PLEASE NOTE Returning readers that skipped previous chapters before this one. GO BACK! This whole story was updated all at once (all 35 Chapters to be exact) and now this story is completely new! Hope you enjoy it!
NEW READERS: I hope you liked it up until this point! Enjoy!
Updates will now be posted the same time as the Wattpad version is updated. There is no specific schedule, but I try to get a new chapter out once every two weeks (sometimes before, sometimes after) If you have any specific questions or something you wish for me to respond to, please PM me!
Anyways, enjoy!
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
[Nova]
The Creator watched as they sat up from the lab table, eyes void of emotion.
"He he he..." a dark chuckle, "I knew that you would come to your senses.". Nova looked at him with a frown, displeased by the other robot's words. While they've come to hate the man with every fiber of their being, they have to admit that The Creator has been the only one to actually give them a chance.
Just like the tyrant stated before...he was offering them what they wanted...
And this wasn't an opportunity that they were just going to pass up, no matter how much it hurts.
The Creator tilted his head when he didn't receive an answer, looking over to a nearby lab assistant who was practically shaking in their boots, "Did you manage to damage something when inserting my device?"
"N-No, master! I made sure to be as careful as I could! I assure you that everything is in working order!" they stuttered out.
Nova itched the skin beneath the collar around their neck, wincing at the dull pain it caused.
"Everything is in working order, Master." they said, making their way off the table, "T-The information on your chip is being downloaded as we speak."
The Creator clasped his hands behind his back, looking up at Nova and smiling devilishly, "Good." He turned his back, beckoning Nova to come and follow him, "Now we can start going over some of the plans I have. Some of which you will have a say in."
Nova's ears perked up in surprise, looking down at the bot walking in front of him. And as they exited the lab and went into the main hall-
"You see, I figure that since you are helping me you should know these plans like the back of your hand." The Creator explained, "In other words...I don't want you to make one mistake at all. Do you understand?"
Nova shivered, "Y-Yes, Master!"
The Creator said nothing as they made it to the end of the hall, wide steel doors opening to reveal the main prison cell room. Along the walls were multiple cells, prisoners locked behind vibranium steel and faint electro-shields to keep them from even getting close to the bars. The trouble makers were chained, while the wounded were grouped together in tight, dirty cells.
Some were robots, while most were not. The robots locked up looked at Nova in envy, while the humans snarled and sent death glares. Wishing for nothing but their death.
Yet, with The Creator guiding them past them all, they felt oddly...safe from all of the prisoners' stares. They felt...invulnerable.
Maybe it was because everyone feared The Creator and Nova was...in his "care"...in a weird way. Because while The Creator may be small in stature, he wielded a powerful hand that spared no one that dared to defy him and his rule. He was ruthless. He was power-hungry. He was what caused fear.
And Nova was in his hands.
The Creator gazed at each and every one of the prisoners, basking in their suffering, He smirked at their pleading and pained faces. He silently mocked those who glared and spat at him as he passed.
Because no matter what they feel, they are imprisoned by him...
They have no choice.
Nova followed him all the way to his office, quietly stepping inside and ignoring the guard bots that stood on either side of the door. Instead of going to climb up to his pedestal, The Creator moved to the left side of the room. An old, worn painting that (Nova couldn't really make out) was hanging on the wall gold frame gleaming in the light. The Creator dragged a finger over the corner of the painting much to Nova's confusion.
"M-Master? What are you-"
*Click*
Nova stepped back in shock, watching as the painting transformed...
The corners split away into four separate sections. They rotated, moving inwards to reveal a blank, steel door. A slot for a keycard was to the left, but The Creator touched the holo-pad above it and entered several passcodes. The door finally opened when he scanned his hand...
Nova stumbled forward when The Creator walked inside. The overhead lights flickered on, and Nova was almost blinded by the sheer intensity of them. They covered their optics, trying to adjust while following The Creator deeper inside.
Nova remained silent, looking around in curiosity. So far, it was a long hallway. Black floors, ceilings, and walls with bright blue lights. Nova started to feel uneasy the further that they got in, cold air making them shiver...
It was only the two of them here, no one following them...
Nova gulped, running their upper left arm up and down with their sweaty right hand. Their pale green eyes watched as the blue lighting turned into purple, leading right to a set of stairs where The Creator and them descended. It was only about 6 steps, but it felt like so many more...
Not even a minute later did they enter a spacious room filled with various equipment. Vials filled with strange, bubbling liquids. Old fashioned bunsen burners are situated below some empty flasks. Books upon books scattered on tables and floors alike...
There was a whiteboard against the far right wall. Various calculations were scribbled upon it, along with a few photos attached with magnets.
However, the thing that stood out the most was a gigantic monitor that took up the whole far side of the room. There was nothing displayed yet...and Nova couldn't imagine what would be on there...
They didn't have to wait long at all.
"Welcome to my personal lab." The Creator introduced, opening his arms wide, "This is where I conduct most of my...personal projects." He turned, red optics narrowed in warning, "I trust you won't tell anyone about this?"
"N-No, sir!"
"Good." The Creator turned back around, "Come. Let me show you something..."
Nova stepped forward as The Creator moved towards the screen, reaching up to his control panel and turning a key, pressing a button shortly after...
The screen flickered to life...
Countless live recordings were displayed on the screen. Some depicted the empty streets of the city. Others were through the eyes of guard bots. Some...were of a few prisoners in cells. Just cameras all over the place...
"I have eyes all over the city." The Creator mumbled, "You see, some people aren't worth going for. I leave that up to my guard bots to decide but...we all have one rule. And that...is to eradicate all human life."
Nova refrained from grimacing...
"But I have gotten quite bored here..." The Creator gestured to the monitor, "What is the point of sitting here when almost everyone on this planet is dead or in custody? This is the start of my plan, pest."
Nova winced at the name, "May I ask what it is, master?"
"I was going to tell you anyway!" The Creator snapped, making Nova flinch. But...just like a switch, his glare was suddenly gone, "I am planning on leaving this planet."
Nova paused for a moment, thinking that they misheard him for a moment, "Leave?"
"Yes!" The Creator turned back to the monitor, "The Resistance and I have been at a stalemate, and now that the useless agreement with the Lombaxes went through well...I believe that it is finally time to act once more." he seethed, "Back then, we hopped from planet to planet, decimating all in our path. It wasn't until we arrived here that we were met with a stronger resistance from citizens all over the universe. I decided to wait for the right time to act and now..." he turned back to Nova, pointing at them, "I have you."
Nova did their best to keep eye contact with the other bot...
"What...is my mission, master?"
At that, The Creator belted out a full laugh, amused, "I like that question..." he mused, "I shall explain that to you, but first...we must go over our objective right now..."
Nova's ears lowered at the tone...
"Is to move bases-"
Nova's eyes widened,
"And finally eradicate this planet like I should have done from the start!"
...which means all the people here...will perish along with it. The prisoners...the survivors on the streets...everyone that is not favored by The Creator...
"W-Where do we start?" Nova stuttered out, tail dropping low enough to touch the ground. The Creator hummed, taking in Nova's state...
"Well, it's not fun if there is no fear now...is there?"
No...no this isn't right! Nova wanted to shout, but couldn't. They knew that if they did...they would die right here, right now...
The Creator grinned, red eyes alight...
"I have the perfect plan to bring The Resistance out of hiding..."
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
[Clank]
It started when they went over the data he collected.
He had a terrible night's sleep the night prior, plagued by nightmares and memories he wished to forget. He tossed and turned and shut his eyes tightly to try and get some rest, but his systems were in too much distress to do so.
The problem was, that the events he witnessed in his head were not the only things racing across his mind, it was all his past actions and experiences as well.
Why was he so caught up in his grief? Why did he create a copy of his friend? Why did he let Moira die? He was capable of saving her, right? Yeah...he could have stopped that?
Why did he take Ashby along with him when it was too dangerous to do so? Why did he leave the little boy to defend himself when The Creator came for him?
Well...that could have saved the boy then but...was he safe now? Was he lost? Scared? Hurt?
Dead!?
He was left wallowing in his despair throughout the night.
And that didn't help him when he had to face all the information again the day after.
On that stupid, cursed laptop.
With the data that almost ruined his systems...
That *almost* caused him to die...probably...
So now he was in the spare room again, knees up to his chest and core pounding as his systems heated up, not having enough power to keep his thermal regulation systems up and running. He was trapped in his misery. His own personal hell that was his memory banks.
Just replaying the same things over and over again...
He sniffled, going to wipe his face which held a mixture of tears and synthetic snot off his face.
He hated feeling so human...
He didn't notice when someone knocked on the door. He didn't notice when they opened it and walked in. And he certainly didn't notice who it was until they sat down on the bed he was sitting on, still holding himself.
Mags...?
The man's blue eyes held nothing but sympathy and concern. The frown that was plastered on his face was unfamiliar and different from the rest of his expressions. This was new. This was real.
It made Clank feel vulnerable.
"Hey, Clank..." Mags said softly, blue eyes watching him carefully as he spoke, "I'm sorry for what happened out there."
Clank shook his head, sniffling again,
"W-why?" he asked, "You did nothing wrong."
"No, I didn't. But Kaden and Oliver did. And now Phoebe is too busy scolding the both of them so...I wanted to check on you."
Clank was silent for a moment, trying to process what the man said.
"What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing." Mags answered immediately, "You did absolutely nothing wrong. I promise. You're just...overwhelmed, yeah?"
Clank found himself nodding on auto-pilot, "So much has happened these past few months." he whispered to the man, "Emotions. Creation. Death. Destruction." He listed off everything he could possibly think of, ending with only one word that has been drowned out by the rest, "Hope."
Mags' frown deepened, but he listened to the boy diligently until he was done.
He hummed, "I see..." he said thoughtfully, "I can't even begin to imagine what you've been through."
It must have been traumatic. Mags thought to himself, What a terrible thing...
"And now you're here and experiencing all these different things...you have every right to be upset, Clank." Mags reached forward to place a hand on Clank's shoulder, but retreated when the boy pulled back a bit, "But you can't just let these things keep bottling up..."
...And Clank knew that the man was right. Ratchet did things like this as well, and Clank usually said the same thing to him when it got too much...
Now here he was doing the same thing. Bottling it up until it spills over and everywhere.
"I know." he answered honestly, "But...there is just so much..."
Mags hummed thoughtfully, "Well...I suppose everything will come to light eventually. At least...one thing at a time, right?" his ears lowered when he received no response, "Or...were you not gonna tell us to begin with?"
Clank held himself tighter, "We...have other things to worry about besides me." he grimaced, "And I care about our objective more than anything. Ratchet..." he trailed off a bit, thinking about how he should convey his feelings, "...Ratchet is my best friend. My only family. I was new to the world when I met him, and have been with him ever since. And I..." he sighed heavily, "I just...I feel like I failed him."
Mags tilted his head, "Oh really? Why would you say that?"
"Because I-" Let him die, he wanted to say, but it never came out, "I...don't know." he settled with...
"I doubt it." Mags responded, "Ratchet's not like that."
"He's not." Clank agreed, "But that doesn't change the fact that I feel that way."
"No...I guess it doesn't..." Mags said sadly, looking away from the boy.
They lapsed into silence then. Letting the time tick by as they both silently enjoyed each other's company, even if they weren't speaking to one another right now.
But after some time passed, Mags pulled out his phone, quickly checking the time.
It was getting pretty late...
"I wish I could stay longer, Clank." he said honestly, "But I have work in the morning and you should get some rest too."
If I can... Clank thought to himself If the nightmares don't plague me again.
"I'll try."
Mags chuckled before getting up on his own two feet. He reached out a hand and ruffled Clank's head fur gently.
But then he was reminded of something...he pulled out his phone and presented it to Clank, who took it automatically,
"If you ever need to talk to someone or...get away for a bit, just give me a call." Clank blinked as he added Mags' contact to his database, "I have room in my apartment if you ever need to come over, okay?"
Clank's eyes were wide. He was...surprised that the man offered that to him...
"Anything at all." Mags reminded him, "I'll see you soon, Clank."
Clank frowned as he watched the man leave...
"See you, Mags."
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
[Kaden]
[4 Hours Earlier]
He could feel Mags' glare at him from across the table.
"What is it, Mags?"
His friend leaned back in his chair, propping his legs up on the table like he has done countless times before. While Kaden would have scolded him for pushing some of their papers off the table, he wasn't in the best of moods, to begin with.
And knowing Mags...he wouldn't listen anyway.
"You know what it is." Mags' voice was not as cheerful as usual, which meant that what he was about to say was serious, "You haven't spoken to Clank yet, have you?"
"I already told you that I was busy and he was sleeping." Kaden responded curtly, "I wasn't going to wake the kid up this morning just to-"
"I'm talking about after I left with Oliver!" Kaden grimaced at the sheer volume of Mags' voice.
Hopefully, their coworkers weren't able to hear this...
Mags lowered his legs and leaned forward, brushing aside their paperwork, "And don't act like you're busy. The Council told us to write a report about our progress on the Dimensional Map and may I remind you that we made no progress whatsoever?!"
"We can just say we can't crack the code or something." Kaden grumbled, "It's-"
"-That's not the big issue here, Kade!" Mags had to restrain himself from pulling at the fur on his head, "We aren't really working on anything anyways. We could have just taken the day off or something to go over the information as soon as possible!"
"And make The Council suspicious of us when we both take off at the same time? Yeah, that wouldn't be good."
Mags rolled his eyes, "Okay, I get that! But Clank-"
"-Is fine! Can you stop talking about it already!?" Kaden snapped, pulling a blank sheet of paper in front of him, "I think we should at least put something down to appease The Council. After that, we can worry about the information, okay?"
"Fine." Mags complied, "It's not the information that is worrying me, Kade."
Kaden's ears lowered as Mags continued to speak...
"Before I left, there was something wrong with Clank. Yeah, it could have just been about the information he downloaded but I could tell that something was off. I really think that when we go over the information tonight that we should-"
"Don't you think I know that, Mags!?" Kaden banged a fist lightly on the table, glaring at his friend across from him, "Why do you care so much all of a sudden? Are you his Father!?"
"Are you?" Mags shot back, "We barely even know the kid at all." he shook his head in exasperation, "Do you know his favorite color? Likes? Dislikes?"
Kaden shook his head slowly,
"His hobbies? Anything?"
"How is this relevant to the situation Mags?"
"Clank helped us." Blue eyes met green, "Sure, he lives with you and Phoebe right now but the kid really needs to relax, right? We've all been stressed out over this but it's not like we can act on our plans right away. That's why I think we should get to know him a little bit and make him feel more comfortable." Mags smirked, "I know Phoebe would agree with me."
"I...I guess you're right." Kaden rubbed his eyes tiredly, "I'll talk to him later."
"You better do that." Mags warned him, but then...his eyes softened,
"I know you're worried about Clank because of what happened with Ratchet, Kade. It's obvious." Kaden winced, "But Clank is not Ratchet. He is an entirely new person with a whole different personality that has a whole set of problems that we probably don't even know about. Being overprotective is not gonna do ya' any good."
"But I need to protect him, Mags." Kaden insisted, "I-I can't let anything bad happen to him."
"I get that, but you can be so overbearing when you don't even know that much about him yet. Do you understand what I am getting at? You need to understand him in order to do those things right."
Kaden sighed, nodding at his friend's words. "You're right, Mags." he admitted, "I just feel a bit guilty about letting this happen to him. I could have-"
*Ping!*
Kaden reached over to his holo-phone on instinct, reading the message that appeared on the screen,
Phoebe : Call me
He dialed her number without any hesitance, ignoring the curious look that Mags gave him as he held the phone up to his ear.
It took a few rings, but then his wife finally answered-
"Kaden, we have a problem." Kaden felt his heart drop to his stomach, "What is it? Is Clank-" But then Phoebe cut him off, "Clank is still at home...hopefully. I went to work, remember!? W-Well...anyways, Uhm...I just got put on leave."
"What? Why!?" Kaden asked her, eyes widening at her words, "You haven't done-"
"That's the thing, Kade! I didn't do anything! Well...they didn't know I did something but...everyone on my team was suddenly put on leave. I don't know what is happening but it sounds serious. My boss sounded scared when he told us all to go home!" He could hear her sigh on the other end, "It's something about The Council. They are putting a hold on the production of any new medications. We don't know why but...it's happening."
"So...do you think they know?"
"I am confident they don't. But I'm glad to be put on leave anyways..." he could hear shuffling on the other end, "At least one of us can be home for Clank now. I don't think he should be left alone."
"Yeah...I know." Kaden rubbed the back of his neck, relaxing his shoulders to try and get rid of any remaining tension, "Mags and I will be coming back soon so we can go over the information Clank gathered. Just sit tight."
"Okay...I'll have Clank notify Oliver if he can. See you when you get home!"
They each bid their goodbyes and Kaden set his phone back down slowly. Mags had his head tilted in question, "So-"
"Phoebe was put on leave." Kaden answered, "The Council is probably on to us."
"So soon!?" Mags grimaced, blue eyes filled with worry as his hand came up to tap at his chin, "Do you think Clank alerted them somehow?"
"I...I doubt it." Kaden said, "They are probably just paranoid...hopefully."
They both sat there in silence as the news settled in. This could be a good thing or a bad thing but it's not like they could stop now. If anything, The Council wouldn't be able to do much because Kaden was a well-known individual. So...if he went missing...it wouldn't go unnoticed.
But for everyone else that is in on their plan...that could be an issue.
Kaden just shook the thought out of his head, whisking it away for later as he looked back down at the tabletop. "Let's...Let's just get this over with so we can go back and do our thing already."
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
Things felt...odd when they arrived back at the house.
Phoebe was sitting at the kitchen table with Oliver, who already had the laptop open. Clank was sitting at the other end of the table, seemingly disinterested.
But by taking one look at him they could see that something was wrong. He was slouched over, both of his hands clasped around the ceramic mug that held some hot tea. His ears were down, and the end of his tail wrapped around one of the chair legs.
He didn't even look at them when they neared the table.
"Are you guys ready? Cause I am!" Oliver said enthusiastically, "We can finally find out what those bastards are up to!"
Clank's left ear tilted a bit, but he remained silent.
Kaden sat down between Phoebe and Oliver, the boy sliding the laptop over to him immediately. Mags came up to stand behind Kaden's chair as they all leaned forward to look at the screen...
All except for Clank.
"Hey, Clank! Why don't you come over?" Oliver scooted his chair over a bit, but Clank just shook his head,
"I have all the data stored in my memory banks." He sighed heavily looking at the ground, "There is no need for me to see it again."
They all glanced at him for a split second, but quickly averted their line of sight back to the laptop. Kaden finally found the folder he was looking for, cursor hovering over all of the files inside.
None of them were named.
"How the hell are we going to find what we're looking for if it's all unlabeled like this?!" Mags scoffed, watching as Kaden scrolled down, "There is no- HEY! Wait! Kaden! That's your name!"
Kaden paused, scrolling back up...and sure enough...
Kaden Callisto
"I mean...I did work for them for years. It makes sense." he tried to reason, "Nothing but...basic stuff, right Clank?"
Clank's eyes darted back up,
"The Council has all of your information." he said truthfully, "Inventions, blood type, family tree, everything. I did not read through much...we're not looking for that, are we?"
"I'll...look at that later then." Kaden winced, going back to scrolling, "What we're looking for should be towards the end."
"But...there's so much..." Oliver's eyes watched all the files pass by, "It would take ages to go through these..."
"There are approximately 16,748 entries, give or take..." Clank explained, "I have only been through a small fraction."
Oliver gave a look of confusion, "It...took you days though?"
"I can only download so much..." was all Clank said.
Not to mention the fact that this object inside him threatened to destroy everything and take all the information. Not to mention the image of Ratchet...
Not to mention the feeling of bitter heartache...
Oliver seemed (somewhat) satisfied with that response.
Clank looked back down at the tea in his mug...
Some time passed with only the sound of Kaden's finger swiping against the trackpad. In all honesty, Clank couldn't believe all the information that they were passing up but then again...they were just looking for one answer...
What was The Council planning...?
Well...they were about to find out soon enough...
"Ratchet..." Kaden whispered, cursor hovering over the file that held that name. Phoebe clicked it for him, a bunch of information lighting up the screen, Mags started mumbling,
"...Could benefit the Lombaxes more than anyone...the biggest disaster..." he shook his head, "They knew everything."
"How dare they..." Phoebe let out a low growl, "They had plans for him from the start."
Kaden remained oddly silent...
He moved on, carelessly scrolling past more files, which was something Clank didn't like, but would never comment on.
Especially because the man was starting to look a bit pissed off...
And it wasn't until Kaden got to the classified files did things start to get bad.
"They drugged him!" Kaden slammed a fist down, "I fucking knew it! He seethed. Phoebe laid a hand on his shoulder but...Oliver just continued to read, "Hunter and...and Arthur...watching him..."
"And Alister." Mags finished, "What a pity..."
Kaden, fuming, continued to read on, snarling at the words, "I trusted him." he said, "I trusted Alister with my life! W-We were best friends and he probably knew everything from the start!? How could he!? He-"
Clank interrupted him, sick of all the anger,
"Please. Read on!"
Kaden glared at him for a split second, but complied anyway.
Silence...
Clank looked up when everybody stopped shifting. By the looks of it, they were all in shock...
"The...Creator...!?" Oliver was the first to speak, "The Council...spoke with him!?" he looked at the adults next to him, "I-Is that why they wanted Ratchet!? F-For-"
"Let's see!" Kaden scrolled down,
"...offered...to The Creator..." Phoebe gasped, "No...w-why would they do that!?"
"For the safety of the Lombaxes." Mags read, "I...can't believe this."
Clank felt sick...
"And...there's more in custody besides Ratchet..." Phoebe added, "He wasn't the only one locked up but...why was it Ratchet they wanted to use!?"
"What would they want to protect us from? Is it so bad that they had to resort to offering Ratchet to the-"
Question after question was asked, none in any particular order. Clank tapped his finger along the side of his mug, deep in thought. Unfortunately, Kaden didn't seem to like this...
"Clank...do you have anything to say about this?"
"I told you, I've already seen it." Clank answered, "What you're seeing is the same thing I already looked over! It's stuck in my head."
"Then why aren't you reacting!?"
Clank paused...Oliver?
He turned his gaze towards the other boy, who was beyond upset. His eyes were teary and his fur stood on end. But...Clank couldn't understand why they were so upset with him.
"There are more important things besides my feelings right now." he replied coldly, "I advise you to read everything before coming at me."
Oliver pouted at this, but said nothing more as he turned back to the screen.
Kaden sat there, head bowed low as his eyes darted back and forth across the screen. His emerald green eyes filled with nothing but anger.
...
"Tachyon."
Clank felt his fur stand up at the tone...
"Is coming for us."
Everyone besides Clank shivered, fear gripping their hearts as the words sank in. Phoebe quickly wiped at her eyes, "This...This can't be." she whimpered, but no one comforted her because they were in the same boat...
Kaden, numb to it all, exited the file...ready to shut the laptop in disgust before he saw something...odd.
[VMBFILE 1 . 110402 - RATCHET]
"What's this?" he asked to no one in particular. He knew that no one would be able to answer it besides-
"What is it?" Clank asked, voice timid, "Is it-"
"Take a look."
He slid the laptop over to Clank, whose hands were already out to grab it. Clank's optics moved up to look at the screen. He froze in place, reading the screen. As if in disbelief, he took his finger and scrolled down, and to his horror...
All his files were there...mostly.
"W-What...but-" he shook his head, "That's not possible."
"What is it?" Kaden asked again, "This better not be-"
"These are my...memory files." Clank said, "Most...of them."
"Why are they with the rest of them?" Oliver asked, eyes narrowed in...suspicion...?
Clank gulped audibly, looking around the room at each of them. Phoebe and Mags just seemed curious, while Kaden and Oliver seemed quite...furious?
He didn't know why...
"I-I don't know why." he answered honestly, "There must have been something-"
Kaden leaned forward, "Wait...so you're telling me that your files are with the rest of The Council's files by...accident?" he asked, "There's no way unless you put them on there or...you have been working with them and The Creator."
Clank was more confused than anything, "What? Where'd you get that idea!?" he looked at Oliver, "Oliver saw me crash!"
"What if this was all a trick then?" Oliver piped up then, much to Clank's surprise, "Maybe that explains why you've been acting all weird today! You were gonna be caught in a lie and you knew it!"
"Hey! I don't think that's right!" Phoebe looked at Kaden and Oliver, who were quite heated, "Clank would never do that! If you two would just sit and think for-"
"Then what other explanation is there, Phoebe?" Kaden asked her, "There's-"
Clank cut him off, trying to defend himself (and try to diffuse the situation) "I was in there for days trying to get the information we needed! And...don't you think that I would've been more careful to cover my tracks if I was tricking all of you!?"
Kaden went silent at that. Oliver looked away...
"And! You all skipped over so much information that included-"
"-Clank." Kaden stared at him seriously, "Are you hiding something?"
"No. I'm not." Clank answered immediately, "Why would I?"
Kaden looked back down, reaching over to slide the laptop back over to his side. Oliver slid up beside him and, "Then let me click on it and-"
"No! Don't do that!" Clank pulled the laptop back, looking at the two of them like they were insane, "No! These are my memories and you do not have my permission to see them!" He held the laptop close to his chest, glaring at both of them. Phoebe shoved Kaden's shoulder, "Enough, Kaden! You're being an ass right now!
"But can't you tell that this is kind of suspicious, Pho?" Kaden asked her, "We-"
"Clank came here for Ratchet. If he was against us, why would he help us!?"
"To let down our guard!" Kaden reached forward again, "If you're innocent, why don't you let us-"
"These are my memories." Clank argued, "You can't just have them!"
"You-"
Suddenly, there was a big *Bang!* as a chair slid back. It turns out that Oliver stood up abruptly and slammed his hands down on the table, startling everyone else and making them lapse into silence. They all stared at him...
"I-I'm going home." He said, voice cracking slightly, "I need to think..."
He turned before anyone could speak, but surprisingly...Clank stood up, rushing after Oliver with the laptop still held close to his chest "Wait! Oliver, I need to tell you-"
"Not now, Clank!" the robot paused at the shout, "I...I don't know what to think anymore! E-Everything with Ratchet and The Council a-and Tachyon and-" he looked conflicted, "Even you!" Clank's ears lowered, feeling a bit...betrayed...? Yeah...yeah that's what it felt like...
"B-But-"
"I'll talk to you later."
*Slam!* The front door shut before Clank could even stop Oliver. He squeezed the laptop harder, looking down in defeat. He didn't notice when the others joined him.
"Clank." That was Kaden..."What else are you not telling us about?"
"I am telling you everything!" Clank turned and met the man's cold gaze, "And everything else is on this damned laptop!" he backed up when the man held it out again, "I am not letting you look at my files!"
"Why not!"
"Because they are my memories that I have of Ratchet!"
Kaden went silent at that...
Clank said nothing more, looking back to the device in his hands.
It was dead.
Kaden was about to speak again, only for someone to step in between him and Clank-
Mags...
"I think you should go get some air, Kade." he warned, "I'm not going to listen to you pick on Clank anymore." he looked over Kaden's shoulder, "And I'm sure Phoebe would love to have a chat with you."
Kaden huffed, brows furrowed as he stared at Mags. However, he said nothing more, deciding to turn around and walk all the way to the garage, passing Phoebe on the way. When they heard the garage door slam the woman shook her head in exasperation, a heavy frown on her face. She looked over to see Clank leaving as well, heading straight up the stairs and to his room.
It was just her and Mags now...
The two looked at each other...
"I'll go talk to Kaden." Phoebe said, "Will you go up and-"
"-Of course, I'll check on him!" Mags finished, "I was already planning on it."
She nodded at him gratefully, "Thanks, Mags." she said, turning and heading to the kitchen soon after. Mags stared after her, his smile turning into a small pout as he looked towards the stairs.
And with a deep breath, he made his way up to see Clank.
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
[Kaden]
He came out of his garage, considerably more calm than he was before.
But no matter how much better he looked, his wife still glared at him from her seat at the kitchen table. Her blue eyes, like icy daggers, bore into his own tired green ones. Her arms crossed as she stared at him in silence, waiting for him to speak up.
So...he did.
"Phoebe I-"
"Fuck you, Kaden."
"Ah...I deserved that..." he scratched the back of his neck. But Phoebe didn't stop there, instead, she slammed her fist on the table, "I can't believe you!" she started, "All we were doing was going over the data and you just had to start yelling at him-"
"-I was angry!"
"About what!? Clank!? Clank didn't do anything wrong, Kaden." she shook her head in exasperation, "Have you ever thought about what he was feeling!? When he woke up from downloading everything yesterday, something was obviously wrong! And don't even get me started on the fact that you didn't spend even a minute to comfort him like I did!" she growled, "Something happened to him while downloading the data , and it wasn't good."
Kaden's ears lowered...
"Clank...Clank hasn't been doing well since then. Heck, even before all of this he was struggling with his own emotions! Now things are even worse thanks to you!" she spat, "You think you had the right to look at his memories? And then when he said no, you and Oliver both started to yell at him!? H-How mean could you be!?"
"I-I was just angry, Phoebe!" he started. "I know that's not an excuse but...I was just so...distraught! I mean, think about it! Tachyon coming back for the Lombaxes? All the plans The Council had for our son!? It's...It's sickening!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his scraggly head fur, "I...I took my anger out on Clank, and I-I never should have..."
He felt so guilty...
Phoebe huffed, seemingly unconvinced, "No, you shouldn't have." her glare was unyielding, "I surely won't forgive you until you apologize to him. Then, you need to make it up to him."
"I know, Pho...I know." Kaden hummed, looking in the direction of the stairs, "Do you really think that he would want to-
*Tap...Tap..Tap..*
Mags made it to the bottom of the steps, going over to the coat rack to get his jacket. He looked over to see both Kaden and Phoebe staring at him. He turned to them fully, jacket in hand, "I gotta go now. I guess I'll-"
"Is...Is he okay up there?" Phoebe interrupted him. She winced as she realized she was being quite impolite by keeping Mags any longer but...she needed to know.
"He's...okay-ish..." Mags shook his head, "There's a lot of things we all have to come to terms with now, don't we? Clank is no exception, and...I can tell that he has been through way more things than he lets on." he slipped his arms into his jacket, zipping it up, "And Kaden-" Kaden looked up at him, eyes filled with regret, "If I hear you treating Clank like this again I will blast you off this fucking planet, got it?"
Kaden smiled bitterly, "Y-Yeah...got it, Mags..."
The burgundy furred Lombax smiled then, bidding them goodnight before finally leaving the house. Kaden and Phoebe were once again left alone with each other. The woman looked up to him, "Kaden." she said softly, making him look down at her, "Why don't we go talk to him, yeah?"
Kaden nodded hesitantly, following the woman as they headed upstairs.
She turned to him once they approached the door, gesturing for him to knock first...
*Knock*Knock*
"Clank? Are you awake?" he asked softly, "I...I need to talk to you."
There was no noise for a moment, but then...there was a small shift behind the door.
"Is...it about the laptop?" Clank asked shakily from the other side of the door, "It's dead."
"No...I'm not here to talk about that, Clank." Kaden explained, "I am here to talk about you."
Clank said nothing, and it made Kaden feel even worse. And to make things even worse...Phoebe left him to deal with it alone. Which was understandable...she had nothing to do with what Kaden said or did...
It was up to him to make things right.
"I just wanted to make sure that you're okay, kiddo." he whispered, hoping that Clank was listening to him on the other side, "I shouldn't have said what I did or...done what I did. I wish I could take it all back but...I can't, Clank. I can't, and it makes me feel so guilty."
Clank said nothing...
"I was just...I was just so angry because of what we learned that I took everything out on you and...and that's not right. I should have never acted that way towards you." his ear twitched when he heard a faint sound from Clank's side of the door, "You have no reason to forgive me, kiddo. But I just want you to know that I'm sorry."
There was a small tap against the door,
"Y-You're sorry?"
"One-hundred percent, Clank."
"You...you...you don't hate me?"
"Hate you? What would I hate you for?" Kaden asked, taken a bit off guard, "Yeah I...I was angry and I said things but...I could never hate you!"
"I thought-" Kaden heard a little sniffle, realizing that Clank was either crying or starting to...not like there was a difference. And the thought of Clank crying now was...saddening.
"-I thought that you and Oliver found me suspicious and that you wouldn't like me anymore!"
"Clank, I will never hate you! I promise! And I'm sure Oliver feels the same way." he reassured Clank as best as he could, "He's...he's just upset too. A kit at his age shouldn't be dealing with all of this..." a pause, "Including you." he finished.
"But...I'm a robot?"
"Doesn't matter, kiddo." Kaden placed his hand on the door, smiling softly, "You've dealt with far too much for far too long, right?"
"...Yeah...I-I have." Clank answered, "Too much..." he repeated. "But what does this have to do with the information and-"
"That's not what we're worried about now." Kaden interrupted, "We're worried about you."
Which was true. Kaden had no doubt that Mags cared for the boy more than he let off. He knew that Oliver had taken a liking to Clank too. And him and Phoebe...they worry...so, so much.
Clank sighed, "I am perfectly fine. I can deal with this myself..."
"You're not fine." Kaden retorted, crossing his arms as he continued to speak, "Ever since you woke up you've been different. You are barely speaking to anyone and haven't slept, right? Something is up and I want you to be honest with us. Especially...especially after tonight"
"You promised to be honest, Clank. We just want to help-"
And suddenly, Clank's frustration reached its peak, his composure slipping as his claws pricked into his artificial skin.
"I don't need your help!" he growled from behind the door, "I can deal with this myself! I know I can! I'm not just some useless-"
"-I never said you were useless, Clank!" Kaden argued, "Is...that what you think?"
'Is that what you think?' the words echoed in Clank's mind, burning into his memory banks. Why...why did that affect him so? It was...was it true? Is that why?
...
He thought about it last night when he couldn't sleep...
Useless...a burden...a failure...
His silence seemed to answer Kaden's question, much to the man's dismay. He didn't know why Clank thought that way, but then again, he felt like he couldn't even begin to fathom what was going on in Clank's head. It was now obvious that whatever happened before all this shook Clank to his core.
And it seemed like Clank didn't even know what was going on within himself.
"I...I don't want to force you, kiddo. But I also don't want to see you suffer like this. Because of what happened. Because of what I said..."
Clank remained silent, but he released his fists while he tried to calm himself down.
"I just-" Clank started to fiddle with the hem of his black t-shirt, "I just want to be alone." he answered honestly, "I need time."
...
"Alright." Kaden said softly, "We're here if you need us."
And he left, letting Clank have his peace. Tomorrow...Tomorrow he will make sure that he fixes things between them but for now...
They all need some rest.
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
[Clank]
[The Next Day]
"We're going shopping!"
...
"What!?"
Clank almost fell off of the bed, glaring over at the woman that just barged into the bedroom without knocking. And while Clank was caught off guard (and a bit pissed off) she was laughing about it.
"Shopping!" She repeated excitedly, "Get ready and-"
"W-Why though?" Clank asked, "It's-"
"To get you new things, Clank!" she marched over to the bed and tugged Clank up and off, patting his back, "Sure, you can use Ratchet's things...But you need your own too! Right?"
Clank grimaced at her words, looking down at himself,
How did she know that he didn't like wearing Ratchet's things?
"Thank you for the offer Phoebe, but I don't need anything more." he tried to insist, "I am not so high maintenance."
Her bright smile turned into a sour frown for just a split second. But it was gone as quick as it came...
"Oh, don't say that about yourself!" she nudged him, "I...don't know how it feels to be wearing your missing friend's clothes every day, y'know? You need something of your own!"
"B-But Phoebe-"
"Hush!" she held up a finger to silence him, "My house my rules. When I say you go shopping, you get your ass up and go shopping, alright?"
And...it's not like he could argue with her...
"Y-Yes, Phoebe!"
"Good!" she practically skipped out of the room, "I'll go wake Kaden up and we'll go, alright? Be ready!"
The bedroom door was shut before he could even respond.
...
Looks like today was going to be another tiring day...
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
They haven't made up completely...but they were trying.
"I do not see how this could be productive."
He watched as another shirt fell right into the cart, adding to the growing pile of various clothing articles. Kaden sighed, arms processed as he leaned on the handles of the shopping cart, "It's not." he chuckled fondly as Phoebe pointed over to a nearby clothing rack with some graphic tees. Some had some old-school band names and decals while others had some words or sayings.
Kaden doesn't think that Clank would really like those types of things, but they might as well try...
"It's just something that we are doing for you and now that I say that-" he pointed over to his wife, who was still looking through the t-shirts.
"-You should be over there looking for things!"
Clank frowned, ears lowering just a fraction as he looked to where Kaden was pointing, "I...never shopped for clothes before." he admitted, "For myself, at least. I sometimes had to shop for Ratchet when we had a particularly formal event coming up."
"Oh?" Kaden was surprised that Clank brought up Ratchet so readily like this. Then again, he wasn't complaining about Clank opening up a little bit, "Why did you have to do that?"
"Well..." Clank sighed wistfully, getting lost in thought for a moment as he thought back to all those times, "I guess you could say that I had a better idea of what "formal" was. I had to explain to him countless times that wearing gloves was not exactly formal, nor was carrying a switchblade in his back pocket formal either." he shook his head, "I never really complained about it though. Ratchet is Ratchet. I wouldn't take it any other way."
"If you went shopping before then you know what things look like." Kaden tried to nudge the boy off the cart, but Clank's hands only tightened, "Go on and pick something."
"I-" Clank was cut off as two more t-shirts joined the pile-
"I'm back!" Phoebe sighed in relief after placing the two shirts down, looking over at Clank, "Ready to try everything on?"
The two adults were met with silence at first...until a look of horror dawned on Clank's face.
"I have to try it all on!?
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
Needless to say they left the place with a bag's worth of clothing after almost 3 hours of just shopping.
Clank rubbed the back of his neck as he checked his internal timer. It was nearing lunchtime and the sun was high in the sky, beating down upon his silver fur. A quick scan showed that both Kaden and Phoebe's core temperatures were elevated. Their blood pressures were also quite low...
"I would recommend getting something to eat. You two didn't even have breakfast." he chimed automatically. It was a habit leftover from always reminding Ratchet to eat back then...
Surprisingly, the thought didn't kill his mood at all...
"You haven't eaten either..." Phoebe winced, sounding guilty at the realization. Clank reassured her immediately,
"Remember, I have no need to consume anything." he kept his voice low to make sure no passersby heard him, "I am a robot, after all."
Kaden just sighed in exasperation, and it seemed like Phoebe ignored the last thing he said and started to look around them. Clank watched in amusement as the husband and wife pointed in different directions, sharing a quick conversation before they both made up their minds.
"I know a good food stand down the street. Why don't you two wait here and decide where to go next?" Kaden nodded to Phoebe, who responded, "Yep! And remember my order!"
Kaden was gone in a flash, disappearing into a crowd of people as he went to get food. Meanwhile, Clank was stuck standing behind Phoebe, who was seemingly lost in thought at the moment.
Until she turned to him, "How are-" she paused...
"Clank?!"
She looked around frantically for the boy that she lost sight of...sighing in relief when she realized that he wasn't too far away from her...
He was just...staring...at a photo on the wall...right next to the entrance of a flower shop...
...
This was her...This was Alice. Clank thought to himself, This is the girl that's in captivity...
He flinched when someone tapped on his shoulder, whipping around and coming face to face with a worried Phoebe. She sighed in relief, "Clank! No running off on us, alright?" she said, "I...don't want to lose you in the city."
Clank nodded quickly, "Y-Yeah! Sorry, Phoebe I...I just got caught up in looking at this
She looked over his shoulder, squinting in order to read the small text on the poster. It depicted a beautiful young girl with pristine white fur. Her green eyes were bright as she held up a trophy to the camera, unfortunately...it seems that she was missing.
"Alice...Ven-tri?" she sounded out the girl's last name, "Poor thing...it's so rare for kits to go missing nowadays...I hope she's alright."
She made eye contact with Clank who...looked around them warily, honing in on one specific spot over Phoebe's shoulder. She was about to question him, but he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "There are...other victims." he said, "You all skipped the files. While we can't do anything now...just know that she's been in there before Ratchet was."
Phoebe was horrified. She pulled back and looked back at the poster, "But her family put this up? I mean-"
"Let's talk about it later?" Clank suggested, "In privacy..."
Phoebe watched as he reached forward to take the worn poster off the wall, folding it expertly and stuffing it in his hoodie pocket, "I shall save this for future reference."
The woman opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped when her husband approached them, a plastic bag in his left hand. He also had some sort of green...milkshake(?) in his right hand. "3 Sandwiches and one-" he held the drink out to Clank, who took it, surprised, "-milkshake coming right up!"
Clank became a bit flustered, "T-Thank you...you didn't have to do that."
"Well, I wanted to!" Kaden chimed, "I...also wanted to see how you react to the flavor."
Clank looked confused, curiously taking a sip while Kaden and Phoebe both looked in the plastic bag between them.
The robot instantly recoiled, pulling the drink back and grimacing.
"Why is it sour!?"
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
Clank filled Kaden and Phoebe as they walked, both eating their food and chatting.
He opted to eat later, focused on finishing this horrific sour apple concoction that he has actually come to like. At least his systems enjoyed it...
They were walking in a quieter part of the city. There were no tall buildings, rather small boutiques and small bookstores. There was nothing much to see for Kaden and Phoebe, who were familiar with it, but it was different with Clank...
This is what Ratchet craved (even though he never admitted it out loud). Ratchet wanted a chance to have a somewhat normal life. And now that Clank was seeing it...experiencing it...it was a nice feeling...
It was peaceful.
Clank listened to the two adults in front of him speak to one another, his eyes drifting to the park they were passing...
Lombaxes of all shapes and sizes were out enjoying the day. Kits ran around kicking a ball while others played tag. The older Lombaxes sat and lounged in the sun or on the grass. Families were in the middle of picnics or odd crafts. It was...so normal...
Clank hasn't seen anything like this for years. His life (and Ratchet's) were too hectic for moments like these...
And to his surprise...he found himself wanting to join in...or just relax in an atmosphere that he wasn't used to...
He wanted to experience something new...even if it only lasted for a few moments.
He snapped out of it when his name was called...
"Clank?" Kaden...
"Are you alright there, kiddo?"
Clank nodded, "Yeah! I'm good." he responded, watching nervously as Kaden looked over to Phoebe, who smiled brightly. Their conversation couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds before they both turned to him "Why don't we cut through the park?" Phoebe offered, "We'll get home quickly so we can help put your new clothes away!"
Clank was about to protest but didn't get the chance to do so when Phoebe pulled him forwards. He glared at Kaden, who just walked alongside them, chuckling in amusement. He was a bit pissed off about being pulled by the arm like this but...he eventually calmed down, looking around himself.
Green grass...big trees that cast cool shades. The laughter of the children and jokes being told by adults.
It was oddly soothing...
"Clank!" Phoebe suddenly called out, startling the boy into almost dropping his bag and drink, "W-What!?"
"Have you ever had a-"
"No!" Kaden cut her off, "Let it be a surprise!"
The woman nodded excitedly, pointing at the both of them, "Stay here! I'll get it!"
"There's no way that you will hold 3..." Kaden hummed, "I'll come with you. And you-" he looked over at Clank, "You stay right here." he said sternly, "Do not move."
"What? B-But-" Clank looked around. He felt quite nervous...
"What if someone finds me?"
"Then you run to us, alright?" Kaden said, "It'll be alright. I don't think anyone has caught on yet...we'll be right back anyway!"
Clank nodded hesitantly, watching the two of them leave to a nearby stall...at least he could see them from here...
But there was one problem...
...
"Why are you following me?"
He turned around to see the person in question. They were sitting on a bench nearby, wearing a brown leather jacket, a cigarette in one hand as they sat with their legs crossed. And even if their face was cast in shade from their hood, Clank could see their blue eyes widen in surprise...
"I see you've noticed." A masculine voice noted, "I don't know how but...I have my suspicions."
Clank glared at them, turning to take a glance at Kaden and Phoebe, who were still in line. He didn't want to alarm them...
"Oh? And what's-"
"You're not human." the man said flatly, "There is absolutely no way you could have known I've been following you. I was blocks away...behind buildings. And...I even got here before you..." he exhaled smoke, "Still, you're the one that questioned me first and knew I was the one following you. If you were a human, you wouldn't have noticed any difference."
Clank's ears lowered underneath his hood...he was caught...
"So...what are you going to do? Report me?"
"No." The man snorted, "The Council wronged me. They put me on leave but...I am never going back there." Clank thinks he heard the man sniffle, "They took everything from me."
Clank tilted his head, "Who...who are you?"
The man flicked his cigarette, "My name is Arc Cordero. Heard of me?"
"I know about you." Clank said, "Your son is-"
"Don't remind me." Arc spat, "I know what predicament he's in..."
Clank looked away from the man, feeling sorry for him...
"Then...why were you following me?"
"You're obviously helping the Callistos with...whatever is going on. And if you already know about my son, you must know about everything else..." he took a long drag, "I want to get my son back."
"And...you think I could help?"
"Yes." Arc stated bluntly, "It's only a matter of time until The Council falls. From The Creator or otherwise. I don't know many details of recent events but...with that announcement the other day, I doubt everything is going well."
Clank nodded in understanding, "It's not."
"Well, I want my son back, and in order to do that...I need to take down that bastard of a head." he seethed, "I'd kill him for my son."
"So...you want in on our...activities?"
"I do. I have some combat experience and I have a few...assets to help push things along. If you catch my drift?" Clank nodded, hair on the back of his neck standing on end, "Like-"
"I doubt you'd want me to help, however." Arc cut him off, "That includes everyone else involved. I was the one that interrogated Ratchet first and...done what I did. Mr. and Mrs. Callisto will never let that go."
"Not necessarily." Clank said, "Perhaps if you explain your situation they will understand."
Arc nodded, looking over to the same stand that Kaden and Phoebe were at...
They were almost done...
"I'll think about it, kid." he dropped his cigarette on the ground, stepping on it, "I hate to cut this short, but I would rather not talk to them right now. But you-" he held out his communicator to Clank, "I-If you...If you want?"
Clank didn't comment on the pleading tone. Instead, he took it in his hand with no hesitation, transferring contact information in just a few seconds...
He handed it back to Arc, who looked surprised.
"Whoa...okay then...that'll work." He slid it back into his pocket, "I'll be in contact, kid."
Clank watched the man leave, turning back and watching Kaden and Phoebe finishing up getting...
He zoomed in on what was in their hands...colored ice?
Phoebe was the first to approach him, quickly swapping his drink out for the icy treat.
"Now try this! I picked the flavor this time!" she said excitedly. Kaden rolled his eyes as she tossed the finished drink in the trash bin, quickly taking her own treat out of Kaden's right hand, taking a bite immediately,
"You're just terrible!" Kaden exclaimed, "Who bites a snow cone right away like that!?"
"I do and you married me so you don't get to complain about my habits mister!" she took another bite, "I did this on our first date!"
"And I was terrified..." Kaden said, but the smile on his face held nothing but warmth as he watched his wife. By the looks of it, he was looking back at that exact time...
The look was so sweet that it almost made Clank want to gag or look away...but instead, he just laughed...
"He he he...If I remember correctly, Ratchet would do the same thing." Kaden looked back over to him, "-Sometimes with ice cream."
The man just sighed, shaking his head in disbelief, "He's crazy..." he then looked back at Phoebe, who seemed extremely satisfied with herself, "-They're crazy."
Clank smiled at them before looking down at the treat in his hand, leaning down to take a bite (ignoring the shock on Kaden's face...)
He froze up suddenly. The taste was amazing but the ice...
"Now I know what Ratchet meant by having a brain freeze!"
Kaden and Phoebe laughed at his expression, beckoning him to take another bite while he was still frozen up, pointing and laughing. Kaden licked his own, still chuckling in amusement.
And all the while, a figure stood at the exit to the park, looking back at the small group in envy...He wished he had the chance to do that with his son...
...
He left then, feeling more depressed than he was before.
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
[Kaden]
They got back home a bit late.
So after a very light dinner, they all sat down to watch a movie and spent some time chatting. Kaden was left with Clank when Phoebe got up to eat popcorn and for some odd reason...Clank seemed a bit more closed off now. Maybe he was tired? Overwhelmed? Did Kaden do something wrong?
"Are...you alright, Clank?"
The robot looked back up at him, surprised. Did he really think that Kaden wouldn't notice?
"I have been...thinking," he said. Kaden leaned a bit closer, "About what? Uh! If you want to tell me, that is?"
Clank was quiet, and very hesitant to look up at him. His green optics seemed to be looking for the right moment to start speaking...
When he gathered enough courage, he finally opened his mouth to speak,
"I...I want to thank you and Phoebe for today. I...I really appreciate it. A lot." He smiled, "It's been a very long time since I have experienced anything like this so...thank you." Kaden was about to respond, but Clank went on-
"I...am so grateful for this but...wearing Ratchet's clothes and sleeping in his bed every day just reminds me of what's missing. And...it reminds me that none of it is actually mine...I never had anything of mine in...years." he whispered, "It's surreal..."
"Well...now you have things of your own! You feel better about that, right?"
Clank smiled, watching as Phoebe came back out of the kitchen, humming her little tune...
"Yes...Yes I do." he responded, "Thank you...for everything."
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
[Kaden]
[1 Hour Later]
He cracked the door open just a bit, peeking in...
...
Clank was asleep.
Damn...and he was ready to have a nice little talk with Clank before bed...but it looks like he missed his opportunity...
He walked in quietly, shutting off the bedside table lamp and picking up the small throw blanket that was on the floor (kicked off in sleep, no doubt) before standing up straight again, glancing over the bot that lay on the bed, sleeping peacefully.
Clank...was so human.
To anyone else it would look like an average boy sleeping the night away. But Clank...Clank was an intricate, alternate dimensional being with systems that were too complex for the average person to even begin to understand.
And against all odds...Clank ended up here with them. He helped them. And...and what did Kaden do? Well...he almost ruined everything because he was an asshole.
He felt...so guilty.
But after today? He felt like he knew Clank way better than before. Sure, the boy didn't share any fine details and had a habit of hiding and suppressing his emotions but...he opened up about a few things.
Especially Ratchet.
But above all else, Kaden was just happy that Clank enjoyed their little day out. He obviously needed a distraction from recent events and they needed one too.
It was a wonderful day...
With that, he grabbed hold of the covers and pulled them up to Clank's shoulders, smiling as the bot shifted a bit. When he was done, he pulled back to look over the boy once more...
"Goodnight, Clank."
He turned to head out of the room, meeting Phoebe by the door and looking at the knowing smile on her face, "What?" he whispered out, "I can't tell him goodnight or something?"
"It was sweet, Kade." she chuckled, walking past him, "That's all."
He just rolled his eyes, grasping the door handle...shutting the door slowly, trying not to make a sound...
...
*Click* It finally shut.
He followed after his tired wife, who yawned loudly when she entered their room and headed straight for the bed. Kaden, however, paused before he could get inside, looking to his right and eyeing the second spare bedroom door that has been closed for quite some time.
It was filled with whatever memories they had of their life back in the old dimension. It was just old printed pictures and whatever else they could find pictures of on their phones. Their old home. Their wedding. Their...baby...
And while they had no furniture or other knick-knacks...they still had whatever they could salvage of days long passed...
He smiled sadly at the thought, tempted to reach forward and open the room for the first time in months but...stopped himself once he remembered what Clank said to him today...
"I...am so grateful but...wearing Ratchet's clothes and sleeping in his bed every day just reminds me of what's missing. And...it reminds me that none of it is actually mine...I never had anything of mine in...years." his voice was just a whisper, "It's surreal..."
He remembered the expression on Clank's face when he looked down at his hands and-
Kaden snapped out of it, looking back to the entrance to his room as he heard Phoebe call out, "Honey? Are you coming to bed or what?"
"I-I'll be right there!" He replied, yet remained in place.
"Well...now you have things of your own! You feel better about that, right?"
He watched as Clank smiled at him for the first time that day...
"Yes...Yes I do." he responded, "Thank you...for everything."
And while their bond was just beginning to strengthen a little bit more, Kaden found himself wanting to do better. He wanted to be better for Phoebe, for Mags, for Oliver, and for Clank.
For Ratchet.
Because when they finally get Ratchet back home and safe, Kaden will make sure that he was an amazing home to come back to. A father, a mother, a dear friend, an...uncle (because let's be honest, Mags would be an awesome uncle) and-
He looked back down the hall to the room that Clank resided in,
-a brother. One that he has been missing for far too long...
So...when the time comes...
He looked back to the door in front of him.. making up his mind...
Perhaps this room could become something other than a room filled with dark memories. Rather...it could become a room of new beginnings. A fresh start. A home...
...
Yeah...He liked the thought of that...
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
[?]
He hopped off the busted cargo ship, coughing as the hatch opened up.
The smoke from inside was finally released, trailing up into the air.
Well...they said that this was the place. He looked up, "But this looks just as busted as this crappy cargo ship is..."
Speaking of cargo ship...he turned back around to glance over his sorry excuse for a transport vehicle, wincing as something inside sparked...yeah..good thing he was out.
He paused when he heard footsteps approach him from the left, and once he fully turned-
There was a blaster...aimed right between his eyes...A soldier that was no taller than him wore armor from head to their toe. The only thing really visible were their eyes...
"State your business!" The person behind the mask demanded. He felt up his arms, "W-Whoa! Hey uh..." he gulped, "I'm here to join The Resistance!"
A beat of silence..." Really?" they questioned, "Wait-No, first, how did you find us?"
"My...My friends told me a rough estimate of a location. It wasn't that hard and also..." he pointed to his sorry excuse of a ship, "I had no choice..."
The person hummed, pulling their gun back and analyzing him, "Well...I never thought we'd have another Lombax joining us..." they chuckled, "What's your name?"
"Arthur. Arthur Abletress."
The guard nodded, smiling behind their mask-
"Well, Arthur...welcome to The Resistance!"
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
