Third chapter.
Reviewers:
Black Rosettes - I'm trying to keep people in character, so I'm glad you noticed. I think I got your E-mail...Angela fan, right? I'm not much one for managing of a community or whatever (I've already got a fairly large amount of things to do, and college starts in less than a week --), but I'll nosey around your C2 site.
LoonyLombax - LOL D
"Yes, what about Ratchet?" the female rogue said, her voice smooth and silky. Sasha's eyes widened; how had this intruder heard her? She'd barely even whispered! "Why wasn't he here?" The woman approached slowly, walking down the ramp to the floor of the bridge. Her walk was proud and sultry, not just self-confident. If she hadn't been nearly paralized with terror - not to mention the smell of the creatures nearby - Sasha would have rolled her eyes at the arrogance. The unknown woman looked around. "My, my - Captain Qwark and his entire...was was it again? 'Q-Force'? And you - Captain Sasha, if I'm not mistaken. It seems everyone is here...but the lombax."
Sasha stiffened, but kept her small gun pointed at the female. It wasn't a very effective weapon, of course, barely large enough to deter a small Tyhrranoid, but it was an effective threat. Not a large one, but most people and creatures with any sort of sense at least backed away when a gun was trained on them. Not this woman. She advanced slowly until she was barely a foot from the end of the barrel. "Restrain her."
Two of the creatures who weren't busy holding other bridge members turned on her. One reached its clawwed hand to her. She turned, fired. The thin laser emitted from the gun singed its hide. "Hwaaarr!" The smell of burned flesh and hair was enough to make anyone faint, but Sasha steadied herself. The creature lunged and closed its hard beak over the gun, snapping it. She yanked her hand away before the bones were crushed and held it against her stomach, rubbing the soreness.
"Now, now, I said restrain her, not incapacitate her," the female chided, wagging a finger at the creature. It snorted and grabbed Sasha's arms. The other glowered at her threateningly. The rogue turned to her other creatures and gestured to the Q-Force. "Lock them up somewhere; I don't have a use for them." The large brutes picked up the members and shuffled out. "As for you..."
"Get. Your. Filthy. Claws. Off me!" Sasha said, struggling against the beast. The smell was beginning to get to her. They smelled of Tyhrranoids, one of the few things she was phobic of. The thing growled and snapped its beak near her ear, creating a surprisingly loud pop! - at least enough to startle her into freezing. The strange woman took another step closer and leaned over so she was nearly nose-to-nose with her.
"Where's Ratchet?"
Sasha's eyes flickered. "Not here."
"Yes, I can see that. If Ratchet were here, he would have met my forces when they entered. Since he did not, he must not be here. But where is he?"
"He left."
"To...?" the female leaned closer, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. The size difference between the two of them was obvious. Sasha's eyes flickered again.
"I don't know..." she murmered.
"Don't know? Don't know? But aren't you his..." she hesitated, then spat, "...girlfriend? Doesn't he tell you everything?" Sasha blinked, nervous, and shook her head. The female backed away and turned from her, muttering, "Just as well. He's too good for you anyway."
"WHAT?" The temporary stupor was suddenly gone, and she writhed in the creature's hands, growling in indignation.
"I said he's too good for you," the female purred, sensing she'd hit a nerve. "I mean, just look at yourself. What could he possibly see in you?" She waved her hand dismissively. "You two, lock her up somewhere. I don't care - a storage closet or something. Just shut her up. She annoys me."
Sasha planted her feet; she didn't plan on going anywhere. But, when you barely break five five and a hundred ten pounds and are unarmed, you usually don't have a whole lot of say in what two large, mutant beasts do with you. The one holding her simply picked her up, slung her roughly around what passed for its neck and shoulders, and began walking, ignoring her squirming and attempts at kicking it in the head.
The female rogue sighed and rubbed her temples. The girl really was a pain; she had given her a headache in less than five minutes. Her temper - she didn't really seem to be so hotheaded in and of herself, but she seemed to be particularly touchy about the subject of Ratchet. Perhaps she sensed her jealousy of them, or perhaps...perhaps there was something wrong between them! Well, if that was the case, then so much the better for her.
Ratchet yawned and placed his feet up on the controls of his fighter, lacing his fingers behind his head lazily. Clank looked at him and shook his head. He had long since learned to tollerate the lombax's antics. "Shall I radio the Phoenix of our return?"
"Nah. Let's surprise Sasha."
"Ratchet, I do not feel it would be wise to 'surprise' her, given the circumstances. She may still be upset with you."
"Aw, lighten up, Clank. It's not like she'd kill us or anything."
"True. Murder does seem to be beneith her." Ratchet rolled his eyes. "But still, would it not be wise to bring a peace offering?"
Ratchet sat up. "Peace offering?"
"You know, flowers, candy, some small token -"
"Clank, this is Sasha we're talking about," Ratchet cut in. "I don't think she'd go for the flower thing. She'd be more likely to want a vidcomic, and I'm not sure where the closest game stores are. I had to mail-order my last three; you know how those guys are!"
"Yes, I do. You were jumping up at every sound for the next four days each time." The robot moved his head and occular coverings in such a way as to suggest he rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, do as you wish. But I will not reattatch any dismembered body parts."
"You may be doing more than minor surgery, Clank," Ratchet said, his eyes widening as he came around the rear of the Phoenix. The ship jammed in the doorway and the odd, shimmering stains on the floor told of a hard-fought battle. Easing himself in between the two slices of metal, careful not to scrape himself, he landed on the floor. "It looks like whoever was here...isn't."
Clank squinted and lookd around. "No...bioscanners indicate several large organic lifeforms on lower decks. They are not here, per se, but they are still on board."
"Any sign of Sasha?" he asked, worried, then quickly added, "Or anyone else?"
"Scanners indicate two small, one medium, and two large organic lifeforms, as well as one robotic lifeform, of alied persuasion."
"And those lifeforms would be...?"
"Ratchet, if you cannot smell that your own girlfriend's blood is not intermingled with this...mess...then the rumors of lombaxes having a superior olefactory system must be unfounded."
"Yeah, well, this stuff kinda stinks...it's not like I could smell too much of anything else." He put a hand over his nose and grimaced. "Besides, how would I know what her blood smelled like? It's not like I've bitten her...her biting me, on the other hand..." He reached up and rubbed his ear in memory. "Nice little reminder she's got fangs..."
Clank giggled, amused. "Well, it appears our friends are approximately a deck below us, in that direction." He pointed and added, "There do not appear to be too many of the unknown creatures in the way. It should not be difficult to get to them."
"All right then, come on." He took out his Tempest, intending to create as small and odorless a mess as possible.
The creatures themselves, actually, did not offer him a whole lot of resistance. Due to their constant prowling - most likely for food - he only encountered five of the brutes. And even when he did run in to one, it was alone and paused for a moment to blink and cock its head at him. It was as if it mistook him for a familiar face, although his resemblance to one of them was only vague.
Their fur was yellow, yes, but stripeless, and rather than being a rich gold, it was a mucky, muddly, discolored yellow, the color of swamp slime. Their hands and feet were large, but they had only three fingers, the number of an ordinary creature, though their fingers had two sets of claws to each digit, giving them five with which to shred and tear. Ratchet himself could have easily stood under the creature's chin and not tickled it with his ears. And, though their tail was probably as long as his and showed the scruffy beginnings of a tufted tip, it was considerably thicker and less mobile.
Each creature was quickly dispatched, leaving a carcass that smelled slightly like roasted meat and heavily like singed fur. The electricity was bloodless, true, and prevented foul-smelling bowels from being spilled on the floor, but it did create a distinctive odor, emphasis on the stink. The smell reminded Ratchet of his run-ins with Telsabots while fighting Drek, minus the pain.
"Here, this door," Clank said as they passed one of the many in the hallway.
"You sure? I mean, it's the janitor's closet..."
"If I am wrong, I will happily swallow my own words and allow you to tease me mercilessly."
"Fine, fine," the lombax muttered, pushing the door switch. "What harm can it do?"
Five pairs of eyes blinked owlishly in the light. "Ratchet! Eet's about time you got here, ya? Ve've been having to light the monkey's blähung vith sparks from ze computer viz's spark plugs to see!"
"Excuse me, um, Helga, it's really a small blow torch," Al said nervously.
"Vell den, ve've been lighting monkey blähung vith a 'schmall blovv torch'!" she snapped.
"I guess you guys are all okay then?"
"Oh, ya, ya, ve're fine. Except for Meester Hero over dere." She indicated Qwark, curled in a fetal possition mumbling about bright suns and candles.
Ratchet looked around. "Where's Sasha?"
"The captain lady?" Skidd piped up. "She's catchin' some Zs on a bunch of boxes in the back. Talks about you sometimes." He grinned at him. "Never says much, though."
When he squinted, he could just make out her form on top of a pile of what looked to be spare part boxes, her head on a sack of undisclosed contents. He walked over and squatted slightly, shaking her shoulder and resting his chin on her cheek. "Sasha? Sasha?"
"Mn...what?" She opened her eyes, a confused, sleepy look on her face. Due to the angle, she couldn't quite see Ratchet but out of the corner of her eye, and only as a shadow. She froze. Was one of those...things...cuddling up to her?
No, no...the smell from it was warm, comforting, not hot and sticky and suffocating. The hand on her shoulder had five very distinct fingers. And the voice that called her name, softly, the breath tickling her fur, was no harsh squawk. It was..."Ratchet?"
The shadow nodded, its furry chin rubbing against her. She turned over slowly, looking up at him. From what she could tell by the light, he was giving a small, sheepish smile. She smiled back, then suddenly sprang up and threw her arms around his neck, turning her head sideways to press her cheek to his, her nose almost against his own. Ratchet was surprised, both by her sudden movement and by the fact that she was only hugging him.
"Are you...still mad at me?" he gulped, speculating that as the only reason for her different greeting. He had gotten used to the idea of her running up to kiss him on occasions such as this.
"No...no...I'm not mad." She shook her head, effectually rubbing against him. He smiled broader and tentatively hugged her.
"Oi, you two lovebirds! You done yet?" They jumped back, embarrassed, their eyes darting between each other, the floor, the ceiling, and various members of the Q-Force.
"HhhhwwWAARRRGGGH!" The ear-splitting scream from one of the creatures upon discovering one of its own on the floor was deafening. Other creatures, hearing the tormented cry, thundered past the open door, completely ignoring it.
Suddenly, over the intercom, came the sultry, feminine voice of the hijacker, "It would seem that our lombax has arrived. All combatants not injured beyond fighting come to the hanger. Those unable to walk, stay where you are." She seemed to purr with pleasure. "Do not kill the lombax; I want him alive."
All eyes turned to Ratchet. He shrugged. "It's not like I haven't fought these guys. I took out a couple of them on the way here; they're not so tough."
"Ratchet, they decimated my entire Ranger force. Every Ranger on the Phoenix has been destroyed. I don't think they're easy to beat."
"Funny...on the way here, they didn't even seem all that vicious..."
"Those that we encountered were alone and seemed confused by you, Ratchet. Perhaps there is a pack mentallity which leads to a frenzy in which all lifeforms but their own are destroyed," Clank said. "If that is the case, then we should encounter quite the resistance force upon reaching our ship."
"Not to mention my ship's not big enough for everyone. It was crowded enough with just Qwark in there." Everyone frowned in thought. With their numbers, they had little chance of succeeding in a full attack. They needed to fall back and regroup, to find reinforcements. But how were they even going to get out...?