Authors note: Grim backstory here

CH.7: Tales of Grim

Rivet wore her new racing gear which consisted of a one piece that hugged her body and some pockets. Tucked under her arm was a helmet with a silver visor and she stood in the garage where her racer was extended up as several pit crew were assembled to overlook the refitting.

"I thought you and Ratchet did a pretty good job on the racer. So, what is with the new set of eyes?" Rivet inquired of Grim.

"This is something that Rex had discussed with me in private, but, suppose there is no harm in telling you. Rex only trusts those who are under his pay and most of these pit crew have been under his thumb for a while so they are paid to lookout for things that Rex would want looked at."

Rivet shrugs some but won't question it. Even so she had done a bit of tinkering herself but those were also being looked at. The vehicle begins to descend down to the ground and after a bit of consulting a clipboard the main mechanic wonders over.

"The racer needs a bit of final touches before it can be cleared for the test laps. We will keep you informed of when it will be ready."

"Do you reckon you know how long it will take?" Rivet inquired. Honestly she would rather do these test laps to have some sound mind of what to expect.

"These things cannot and should not be rushed. Oh and case you weren't informed your robot will not be with you in the racer." Rivet looked over at Grim.

"Yeah, turns out Rex is not a fan of robots and would rather the actual calculations be done by the racer alone." It sounded like Grim did not approve of this but his role in this was hammered out so Rivet figured at this point sounding his worry only went so far.

"I see. Well Kit looks like we won't be racing together." She turned to look over at her golden companion.

"It is fine, I'll just hang out here." Rivet didn't feel so good about that, in fact, how far could she place her trust in this pit crew?

"Kit can hang out with me Rivet. I promise to keep an eye on her and besides I have a little experience with looking after Clank." Rivet smiled some at that.

"Yeah, Clank be quite a handful at times. Ok, yeah thanks. Anyway how do we pass the time till they are done?" She picked up Kit and placed her on her back as she began to head out of there with Grim.

"Hmm, well suppose we can look around the city some. I feel like being in a garage all day can be stuffy some."

Rivet nods her head glad to have the company. The two of them find a taxi and head out into the city.

The city is quite something else. It is filled with towering skyscrapers of sorts and on the lower level there were places to eat and even pubs with televisions focused on the mainstay of this place, racing. Sybon was the racing capital of the world and Rex Stone had made a name for himself as most conversations steered towards his capital.

"You hungry?" Rivet nods her head. She wished she had time to change out of her racing gear though as she knew she was getting quite the attention from it. It was tight in certain areas and she had to carry her helmet around. Parts of her wondered if Rex wanted her wearing such expensive racing gear out.

"I can eat sure," she followed him into a brightly lit place. Grim led her to the back area where there was a booth that wasn't occupied. Seating herself down she sets Kit beside her and she places her helmet down as well.

"Hey you two, so, first time eating here?" Rivet looks over at Grim seeing if he had ate there before.

"Actually I ate here like a long time ago, but, pretty sure it was under different management back then. We'll have two menus though and get back to you."

"Sure thing hon, you look awfully familiar," she places the menus down before them. Grim for his part played oblivious.

"I'm just a humble mechanic, if I look familiar it is probably because I look like someone famous." Grim was humble and the woman eventually left them.

"Ok, spill, you've been here before haven't you?" Rivet leans forward fixing him with a good hard stare.

"I'm sure if Ratchet weren't beaten up like he was, he'd tell you, but looks like that is up to me now. Back in the day, back in my youth, I did a little racing in the circuit...and...I used to eat around here, possibly drank a good amount of my health here too."

Rivet balks not quite sure she is believing this. "You were a racer, no way, I mean...not like I don't believe you-."

Grim laughs lightly waving off her concerns. "It is fine, it was a long time ago and judging by how I look now most anyone would dismiss it. It is a part of me I had put behind me, but, sometimes there is no escaping your past. I worked for Rex Stone and the life I led was one filled with lots of ups...but...there were also some downs that came with it."

Rivet bows her head as now the very things Ratchet had warned her about became clearer. "Ratchet warned me about Stone but I didn't listen to him. What sort of downs came with this job?"

Grim looked down at his menu making it so she had to study her own for a bit. The waitress came back and they both ordered something light to drink. The food sounded good and she couldn't remember the last time she had ate.

"Rex makes it pretty clear from the get go that what he says goes and what you say pretty much goes out the window. You live and breathe by his commands and one thing goes astray and Barry is your pathway to pain and despair. I often drank after a beating so I grew familiar with the dark side of this place."

Rivet had no words to display just how bad she felt for Grim. How much of this story had he told Ratchet? She finally decided on a bowl of ramen to which Grim ordered the same.

"You have the best pit crew so don't worry too much about that aspect of things. I have a feeling they, much like yourself, wish to see Rex happy so Barry is never summoned. The guy lives and breathes his role as a bodyguard and enforcer so if he comes on a bit strong at times it is only because it is his purpose that keeps him that way."

Rivet felt there was a back story there but figured that Grif never knew the guy well apart from the beatings he received. The moment their ramen arrived she broke apart her chopsticks and began to delve into the rich aroma that wafted up to greet her nostrils. She hesitates a beat though looking over at Grif.

"Say, Grim, thanks for the meal and...well the story," she looked across the table and noticed the older guy coughing some.

"No problem Rivet, and, just so you know...Ratchet does care a lot about you. He may not show it and words really aren't his strong suit, but, those three months were hard on him. He must've made a wrong call, we all have made those in our lives, but, if possible...something tells me he would've done it all over again to do it right."

Rivet blushes and buries her mind and stomach into the food. Grif for his part just laughs some and she fights her own laughter. It felt nice sharing a moment like this with Grif and she hoped that Ratchet was taking this time to heal properly, cause, at the end of the day she couldn't live with herself if he wound up dying.

Authors note: The end of part one is coming up next as I figured I would split it up into eight chapters. Don't ask me how long part two will be, that I have yet to figure out.