Surprise, I'm not dead!
Sorry about the long wait for this one, I got a little swamped with things IRL, and I was once again punched in the mouth by my good friend, writer's block. Hopefully this will have been worth the wait, and if not, well… sucks for you, I guess. Feel free to bash me in the comments if you want.
Ratchet's eyes slowly opened, and quickly closed once more from being assaulted by the sunlight that was spilling into the room from the windows. He lets out a small grumble, and turns over before pulling the blanket over his head in an effort to fall back asleep.
"Ratchet." Clank's robotic voice speaks from next to him.
Ratchet lets out an unintelligible moan in protest and pulls the blanket tighter over his head.
"Ratchet, I know you're awake, and I think you should get up now." He says more firmly.
"Five minutes, Clank." Ratchet's groggy voice mumbles from beneath the cover.
"And leave your father to wait even longer for you downstairs?"
"Whaddya mean?" Ratchet lowers the cover and looks over his shoulder to squint at Clank, who looks back at him with crossed arms. "I don't have… a…"
He trails off as he glances around and realizes that he is, in fact, not in his home on Veldin right now. He sits up a little straighter on his elbow, growing confused and slightly alarmed as to how he got here. But, thanks to the small burst of panicked adrenaline, his mind wakes up even faster than usual, which allows the memories of the day prior start flooding back in.
The irritated scowl on his tired face is replaced instead with a blissful smile as he rubs his eyes, recalling yesterday's very eventful but fortunate day.
Clank gives a small chuckle. "It is not often that I see you wake up with a smile, Ratchet."
"Well, it's not often that I wake up with a dad, either." He replies before sitting up while stretching his arms out in front of him, letting out a small groan.
"A fair point, I suppose." Clank says as he holds up Ratchet's shirt to him.
"Why does he need to see me so early, anyway?" Ratchet asks as he pulls it over his head before swinging his legs off the cot.
"First off, it is not early. It is 9:30." Clank corrects him.
"Early enough." He retorts with a shrug.
"And second, he says that that he is making you breakfast." Clank explains. "Hopefully, your food isn't cold by now, because he came in here to tell you that about ten minutes ago."
"Wait, what? Why didn't you wake me up sooner then, Clank?" Ratchet asks in the midst of putting on his boots, resting on the floor next to him. "Now thanks to you, I'm going to have to eat cold pancakes! Or, wait, maybe they're eggs. Or some kind of Lombax-only breakfast?" Ratchet muses as he rests a finger on his chin. "Did he say what he's making, actually?"
Clank shakes his head. "No. He simply asked me to tell you that when you wake up."
"Well, I guess that means we'll have to go and find out for ourselves then." Ratchet says as he stands up from the cot. "But if whatever he made is cold, I'm blaming you."
"Ratchet, I may be responsible for maintaining the space-time continuum, but that doesn't mean I'm also your personal alarm clock." Clank says with crossed arms.
"That may be true, but you're my friend, Clank. And friends don't let friends' breakfasts get cold." Ratchet replies pointedly as he opens the door to his room.
Clank uncrosses his arms with a roll of his optics as he starts to follow Ratchet out into the hall. They make their way down the stairs, where Ratchet starts to smell something tasty. They pass through the living room, and also begin to hear the sound of something sizzling.
They step through the doorway leading into the kitchen, and see Kaden at the stove, quietly humming to himself as he cooks something, which Ratchet believed to be bacon if the smell was any indication. On the kitchen island, he could see two already-prepared plates with eggs and a small stack of pancakes on each, accompanied with glasses of what looked to be orange juice.
"Alright, there we go." Kaden mutters to himself as he turns off the stove and picks up the pan. "Hopefully he wakes up—Gah!" He nearly drops the pan, startled by Ratchet and Clank's unannounced presence in the doorway, the former of whom can't help but crack an amused smile.
"Morning." Ratchet greets nonchalantly.
Kaden lets out a small breath to calm his nerves from the sudden fright. "That's one hell of a way to greet your dad, I almost dropped the rest of your breakfast!" He tells him, motioning to the pan that was indeed filled with sizzling bacon.
"Sorry, then." Ratchet says with a small chuckle as he and Clank go over to take a seat in front of one of the plates. "But to be fair, you did scare me last night before dinner, so I think it's only fair that I return the favor."
Kaden rolls his eyes. "As long as you don't make it a habit. Last thing I need is for something to explode in my workshop because you decide to startle me like that again."
He then walks over to the island to join them, and proceeds to dish out half of the bacon onto Ratchet's plate before doing the same for his. And as he walks back over to the sink to put it away, Ratchet decides to take a bite out of the pancakes on his plate.
Kaden, returning to his seat, sees this, along with a satisfied look on his face.
"Yeah!" He affirms with a thumbs-up. "These are like, the perfect pancakes." He says as he stuffs another forkful of them into his mouth.
Kaden grins. "Glad to hear it."
But as he looks at Ratchet, he also notices Clank politely sitting in the chair next to him, and can't help but inspect him curiously as he begins to eat, Ratchet's memory of meeting Alister and their conversation concerning him floating back up to the forefront of his mind. Was he really a product of the Zoni?
He had their large eyes that were predominantly featured in the murals he'd found in his research depicting them, but everything else about him seemed perfectly ordinary for a robot. Everything except the fact concerning his very, very large data storage that the City Guard weren't able to download after even an hour, but that could mean anything.
"Erm… Is something the matter, Kaden?" Clank asks, noticing his stare.
Kaden shakes his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, um, sorry, I was just wondering if you wanted something to eat. Or, if you even need to eat that is." He explains with a nervous chuckle. "Must have spaced out for a minute there, still need to wake up, I guess."
A lie, obviously, but he felt now wasn't the time to pry into their past like that. And if they confirmed that his thoughts about Clank are true, well, it is way too early to deal with that right now.
Clank shakes his head. "No, thank you, I don't require nourishment to function." He assures. "But I appreciate your hospitality nonetheless."
"Alright, then. I was just worried you'd feel left out." He says as he continues eating.
"Don't worry, I've quickly grown accustomed to watching others eat after living with Ratchet for so long, it doesn't bother me."
"Although, it took me a while to get used to it." Ratchet speaks up, glancing over to him. "Especially when you started cooking for me, with the way you just stared at me the whole time I ate."
Clank holds his hands up with a shrug. "How else was I to gauge the effectiveness of my culinary skills?" He defends.
"By asking me, obviously, not by analyzing me like some kind of lab rat. Seriously, that was just plain creepy." He finishes as he reaches for his juice and takes a swig.
But as he does, his eyes immediately widen as he spits it back into the cup at the surprisingly bitter taste of it before holding it in front of him in disgust. "Ugh, what is this?!"
Kaden laughs at his reaction, making Ratchet shoot him a confused look. "Well, it was worth a shot." He says with a shrug as he takes a sip of his own juice, but unlike Ratchet, managing to actually swallow it with no problem.
"What are you talking about? Did you try and slip me something?" He asks worriedly.
"Of course not!" Kaden reassures him. "I just thought I'd give you something only Lombaxes have, like you mentioned last night. So, I decided to give you some Citricerbic fruit! Well, in its juice form, obviously."
"That was a fruit?" Ratchet asks as he looks back to his own glass in disbelief. "Are you sure this stuff didn't just go rotten?"
"Well, it does have a bit of an acquired taste, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to let you try some, anyway." He says as he continues eating, biting off a strip of bacon.
"Wouldn't hurt? You're lucky I wasn't eating something when I tried that, because I definitely would've choked." Ratchet argues.
He rolls his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, Ratchet. Come on, try another sip now that you've got an idea for what to expect. And swallow this time, too, you're missing half the flavor if you just spit it out." He says while pointing to him.
Ratchet looks at him with skepticism, and Kaden motions to him in a 'go on' gesture. He looks back to the orange liquid, and after a moment, reluctantly brings it back to his lips, making sure to take a smaller swig this time.
Once again, his tongue is assaulted with that bitter taste, but it wasn't as hostile this time around now that he knows it's supposed to taste this gross, and not sweet like he originally thought. And as he swallows it, feeling more like he was forcing down medicine than enjoying a beverage with his breakfast, he notes that the bitterness in his mouth starts to wear off to reveal a slightly sweet aftertaste, with a strange but not unlikeable earthy undertone to it.
"Well?" Kaden asks with raised eyebrows.
Ratchet smacks his lips as he stares at the glass again. "I… guess I can see the appeal in this stuff."
"Atta boy." Kaden says with a smile. "You'll get used to it no time, you'll see."
"If you say so." Ratchet says as he puts it down to continue eating the rest of his breakfast. "So, do you have anything planned for today?"
"Sure do." Kaden says with a nod. "We can get going after we're finished eating, in fact."
"Really? What are we doing?" Ratchet asks with some eagerness.
"You'll see." He answers with a small smirk. "But we'll have to make a quick pit stop at the City Guard to pick your things up first, now that you're officially pardoned."
"I'm getting my Arsenal back today, then?"
"Yep, and hopefully, Chief Wells will be in a better mood this morning. Well, unless there's some other Lombax running around the city right now making her guys look like idiots again, that is." He remarks before taking another swig of his juice.
"Erm, are we going to have to walk there, though?" Clank asks. "I was under the impression you didn't have a ship when you had your friends give us a ride to your home here."
"No, I have my own ship, don't you worry." Kaden says with a light chuckle. "I just like walking to work most days. I get some fresh air, some time to think about my latest project I'm working on, and it doesn't hurt to get in a little exercise every once in a while."
"Where is it, then?" Ratchet asks, tilting his head. "I didn't see any ship when we came back here last night."
"That's because I park it out back." Kaden says as he thumbs over to a backdoor in the kitchen with them.
"Ooh, can I see it?" Ratchet asks enthusiastically.
"Sure, after you finish your breakfast, that is." Kaden says as he points to him with his fork. "I didn't cook all of this so that you could just let it get cold while you go off and ogle at my ship all morning."
Ratchet scoffs as he takes a bite of his eggs. "I wouldn't look at it for that long." He mutters.
"It takes you an average of 21.2 minutes to inspect ships that come into your shop, Ratchet." Clank states. "That is plenty of time for food to get cold."
"Wha—Why do you have that calculated?" He asks indignantly.
"Because when you make it a habit to have me drag you back into the house for lunch because you refuse to interrupt your half-hour 'initial lookovers', I tend to take notice." Clank answers astutely.
Ratchet slumps a little as he returns back to his breakfast while Kaden gives a small snicker. "You always have to be a smartass, don't you?" He mutters.
Clank shrugs, and Ratchet could easily see the smug grin he'd wear if he had lips. "You've only yourself to blame for that. I learned it from you, after all."
Ratchet rolls his eyes before he continues eating the rest of his breakfast along with Kaden, who encourages him to try and finish the rest of his Citricerbic juice, to which he only half-succeeds, finding the accumulating bitter taste in his mouth too overwhelming to enjoy the rest of his food.
After about ten minutes sprinkled with only a few jokes about Ratchet being a wuss by his father, Kaden places their empty plates into the sink as Ratchet and Clank walk out of the kitchen's door to the backyard of the house, which they immediately find to be quite spacious.
But most importantly, they find a sleek orange ship parked right in the middle of it, on top of a metal platform to keep it off the grassy ground below, with 'LYRA' written across the side of the cockpit in Lombax script. Ratchet noted that it looked much more similar to Aphelion than either Mags' or Julie's, but still looking a little further ahead than her in terms of technology.
"I take it from your gawking that you like her?" Kaden asks Ratchet amusedly, closing the door to the house behind him.
"Yeah!" Ratchet replies, snapping out of his mental disassembly of the ship's engine. "I'm honestly a little jealous, all the ships here in this dimension seem so much better than in mine."
He chuckles. "I wouldn't doubt it. But I'm sure you'd rather see how she flies instead of just looking at her, don't you?"
Ratchet's face lights up. "Are you going to let me fly?" He asks, the excitement palpable in his tone.
"Woah there, don't get too ahead of yourself. I recall you mentioning you don't have a pilot's license, and we're headed to the City Guard." Kaden tells him. "Not exactly the smartest idea to let you fly there. Can't have you getting thrown back in jail again, after all."
"Aw, man." Ratchet mutters dejectedly.
"But, maybe I'll let you fly home after we're done with our little activity later." He follows up with a smile. "That is, if I can even trust you to fly. How good of a pilot is he, Clank?" He asks the little robot standing next to them.
"Why are you asking him?" Ratchet asks, feeling a little betrayed. "I'm an awesome pilot!"
"Because I have yet to see that for myself, and I can tell he'll be honest with me." Kaden answers. "I just want to ensure that you're not going to pull a Julie on my ship and total it even though you swear that you're an 'awesome pilot'." Kaden says with air quotes before looking back to Clank, while Ratchet crosses his arms with a pout. "So?"
"I believe that you can trust Ratchet." Clank assures him with a nod. "He can sometimes get more than a little overzealous with his speed, but I'm sure that you will have nothing but complete and utter respect for the regulations here, right?" He tells Ratchet with crossed arms, Kaden also looking over to him.
"Of course I will!" Ratchet says huffily. "Jeez, I feel like I'm being put on trial here."
Kaden gives him a pat on the back. "Alright, if Clank says I'll have nothing to worry about, then I'll trust him. I'll let you fly the way home. But if you get a fine or damage her or anything like that, you're paying for it, got it?"
Ratchet groans. "I'm not going to do any of that, I'm a mechanic for crying out loud! I know how to respect a ship!"
"I'll take that as a yes, then." Kaden says with an amused smile. "But now that we've got that settled, I'd say it's about time we get going. Come on."
He starts heading back over to the ship, with Ratchet and Clank following behind, the former of which can't help but roll his eyes at his father's needless worry about his flying skills. He cockpit the cockpit, and they all get into Lyra, Kaden and Ratchet sitting up front while Clank takes the backseat, with Ratchet being grateful he's not having to hold him in his lap yet again.
He looks over the control panel before him, and finds that he's able to recognize more of the myriad switches and buttons than he was able to in Centauri, with most of them being present in Aphelion as well. Was this just a slightly better model than her?
But beside him, Kaden turns on the ship, and the thrusters ignite with a gentle hum as the screens in front of them light up, but also accompanied with a female voice as well.
"Good morning, Kaden." The ship's AI greets.
"Morning, Lyra." Kaden replies casually, continuing his preflight checks.
"Oh, I detect new passengers. Would you like to introduce yourselves?" She kindly asks.
"Erm, hi, I'm Ratchet." He replies, a little surprised to hear an AI.
"And I am Clank, his friend." He adds, gesturing to himself.
"It is a pleasure to meet the both of you, then." She returns. "But what is your business with Kaden, if I may ask? It is not often that he has passengers other than his friends."
"Well, about that, you actually already know Ratchet, Lyra." Kaden states. "You may know him better as Kieran."
"Wait… this is your son?!" She asks in surprise. "Did the Council finally pass your appeal, then?!"
He tilts his head side to side. "Well… yes, technically, but not in the way you might think. It's a long story, but the important thing is that he's finally back, and here to stay, too." He says happily, leaning over to give Ratchet a side-hug. "Isn't that right?"
"Erm, y-yeah, totally!" Ratchet confirms, making Clank eye him suspiciously from the backseat.
"Oh my! Well… this is certainly most shocking, but I offer nothing but my sincerest congratulations for the both of you!" She says cheerily.
"Thanks, Lyra." Kaden replies, letting go of Ratchet. "I'll be sure to catch you up to speed later, but first, could you set a course for the City Guard headquarters? We need to make a quick pit stop there."
"Of course, Kaden. Prepare for takeoff."
And with that, Ratchet feels the ship vibrate for a moment as the thrusters engage, lifting them off of the ground slowly before taking off into the stream of traffic heading into the downtown of the city. The houses of their neighborhood whizz past from below them, and he can't help but admire the power of her engine if she's managing to go this fast with what felt like only a little bit of throttle.
But hearing Lyra speak to them couldn't help but raise a small question, and he turns to Kaden.
"Do all Lombax ships have sentient AIs?" He asks his father, who appears to be flying with only minimal control, most of it being flown by her autopilot.
"Almost all of them, yeah." He confirms. "It's a pretty standard safety feature. Less chance of having accidents if the ships can do all the flying themselves, if need be. Why?"
"Well, if that's the case, then why didn't either Mags or Julie's ships have AI?" He asks. "Neither of them talked to us when we rode in them."
"No, they both have AIs." He corrects him. "But Mags and Julie both turn off their personality matrices so they aren't able to talk to them."
Ratchet tilts his head. "Why do they do that?"
"Mags does it because he says he likes to listen to the engines and thrusters and whatnot. He doesn't even turn on the radio, which is a little on the crazy side if you ask me, but he says it's so he can diagnose any problems just by listening to it." He says with a minor amount of skepticism in his tone. "I always tell him that if he just listened to the AI instead, it'd tell him exactly what's wrong if anything managed go haywire despite his maintenance that he keeps up religiously, but no, 'it takes away the fun', apparently. Weirdo."
"I mean… I can see where he's coming from." Ratchet comments, eliciting an eye roll from Kaden. "But what about Julie?"
Kaden snickers at his question, prompting Ratchet to give him a confused look. "What?"
"Julie turns her ships' personalities off because they do nothing but berate her for her lack of flying skills." He says with an amused grin. "She says that it's just so she can focus on her flying, but I remember this one time she accidentally turned it back on, and it started going off about how it wished it could have a new owner so it wouldn't have to constantly worry if the next flight is going to be its last." He says with a laugh. "She made me swear to pretend that I didn't hear anything or else she'd shoot me with one of her prototypes."
"So… I guess I shouldn't bring that up with her, then?" Ratchet asks.
"Well… normally, I'd say yes, but she does seem awfully nice to you ever since she designated herself as your aunt, so I'd say you're in the clear to tease her a little bit as her nephew." He says with a small smirk. "But you didn't hear that from me, alright?"
"Erm, yeah… I'll make sure to remember that, then." He answers back after a brief pause, making Kaden give him a questioning glance.
"What's the matter?" He asks. "Was it something I said?"
"…Kinda?" Ratchet answers hesitantly before giving a sigh. "Sorry, I'm still trying to get used to this idea of having an aunt. Or, just a family, even." He says with a shrug. "I've never really had one growing up, and getting one now is just… surreal to me, to say the least. I've never had anybody call me their son or their nephew or anything like that, and hearing it now is just… weird."
Kaden doesn't say anything for a moment, instead simply looking back at him with a sorrowful expression that couldn't help but make Ratchet internally kick himself for his comment.
Why did he have to say something like that and ruin the mood? They were here to make new memories together, not to think about the past that dealt them both pain for the past 20 years. They spent more than enough time doing that yesterday, between his interrogation and the Council meeting, so why should he bring that up again now?
But before Ratchet could take back his words to try and change the topic, Kaden gives a small sigh before speaking up.
"I… know you've lived a rough childhood, Ratchet, and I can't imagine what it must have been like to be alone for most of your life." He says regretfully. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to help you, and if there was anything I could possibly do to change that, then I'd take it in a heartbeat."
Clank can't help but shift uncomfortably in his seat as he says that, as does Ratchet, and he quickly opens his mouth to tell him not to apologize. But before he can say a word, Kaden quickly cuts him off by placing his hand on his shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze along with a small smile.
"But, it's like what you said to me yesterday; we can't change the past, so there's no use dwelling on it. All we can focus on is the here and now, especially since you're here right now. And I want to make sure we spend the rest of today just enjoying ourselves to make up for all that lost time between us."
He then leans in closer and brings his hand to his other shoulder to take him into another side hug. "Because now, we don't have to worry about losing each other again. So, let's make sure we give ourselves a bright future we can look forward to, alright?"
Ratchet begins to smile. "Yeah, I'd like that, too." He agrees.
"Good." Kaden says, squeezing him a little tighter. "I love you."
Ratchet brings up an arm and returns the hug, squeezing him as well. "I love you, too." He says happily.
"Aww…" Lyra speaks up, startling them slightly. "I'm so happy to see that you have your family back again, Kaden. I always hated seeing you so down after your appeal every month."
"Thanks, Lyra." Kaden returns, breaking from the hug. "How much further to the City Guard?"
"Only about 30 seconds, given the current state of traffic, so I suggest preparing for landing."
And, as predicted, 30 seconds later, they find themselves gently lowering down onto the parking area of the City Guard headquarters before the thrusters slowly fizzle out, and Lyra offering her congratulations for their reunion once again before Kaden powers the ship off.
"Wow, that didn't seem like a long trip at all." Ratchet comments. "And that was a smooth flight, too."
"So, I take it you approve of Lyra, then?" Kaden asks.
"Yeah! I mean, she's no Centauri or anything, but she seems better than Aphelion at least."
"I'm sure she'd be upset to hear that's been your comment on every ship you've rode in this dimension so far, Ratchet." Clank comments from the backseat.
"Well, it's a good thing she's not here, then. And don't tell her I've been saying that, either!" Ratchet says as he points back to him. "I don't need her getting all passive-aggressive with me."
Kaden chuckles. "I don't think it's fair that you compare yours to Centauri, anyway. I don't think anything can stack up to her, honestly. Julie wasn't exaggerating when she said Mags treats it like his firstborn child. He spoils it like one, too."
He then rests his hands on the dashboard. "But, even though she's not nearly as fancy as Centauri, I still prefer old Lyra here."
"Wait, old?" Ratchet repeats incredulously.
"Yeah, I've had her for about… ten years now?" Kaden explains, resting a hand on his chin. "Somewhere around there, yeah."
"Wow." Ratchet says with wide eyes as he looks across the control panel in front of them. Well, that explains why she and Aphelion were so similar, then, seeing as they're not that far apart in terms of generations. "I guess Mags wasn't joking when he said Aphelion's an antique if this thing is considered old, then."
"Well, to be fair, I have done some upgrades here and there over the years, so it's not like Lyra here is a fair example for a decade-old ship. And I wouldn't worry too much about your ship's age anyways, Lombax technology is built to last, especially if you keep up on the maintenance."
"Yeah, but I can't help but feel a little jealous after looking at and riding in all these Lombax ships in this dimension. I feel like I'm just missing out." Ratchet says as he looks onto the other ships parked around them, all in varying models and colors, but sharing one constant in that his mechanic mind was just itching to take a look under their hoods to see what kind of tech was hidden inside.
"Well, what's stopping you from modifying Aphelion, then?" Kaden asks. "If you were able to rebuild her, then I'm sure you'll have no problem making her as good as the rest of these."
"There's the lack of shiny new Lombax tech in my dimension, for one thing, I've given her the best stuff that I can find." He answers. "And the other thing is… I'm not sure I'd be able to really fully understand how to upgrade her if I manage to get something better, since I've only ever seen stuff that's at least two decades old, and you guys seem to have made a lot of progress since you left."
With a sigh, he removes his attention from the window to quit ogling at all the other ships around them, resting his gaze on the dashboard in front of him. He subconsciously can't help but admire her once again, wondering which aspects of her were the upgrades his father apparently put into her. But as he rests on that thought, an idea suddenly pops into his head, and he turns to look over to Kaden.
"You think there's any way you can… I don't know, teach me a thing or two about working on ships like these?" He asks, scratching the back of his head. "You know, so I could get a better idea for how to upgrade Aphelion?"
"Me?" Kaden asks with some surprise. "Don't you mean Mags? He's the one with the modded-out ship, after all, not me."
"No, I mean you." Ratchet affirms. "You've gotta know some things about ships if you're able to upgrade Lyra and keep her in such a nice condition after a decade. And, yeah, Mags might be a better teacher for that kind of thing, but he's not my dad. You are. And… that's why I want to learn it from you." Ratchet repeats, looking away a little nervously. "As… I don't know, a kind of… bonding thing?"
Kaden's a little taken aback by his request, looking at him with wide eyes, prompting Ratchet to look away, slightly embarrassed.
"Man, that kind of sounds stupid when I put it like that, huh?"
Kaden suddenly leans over and takes him into yet another a side-hug, surprising him. "No, it doesn't. I would love to do that, Ratchet." He responds, wearing a wide grin. "In fact, I think we can do that tonight, after our little activity we're gonna do after this."
"Really?" Ratchet asks, making no effort to suppress the smile growing on his own face.
"Really." Kaden assures him, pulling back from his hug. "But if we want to have enough time for it, then I think we should hurry up and grab your stuff so we can get started sooner with our activity all the sooner."
"Sure thing!" Ratchet agrees with a nod. "But, are you going to tell me what we're doing now?"
"Nope." Kaden remarks smugly as he opens the cockpit. "I don't want to ruin the surprise."
Ratchet gives a small groan, but gets out of the ship along with him, stopping for a moment to reach into the backseat to grab Clank and place him onto his usual position on his back. They make their way out of the parking area and towards the main entrance to the City Guard headquarters, where there was the occasional officer or civilian walking in and out of the large building.
It did feel a little odd to come back here again, Ratchet thought. It was the place where he had a lot firsts in this dimension, after all. First arrest, first long talk with another Lombax, and most importantly, first time he met his father. But as surreal as it was to think about, he was mostly just excited to come back here for his weapons.
"Hopefully they didn't mess with any of my stuff." Ratchet comments to Clank behind him.
"Indeed. I especially hope they did not confiscate the Dimensionator from you." He replies. "We are going to need it again, after all."
"Need it for what?" Kaden asks, walking a little ahead of them.
"We need it so that Ratchet and I can—"
"Can see if we can upgrade it!" Ratchet cuts him off. "I mean, the hat version was a modification, right? It'd be cool if we can see how it was done!"
"Erm, yeah, it was a modification, actually." Kaden replies, finding his reaction to be a little odd. "But you should ask Mags for that, it was his work, not mine. And he did a damn good job of it, too, given the time frame we had back then."
"Ah, well, I guess we'll have to ask him next time we see him, then." Ratchet says while nudging Clank with his elbow. "Right, pal?"
"I… suppose so." Clank reluctantly agrees with him while he gives Ratchet a questioning look.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have a chance to do that tomorrow." Kaden assures as he opens the door to the City Guard for them. "I only have today off, after all, and I'm sure the Interdimensional division is going to get a little busier with the prohibition lifted now."
"Sounds fine by me." Ratchet says as he enters the large, bustling lobby of the headquarters before Kaden follows him in. "But now that we're here, who do we talk to about getting my stuff back?"
"Probably Chief Wells, since you're a special case with your… everything." He says, gesturing to him before he looks over the small crowd of Lombaxes. "The hard part is probably going to be finding—"
"What do you mean 'training is too hard'?!" They hear a familiar voice ring out in the lobby. They look across the dozens of Lombaxes going about their business, and spot Chief Wells among them, throwing her arms up in front of a visibly intimidated officer. "This isn't the Praetorian Guard, Davis! This is basic training, and I expect all of my officers to pass it with flying colors!"
"Well, that wasn't so hard." Ratchet comments as they begin to walk towards her, albeit with slight reluctance.
"But that doesn't mean you can't give us some leniency," The officer weakly argues, "We can't all be perfect!
"Like hell I'm giving any of you leniency!" Wells states as she jams a finger up to his face. "Because you know what happens when there's leniency? We get sloppy. And when we get sloppy, we can't do our jobs right. And when we can't do our jobs right, we look like idiots. And when we look like idiots, I look like an idiot. And when I look like an idiot…"
She leans forward, bringing her face mere inches to his. "I get angry. And you don't want to see me angry, do you, Davis?" She asks coldly.
He shakes his head vigorously, standing as stiff as a board.
"That's what I thought." She says, leaning back from his terrified face. "So, unless you really want to piss me off, I suggest you get your ass back to that training course and work until I can be proud to call you one of my men, or you can just give me your badge right now so I can throw you out of this precinct myself. Got it?" She finishes firmly.
He gives a firm nod and a quick salute. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Good. Make it double-time, Davis, because when I check the logs later, I better see you in that room in no less than three minutes!"
After giving another 'yes ma'am' accompanied with a salute, he turns right around and starts running through the lobby and down a hall, dodging Lombaxes along the way as Wells watches him, placing her hands on her hips before giving a small sigh.
"If only they ran that fast when chasing that little bastard yesterday, then I wouldn't have to be doing any of this." She grumbles.
She then turns around, and subsequently freezes as she finds Kaden and Ratchet standing before her, the latter of whom gives a small wave. She plants her face in her hand with a groan. "Goddammit."
"Erm, good morning, Chief Wells." Kaden greets her.
"What is it now?" She asks with a frown, looking back up at them.
"I want my stuff back." Ratchet bluntly states, crossing his arms.
"Excuse me?" She asks irritably, glaring at him.
Kaden lightly elbows him, shooting him a glance before clearing his throat and returning his attention back to Chief Wells.
"What my son is trying to say is that we request you return his possessions that you confiscated in his arrest, now that he's been officially pardoned by the Council." Kaden states politely.
"Oh. Right." She answers grouchily before walking right past them and towards the reception desk near the entrance. "I'll have Jacks escort you back to the evidence lockup to get your things."
"Everything better be in my Arsenal when I get it back." Ratchet tells her as they begin to follow her. "If there's even a single thing missing, I'm sending you the bill, and I can promise you now that it's not gonna be cheap."
"We don't pocket suspects' belongings, you idiot." She tells him with a glare. "And even if something's missing, it's going to be because you dropped it somewhere in the middle of your stupid chase, punk."
"Hey, I have a name other than 'punk', you know." He replies with a frown.
"Oh, that's right, you do." She returns in a mock apologetic tone. "There's 'delinquent', for starters. Then 'pain in my ass', 'stupid kid', and my personal favorite, 'little shit'. Which one do you prefer?"
He points to her. "My real one, you uppity—"
"Stop antagonizing her, Ratchet." Kaden interjects, reaching over to lower his arm. "You're just going to get yourself in more trouble."
"I concur." Clank adds from his back. "We get in far too many fights because you can't help but insult someone."
"Hey, she started it." He grumbles while crossing his arms. "It's not my fault she's so grouchy."
"It is your fault that I'm 'grouchy'!" Wells points to him. "I'm here having to bust my ass cleaning up the mess you made yesterday! Do you know what it's like to juggle getting an entire department in tip-top shape along with all the goddamn paperwork from having the Council get rid of a twenty-year long ban and a pardon for a kid with the highest rap sheet I've seen yet? Because let me tell you, it is not easy!"
"For the hundredth time since you guys arrested me, I'm not a kid!" Ratchet replies, barely fazed by her anger.
"Could've fooled me with that attitude, I've met middle school wannabe graffiti artists who know better when to shut their mouth, unlike you, punk." She states, making sure to emphasize that last word.
"Ratchet." He corrects her.
"Whatever." She finishes coldly as they reach the reception desk, where an officer greets them.
"Morning, Chief." He says amicably, giving her a small salute. "What is it?"
"I need you to get this annoying child's possessions back to him, Jacks." She tells him, shooting a quick glance to Ratchet, who rolls his eyes with a frown. "He's the one with the pardon. Escort him back to the contraband room, should be locker 114, and let me know if he tries anything funny. I'll be sure to deal with him myself."
"Sure thing." He replies with a nod before turning to Ratchet. "Follow me this way, kid, and don't touch anything you're not supposed to." He says, walking out from behind the desk and toward a set of doors nearby with Ratchet and Clank in tow.
"I'm not a kid." Ratchet says with a groan. Kaden could see Clank roll his optics from his back before they disappear behind the doors, leaving him alone with Chief Wells in front of the desk.
"I'd have no idea how to manage to put up with him if he was my kid." She mutters while shaking her head.
"I can promise you he's not that bad." Kaden tells her. "You two just got off on the wrong foot, is all."
"Well, if he's going to keep getting smart with me, then tell him that I'll be sure to shove that wrong foot right up his ass." She says while giving him a glare.
Kaden returns an intimidated yet concerned expression, to which she groans while rubbing her eyes. "Ugh, sorry, I just have a lot on my plate right now, and seeing that little pain in the ass again isn't exactly helping my mood, to put it lightly."
"Erm, it's alright." He reassures, seeing her visibly back down. "I can't imagine that it's a walk in the park to turn around the City Guard by yourself. How is that going, by the way?"
She exhales a breath. "I've started instituting new policies and requirements to keep my officers in good shape and ready to go to action at a moment's notice, for one thing. The last thing I need is more Pyles." She says, that name dripping with poison.
"Just the fact that we had to make extra-extra-large uniforms should've been a warning sign to the last Chief, but nope! Apparently, having overweight officers who can't run after perps unless they have donuts taped to their back was perfectly acceptable in the City Guard. Was being the key word." She emphasizes, pointing to Kaden. "Standards like that will not be tolerated in my force for any longer, I can promise you that."
"Well, I'm glad to see you're staying true to your word about changing this place." He says, impressed by her determination. "But I'm guessing your guys aren't taking that so well?" He asks, recalling her little talk with that officer mere minutes ago.
"I didn't think it'd be too much to ask to have guards that can be able to catch a kid running amok through the city, but apparently, it is. The training's not even that difficult, and I'm getting subpar times from half my men! Just how am I supposed to get this place in proper shape if I can't have reliable officers?"
She groans while planting her face into her hand, Kaden feeling the frustration just radiating from her. But after a few moments, she picks her head back up and looks at him with a softer expression. "Is it alright if I call in that favor you gave me yesterday?"
"Um, yes, of course." He says, finding the request to be a little unexpected. "What do you need, exactly?"
"Well, you were a General for the Praetorian Guard, right?"
He furrows his brow. "Yeah, but, what does that have to do with the City Guard?"
"Do you think you could give me some pointers?" She asks, crossing her arms out of what looked to be apprehensiveness to him. "I'm sure you've had your fair share of inept recruits, and I could use all the help I can get if I really want to make a difference around here."
He scratches the back of his head. "I mean… I'm flattered you'd ask for my help with that, Chief Wells, but I don't think I'm exactly the best resource for this kind of thing. I retired from the Praetorian Guard twenty years ago, so I'm sure most of my advice would be outdated."
She scoffs. "I doubt it. The uniforms and equipment may have changed, but the kind of idiots who wear them sure haven't. And if whatever methods the Praetorians use to straighten them out are even somewhat effective, then it'll be more than enough for the City Guard."
She sighs. "And besides, I'm not sure if there's anyone else I can ask for help, since I'm sure if I went to the real Praetorian Guard or the Council, they might just think that I'm incompetent at my job, which is exactly what I'm trying to avoid by doing all of this." She says, throwing up her arm in a broad gesture.
"I… guess you're right about that." Kaden concedes. "But even if what I can tell you does work, I can't promise it'll solve all your problems. Soldiers in the Praetorian Guard are there because they have the drive to want to be there, and if the problem with your men is that they aren't willing to put in the work, then no amount of training is going to help. In fact, you just might scare them away entirely." He cautions.
However, despite his warning, she doesn't seem put off his statement. In fact, judging by the smile growing on her face, she was happy to hear it.
"That'd be perfect." She tells him. "It'll make my job a hell of a lot easier if I can just get rid of the weak links here and now. That's the whole point of doing this, after all."
"I… suppose that's true." He responds, finding the eagerness in her eye a little off-putting.
"Do you mind giving me some tips right now, actually?" She asks.
"Oh, uh, I don't think we have enough time for that." Kaden tells her with an apologetic smile. "I mean, I have plans for today, and Ratchet just left to go get his things, I'm sure he's going to be back any second now."
She rolls her eyes before crossing her arms. "I doubt it. If he's adamant about thinking we stole his stuff for some asinine reason, then he's going to double-check if everything is in his Arsenal Retrieval Tool." She says with some annoyance. "And if he's doing that, then we have plenty of time."
Kaden raises an eyebrow. "…Just how many guns does he have, then?" He asks uneasily.
"It took up seven pages in his arrest report." She answers, holding up fingers on both hands for emphasis. "Twelve-point font, single spaced. He set a new record."
Kaden stares at her for a moment, waiting for a 'just kidding', but her disgruntled look was far too genuine for that to be the case, so he instead gives a resigned sigh. He really shouldn't be surprised given everything he found out about Ratchet's reputation as a hero yesterday, and yet, he still is.
"Well, we might as well find a seat until he gets back, then." He says, walking over to a nearby bench with Wells shortly behind. "Now, the most important thing I can say about training your men is that you need to show them that you're a strong leader who shouldn't be trifled with, but I think you've got that part down pretty well." He says as he sits down. "But second most important thing is discipline, and believe me, I've got all kinds of stories about that subject."
"I'm all ears, then." Wells replies with an eager smile as she takes a seat, getting comfortable for her impromptu lesson.
"Combustor, check, Groovitron, check, Mr. Zurkon, check, RYNOs… yep, all there." Ratchet mutters as he scrolls through the list on his Arsenal, standing in the evidence room lined with small lockers. Clank also stood beside him, looking at him with crossed arms and a similarly crossed expression that Ratchet was too oblivious to notice in the midst of his inventory check.
"CryoMine Glove—Oh, wait, didn't my dad make this?" He asks, pulling it out to inspect the chilly weapon for a moment before turning to Clank. "Do you think he has any sweet ideas for how to upgrade it?"
"Is the Dimensionator still there, Ratchet?" He asks, ignoring his question.
Ratchet rolls his eyes as he returns the glove back into the Arsenal before resuming his check. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry, it was the first thing I checked."
"Good, because I once again remind you that we are going back home sometime this week, and we can't do that without the Dimensionator." Clank says.
He groans. "You don't have to remind me, Clank, we already talked about this last night."
"Really? Because I recall you confirming to your father that you are, quote, 'here to stay' on the flight here." Clank firmly retorts. "And you interrupted me when I was explaining to him as to why we needed the Dimensionator, as well."
Ratchet pauses his check to look over at him, seeing him return a stern expression. "Well… that's because now isn't the time to tell him that I have to go back soon." He says with a shrug. "You heard him, Clank, today's just about having fun together, and I don't want to spoil the mood."
"So, when is the time, then?" Clank argues.
"I don't know." He says with a shrug, getting annoyed with his passive-aggressiveness. "Later, I guess." He dismisses him before looking back to the Arsenal. "Now… Negotiator, check, Pyroblaster—"
"Ratchet, you have to tell him at some point." He says impatiently. "You can't just ignore this."
"I'm not ignoring it, alright?" Ratchet says as he throws his hands up indignantly, giving him an irritated glare. "Why are you getting on my case about this anyway? I already promised I'm going to go back!"
Clank sighs, mentally kicking himself for raising his own voice. "Because I'm thinking about your father." He states, speaking more gently in an effort to not irritate him further. "Because the longer you procrastinate on informing him, the more painful it's going to be for him to say goodbye, however temporary it will be."
Ratchet softens his heated expression, prompting Clank to walk over and rest his hand on his own. "I assure you I'm not trying to anger or upset you, Ratchet. I understand it might be difficult for you to say that you'll have to leave this dimension at some point, but it is best to get it out of the way as soon as we can."
"I…" Ratchet sighs, scratching the back of his head. "I know you're right, but…"
"And," Clank interjects, "I cannot stress this enough, but we're not leaving forever. As I said, we simply must make sure we are in a good place to be in another dimension from our own for an extended period." He adds. "We're doing this so you and your father can spend more time together, not less."
"Look, I understand that, but it's just… I don't want to let him down." He explains, lightly brushing off Clank's hand from his own. "I mean, you've heard the kind of pain he's been living in for all these years, and you see how happy he is finally having me back. And it makes me happy to see him happy too, but if I go up to him and tell him that I can't just stay and live here with him, I know it's just going to break his heart. And… I don't want to do that to him." He looks away and crosses his arms as a somber expression rests on his features.
"But what's the alternative, then?" Clank asks, being careful to not sound accusatory. "You let your father believe that's the case for a whole week, but then suddenly leave with no prior warning? If you do that, you're only going to hurt him even more than you would telling him beforehand."
Ratchet doesn't respond, mulling over his argument as he leans his back against the wall of lockers. After a few more moments of silence, Clank speaks up once more.
"Would you like me to be the one to break the news to him to make it easier on you?" Clank gently proposes.
Ratchet looks at him for a moment with hesitation, but then sighs and shakes his head. "No. Even though it's going to suck for the both of us, I think it'll at least suck a little less for him if I'm the one who says it."
"Are you sure?"
He gives a nod, but with less reluctance this time. "Yes. And, I know you're right in saying that I'll have to do it sooner rather than later, but… not today, okay?" He asks. "I just want to focus on having fun and spending time with my dad without having this hanging over my head the whole time."
Clank opens his mouth to question him, but Ratchet raises a hand before he has a chance to speak. "I know, I know, we're having this talk in the first place because I was trying to avoid this, but I promise I'm going to tell him. I'll do it… tomorrow, okay? Does that sound good?"
Clank thinks about his request for a moment, making Ratchet a little uneasy if he was just going to make him rip off that band aid as soon as they get back to Kaden instead. But, to his thankful relief, he gives a nod.
"That sounds just fine." But before Ratchet could thank him, he then points to him. "But, if you procrastinate on this, I will tell him myself. He has a right to know, and I won't let your unwillingness prevent that, understood?"
"Loud and clear." Ratchet says with a nod. "And… thanks, pal. I know you're just trying to look out for me and my dad, and I really do appreciate it."
He kneels down and takes him into a hug, the little robot finding it a little unexpected. "Sorry if I'm being difficult about this." He apologizes with some slight embarrassment. "It's just that… well, I'm honestly a little scared to lose him again. I know that's a little silly to think given that we're just leaving for a little while, but I still can't help but feel that way."
Clank smiles and begins to return the hug as well. "You don't have to apologize, Ratchet, that's a perfectly valid fear to have. I believe it is simply a part of having a family." He reassures him. "And I don't think you're being difficult. In fact, I have to say that you actually seem quite mature for taking the initiative to tell him yourself. I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Clank." Ratchet says, giving him one more squeeze before standing back up, breaking their hug. "I'm glad I have you by my side."
"As am I. Even if it does put me in needless peril sometimes." He returns playfully.
Ratchet rolls his eyes at his little jab, but can't help but smile as he returns back to his inventory check on his Arsenal. "Oh, whatever, I know you like going on crazy adventures as much as I do." He retorts as he resumes scrolling through the very long list of dangerous (and fun) weaponry. "If you didn't, I'm sure you would've left the moment we beat Chairman—Hey, wait a minute!"
He stops his scrolling and double checks the entries listed on the holographic display to see if what he was seeing was true.
"What is it?" Clank asks in concern.
"I think they took my Suck Cannon!" He proclaims, showing the display to Clank before pointing at it. "I swore I put it right there between the Bouncer and the Lava Gun!"
Instead of being outraged like he was right now, Clank instead starts to chuckle, making him plant his hands on his hips. "What's so funny about that?" He demands with an irritated expression.
"Ratchet, it has not been stolen." He explains amusedly. "It's sitting half-disassembled in your garage right now, remember? You tried to use it to clean it up last week before I told you that it was a terrible idea, so you decided to try and modify it to make it less destructive."
Ratchet relaxes, ears falling a little flat as it comes back to him. "Oh. Right." He mutters, a little embarrassed. "Well… I wouldn't call my idea of cleaning up the garage with a Suck Cannon a terrible idea, at least." He adds as he returns to the holodisplay.
"Which is yet another reason for why you need me." Clank points out. "If we hadn't met, I'm sure you would've blown yourself up years ago if I wasn't there to stop you."
Ratchet chuckles. "Hey, I'm still managing to do that just fine, thank you very much. I didn't see you try to stop me with the nuclear-powered rocket sled, after all."
"You don't have to remind me." Clank replies, getting flashbacks from that incident before shaking his head. "Are you almost finished with verifying that our possessions are there?"
"Not yet. I've only gone through about a third of the list, here."
"Alright." He confirms with a nod. "Just know that I'm ready to go when you are, so take all the time you need."
Ratchet shoots him a thumbs-up. "Sure thing, pal. Now, Glove of Doom, check, Warmonger, check, Plasma Striker…"
And so, Ratchet begins to list every single thing left in his Arsenal, occasionally double-checking with Clank to see if he's missed anything, all the while growing more excited thinking about spending the rest of the day sharing some quality time with his father and best friend.
I'll be honest, one of the reasons this took so long to get out is that I actually didn't quite know what to do, since I officially ran out of my draft that I had been working off as of the last chapter, so I needed to take some time to try and figure out what the hell to do with the rest of the story.
Granted, what I have so far isn't nearly as thorough as what I have previously had, but it should be enough to alleviate the problem of "Well, what should I do now?" But, because of that, I'm afraid I might have to update this thing a little less frequently than once a week.
Don't worry, it's not going to take as long as it did for this chapter, but I'm thinking maybe biweekly updates. I'll try to stick with weekly updates as often as I can, but I just wanted to give warning that this might not be updated as regularly as it has been.
But I assure you; I will not let this story die. Slow and steady, as they say.
Until next time, which I promise won't be an entire month from now.