grip on Ellen's armour to the point it creaked. I've seen enough horror vids to know where this is going, and the last thing we need is to give them more ideas!_

Ignoring the following byplay between them with a roll of her eyes, Angela instead settled for keeping her guard up and their rear completely covered. Not wanting to admit just how much the little robot's words had affected her nerves, or her own growing sense of paranoia as they finally made it to the far side of the docking bay without further incident. Ellen electing to send another Spiderbot through a ragged hole in the torn up blast doors ahead of them to scout, before giving the all clear a minute later and taking point once more. Ducking through the improvised entrance punched out of a good four inches of reinforced steel, only to emerge inside a darkened corridor that narrowed towards a T-junction at the end, with little more than a few flickering sparks from the ceiling for illumination. Something even her helmet's low-light function couldn't truly alleviate, even with the aid of Angela's flashlight once she had made it through, casting a narrow beam on the oil splattered walls and shattered remains of what might have been a guard robot of some sort.

"Well, if we weren't before, then we're definitely in horror movie territory now," Ellen joked weakly, though even she was pressed to so much as raise a smile at the oppressive and foreboding atmosphere. Almost feeling like a fragment of her half forgotten, fever induced nightmares having sprung to life, and no less disturbing for it.

"Damn it, Pearce. I really wish you hadn't said that," Angela groaned, unable to hide her growing sense of unease in spite of the mask. The torch light playing over the corridor casting unnatural shadows, and only serving to make the already disturbing scene look even creepier still. "But since we can't exactly go back the way we came..."

"Story of my life," Ellen sighed in resignation, before reluctantly stepping forth with her shotgun firmly sighted on the corridor's far end. " Let's just get this over with, before things get any worse."

You mean they haven't already?_ Samus quipped, fidgeting nervously as her wide optics darted to and fro.

Nobody answered. Their collective senses straining, and far too highly strung to concentrate on anything other than surviving whatever lay ahead, hidden in the darkness. Their footsteps sounding unnaturally loud on the metal-panelled flooring, with only the dull hum of electricity and the occasional faint, distant noises echoing from further inside the facility to otherwise keep them company. Add a hefty dose of paranoia and a steadily growing list of horror movies to the mix, and it was small wonder that the team was on a razor's edge by the time they actually reached the T-junction itself. Barely legible words painted upon the opposite wall, long faded by age and neglect, giving them a rough idea of which fork led to, but not enough to pick the right direction.

"Any ideas?" Ellen whispered, rhythmically checking between either of the dark, foreboding corridors with her finger firmly on the trigger.

Shaking her head, Angela ran a gloved hand over the wall; hoping to pick up an impression of the missing letters between words. "Not enough to get a good bearing. We'll just have to pick a direction and hope there's a better signpost or map we can use further in."

Before Ellen could open her mouth to ask about the lombax's Automapper, however, the decision was already made for them as something heavy crashed through a security door further down the corridor to their right. Her weapon already snapping up and sighting on the potential threat, only to pause as she took in the mangled remains of a vaguely humanoid security robot lying slumped against the corridor wall. It's shuddering, sparking form attempting to raise its weapon at the doorframe it had so unceremoniously crashed through, before a blurring blue mass of fur tore into the machine like a starving man at an all you can eat buffet. The trio recoiling in horror at the bestial frenzy of rumbling snarls, teeth crunching metal, and torn body parts being scattering across the now oil splattered corridor, before finally laying still.

"Jesus Christ..." Ellen whispered in horror, only to instantly regret it as the creature tensed up and slowly scented the air.

Turning to face them with deliberate, glacial speed, the now easily recognisable form of a heavily mutated Protopet, easily five times its original mass and baring unnaturally long, jagged teeth, fixed the human with an unmistakably predatory gaze. It's twin orbs of pitch black seeming to somehow shimmer in spite of the all pervading darkness, and doing nothing to disguise the overwhelming sense of ravenous hunger lying within. The tension in the air rising as the two sides stared each other down, along with the hairs on the back of Ellen's neck. Both waiting for the other to make the first move, leaving a pregnant silence lingering between them.

I vote we go the other way..._ Samus whimpered, shaking with fear at the slavering, seemingly grinning monster before them.

And then, with a spittle-laced, screeching roar, it pounced.

{()}

Leaning forward in his chair, with elbows propped up on the desk before him and one hand supporting his chin, Ace had to admit that this assignment was actually starting to work out better than he had anticipated. Casually flipping between the monitor feeds, his eyes drinking in every detail of the ongoing battle for survival, the markazian mused not for the first time over his employer's decision to unleash a batch of fully weaponized Protopets on the facility. Especially since the arrival of Doctor Cross and her team had already been anticipated far in advance, and given the man's insistence on taking her in alive, a good black ops team could have easily snatched the runaway egghead without running the risk of turning her into monster chow. But then again, it wouldn't have been half as entertaining compared to what he was watching now. A mirthful chuckle escaping his lips as a stray hit knocked the camera feed he was watching out of action, briefly filling the screen with static until he switched to another angle.

"Well what do you know... Girl's got talent after all."

While the picture quality was degraded from all of the exotic ordinance being thrown around, it was still clear enough to see that the rookie commando was more than holding her own against the Protopet infestation. A series of dropped Megaturrets providing her team a much needed buffer as they retreated down yet another darkened corridor, swapping over to what looked like a Vaporizer of all things once she had gained some distance and slotting one of the mutant Protopets right between the eyes. The thin green beam stabbing out twice more before the creature finally collapsed into a gurgling heap, swiftly followed by another bounding over its corpse and tearing through what remained of the turrets. Right into one of the good doctor's homebrew tech mines, as it turned out, if the sudden flash of light and now burning Protopet was anything to go by. The living torch screeching up a storm as it flailed around before finally being put out of its misery.

It was a fine bit of teamwork all around on their part, and made for some excellent combat data on the creature's effectiveness. But more importantly, it gave Ace an insight as to how these people actually fought. His own personal dossier on their strengths, tactics, and exploitable weaknesses growing with each new encounter, along with their ability to adapt as the situation called for it. All part of the plan for when the end game was finally set into motion, and he would inevitably cross paths with the lombax and his friends once again for the last time. In fact, he mused with a anticipatory grin, the plan very well depended upon it and what he learned here today.

Static filled the screen yet again as another camera went offline, along with the next few he tabbed through as a series of explosions ripped through a good chunk of the station's second ore processing plant. The reason quickly becoming clear as an intact camera in a far flung corner of the room caught the Pearce girl frantically back-pedalling away from an encroaching horde of regular sized Protopets while her companions attempted to force their way through a security door. Blanketing the ground in her wake with virtually the entire contents of an old Gadgetron Bomb Glove, before switching over to that neat looking custom carbine he had last seen her carrying during their assault on the Thugs-4-Less Feltzin base, and using it to pick off any stragglers with pinpoint precision.

Much as he'd like to see how this ended, however, Ace still had things to do and people to see if he ever hoped to his plan come to fruition, and ultimately get out from beneath his employer's thumb. With that in mind, he set the mining station's monitoring system to stream its pirated security footage directly to his Wrist Com and wipe all the back ups on site, before standing up with a stretch and preparing to take his leave. A grunt of satisfaction escaping his lips as his joints popped from being sat in one position for so long, followed by a wistful sigh as he stole one last glance at the fiery redhead on the main monitor; still fighting for her life against the horde of chittering terrors bearing down on the girl and her team.

"Shame things had to be this way, Sweetheart, but not everyone can be on the winning team. And you?" he chuckled ruefully, shaking his head before making his way over to the room's solitary doorway. "You're just too idealistic for this kind of life, and the things people like us have to do. But still..."

A grin found its way on to Ace's face as he stepped outside and back into the murky world of interstellar, industrial espionage once again. His helmet soon locked in place and polarised against a blindingly bright, blood red sunrise as the local star slowly rose from over the desolate planet's horizon and assaulted his eyes, unaccustomed as they were after hours spent in a darkened room. While his feet almost automatically carried him towards the landing pad situated close by, where his new and much more discrete ride still lay powered down where he last left it on this otherwise uninhabited world, waiting for its owner's command. His words almost a whisper on the ever present wind.

"I can't wait to see you again in person, Ellen Pearce..."

…and that's as far as I got before the chapter started to run away with me and tank, in terms of quality. I wanted to set the tone and atmosphere before building up to a climatic battle with the terrors that have overrun the facility, but… it just didn't work out the way I'd envisioned it. Partially due to stress, but mostly down to tick-boxing certain stations of canon and trying to cram them in at the expense of cut content. I hated it, quite frankly, and at least now I can give this arc the proper ending it deserves as opposed to letting it fizzle out like a damp squib. Until next time, stay tuned, and with any luck, I'll be back in a few weeks time with the other half of this chapter.

Review replies:

AustinGamer117 - Aw, thanks! I'll… try to get the next one out a little quicker, assuming nothing else goes wrong…

Cortana Hansen - Thank you! With storytelling, I like to think that its the little details that truly make a scene work and really engage the reader's imagination. The more you give them, the better, so long as it doesn't take up too much space and drag on for pages at a time. Given the expanding universe and hints to Ratchet's origins as the Future saga progressed, it seemed kind of daft that residents from all three galaxies hadn't crossed paths or interacted at some point in time. Something insomniac couldn't really do the first time around with a haphazard and occasionally contradictory, evolving lore as the sequels were released, but definitely something I'm willing to exploit with the benefit of hindsight and an urge to see it all connected together.

Gamer Heart - Once we get to that point in the timeline, I intend for Ellen's suspicions to grow over 'Clank's' behaviour to grow as time goes on, as opposed to stating it outright. It kind of ruins the narrative otherwise, and allows for a steady build up in tension before the inevitable reveal. Or at least that's my take on it, anyway.

starrat - Thanks!

Firestar5277 - Thank you! I've been wanting to bring Ace back in for a while, and this seemed like a good point to both reintroduce him in time for the final curtain and fill in a few canon plot holes with regards to the Protopets' presence on Grelbin. Plus giving a slight spin on the old mystic's canon role. While I'm still not 100% on how Ratchet and Ellen's eventual reunion will take shape, I am trying to avoid anything on the cliché checklist, and will hopefully come up with something special or at least original at any rate. It's just a question of time and planning really.

That pun though? *slowly claps while shaking head* Oh, that's good, in a really groan-worthy way. So I guess it's my turn, and for a change of pace, here's a typically awful, literary choice!

'Feng Shui for Dummies' by Rhea Ranger.

Bookwriter94 - Oh believe me, I don't intend to run myself ragged again anytime soon, and believe it or not, your advice actually helped contribute to my decision on the final edit of this chapter. Mystery still abounds for this chapter, and will continue to do so as the plot threads unravel into the final act. Though I will say that Ace and his mystery employer are most certainly not what they may seem, and that there a still a few more cards to play yet before the eventual reveal…

Razor of DOOM - More like crazy valkyrie lingerie, you mean, along with whatever else Debby can cook up. The kind of stuff that constitutes good omake material, and makes Angela go 'nope-nope-nope!' while running like hell in the opposite direction.

TheRestingRiolu - Aww… and you got my hopes up too. Thanks again though, and good luck on your own writing.

DarkEnigma95 - I can't even begin to describe the sheer number of hours I sank into the hunt for crystals on numerous playthroughs; both here and the desert field on Tabora, not to mention the sewer system in UYA. The compulsive collector in me simply had to have it all, and I'd have to agree; it's surprisingly easy to get lost considering how small the maps are in comparison to modern free roaming games. Especially given the normal, almost corridor-like level structure. In any case, glad you enjoyed the chapter, and hope you like the next one as well.

Plasmatik - Thank, and remember: The Emperor protects.

Kairi671 - Hey! Nice to have you back, and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Here's hoping things will go a lot smoother from here on out.

Dovahkin795 - Nope, not even close. Just going through a lot of trouble right now is all.