Ratchet had hardly made it through the door when Keira assaulted him. She yanked him into the house, slamming the door behind him. "What the HECK where you thinking?" She cried out. "You could've been killed, or WORSE, caught by Praxis!" She said all this while jamming her finger in his chest. "I can't believe you!"
She placed her foot in front of Clank, who was trying to sneak off. "And you! Clank, of all the sane people here, you let him go?! You even went with him!" She yelled. Clank looked up at Ratchet, who shrugged. Their carelessness about the situation seemed to set her off even more.
"That's it! You two are grounded!" She yelled in Ratchet's face. A grin spread across Clank's features. "Grounded?" He said incredulously. This was followed by a snort from Ratchet as he tried to hold in his laughter. Keira looked furious.
"YES! You two are grounded! Neither of you are to leave this house!" Ratchet held up his hands and slipped by Keira. "You can't be serious..." he said. Keira grabbed him and twisted his arm back painfully. "Remember, LOMBAX! You live in my house. Because of this, I OWN YOU! You will not sleep, eat, or so much as BLINK without my say-so. If you even THINK about sneaking out, I will find you and make the rest of your life living HELL!"
She shoved him away and glared at him. "Now, because it's almost five-in-the-morning, and daylight's creeping, neither of you will be going to sleep. I've got some work for you." She shot a nasty look at Clank. "That goes for you too!" Without another word, she stomped away, into the kitchen. Ratchet muttered a rude comment under his breath while rubbing his sore arm. "I HEARD THAT!" Keira screeched.
Ratchet flinched as a pan was slammed down and looked at Clank. "So, I guess this means we're grounded, huh?"
Ratchet sighed as he placed the last dish in the drainer. He checked the time and groaned. It wasn't even noon. So far, he and Clank had been forced to clean and vacuum the living room, dust, sweep and mop the kitchen and now they had just finished the dishes. Ratchet watched as Clank dried the dish and placed it in Keira's cupboard.
"Just look at the bright side of things, Ratchet! We've done just about all we can do. Pretty soon we won't have anything else to clean!"
"Oh I wouldn't say that..."
Ratchet moaned at the sound of Keira's voice. "Ooh goodie! I bet you've got another joyful job for us, huh?" he asked with mock glee. Keira grinned and nodded. "You're damn straight." She replied. "I've been thinking and I suppose you guys have been punished enough for today. I have one more job for you two. Sound good?"
Ratchet thought about this for a moment. "Do I have a choice?" He asked hopefully. Keira sniffed and turned away. "Fat chance, Hairball. Now follow me." She walked briskly from the kitchen. Ratchet and Clank exchanged glances, shrugged and followed.
Keira led them down some stairs and into her garage. Heaps of tools were lying around everywhere along with random vehicle parts. Quickly said, it was a complete wreck. Keira grinned and stepped out of their way. "Have fun boys. I want this garage in perfect condition when I come back later. The tools need to be sorted out, along with the parts. If you have time, consider mopping too." That said, she trotted back up the steps and slammed the door behind her.
Ratchet looked around the messy garage with mixed feelings. Being here brought back memories of home. With a sigh, he got to work.
Time passed quickly as he and Clank tried to sort out all of her belongings. Keira came back to check up on them an hour later and seemed surprised to actually see Ratchet and Clank working. "This is all you have done?" She asked incredulously. Ratchet clenched his teeth and bit back a nasty comeback. Clank sensed this and turned to Keira. "All you tools have been sorted out. We have started on the parts, but it may be a while."
Keira nodded and backed off. "Well, just give me a ring when you're done." She bounced back up the stairs and shut the door. When she was out of hearing distance, Ratchet threw the tool he had been holding across the garage. It slammed into the wall with a loud ring. He took a shaky breath and avoided Clank's sharp gaze. "Ratchet? We're supposed to be cleaning the garage. Not tearing it apart." Ratchet rolled his eyes and turned away, picking up a steering wheel and choosing instead to study the designs on it. "This is going to be a long day..." he muttered.
Clank eyed him with a concerned look, and said no more. Ratchet shoved aside a pile of bolts with his foot, and sat down on the ground. He picked up one of the bolts and studied it. It brought back memories of home and Ratchet smiled slightly. He pocketed the worthless item, knowing Keira wouldn't miss it.
Clank glared at Ratchet, frowning upon the meager act. He walked up, his footprints echoing in the now silent garage. "We should get to work, Ratchet. This way we can have the work done for later tonight." Ratchet gave his friend a slightly baffled look and Clank sighed. "Don't tell me you have already forgotten about what Jak said." he said. The robot's voice tinted annoyance.
Ratchet groaned when he remembered that he had to meet Jak. That was definitely something he wasn't going to be looking forward too. "Do we have to actually go?" he whined. Clank snorted in disgust. "Of course we do, Ratchet.... And quit whining. You sound like a pup." Ratchet glared at Clank. "Jak can't stand me. Odds are, it's not going to be a friendly visit."
Clank nodded knowingly. "Probably not, but Jak may be able to help you with your powers." Ratchet paused in quiet contemplation. The thought of actually having true powers was amazing and frightening at the same time. Not wanting to speak about it, Ratchet sighed and stood up. "We'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, let's just finish cleaning up this mess."
Ratchet looked around the garage with relief. He and Clank had finished nearly everything and it was only three o'clock. He approached a large set of shelves and ran his finger along the bottom shelf. The small movement brought up dust and Ratchet sneezed involuntarily.
"This is the last thing we have to go through. There doesn't look like there's very much here, so it shouldn't be too hard." Ratchet observed while rubbing his nose. He glanced up, taking note of what was on the shelves. The first bottom two shelves were empty. The third had a few jars on it and the top two were too high up to see.
Grabbing a rag from Clank, Ratchet cleaned off the first two shelves. He tossed the rag down and reached up, pulling three medium-sized jars from the third shelf. He pulled up a stool and sat down, beckoning Clank towards him.
"What do you reckon is in here?" he asked with mild curiosity. Clank narrowed his eyes, frowning upon Ratchet's wandering mind. "I do not think it is any of our business."Clank replied. Ratchet snorted back a laugh and shook one of the jars. A loud ringing noise was produced and Ratchet popped the lid off. "This is Keira we're talking about." he said casually. "It's probably just filled with junk." he explained.
Ratchet shook the contents into his hand and chuckled, holding them out to Clank. "See? Nothing but a few dusty bolts." he exclaimed. He looked inside the other two jars and smirked. "Same thing in these two." He set the jars down and dropped the handful of bolts carelessly, while Clank studied them intently. "I wonder why Keira would have these ones put away though?" Clank mused out loud.
Ratchet shrugged in reply. "I don't know. 'Cause she's strange like that?" He shoved the thought from his head and looked up at the top two shelves, pondering as to how to reach them. Clank meanwhile picked up one of the dropped bolts and peered at it intently.
Ratchet grabbed the stool he'd been sitting on and dragged it over to the shelves. He stood up on it, reaching up for the shelf.
"Ah, Ratchet?" Clank said timidly. Ratchet sighed in slight exasperation while straining his arm forward. "What is it Clank?" he asked. Clank paused for a moment. "I think you should investigate these bolts." Ratchet's hand touched something cold and hard and he grinned to himself.
"They're just ordinary bolts, Clank." Ratchet said calmly as his hand gripped the large object on the shelf. "No, Ratchet." Clank began to argue. "You're not going to believe this, but-" Ratchet leaned backwards to pull the object off the shelf and yelped in sudden surprise as he lost balance and toppled over onto Clank.
Ratchet landed painfully on his rump and Clank's muffled voice could be heard. "Ratchet? Gemph off mee!" he squeaked. Ratchet stood up, rubbing his sore behind. He looked up at the shelf and was surprised to see the object topple off the shelf. It fell and landed neatly on his head, producing a string of curses from the Lombax. Ratchet caught the item before it crashed to the ground and brought it to his face to study.
It was an Wrench. Not just any ordinary wrench, but the fully upgraded, powerful and surprisingly dusty OmniWrench8000.
In shock, Ratchet dropped the wrench, instantly regretting it. The tool/weapon landed on his foot with a loud crunch and Ratchet yelled in desperate frustration. "WHY THE HELL IS THE WORLD OUT TO GET ME TODAY?!?!?!" He shrieked loudly. "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE YOUR WRATH, OH GOD-OF-THESE-STRANGE-ELF-PEOPLE?!"
He groaned and glanced down at the wrench, confused surprise etched clearly on his features. "Clank... Is that?... B-But it can't be... can it?" Ratchet stammered. Clank looked just surprised. "As impossible as the odds are, I believe that may be your wrench!" Clank exclaimed. Ratchet narrowed his eyes and picked up the wrench carefully. "How would Keira have gotten this?"Ratchet questioned.
Clank cleared his throat and tugged at Ratchet's pant leg. "This brings me to the next topic, Ratchet. Those bolts that were up there are not just an ordinary bolts. They are from Veldin!" Stunned, the Lombax sank to his knees hugging the wrench to his chest. "That's impossible, Clank..." Ratchet said slowly. "Everything was destroyed in the crash."
Clank shook his head and set down one of the bolts down next to his friend. "Apparently not." he said coldly. Ratchet set the wrench down gently and picked up the bolt, studying it. "You're right!" he said with growing excitement. "We have to find out where Keira got this. There may be more left!"
As if on cue, the garage door flew open and Keira bounced in happily. She stopped when she saw Ratchet and Clank. "Uh... You two okay?" she asked. Ratchet picked up the wrench and fixed her with a baffled stare. "Where did you get this?" he asked slowly. Keira looked slightly taken aback and walked over, studying the wrench.
"Oh, that hunk of junk?" she questioned. Ratchet bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from a nasty retort. "This isn't a piece of junk." he replied coldly. Clank looked between the two, sensing the sudden tension. "Where did you get this?"Ratchet asked again. This time his voice was dangerously low. The seriousness about the situation made Keira even more nervous and she began wringing her hands.
"That wrench was given to me by a friend." she said quickly. Ratchet set the tool down and picked up one of the bolts. "And these?" he asked. Keira looked between the two. "The same guy gave those to me. I didn't know what they were and I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I just stuck them up on the shelf. I guess I just forget about them..." she trailed off.
"Who gave them to you?" Ratchet asked her. Keira answered instantly. "His name's Erol. He works for the Baron and-" Ratchet's head snapped up and his ears pinned back against his head angrily. "I know who he is." he interrupted darkly. Keira looked uncomfortable and stepped back. "Oh... I can ask him where he got the stuff. I mean, I'm sure he's got some more lying around his place."
"That won't be necessary." Ratchet replied after a moment of silence. Keira tore her eyes away from his piercing glare, visibly shuddering. The hatred burning in his usually soft emerald gaze had her cowed. Clank looked between his two friends, surprised yet again by Ratchet's sudden change of mood.
Ratchet held his stare on Keira a moment longer then looked over at Clank. "I guess this means we're done... Unless Keira has something else left for us to do." His voice dripped with icy sarcasm and Clank looked at him disapprovingly. Keira shook her head, still avoiding his glare.
"Good." Ratchet stated flatly. He jumped to his feet and picked up the wrench and bolts. "I'll be taking these with me." he said as he passed her. He said nothing more as he left.
Keira flinched as the door slammed behind him. She looked to Clank, her expression pleading for an explanation. Clank, however, looked more confused than she.
Ratchet stood in the middle of his room, his body enveloped by the rich moonlight that shown down through his window. He looked around the room, wrench in hand. He marveled at how perfectly the tool fit into his grip. It was as though the wrench was an extension of his arm.
The Lombax ran his hand along the edges, wincing as it cut through his glove and nicked his finger. "Amazing." he whispered into the emptiness around him. "Nearly three years and it's still sharp..."
A small smile forming on his features, he crouched down into a stealth position. His eyes darted around the room, imagining the foes of his youth. With amazing speed, he exploded into action. He sprang forward, slicing the wrench in front of him. Without pause he leapt into the air, his body turning gracefully back to attack the 'enemies' behind him.
The wrench came down with a ringing slam. Ratchet stopped, still crouched in his attack position. He perked his ears up, wondering if the sound of his game had reached the ears of the others. No doubt it had.
He stood up calmly and placed the wrench down gently on his bed. He walked over to his window, peering down outdoors with feigned interest. As expected, someone knocked lightly on the door. Ratchet didn't reply and the door creaked open. Keira peered in, eyeing Ratchet's back.
"Uh... Do you know what that noise was?" she asked. Ratchet didn't turn back to face her, nor did he reply. Keira looked slightly frustrated and stepped through into the room. When Ratchet still didn't acknowledge her presence, she sighed deeply and walked to him.
"I asked you a question." she said quietly. Ratchet smirked and turned towards her. Keira returned the heated look, trying to see past his callous act.
"And I ignored you." Ratchet replied casually.
Keira looked at him, not knowing how to reply. Ratchet smirked at her quiet response. "It was the guards." He finally said. "The people were becoming unruly and a new guard fired into the crowd." Keira didn't look surprised. "Figures." she replied. Keira peered out the window and looked slightly confused. "Everything looks okay..." she said suspiciously.
"The guard got everything under control." Ratchet retorted. "Besides, if you were out there, would you challenge the guard if you were unarmed?" Keira looked slightly hurt. "What is your problem?" she challenged.
Ratchet's eyes narrowed and he eyed her with sudden distaste. "I don't see any problems." he replied smugly. Keira clenched her fist, fantasizing ways to wipe the arrogant look off his face. "Well I do!" she snapped back.
Ratchet quirked an eyebrow in her direction and shrugged. "I'm sorry." he said sarcastically. "Is there anything I can you do to please you?" Keira stepped back, shaking her head.
"Who are you?" she asked suddenly. Ratchet paused, fixing her with a baffled stare. "I mean, honestly!" Keira continued. "Your personality and emotions fluctuate so much that I don't even know who you really are. I know nothing about you."
Ratchet didn't respond. Her reply had stung him and he found himself weighing her words in his head. Why did she have to do this to him? His ears flattened back against his head and he turned away from her.
"Why do you hide yourself?" she asked softly. Ratchet frowned and glared at her. "What are you talking about?" he replied.
"You're emotions." she said. "Since you've been here, I've really noticed a lot about you." Ratchet half-laughed and shook his head. "Tell me then." he responded darkly. "What do you think you know about me?"
Keira watched the anger cloud his features and shook her head sadly. "I know that you're in great pain right now." she said quietly. Keira could tell that she'd hit the mark. "You use anger to mask your sorrow... Why?"
Ratchet trembled furiously as her words sunk in. What right did she have to ask him such questions? He grit his teeth and spun to face her. "My feelings are none of your business!" he spat back.
Keira didn't look surprised at his outburst. "You're doing it right now." she explained calmly. "You're trying to cover yourself up." Ratchet looked at her with horror. The fact that she was taking his reactions in stride seemed to set him off even more. "I'm not covering anything up!" he snapped back desperately.
Keira continued as if she had never heard him. "You hide your pain because you feel that by showing strong emotions, you're showing weakness."
"Shut up."Ratchet's voice shook with anger, but Keira still pressed onward.
"You don't want anyone to know that you're hurting."
"I said shut up..."
"You feel embarrassed and betrayed... You become vulnerable."
Ratchet tried to ignore her words. He tried to push away the truth in what she said. As much as he tried though, he couldn't. Keira's honest observations cut through him like a blade and there was nothing he could do about it.
"You don't want to become vulnerable though. So you hide away. Instead of facing your fears, you run away from them like a coward!"
She had gone too far. Ratchet, blinded by his rage, retaliated against her words. He lashed out furiously, knocking her roughly into the wall. Before she could comprehend what was going on, he had her pinned back painfully.
"You think you know everything." he yelled. "Call me a coward! Call me whatever you want!" He lowered his head, bringing his face only a few inches from her terrified visage. "You will never know what I went through..." he hissed. "NEVER!" He swallowed hard and continued. His voice had become a dangerous whisper. "You don't know the first thing about pain... or true sorrow."
Keira returned his deadly stare with terror. Out of instinct, she attempted to twist herself from his grasp. Infuriated by her struggles, Ratchet raised his hand as though to strike her. Keira's eyes followed his hand and a chocked sob escaped her lips.
Her sob seemed to bring Ratchet back to reality and he froze where he was, his hand still poised in midair. His eyes wandered down her neck and rested on the dark red area where he had hit her just moments ago. His hand fell limply to his side when he realized what he had done. Ratchet let go of Keira as if she had burned him and took a step back. His dark hatred had been replaced suddenly by an overwhelming sense guilt and self-disgust. He took another step back away from her, completely avoiding her. He said the only thing he could force out.
"Leave."
Keira didn't need to be told twice. She gave him a frightened glance as she swept past him and out the door. As soon as the door clicked shut, he found he could no longer contain himself. With an anguished cry, he slammed his fist into the place where Keira had been. The shattering pain in his hand was nothing compared to the agony he felt inside.
"What have I done?"