Hello Everyone! Squabbit Here. I wanted to take a moment to thank and reply to all my reviewers. I didn't do it last time due to my extreme laziness. :)

Lunatic Pandora1: Well, since you reviewed the first chapter, you might not of noticed that I decided to be more original and use red eco. :)

Krin: Haha! Quite Frankly, I have no idea what a Lombax is either. I think the creature itself might be based on a Fennec. It's a small desert fox with cute big ears. I figure, Ratchet lives in a dry place, is orange and fluffy and has big ears. Besides, there are a few resemblences too. And about Clank, I do have big plans for him in the future. :) Thanks!

Doomofevil: You've never heard of Ratchet and Clank? Why you poor deprived child...

Ekobean: I know, the theme is a bit overused. You have to understand though, I did start writing this is January, but alas, it's become a bit more er... popular... cough cough

Lunaric Pandora1(again): LOL, Don't get too excited! Anyways, as Ekobean said, the theme is overused, so I wanted to spice it up a bit. You don't get a lot of uniqueness with everyone using dark eco.

dragonballzfreakgirl: Well, keep tuned in!

Hellmouth2: I know! Poor CLank! Cries We all owe large thanks to Daxter and his annoying noziness! LOL.

Thank you Everyone for your Reviews! Remember, I do actually read them! LOL. Anyways, without further ado, here's chapter three! YAY!

Torn sat resting at his desk, his head held in his hands. Due to the Undergrounds busy schedule, he hadn't been able to get sleep for what seemed like days. The lack of rest seemed to be taking it's toll on him finally. He leaned over on his desk, his eyelids getting heavy. His head drooped and he would've fallen asleep had someone not entered the hideout.
His head jerked up and he stared up alertly, not willing to show any weaknesses around anyone. He cursed under his breath when he saw it was only Jak. He snarled and stared Jak down. "Don't you have somewhere better to be at two in the..." He trailed off when he saw that Jak was carrying someone.
"Torn, we need a huge favor."

Torn stared at the young Lombax with slight disgust. He didn't know how Jak had talked him into letting it stay here. The bastard had charisma. He groaned and slid back into his chair, keeping an eye out for any movements. There was no way he'd be getting some rest tonight. He couldn't risk the Lombax waking up, unless.... Torn raised an eyebrow in the direction of the creature and and then glanced back up to a cupboard door to his right with a slight grin.

"YOU OVERDOSED HIM ON SLEEPING PILLS?!" Torn had seen it coming, but ah well. He got a few hours in and that, for the time being, was the only thing that mattered to him. In the meantime though, he tried his best not to laugh at Jak. "Don't worry Jak... They're not long lasting. Your little friend will be up in a few days." Jak gave Torn a horrified look and Torn grinned slightly. "I'm just pissing with you, idiot. Expect him awake and alert in a couple hours."
"So you did not overdose him. Is this what you are saying?" Torn whipped around and pulled out his gun to find himself pointing at a small robot of some type. Clank looked back at Jak, who shrugged. Then he turned back to Torn. "Your race is very hostile.", he said in an annoyed tone.
Torn quickly gained back his composure and slipped the gun away. "Hard Times...", he muttered. Clank nodded in return. "I have noticed that." Torn stared at the robot in slight disbelief. "You understand me?" Clank responded with a slightly annoyed squeak. "Robots must not be very popular on Home." Having had enough, Torn motioned towards Ratchet. "Did you find a different place to keep him?" he asked Jak gruffly.
"Yeah. He'll stay with a friend of mine. She's got extra space for him.", Jak replied quickly. Torn gave an inward sigh of relief. "Then get it out."

Much to Jak's relief, there were no problems at all with the trip to Keira's place. Ratchet stayed sound asleep and no one seemed to notice him at all. Things had gone much better than planned. Keira had seemed pretty calm about the whole situation, which made him feel better.
"Listen... Are you sure you're gonna be okay?", he questioned her again as he left. "I mean, what if he wakes up?" Keira rolled her eyes and pushed him out the door. "Don't worry. Thanks to Torn, he shouldn't wake up for another few hours. That is, if he wasn't lying."
Keira watched Jak go, reluctantly. She had actually wanted him to stay a bit longer. She felt nervous here alone, but didn't say anything. She had to prove to Jak that she could do this.
Keira sat down in her kitchen and was followed by Clank. "Your friend... He's not, um, mean... or anything, is he?" she asked him nervously. Clank would have smiled, had he not been a robot. "Ratchet is a good guy. He would never hurt another person, Miss." Keira wrung her hands nervously. "Jak said he'd found him after an eco treatment."
Clank looked up at her. "Hmm, why would this change a person, Madam?" Keira paused before answering. "It changed Jak. Daxter say's they tested dark eco on him. People say he changes... when he get's angry..." Clank thought hard, but couldn't seem to process the idea. "How do you know Ratchet has been changed? My knowledge tells me that there has to be more than just one type of eco here, Miss."
Keira had to admit that Clank was right, but she was still doubtful. "Have you seen him? I mean your friend... He looks so weak. God knows what they did to him." Clank didn't respond. He liked this girl. She was different from the other people. "You don't seemed frightened by his different appearence, Miss. Why is this?"
Keira blushed slightly. "You can quit calling me Miss. Just call me Keira. And the whole appearence thing. I don't know. I mean, deep down, he's no different than any one of us. He just looks different. That's all." Clank agreed. "If only more people thought the way you do, Miss Keira."

Ratchet shifted slightly as he began to wake up. The first thing he noticed was that he was warm. Comfortably warm. He knew it had to be a dream. A beautiful dream that he didn't want to wake up from. How long had he been unconcious? He guessed that the guards had just dragged him back to his cell when the power had come back.
He also noticed that the pain he usually felt after the treatments had vanished. His muscles were stiff, but the throbbing pain that always seemed to haunt him was gone. Ratchet opened his eyes, half expecting to see his cell walls surrounding him. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw he was in another place. He stared up at the whitewashed ceiling in disbelief. He turned over and stared at the pillow his head had been resting on in wonder. He rolled back over and stared up in shock. There was only one solution. He was dead. He had to be dead. How else could he explain this.
A door creaked open and Ratchet quickly shut his eyes. He kept himself relaxed as he heard footsteps approach. Someone sat nearby and a female voice spoke. "He looks so weak..." There was a slight pause. "Can I?" A familiar voice answered her. "You may touch him if you wish Miss Keira. Although, I should say, he wouldn't let you if he was awake."
Ratchet tensed and waited for the strike. Instead, he was surprised when a small hand touched his cheek softly. He flinched slightly and cursed himself for being locked away for so long. He had almost forgotten the feel of a gentle touch. Even though he couldn't stand to be treated like a pet, he had to admit the gentle stroking felt good. He remained quiet and suffered himself to be petted by her. "He's so soft and fuzzy... Almost like velvet." he heard the girl say.
Ratchet felt the fur behind his neck bristle. Allowing himself to be petted was one thing, but now she was damaging his ego. With lightening quick reflexes his hand shot out and gripped her wrist tightly, disallowing her from touching him again. He heard her give a small shriek and released the pressure on her wrist. "I'm... not... fuzzy..." he said slowly.
He sat up slowly and scooched against the back board of the bed. He peeked an eye open and studied the person who had been 'petting' him. It was a young woman, maybe in her late teens or something. He wasn't good with guessing ages. Her skin was a pale color and her hair was dark blue- green. He stared at her frightened eyes for a second and felt guilty. "Didn't mean to scare you." he commented quietly.
"It is good to see you again, Ratchet."
It was that voice again... It sounded so familiar. Ratchet turned and stared at the small robot in disbelief. "Clank? Is it really you?" he asked. Clank smiled the best he could. "Who else would it be?" he answered happily. Ratchet whooped and hugged the small robot. "I thought I'd lost ya in the crash!" he cried out. Ratchet felt as though a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders now that he knew Clank was allright.
"One of my wires must have been disconnected when we crashed. I remained without power for a long time it seems. You've grown." Clank commented with pride. Ratchet grinned at the compliment. "And you, Clank, haven't rusted a spot." "Why Thank you."

"Ah... Guys?"

Ratchet looked back to the girl and his ears drooped a bit. He gave her a sheepish grin and apoligized. "Heh, Sorry about that. Sorta forgot you were there." He put out his hand and grinned. "The name's Ratchet. You?" Keira took his hand and shook it lightly. "Just call me Keira."
"See, Miss Keira. Ratchet is a good person. He wouldn't hurt you." Clank said as he watched the exchange. Ratchet cocked an ear towards her and winked. "Not unless you really upset me. Then I'd be forced to eat your soul." He laughed at Keira's shocked expression and gave her a playful wink. "I'm just kidding! No need to worry."
Clank though, hadn't seemed to get it. "Ah Ratchet. According to my information processor, eating one's soul would be impossible." he said, looking confused. Ratchet and Keira both gave him a blank look. "Clank...", Ratchet said slowly. "I wasn't serious." Clank paused before giving a knowing nod. "Ah yes. Of course."
Ratchet moved his stare back towards Keira. "Question... How did I get here?" he asked her. Clank told his friend about Jak and Daxter and how they had helped break him out. "You were brought here because this was considered safest for you.", he finished. Ratchet paused a moment then asked, "Why did these guys help out. I mean... risking their lives to help a stranger?" Keira answered the question for him.
"Jak wasn't going to at first, but after Clank mentioned something about your race, Jak seemed to recognise it. He told Clank that he had seen someone who had fit the description, but his chances of still being alive were close to nothing. Later that night, they left for you." She paused before quickly adding, "And Jak's that kind of person. He likes to help out other people."
Ratchet didn't say anything and his prolonged silence made Keira uncomfortable. She quickly changed the subject. "I'm assuming that your probably hungry. I mean, the prison's food can't be to fullfilling." Ratchet's face lit up at the mention of a real meal. "You actually think I'm going to turn down food after spending over two years in a prison?" Keira laughed for the first time since she'd met him. "I should've known!"

Ratchet stood quietly in the room Keira had given him. He walked over to the window overlooking the richer part of Haven City and sighed. The past two days had moved way too fast. It seemed like only yesturday he had been in the baron's filthy prison. Much to his surprise, Keira didn't seem to bothered by him or his appearence. She had gotten used to him pretty quickly.He stepped away from the window sadly. He couldn't stand being locked away in here. No one seemed to understand his predicament at all.
Ratchet approached the long mirror resting against the wall and studied his reflection. Clank was right. He had grown. His face had exhanged it's youthful round shape for a slimmer, more handsome look and he had grown much taller. He was also happy to see that his fur was already gaining back it's old shine.
Ratchet looked at the clothes he was wearing with slight disgust. For some odd reason he felt strangley over-dressed. He was used to the outfit he had always worn on his home planet. He was wearing a baggy pair of khaki- coloured pants along with a white tunic.
"Ratchet? Everything allright?" Ratchet jumped at the sound of Keira's voice and turned to find her standing quietly in the doorway. He frowned slightly. "Keira? How long have you been standing there?" She shrugged and continued to watch him with concern. "Just long enough to see that you've got something on your mind. Wanna talk?" Ratchet refused the offer. He wasn't one to talk about his personal problems. "Nah. Nothing wrong.", he lied.
Keira didn't say anything, but left the room. It was odd to see him so quiet. He had been nothing but happy for the past two days. She shrugged it off.
Ratchet watched her go, a feeling of guilt washing over him. He didn't like to lie, definatly to women. Even about such little things as feelings. But still, his feelings were his own and he prefered to keep them that way.
He still hadn't seen this 'Jak' dude. He figured that he would've met up with him by now. When he had mentioned this to Keira she had just snapped back saying that he was busy. Being a pretty nice guy, he didn't push her into talking about it anymore. Jak seemed to be a touchy subject.
'Wonder if the two have something going on?', he thought to himself. 'Or maybe, by the way Keira avoided the subject, 'had' had something going on. 'I wonder if they're a couple.' he added as an after thought.