By Vakamer, with dithering input by ImKarl
Please, enjoy reading.
"It's over."
The hologram flickered out of existence. The image was gone. She was gone. Talwyn was gone.
Ratchet slumped into his couch, his fur bristling and his mouth pressed into a thin line. His hands were fists. A ten year relationship, gone. Two words, that's all it took. He laid his head back as he massaged the stress from his eyes. A sigh came unbeckoned from his lips.
You've done it now Ratchet.
He stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what just happened. All of this because he's good friends with Rivet? Or is it something else? He always considered himself a good boyfriend. Is it her? She seemed jealous of Rivet at first but they got along. They even were joking at his expense.
I mean, we're just friends though! Nothing's going on.
He turned his head and looked out of his window. Bright lights, like a billion fireflies, danced throughout the city of Megalopolis. The traffic that was the city's hallmark, continued its endless stream. What was normally a calming and beautiful sight, only posed to remind Ratchet about how the universe just moves on regardless if you were ready. Seriously. Why did she freak out like that? Just because I want to look for my kind together with Rivet? You shouldn't have called her out for jealousy. What's wrong with you?
His stomach churned and his blood ran cold. She dumped you Ratchet. He attacked his face with more massages, trying to alleviate the tension that was mounting.
She's gone.
He began to massage his sensitive ears. You're all alone. He began pulling on his ears, almost like he was trying to rip them from his head. Alone.
He yelped at the sudden pain inflicted by his own ear pulling traitorous hands, which reverted back to massaging his now aching auditory organs. He remained hunched over, elbows on his knees, hands on his head, willing the pain away. Willing his memories away.
Another sigh tumbled out. It's not doing you any good to think about it. I need to do something. That's it! You just need to occupy yourself!
If there was something that Ratchet had in excess, it was pet projects. He could give Aphelion that overhaul he's been meaning to give her, upgrade her cannons, install new navigational equipment, fix that issue he's been having with the steering.
Just don't think about it Ratchet. Now let's see about Aphelion.
He bounded off the couch with the sudden energy of a kid that needs a distraction. He blitzed past the rooms in his apartment, his destination being the private garage he and Clanked had as part of the apartment lease. It was expensive but the landlord gave them a pretty nice discount, perks of being a hero.
He paused outside the door and poked his head back into the apartment, "Hey pal! I'm working on Aphelion if you need me!"
He didn't wait for the response from his best friend. He knew Clank would be able to tell something had happened and he didn't want to worry him. He choked on a familiar lump. He doesn't need to worry about this. I'll be fine. Just need to get some things done.
Ratchet found himself humming to the song playing on the lift. A mindless and generic tune but catchy all the same. He smiled as he lost himself in the rhythm. You can do this Ratchet. Just don't think about it.
The song played away, reaching its inevitable end.
"You're listening to K2B Radio! This next song is brought to you by Ketchup! Ketchup! Eat it!"
A soft but oddly bittersweet melody note rang out. From the first note, the very first note, he knew. This is Talwyn's favorite song, Rainbow Dances.
His smile died. His face twisted and contorted to his mood. His hands fisted themselves. This isn't going to be easy is it?
The lift continued its agonizing crawl. The song continued to batter and bruise him. The moment the door cracked open he dashed, phantom dash that is, out of the lift and flew into a mad sprint to his ship.
When he came to his senses, he found himself panting outside the door to his hanger. The door sensors had already scanned his biometric data and had unlocked and opened. He smoothed down his fur and straightened his clothes before entering the hanger.
The motion sensors triggered the lights, revealing the blazing Angel Class Starfighter sitting dormant but not unoccupied. "Hello Ratchet." The familiar voice of Aphelion rang out.
"Hey Aphelion. I was thinking it's past due for a tuneup, you game?" Ratchet asked while sauntering over to his workbench. All of his tools scattered and piled up, but he knew where everything was.
"I'll never turn down a good tuneup, but can you check out the starboard stabilizer? It's been giving me grief again."
Ratchet's smile relaxed into a more genuine attitude. See Ratchet, all you need is some positive distraction!
"Yeah sure, how about we upgrade the cannons too?"
That should be enough distraction.
"That sounds fun! Think we'll be able to test them too?"
Ratchet barked out a chuckle. Looking forward to the prospect of blowing stuff up. "Now you're talking! Hey what if we also install the new LORAN system we got? One hundred thousand extra light years added to the range."
"My, my, productive today aren't we? Sure, why not?"
Why not add another distraction? You've got to keep busy. "Awesome, and how about that gravimetric warp drive we've talked about before? Talk about getting there before you know it!"
"Um, Ratchet? Is everything okay?"
"Pffft! Yeah! Totally! One hundred percent! Never better! I'm great!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"How about seismic missiles?"
I've got to keep myself distracted.
In another dimension at Zurkie's Gastropub and Battleplex; once a safe haven for the resistance and probably the only place in the galaxy where you can have a drink with a pirate in one moment, and beat the nuts and bolts out of him the next. Always well visited, always packed, just like it is now. The mechanical bull in the center careened wildly while a one eyed alien held onto it like its life depended on it. Two arcade cabinets blink and pulsate with electronic beeps and eight-bit music two patrons battle against each other. Zurkie flew through all of the unveiling chaos to serve drinks, replenish empty glasses, and to take away all the dirty tableware. His newest customer, one highly unfortunate pirate, who was currently armwrestling with Rivet.
She casually took a sip from her drink while she held the hand of her opponent in place. She wasn't even breaking a sweat, the same couldn't be said of the pirate on the other end of the table. Sparks and smoke seemed to emit from his head as he desperately tried to utilize all of his manufactured strength to force Rivet's hand down onto the table.
"Got enough? Should I end it?" She asked with a sassy grin.
The pirate, who dared to challenge her, growled and gave one final surge of effort. Slowly, very slowly, he managed to push her hand down. The moment she nearly touched the table, she laughed and simply began to push back until she slammed her opponent's hand to the table. She shot up, lifted her hands above her head in a victorious gesture and began her victory parade through the maze of chairs.
"That's right! Who's next?!" the former rebel Lombax spoke loudly. The defeated pirate left in a flurry of embarrassment and shame, but not before placing the bolts he owed her on the table.
Another customer, her next victim, sat down, ready to try his luck. One of the Goons-4-Less mercs who stayed in her dimension. He already placed his bolts down, a smug crocodile grin marked his features.
Rivet returned to her seat, and placed her right arm on the table again, her mechanic arm pulsating with anticipation.
"Woah there, bro. We use our left hands." the goon demanded. "Or, are you scared you could lose with that one, huh?"
Rivet shook her head with an amused grin and replaced her right arm with her left arm, "Come on, bring it."
They locked hands, the bystanders that had been appointed as referee commenced the count down. The goon had the advantage of a near religious obsession with bodybuilding and fitness that made him a more worthy opponent than that wimpy pirate, but she held her ground. Teeth gritted, muscles bulging and ripping, she held firm.
A large and obnoxious beep cut through all the jeering and shouts from the bar patrons. The telltale beeps of her interdimensional communicator rang. She casually reached with her mechanical arm and placed it up to her ear but not before checking the caller ID.
"What's up, Bolts?" she asked with a slight grunt. "What? No no, I'm fine." She growled out as she started to push her opponent back. "No, nothing. Really." She slammed the goons hand onto the table with a resounding bang. The crowd roared with the excitement that only betting can bring. "Oh that? That's just the tv." Rivet told him as she collected her reward. She removed herself from the table leisurely and began her exit from the rancorous scene that surrounded her. "I'm sorry, what? No I understand, but…" she cupped her hand to her ear while devoting all of her attention to listening to Clank with her free one.
Her expression shifted. She frowned and her ears dropped. "How is he?" she asked. "And her reason to act like that?" she asked. Her eyes opened wider and wider the longer Clank spoke. "WHAT?! All I do is call him from time to time? He's my friend!" She yelled a little louder than she wanted to, earning her confused looks from some visitors. She calmed down a bit as Clank spoke again. "Sure. We can come around." she smiled slightly. "Don't mention it. He's my friend. And that's what friends are there for, right?" Someone turned on the boombox which proceeded to bathe the surrounding star system in a cacophonous racket (music.)
"That? No, I simply uhh… Turned on the radio." she tried to explain before she sighed and lowered her ears a bit. "Yeah I'm at Zurkie's." She finally confessed. "No Kit doesn't know." She pinched her brow and rubbed the tension from her brow, "Oh come on. I'm allowed to have some fun." She argued as she threw her left hand up. "Listen. I'm coming right away. Just picking up Kit at home. I text you when you can open a rift, okay? Yeah… No worries. See you soon." she promised before she hung up.
Rivet let out a long sigh. Damn. I don't want to know how he watches Ratchet.
She stared out the large windows overlooking the arena. Pirates fighting Goons in another battle. It had been a long time since she was in the arena beating enemies to a pulp. She remembered how she and Ratchet fought against the Emperor. A deep friendship formed between them. A bond no one could comprehend. He, the only Lombax in his dimension and her, the only Lombax in her dimension. And suddenly they met. Thinking about their first meeting, made her giggle. It was a bit awkward, sure. A determined expression formed on her face. Determined to be there for her friend.
She made her way outside. All sorts of ships stood there. Larger ones, like the heavily armed gunship the Goons used, or some rather rusty looking ones used by the Vullards. None of them had what her ship had. A personal parking spot just for her ship, and only hers. Being a hero had its perks. She hopped into the cockpit with a practiced flip and began the startup sequence.
I'll cheer him up. He would do the same for me.
And with that she blasted off from Zurkies and began the short trip home.
On the flight she sank into the explosive filled spontaneous mess that was her thoughts. Right. Let's see. How do I cheer him up? Shooting something? Maybe. Blowing something up? Also possible… What if… Yes! Shooting something and blowing it up! Wait! He probably does that on his own all the time. Remember, you've got to play it cool Rivet, you don't want him to know that you know. Respect his privacy and stuff. Okay, so what's something that two Lombaxes can do that doesn't involve guns and explosives… The Lombax dimension! He's looking forward to that, right?
A canine flashing grin formed on her lips as Sargasso came into view. The acid covered hellhole she called home. Dense vegetation covered most of the land parts. Almost everything there was wild, herself included, if the Morts and their gelatonium factories were the only civilized inhabitants on the acid-covered rock. It had an oddly calming effect on her, knowing there was civilization on even this planet. Skillfully she steered her ship underneath the massive belly of a Troglosaurs, past more of its herd, and around a dense packet of trees and rock formations, directly towards her hideout. She felt the bump and the slight shifting of landing gear as she landed and made her way into the cave that housed her home.
She made it through the various leaps and gaps with a practice familiarity until she made it to her front door. The new scanner recognized her as she moved closer. With an obnoxious sounding hiss, the door opened. She took a moment to look around her hideout.
The holo TV is left on, so Kit must be around somewhere. Her gaze shifted towards her work bench. Nothing, besides some unfinished projects of hers.
"Kit?!" she finally called out to her friend and teammate.
She only had to wait a moment, but then a small, yellow bot finally peeked out of one of the cultivation chambers for her plants.
"Hello Rivet. How was your trip? I trust Zurkon is doing well?"
"How did you-?" She sighed. Useless to lie now. "Yeah, yeah, I had fun, made some money, knocked some heads, Zurkon wishes you namaste by the way. But we have more important things to worry about. Pack your stuff. We're going to visit Ratchet and Bolts."
"Oh! That sounds lovely!" Kit cheered as she climbed out and approached her Lombax friend in unmitigated delight.
"It does. But… To be honest…" Rivet started as she slowly knelt to be at eye level with the bot, scratching her neck as she tried to find a way to convey her thoughts without sounding as awkward as she felt. "Ratchet just got dumped. We need to cheer him up."
Kit's lenses tilted outwards, showing concern. "Oh… Uhh… And how… Do we cheer him up?"
"Simple." she said as she stood up again. "We're going to the Lombax dimension." Rivet grinned as she placed her hands on her hips.
Kit tilted her head. "Okay?" she questioned more than said. "Well… I am ready."
"Good, but I need to pack a few things." She sighed and started to stalk around her hideout in search of her necessary travel items, first picking up a bag. She marched over to her closet and began to indiscriminately fill the bag with various articles of clothes.
Rivet felt Kit's eyes on her. "Rivet? Do you think it's a good idea?"
"Of course it is. He's my friend and he needs a good distraction." She pointed out as she walked over to her workbench to bag her most necessary tools.
"I am aware of that fact, but perhaps heading to the Lombax dimension in his emotional state could prove more detrimental to his recovery?" Kit said with her fingers tapping against each other.
"You worry too much." Rivet simply answered. She walked up to Kit. "Come on. Let's go."
Kit meekly nodded and followed the Lombax out of their shared hideout. Rivet kept a steady pace while she typed away at her comms device, letting Clank know to expect them. "Alright. We are ready. Open the rift in about 10 minutes. See you then, Bolts."
She casually kicked a horned toad back into the acid before she fixed the Morts' gelatonium factory with a stare. She placed her hands on her hips again, trying to fight off a sinking feeling in her gut, A similar feeling she's had on operations gone bad, but she shook her head clear to allow logic to overcome gut feelings. The war is over. We won. This IS a good idea.
The rebel Lombax continued to stare at the factory in silent musings. Her fingers tapped against her hips while her tail swinged back and forth. A flurry of birds flew by and found refuge in a tree, scattering more birds of their kind in the process. It seemed to her to be a perfect reflection of her current thoughts. What will the other Lombaxes think? Will they even welcome us?
A high pitched whistle screeched at the factory, heralding the end of a hard shift for the Morts. The sound ripped her from her troubled thoughts. For a moment she again looked at the factory and the Morts who waddled away.
Rivet turned around and resumed her trek to her ship. Kit, already inside, was patiently waiting for her.
"Have you sent the message?" Kit asked after Rivet had seated herself.
"Yup."
"Great! Uhm… Are you okay, Rivet?
"Yup."
"... Are you sure?"
"Kit, where is this going?"
"You just stood there and stared into the distance… I was worried."
"Aww… You don't have to. I'm just a bit nervous. I mean… The Lombax dimension. We finally search for our people. Are we what they expect? Am I what they expect? It just feels more real now."
"Rivet… Ratchet had similar fears. He discussed it with me when we were on Cordelion. Both of you are heroes. The Lombaxes will be happy to have both of you among them." Kit assured her with a smile.
Rivet smiled back at her, reaching over and nudging the body with her mechanical arm. "Thanks, Kit."
She turned back to the controls, slowly starting up the ship. "Any second now, the rift should open." she said. "Aaaaaany second now."
After a few minutes, the purple glow of a dimensional rift appeared a short distance in front of them, shattering the veil between two dimensions like glass, allowing travel to the other side.
"Finally!" Rivet announced and carefully but violently hit the throttle and blasted the ship through the rift which closed right behind them, leaving no sign of the event.
Ozone filled Ratchet's senses as the fusion cutter sparked away at the reinforced armor plating. The bright light from the tool, the sparks that bounced off his gloves, the heat wave that assaulted him, the blaze of the radio overhead, this was home. This was comfort. This was not coping.
He thumbed off the tool and raised the goggles off his head, taking time to admire his work. Everything about Aphelion was a mechanical wonder. The ship itself was heavily armed and armored for a craft of its size. This was always a source of pride even without factoring in the tie to his people, but it did come with a downside when it came to maintenance and repair.
He wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his brow with the back of his hand. He noticed the googles still in his grip. Kinda looks like Rivet's pair. I wonder how she's doing?
"Are you alright, Ratchet?"
Ratchet leapt out of his body for the briefest of moments before his soul was sucked back in. Standing in the entryway, Clank stood. His eyes (optical sensors) were half shuttered and held a slight upward slant. He was worried.
Crud! He knows! Just play it cool Ratchet.
"Huh? Oh yeah! All good here buddy! Me and Aphelion were just getting some work done, isn't that right Aphelion?"
"Please make him stop."
"Hey! You wanted the upgrades!?"
"Yes, but I didn't want to be ripped into pieces!"
"You're not in pieces!"
"My wings are missing!"
"No they're not! They're right here!"
"They're not attached to my fuselage!"
"Perhaps you should initiate software updates while you perform the physical upgrades?" Clank offered. His voice full of sympathy, having been at the full force of Ratchet's manic mechanic moods.
"Great idea pal, thanks." Ratchet called out. Now hopping off the ship and over to the maintenance computer where Aphelion was currently interfaced with.
"Where were you ten minutes ago, Clank?" Aphelion whined.
"My apologies, Aphelion. I was—making a call."
"Yeah, with who?" Ratchet asked while keying away at the computer.
Before Clank could answer, Ratchet interrupted again, "Hey buddy can you give me a hand with this?"
Clank padded his way over to the computer, and began sorting the programs in their proper update order.
"You have to update the guidance system before you run the new LORAN software, elsewise sensors will mark every ship as a hostile threat."
"Makes sense, thanks buddy."
The snap-hiss of a can of soda echoed across the walls, followed by the glugs of a Lombax ruining his digestive tract with every gulp of soda. Ratchet let out a satisfied, "Ahh… so who were you talking to?" He raised the can back to his lips.
"Oh, I was simply talking with Rivet."
The soda was blasted all over Clank's freshly polished chassis.
"Rivet! What's she—I mean, what'd you guys talk about?"
With his upper lenses lowered, resembling an annoyed look, Clank yanked a towel from the workbench. "We talked about current events and how each of us are getting along." he said as he started to clean himself.
He didn't tell her, did he? He wouldn't… Wouldn't he?
Ratchet cleared his throat. "I see… And how is she?"
"She's fine. I appeared to have caught her while she was visiting Zurkie's. It has been a while since we have seen them after all."
"That's good to hear." Ratchet said as he casually leaned onto his workbench. "And nothing else?"
"Nothing else. Just some smalltalk." Clank assured.
"Great. And here I thought you-"
"And in the end, I invited them over."
Ratchet's ears and jaw dropped. He just stared at the small bot for a few seconds. "You did what?" he stuttered. "I… I need to clean myself."
"Too late, Hotshot." an amused voice cut across the room. Rivet, flanked by Kit, casually stood in the doorframe with her arms crossed in front of her chest. A small smirk adorned her face, but her eyes captured her full humor.
"Oh, uh, hi, uh Rivet … uh, how ya been?" he said, awkwardly scratching his neck, forcing a wide grin on his face.
The rebel Lombax pushed herself off the frame and entered the garage. "You know… Attended some meetings, slept through most of them, helped with some demolition, and won some bolts at Zurkie's." She shrugged. "So, good I guess. What about you?"
"Good, good… Started working on Aphelion again." He pointed towards his ship, now in
hibernation mode.
Rivet watched the ship and carefully brushed her fingertips over Aphelion's fuselage. "I see. Always busy, huh?" She looked around the floor full of tools and parts with a knowing smirk.
"You know how it is." he smiled awkwardly and shoved a screwdriver underneath a workbench with his foot. "So, uhh… Clank invited you over?"
"Yeah." She looked back at him. "Thought maybe we could go on an adventure, you know? The Lombax dimension." She finally said with a grin, flashing her white chompers in excitement.
"Ah yeah. Adventure sounds nice." he said, a little distracted until her words hit him like an undead Grunthor. "Wait… The Lombax dimension? You want to go? Now?"
"Why not!? You got anything going on tonight?"
"Uh, well, I've got Aphelion." he said as he nodded towards his ship.
Rivet looked at the dismantled Angel Class Starfighter and frowned. "We can take my ship." she suggested with a grin while she spread her arms. "Come on. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Ahem," interjected Clank. "We could find ourselves stranded in an uninhabited and barren dimension after exhausting our energy reserves."
"Oh." Rivet just said as her arms dropped back down on her sides.
Kit stepped forward, "We could also find ourselves at the center of a violent conflict without sufficient protection."
"Ah, ahem, there's that too." Agreed Ratchet. He scratched the back of his head as he listened.
"Lastly, we've narrowed down the Lombax dimension to one in eighteen thousand. We will need sufficient fuel, supplies, and equipment before we can undertake this expedition." Clank stated, his attention now firmly directed towards Kit.
"Have you calculated estimates for the total supplies necessary for this venture?" Kit queried, hands folded behind her back in a manner reminiscent of a naval officer.
"Yes, but the estimations were based on us using Aphelion and her more limited digitized storage capacity."
"That would be a difficult fit for all four of us. Have you considered more alternative vehicles of transportation?"
"Not as of yet. There are a number of limitations to consider. The biggest of which would be the cost."
"Hmm. Is there a ship we could borrow then? That would reduce much of the cost."
"Possibly. Perhaps one of our closer friends would be willing to help? Most of them owe us a favor or two." Clank said as he tapped his finger against his chin with narrowed lenses.
"Forgive me if I phrase this indelicately, but which of your friends can best afford lending their ship for an extended period?"
Ratchet stepped in, "Maybe Skidd. He's always laid back and I bet he wouldn't mind."
"What ship model does he own?" Kit questioned.
"A Asroc Lepo - Z2, insufficient weaponry and defensive capabilities, though it sports some of the best creature comforts on the market and is reportedly much faster for a ship of its size."
"So we can exclude this one. We need protection and a way to defend ourselves." Kit countered.
"Agreed."
"Hey Rivet, do you have anyone that can help us?" Ratchet asked.
"Not really."
"What about Pierre?" Offered Kit.
"NO!" Rivet yelled a bit too loud and fast, earning her confused looks. "I mean, there's no need to involve a bunch of pirates on our trip." she quickly adds with an awkward grin.
"Which also rules out Pete."
"What about Big Al or his brother, Bob?" Clank mused, hand still to his chin.
"Pff… Yeah. If you want a ship covered in strange stickers of those characters from that vid-comic he loves so much." Ratchet said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"While that is probably true, you can't deny his ship is top quality and fully equipped with the most advanced tech available on the current market."
"Two words pal, French Fries. His ship stinks of 'em."
Rivet stuck out her tongue disgusted. "Yeah, I'll pass on that one."
"I suppose there's only one other choice then."
"Who?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"No."
"He does owe us a favor, Ratchet. Many favors actually."
Ratchet let out an already exhausted groan, "He will never let us live it down. He'll talk forever about how he heroically 'saved' our trip. He'll remind us about that one for at least five months."
"I calculate eight months and two weeks."
"Not helping here, Pal!"
"Who are we talking about?" Rivet asked, eyes darting between the two.
Ratchet was already massaging his temples to halt the encroaching headache, "Qwark…"
"Oh, well he seems nice enough." Kit stated in an amiable tone.
"Yeah, if he's anything like Quantum it shouldn't be a big deal." Rivet added.
"Heh, yeah. You and I both wish." Ratchet sighed. "Do we have another option?"
"It's either that or the ship that smells of french fries."
"..."
"..."
"You call Qwark. I can't deal with him right now." Ratchet groaned out in a defeated tone.
"I would like to take the opportunity to meet the captain if I can?," Kit jumped in. "His reputation is quite impressive."
"And that's all there is to him." Ratchet declared as he threw his hands up in the air.
"He has his moments, Ratchet. You know that better than anyone." Clank said reproachfully.
"Yeah… Sorry. Maybe I'm a bit pent up."
"Hey, maybe we can grab a bite while the bots are negotiating with Qwark? Know any good joints around here?" Rivet asked, an oddly knowing look adorned her features.
"Hmm, have you ever eaten at Zeno's?"
"Eh, since it doesn't exist in my dimension… No, I have not." she answered with a playful grin.
"You haven't lived till you've eaten at Zeno's Zoni Zandwiches!"
Rivet huffed in amusement and gave his shoulder a playful (it bruised) hit. "If you say so, Hotshot." she said as she walked towards the exit.
Before leaving, Ratchet turned towards Clank, "You will handle Qwark right?"
Clank let out his odd but trademarked laugh, "Do not worry. I will handle the Captain."
"Thanks pal."
Rivet made herself comfortable in the passenger seat of her ship. She didn't have much opportunity to frequent this chair and she was going to enjoy it. She crossed her arms behind her head and similarly crossed her legs. Ratchet's puzzled expression drew a chuckle from the dimensional heroine. "What? Your dimension. You can fly." She stretched a bit. "It's nice to be flown from time to time, you know?"
"You don't know the traffic laws do you?"
"Hey! I got my ship to your home, now did I?" A moment of silence. "But yeah, I don't… Police actually chased me."
Ratchet visibly blanched at her in utter disbelief.
"What? I lost them after a few turns." She said as she pointed somewhere into the distance. "Come on now, I'm hungry."
Rivet eyed Ratchet casually as he flipped through the pre-flight sequences. She focused first on his methodical five digit hands set to task. It was oddly fascinating seeing another member of her species handle and manage things. It was fascinating just seeing him move.
Her focus slowly drifted up to his face, currently enraptured by the joys and thrills of inner city flight. He's kinda cute when he's not stressing out. I need to see about getting him to laugh.
"Uhh… Where was the turning signal again?" Ratchet suddenly asked, ripping her from her thoughts.
"The what now?"
"You know. The thing that shows where you want to go?"
"Ohhhhh, that! It doesn't have one. It's a Royal Starfighter. It turns where it wants to and everyone else has to cope."
"Uh-hu… Solves the riddle why the police chased you."
"Not my fault they're so testy."
"I think you're just naturally rebellious."
"And you aren't?" she asked, amused.
"I've learned to pick my battles."
"So Clank's tamed you?" Her voice was saturated with sarcasm.
"Hey! I'm a free spirit!" He defended himself while the engines came to life.
"Sure, who handles the finances?"
"Uh … Clank."
"Who plans the operations?"
"…Clank…."
"And who's the one that lands all your movie roles for you?"
"Okay, I get it! Clank does a lot for me, but there's plenty I do for him too! I'm still a free spirit, I just have a partnership going for me too."
"It looks more like a relationship." she said until she placed her hand over her mouth. With wide opened eyes, she looked at him.
His ears dropped a bit and his gaze seemed to shift towards somewhere far into the distance. She wanted to say something. She wanted to say sorry. But if she did that, then she would all but give away the fact Clank told her, and that would just make things awkward for her and him.
Damn… I need to say something. Maybe… He'll tell me what's wrong if I ask?
"Ratchet? You okay?" she asked carefully.
He blinked a few times as if he just woke up. "Huh? Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Just… Thinking about something."
"Okay?" She knew he was lying, but she couldn't call him out.
"Hey, mind if I ask a personal question?" Ratchet suddenly asked.
She shrugged, "I don't mind."
"Do you have anyone in your dimension?"
"Eh, you mean like the Morts?"
"No, I mean someone."
"Oh! Uh no. I've, uh, never had anything … like that I mean."
Ratchet simply nodded, his attention never turning from the flight controls.
"So, what about you? You, um, got someone?"
He paused for a few seconds. Seemingly mulling the answer in his head. Rivet felt the ship decelerate as the craft began its ascent to a public landing pad.
"Not anymore." Ratchet all but muttered.
Ouch. Poor guy.
"It's just a short walk from here." He stated while popping the hatch.
"Sure. Lead the way." She said as she jumped out of the cockpit.
She followed him through a fairly crowded street, in what was obviously some sort of shopping district. It was almost impossible to keep track of him, but what kind of rebel freedom fighter would she be if she couldn't even follow the only other Lombax in the universe through a crowd?
He turned into a smaller and more sparsely populated street. Graffiti marked the walls around them in what appeared to be territorial markings. "Uhm… Ratchet? Are you sure this is the right way?"
Ratchet looked over his shoulder. "I am. Just one more turn and we're there."
"Well… If you say so." Rivet shrugged.
Another right turn revealed a still shabby neighborhood. Yet, sure enough, there was a small shop with Zeno's Zoni Zandwiches in neon lights above a small entryway.
"So, Zeno's an okay guy, but just be ready, okay?"
"Oookaaay … what do I need to be ready for?"
"RATCHET!" someone yelled with a scratchy voice from the inside of the shop.
"That."
"You furry son of a bitch! How are you?!"
Stepping out of the doorway. A large misshapen creature that seemed a contradiction of extreme muscle mass and extreme fat. His face was a concoction of smile lines but also the scars of a furrowed brow. Hands that were clean but a chef's apron that was horrendously stained. He was also an ugly bastard.
"Fine Zeno, you?"
The fongoid, Zeno smiled a huge but genuine grin, "Never better my friend. Never better. I've been chasing a few leads. I'll need to have a little pow-wow with you and Clank soon. Check this, Zoni invented raisins!"
"Uh, you don't say?"
"Yeah, but I'll fill you in on the details later." he whispered conspiratorially until he noticed the female Lombax. "Who's the lady friend?"
"Zeno, this is Rivet. She's a friend and a hero from another dimension."
"Nice to meet you Zeno." Rivet said, a bit overwhelmed but she successfully managed a forced grin. She even lifted her left hand for an awkwards wave.
"Hey, likewise! Any girlfriend of Ratchet is a friend of mine."
Her jaw dropped as she looked at Zeno a bit shocked. It took her a moment to pull herself together. "I'm not-" her voice cracked. She cleared her throat. "I'm not his girlfriend… But… Thank you, I guess."
"Bah, whatever you kids call it these days. Squeeze right? You kids say squeeze now. But hey, I got your table free for ya. Make yourself at home. You still want the usual?"
"Sure."
"And what about you honey? You want a menu?"
"Uh, I mean, I'm not, you see, uh, we're not, uh, he's no-"
"She'll have what I'm having." Ratchet interrupted after watching her for a while.
"You got it, chief."
"…"
"…"
"Um, that was …"
"Yeah."
"Ahem."
"So, uh, shall we?" he asked just as he stepped aside and invited her in with a hand gesture.
Rivet swallowed away the awkwardness before nodding and stepping through the doorway into the sparsely occupied restaurant. Ratched followed close behind. He walked past her towards a small table with two seats in the corner.
Did he bring 'her' along? Into this… Whatever you can call it.
She looked around. Ashtrays on the tables, dim light, and the smell of cold smoke and old frying oil.
Nah… He would be insane to bring someone here for a date.
She sat down opposite of him with a smile.
Well… He brought me here. But this isn't a date. Maybe this is where he brings his work friends here?
Ratchet was staring holes into the table. He didn't even seem to notice her sitting down. After a spell, he took a deep breath before he looked up. He returned her smile, even if it seemed to be fabricated.
"The food will be a bit. Don't let the condition of the place fool you, he's one mean chef."
"And what exactly was our order?"
"Heh, I'm going to let you wait and see."
"Of course you are." She said as she tilted her head with a grin.
"What? Did you expect something else?"
Rivet looked at him until she leaned back and again placed her hands behind her head. "Nah. Would've done the same."
Ratchet just smiled and nodded before he seemed to drift off into his own thoughts again. Rivet wasn't sure what to say, or if she should say anything. This was completely new to her. Fight a dictator and legions of war bots? No problem. Comfort a friend that's going through a rough breakup? Where was that dictator again?
She shook her head and cleared her throat. "I-" Two plates appeared, interrupting whatever it was that she was considering saying.
"There you go. The triple Z Zandwich, or what I like to call it… The Zuh-Zuh-Zandwich." Zeno said before he claps his hands together. "Enjoy!"
Rivet frowned. She was relieved that she didn't have to say anything and all but she wasn't sure if she should call that 'thing' on the table food. Ratchet on the other hand was ripping into it with a voracity that a Grunthor could envy. Well, Ratchet seems to enjoy it, at least.
She watched him for a second taking bite after bite of his Zandwich™ before she even looked at hers. Then she began to closely examine it. Sometimes, being small has its perks. That thing is huge.
Let's see… Roasted bread. Corned beef, okay… Cheese, of course. Some sort of sauce… The hell is that stuff?
"Hey, uh… Zeno?" Rivet asked as she looked at him. Creepily enough, he was still standing there, watching them.
"Yeah, how can I help toots?"
She picked up some of the unknown topping. "What is that?"
Zeno looked closely, waiting a few moments too long before simply saying. "Sauerkraut."
"And… What's that?"
"Glad you asked!" Zeno grabbed a chair and sat down next to their table.
Ratchet sighed. "And here we go again."
"Now you see. This stuff was created by the Zoni. I'm absolutely, one hundred percent sure about that! I got this from a merchant on the south side of town, and he got it from his cousin who got it from his neighbor who said, he found the recipe on a website which was posted by… Now hold tight there… Someone called ZoniLord3879… Coincidence? I THINK NOT! But what do I know? Hey take a bite already, you're making me nervous."
Rivet simply stared at him, the gears in her head having grounded to an utter halt. "I'm the one making YOU nervous? What even IS a Zoni?"
"Ohhh honey, let me tell you a story of olden times, adventures, mustache cream, and Zonis…"
Ratchet frowned as he watched them. His Communicator rang. He looked down for a second. "Clank and Kit are about to meet up with Qwark." he told Rivet.
"Great. And uh…" She looked at Zeno who was still talking to empty nothingness. "Can we leave? Like… Now?"
"But… You haven't even started your Zandwich?"
"I'll eat it on the go. Promise!"
Ratchet looked from Rivet over to Zeno and back. "Well… He IS explaining things to you." he said with a sassy grin.
"- Isn't that interesting?!" Zeno asked.
"Uh-hu…" Both Lombaxes answered in unity before he started to lose himself in his monologue again.
"I'll get you back for this…" Rivet hissed at him.
"Okay, okay!" Ratchet chuckled through a full mouth, with hands raised in mock surrender.
"Hey Zeno, we need to head on, but we'll catch up later alright?"
"Huh, oh yeah, sure thing. Need a to go box?"
"Please."
Zeno did as he claimed he would do in less than three seconds. Rivet boxed the sandwich quickly and began to crawl out from the booth that seemed to have the gravitational pull of a black hole.
"Since you're in a hurry… Let me hand you a brochure."
Rivet took the box and frowned. "I uh… Sure. Why not."
Zeno quickly grabbed a 'brochure' and a holodisc, placing them on her box.
Rivet's jaw dropped again. "THAT's supposed to be a brochure? Looks more like a pocket book!"
"What? I can't explain the Zonis in three pages."
"How many are these?"
"About 13."
"13 pages? Sure looks like more."
"No, 13 volumes."
She looked at Zeno in silent contempt.
"I also included my mixtape. Just a little side gig I got going. That one's free though."
"Ohhh… You shouldn't have."
"I insist!"
"Of course you do…" Rivet sighed.
"Because I like you, I'll give you my very own produced documentary on the Zonis as well. Hold on."
"See ya Zeno!" And with that, Rivet walked out of the small shop.
"But… The HoloVid?"
"Another time, Pal." Ratchet said with a grin. "By the way… That guy over there…" He nodded towards one of the patrons.
Zeno looked over at him. "Stevie? What about him?"
"I think I saw him talking to a Zoni the other day."
"WHAT?!" And with that, Zeno turned around and stormed towards poor Stevie. "YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!"
Grinning, Ratchet turned around to face Rivet.
"That was mean." she said with a tilted smirk.
"I can always ask for his HoloVid you know?" he said and threatened to turn around again.
"NO! No. I'm fine. Let's just go, okay?"
Ignoring his cute and very smug grin, Rivet began the short trek back to the ship.
"That Zeno's a strange dude." Rivet began as she finally took a bite out of her Zandwich™. Her ears perked up.
"Yeah. But he's still a nice guy though." he affirmed, right before chuckling at what Rivet assumed was her hilarious reaction. "Tasty, hm?"
Rivet simply nodded and took another bite, a much bigger one. Ratchet popped open the ship's cockpit and plopped down. Rivet followed suit and began tearing into her food. Ratchet's earlier wistfulness seemed to be missing, replaced by amusement and contentedness.
A beeping pulled Ratchet from whatever thoughts he was entertaining but didn't affect Rivet's Zandwich time. He pulled out his communicator.
"A distress signal? Someone needs help." Ratchet said as he looked into the details.
Rivet finished her Zandwich. "Let's go then!"
"It looks like a Gadgetron factory is under attack… Yeah, we should go. I'll call Clank."
"They're busy with Qwark. Let them be."
"I don't think it's a good idea to fly without them."
"Come on. We're two interdimensional heroes. What's so big that we couldn't handle it? I mean, what could possibly go wrong?" Rivet said with a wide grin.
Ratchet looked at her for a while until he returned her smile. "Yeah. You're right. We got this!"
Rivet whooped as they lifted off and left the planet behind in their space dust.
Ratchet inputted the coordinates and the ship jumped into warp. Both remained silent for some time. Ratchet looked down to the controls, seemingly being somewhere else with his mind. Rivet frowned while she watched him.
"Sooo… Uh…. Aphelion gets some upgrades, huh?" She finally said.
He blinked a few times, snapping back from wherever he was. He looked over at her and smiled slightly. "Yeah."
"Special occasion?"
"I uh…" He looked around the cockpit, obviously searching for an answer. "No just… Needed something to do, you know?"
"Just for fun then?"
"Just for fun, yeah."
"Cool… Cool…" She said. It went quiet again. Awkwardly quiet.
This is ridiculous. You just need to clear the air so you're not jumping around the subject. Ratchet's an okay guy, he's not going to be offended.
A few more moments passed though in relative silence, besides the engine, until having had enough Rivet clicked her tongue. "Something happened lately?"
Ratchet looked hesitant for a moment. He opened his mouth to answer until he stopped. His eyes darted around. He then shook his head. "Nope. Just uh.. Same as always." he said with a forced grin. "And what about you?"
"Oh you know. Nothing much. Besides those meetings, I have a loooot of time for myself."
"How come?"
"Well… The galaxy is at peace, I have pretty much no job and I'm alone, besides Kit of course."
Ratchet looked at her. His ears dropped a bit. "All alone eh?" he said as he looked down on his feet.
Good job Rivet. You're just making it worse. Need something to distract him.
She looked around the cockpit, searching for something. "Aha!" she exclaimed suddenly, making him jump a bit. He gave her a confused look as she turned on the radio. Music starts to blast.
"Sorry. Thought some music would be nice." she said with a sorry grin.
Ratchet, still a bit confused, chuckled. "Sure. Why not."
They listened to a few songs until the presenter came on. "Now, dear listeners. It's time for your wishes on KBBH 1.4.668 The Fish! Hello? Who is this?"
"I want you to play nice song for sweetheart or I will break you."
"Woah! Hostile! Sir, we're taking requests! There's no need to threaten."
"Is not threat. Is promise. Now play Rainbow Dances."
"Well, you heard it. Rainbow Dances by K-Lyn and the Degenerates!"
"Dah, good choice!"
"Why is he still connected?"
Music started to flow from the speakers. Rivet found herself bobbing her head to the beat.
This is a nice song. His dimension has all the best songs! This'll have to cheer him up!
She looked over to him with a renewed smile. A renewed smile that slowly faded. His lips were pressed together in a tense line and he held the control column in a metal bending tight grip.
"Ratchet?" she asked carefully.
"I'm fine." he growled out as he reached over and flicked the radio off.
Rivet, ever patient and understanding, responded with her usual diplomatic attitude, "Hey! I wanted to listen to that." she shouted accusingly as she overruled his actions and thumbed the radio back on.
"But I don't." he hissed and turned it back off.
Rivet grumbled and reached to turn the radio back on again. This time however, Ratchet shoved her hand away.
"Okay, what the hell is your problem?!" she asked angrily.
"Right now?! Just the fact you won't stop with that damn radio! I just don't like that song, okay!"
"And that's a reason to slap my hand away like that?! That makes no sense!"
"Sometimes things make no sense! Deal with it!"
Rivet growled and reached for the radio again. The moment Ratchet tried to shove her hand away again, she grabbed his wrist.
"Hey! Let go!"
"It's either the radio or you tell me what's wrong!"
"I don't wanna talk about it, okay?! Just. Let go already!" he said as he tried to loosen her grip with his other hand.
Rivet intercepted that one as well.
"It's my ship damn it!"
"I'm the one flying!"
"Right now it's flying on its own! All you're doing is getting mad over a stupid song!"
"It's not flying on its own! I'm monitoring the flight pattern! You know, in case something happens like flying too close to a black hole or bounce off of a supernova!"
"You're not monitoring anything! You're arguing with me!"
"Yeah, well you're the one distracting me from my job! If we cr-"
The ship shook violently and all at once they were ripped out of warp. Rivet found herself pinned to her seat by some tremendous force. All she could see was the flashing red lights from the ship's proximity alert, and her ears were filled with the imminent collision claxon.
We're spinning! It occurred to her.
"Controls non responsive!" Ratchet yelled as he desperately pulled the throttle every which way to no effect.
She saw a flash of blue and green from outside the cockpit.
"Is that a planet!?"
"We're caught in its gravity! We're going down!"
"Fire the emergency reverse boosters!"
"It's not working! Nothing works! Brace for impact!"
Rivet knew no more. All she could do was hold on to something as the surface of the planet got closer and closer. As they entered the atmosphere, they were lit up like a shooting star, illuminating the night sky.
The ship was a pit of insanity. Every kind of lamp, claxon and alarm sounded or flashed. Ratchet tried everything, Rivet tried everything, but to no avail. They hit the ground.
The Lombaxes were tossed around the cockpit like paper in the wind. The ship skipped across the ground like a rock on the water, shattering the cockpit's glass. Ratchet was thrown clean from the pilot's chair, before Rivet could even consider, she found the world turning and saw herself bounce along the ground. She felt nothing though. Nothing.
She felt herself roll after the bouncing had concluded. She rolled across the dry soil of the planet's surface until she felt herself stop. She was keenly aware of a tree in her field of vision but she had no idea what direction she was facing. The last thing she remembered was trying to determine if the tree was upside down or if she was. Everything went black around her.