Well, wouldn't you know, I was pretty quick on getting this chapter out, actually. I wouldn't hold my breath in keeping this hot streak going, but hey, we can all hope. Hope you enjoy!
"And then there was that one dimension where it was all sentient pizza, but I don't think I'll look into that one much further since there was cheese everywhere, and I sure as hell don't want to spend all the time washing that off." Mags rambles as he screws on pieces of the Dimensionator, sitting on a stand on top of a workbench. "Oh, uh, wrench?"
"Here ya go." Kaden replies, handing it to him from the other side of the bench, also tinkering on the Dimensionator, affixing various parts and pieces to its ever-growing frame.
"Thanks. But, yeah! I'd say that's my list for first dimensions to check out!" Mags says, fastening a bolt with the wrench.
"And it only took you ten minutes to list it off, too." Kaden comments amusedly, turning a screwdriver.
"Well, what can I say? I've been waiting for this opportunity for years, I've had plenty of time to think about where I'd go first." Mags replies, holding out the wrench once more. "Here's that back, by the way."
"Fair enough." He responds, taking it back before he too uses it.
Soon after, a small silence begins to fall onto the room, save for the sounds of clinking and soldering as they build, along with an occasional request for another tool by either of them, both getting sucked into the fulfilling task of creating a new Dimensionator.
But after a few minutes, Mags glances up and around the device between them, and sees Kaden wearing a wide grin as he works, prompting a small chuckle that catches his attention.
"What?" He asks, looking down. "Do I have oil or something on me?"
"No, it's just funny seeing you there with that stupid grin, is all." Mags explains with a small smile, resuming his own work. "Can't say I've ever seen you that happy while working on something before."
Kaden chuckles. "Well, can you blame me? I'm on cloud nine with everything that's going on right now. I mean, here we are, building a new Dimensionator together, with my son finally back in my life, and most of all, we don't have to worry about some dirty Cragmite ruining everything again. It almost feels like the good old days." He says contentedly as he too returns to assembling the device.
"You know… I guess it does, when you put it that way." Mags agrees. "It's nice to have things finally turn around in our favor after all these years. Especially for you, because, I mean, I still can't believe we've finally gotten your son back, and I can only imagine how you must feel about it."
"I honestly don't think I can put it into words." He replies with a smile. "But it's along the lines of overjoyed and absolutely over the moon, if I had to try."
"Well, me and Julie couldn't be happier for the both of you." He tells him, glancing at him for a moment before focusing back onto the Dimensionator. "But, speaking of Ratchet, you mentioned you got to know each other a lot better yesterday. What'd you learn about him, then? Anything crazier than the fact he killed Tachyon?" He asks amusedly.
Kaden tilts his head side to side. "Well… nothing that crazy, I'd say, but definitely some things that had me do a double take."
Mags raises an eyebrow. "Like what, exactly?"
"Well, for starters, we got onto the topic of his girlfriends, and guess who he dated over there?"
"How am I supposed to know?" He asks. "He said he's been in three galaxies in another dimension, and I'm supposed to guess from all of that?"
Kaden rolls his eyes. "Alright, fair enough. But even if you did have to guess, I doubt you'd guess the daughter of Solana's president."
"Wait, what?" He asks, leaning over to the side to return an expression of disbelief. "You mean the galactic president?"
"Right?" He answers back with a small smile, displaying a similar sentiment. "And apparently, she's the president right now, too, wouldn't you know."
"Huh. Well… I guess it's not that crazy given how popular he says he is over there." He comments, picking up a ratchet to fasten another bolt. "I mean, him being a young, adventuring hero, saving people all over the universe just like in the holofilms, and all the while being not the ugliest Lombax around, I'm sure he must be drowning in girls over there."
"So, you're saying it's a good thing he inherited his dad's handsome looks, then?" Kaden replies with a smirk before he begins to snicker.
Mags rolls his eyes with an indignant groan. "Always the humble one, aren't you?"
"Hey, you know what they say, if you've got it, flaunt it." He tells him with a wink.
"Implying that you actually got something to flaunt." He counters with a smirk of his own. "I've seen Blargs with prettier faces than yours, you know."
"You're just jealous." He replies with a chuckle. "But, anyway, it doesn't seem like he's running around picking up girls this way and that. I mean, he's told me he's only had two girlfriends before, and he was pretty serious about them. Which is good news, honestly, because otherwise, I'd have no idea how to handle the idea that I'm a grandpa to dozens of kids all over the galaxy." He states wryly, that strange concept of having grandchildren never failing to make him feel weird.
"Probably a heart attack, if that look on your face is any indication." Mags answers, giving a small laugh. "So, who was the other girl, then? Polaris' president?"
"Oh, uh, no, actually." He replies, shaking his head to dismiss those thoughts. "He said she was a Lombax researcher, apparently. Helped him take down Tachyon, too. She was that Markazian standing next to him in his memories fighting him at the meeting the other day, actually." He says, focusing back onto his task of putting the Dimensionator together, starting by plugging some wires in together.
"Lombax researcher?"
"Yeah, he says she's the reason he knows as much about our culture as he does. Which, I mean, isn't a whole lot, obviously, but she taught him how to read Lombax at least. Just the fact that she was able to teach him something about his species is something I'm extremely grateful for, so I promised him that I'd make sure to thank her myself someday, too."
"How are you going to do that if she's his ex, apparently?" He asks. "I mean, I'm sure the last thing she wants is to see him again if they broke up, after all."
"That's the other thing, actually, he's still best friends with her." Kaden corrects him with a small smile. "Same with his other ex, too. Never would've thought someone who makes dumb decisions like deciding to fight Tachyon single-handedly could have the emotional maturity to keep up friendships like that, but then again, damn near everything about him manages to surprise me somehow."
"Oh. Huh. Well… good for him, then." Mags replies back plainly. "Sounds like he definitely has a better track record with his exes than I do. Maureen still gives me that dirty look whenever we happen to see each other out and about." He says sourly.
"Maureen…?" Kaden asks with a tilted head, trying to recall her before he looks back at him in realization. "Wait, didn't you two date way back? Like, in the Academy?"
"Yeah! And apparently, she's still bitter about the fact that I broke up with her when I said I wanted to get serious about my career instead of running off to live on…" He waves a hand around, "Pokitaru or whatever she said!" He exclaims indignantly. "I think she has a husband and even a kid now, but I guess she still remembers me as that one asshole who dumped her as a teenager."
Kaden snickers. "Yeah, Ratchet doesn't have anything like that, luckily. He said he was even invited to his ex's birthday party a few months ago."
"Lucky." He replies, giving a small sigh before picking up his head once more. "Well, anyway, aside from that sour trip down memory lane, I also wanted to ask about your guys' trip to the City Guard yesterday."
"What about it?"
He shrugs. "I don't know, just kinda curious as to why you went there after finally getting Ratchet back for all these years. Doesn't exactly scream 'ideal place to bond together', you know."
"Oh, it's not that big of a deal." Kaden tells him with a small wave of his hand. "We just stopped by there to pick up his stuff they took from him in his arrest, and their Chief called in a favor I owed her for letting Ratchet go so that I could help her bolster up the City Guard."
"And how'd you do that?" Mags asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Gave her some tips on leadership, since I was used to be a General in the Praetorians and all. Plus, I had her let Ratchet go out on their course with the recruits to help train them. And lemme tell you, seeing all the stuff he does in those memories of his is one thing, but seeing him in action for yourself is another." He says, with a small hint of pride in his voice. "It was almost like looking into a mirror, honestly, seeing how he performed. Reminded me of myself back in my Praetorian days."
Mags chuckles. "Given what I've heard from your stories, that sounds like quite the feat. You think he's got what it takes to beat Julie at one of her shooting contests, then?"
"Probably. He got the top score on their range." Kaden replies.
But then, after a few moments, his brows slowly furrow as he begins to remember more details about that particular part of the course.
"Well… Nearly top score." He mutters. "He got third, actually. I know he would've been first if not for the fact that he… hesitated, in the middle of it."
"Hesitated?" Mags replies confusedly, still focused onto building the Dimensionator between them. "Like, he just stopped shooting for some reason?"
"Yeah…" Kaden mutters.
"Huh, weird." He responds nonchalantly. "I bet his gun jammed or something. I mean, what does it have to take to make him think twice about shooting if he was able to take down Tachyon no problem, after all?" He asks amusedly.
However, despite the light nature of his statement, Kaden doesn't respond, nor does he even continue to work on the Dimensionator as he simply sits on his stool, deep in thought as his uneasy feelings return from when he first witnessed that hesitation, and more importantly, his conversation with Clank that preluded it,
Mags doesn't fail to notice his sudden silence either, pausing his current task of affixing a plate over some wiring to instead look across the workbench and to his face, wearing a troubled look that uneased him.
"Erm, Kaden?" He asks with slight worry. "You good?"
Kaden glances back up at him, but only for a moment before he returns it to the floor, biting his lip in nervous thought, making Mags feel even more confused and worried.
But before he could restate his question, Kaden looks back up to him while holding up a hand. "You promise you won't tell Julie about this?" He asks firmly.
"Wait, what?" He asks, caught off-guard by his sudden change in mood.
"Do you promise not to tell Julie about what I'm about to tell you?" He repeats, his tone unwavering. "Because this is serious. Deadly serious."
Mags gives him a concerned squint.
"…Kaden, are you planning on doing something very illegal again?" He asks nervously. "Because the last time we had a conversation that started like this, it ended with you going to prison for building a counterfeit Dimensionator."
He shakes his head. "I'm not planning on doing something, Mags, nothing like that. I just…" He sighs. "I need someone to talk to about this, is all."
"And why can't Julie be a part of this?" He follows up. "I mean, not saying I'm not willing to listen to you, of course, but why don't you want her to know about this, whatever it is?"
"Because just like I said back then, too, 'subtle' isn't in her vocabulary, and that's something that I really need in this situation if Ratchet's getting involved." He tells him. "So, do I have your word?"
"Erm, yes, of course, you know you do." Mags reassures him with a firm nod. "But what is this about? I can't deny you're scaring me a little."
"Who is more accurate, actually." Kaden says with a small sigh, feeling a tiny bit relaxed in finally confiding into someone as he slides over to lean forward on the bench, clasping his hands. "You see, the thing is…" He takes a deep breath. "Ratchet met Alister in the other dimension."
Mags doesn't immediately respond, instead staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and confusion. "…What?"
"You heard me." He states, not looking up.
"Wait, are you sure he met Alister?" He asks firmly. "Like, Azimuth Alister?"
"Yes, I am." He confirms. "He showed me his pocket watch when we first met, with that photo we took when we were both promoted to Generals, and not only that, he let me record his memory of the first time they met. And, well… I saw it for myself. I saw Ratchet meet his would-be Uncle."
"I… That's… Alister's been alive this whole time?!" He cries out in disbelief.
"Hey, keep your voice down!" Kaden quietly but firmly tells him, holding out a hand as he glances to the closed door and windowed walls out to the hallway, where the Lombaxes walking by thankfully don't appear to have heard him. "You know as well as I do what people think of him after everything, and they especially don't need to hear that."
"But… how is he alive after all this time with Tachyon around?" Mags asks, making sure to keep his voice as level as he can, following Kaden's gaze to the other Lombaxes outside the lab. "I mean, we all left him behind because we thought it'd be impossible for him to survive with Tachyon!"
He sighs. "I don't know, either, but I can't say I'm entirely surprised given how stubborn and resilient he was." Kaden tells him, returning to his position of leaning onto the workbench. "But I guess it doesn't matter anyway, because Ratchet also said he died shortly after they met." He finishes, with a small hint of sadness in his voice.
"That's… I mean… well, shit." He mutters, shaking his head. "Is that why you wanna talk, then? I mean… I know you haven't exactly said it out loud, but I can tell you still thought of him as your friend even after everything that went down in the Exodus." He says softly.
"I…." He sighs. "Thanks, but, no. I already accepted and made peace with the thought that he died a long time ago, and finding out that it was later than I originally thought doesn't really change that." He says grimly.
Mags furrows his brow. "Erm, then what exactly are you trying to talk about, then, if not that?"
He takes another deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "Well, the thing is, I've asked Ratchet to tell me more about their time together," he begins, "But whenever I do, he's always cagey about it. That in itself isn't much of a surprise, though, because he did tell me about how Alister is the reason he even knows about me or the rest of our family, and how important he was to him. Hell, I saw in his memory that Alister was the one who taught him how to hoverboot, too. By all accounts, it sounds like he was filling in his role as the Uncle he never got the chance to be, and once he died, it only makes sense that Ratchet would be shaken up about it. It's not like I was any different after Marie died, after all." He explains with a shrug.
Mags raises an eyebrow. "I'm sensing a 'but' incoming."
"That's because seeing him give Ratchet my old hoverboots isn't the only thing I saw in that memory." Kaden continues. "All Ratchet would tell me about his death is that he 'sacrificed himself to save the rest of the universe'. I had no idea what he meant by that until I watched that memory, but it only made me ask even more questions. Big questions. The kind that aren't comfortable to ask."
"What'd you see, then?" Mags responds apprehensively.
He doesn't immediately respond, instead seeming to attempt to find the right words as he anxiously tightens his grip on his clasped hands before he finally begins with a sigh.
"Well, they met on Torren IV, where Alister was hiding out in the other dimension. He recognized Ratchet as my son, and he told him all about me and our family, and about how great I was, saying I was one of the greatest Lombaxes he ever knew." He says with a saddened sigh. "It made me feel terrible, honestly, hearing how much he still respected me even after the way we parted when we last saw each other. But on the other hand, it made me happy that he could tell my son something about his family and the life he never had, attempting to be the father I couldn't be. But then… he started talking about the Great Clock."
"Great Clock…?" Mags mutters to himself, finding the name familiar before his eyes widen in realization. "Wait, isn't that the thing you were studying before we were assigned to map the multiverse?"
He nods. "In the memory, I saw that Alister somehow had all my notes about the project, all pinned to a wall as he explained it to Ratchet."
"But… why was he talking about it, then?" He asks in confusion.
"According to Ratchet, it's because Clank was kidnapped, and according to Alister, he told him that he was taken there because he had some kind of connection to the Zoni." He explains.
"Wait, wait, wait, hold on." Mags interjects, waving his hands in front of him. "You're saying that, according to him, that little robot on your son's back is connected to the Zoni? To the Great Clock?" He asks in stunned disbelief.
"Now you see how I felt when I first heard that, too." Kaden replies dryly. "That alone was almost too much for me to process given everything that sentence alone implies. Because, first off, the Zoni might still be around, second, Clank is connected to them somehow, but most of all, it implies that the Great Clock might actually be real." He states, tapping a finger on the bench for emphasis. "But, again, all of that is only implied, so I didn't know for certain if any of that was even true. But then, the next day, when we were at the City Guard, me and Clank ended up alone together while Ratchet was getting geared up. So, I decided to seize the opportunity, and asked him about it myself."
"And what did he say?" Mags asks with palpable tension, giving his complete, undivided attention.
He takes a breath. "On the surface? Almost nothing. But with everything he didn't say? A lot. A hell of a lot." Kaden answers, looking up to give him a serious expression before gazing back at his hands on the workbench. "All he said to me was that he couldn't say anything about Alister or the Great Clock if Ratchet hasn't told me either, and that he won't tell me anything until he does. And when I asked him why, all he'd say is that what happened between him and Alister was big, and not only would it'd hurt him having to tell me about it, but it'll also apparently impact me in such a way that he thought the best course of action would to let my son break it to me first."
"That's… unsettling." Mags replies. "But, you're right, he didn't tell you anything, so what do you mean he said almost everything?"
"Don't you understand?" Kaden asks, looking back up at him. "I asked him about if he was connected to the Zoni, and if the Great Clock was real. If neither of those were true, he'd have no problem just telling me so and letting us move on with our lives. But do you know what'd make him deflect the question like that? If it was true." He states, tapping his finger on the bench once more. "He might not have said it out loud, but he essentially confirmed to me that he does know something about the Zoni, and the Great Clock is real. And not only that, but I'm almost certain Alister's death has something to do with it. After all, where else could he have died to warrant 'saving the universe'? If my theories about the Great Clock are true, then it absolutely has the ability to affect the entire universe. The entire space-time continuum, in fact."
"Yeah, but, if your theories are true, doesn't that mean it has the ability to… well, turn back time?" Mags asks, a resolute but hopeful tone filling his voice. "And if that's true, doesn't that mean we can somehow undo Tachyon's genocide? Simply rewrite history as if it never happened? Bring back all those innocent Lombaxes killed in the chaos, repair all those broken families, and let our species live in peace and safety?"
Kaden gives a large sigh as he props his arms on the bench, burying his face into his hands. "That's what I thought, too." His muffled voice confirms. "But after thinking about this for a while, now, I've realized it's nowhere near as simple as that."
"Well, obviously." He states. "I mean, there's the matter of possible paradoxes, and if we'll manage to go back with the knowledge of the future, and if people will even believe us when we say we are from the future—"
"Not like that, Mags." Kaden sternly cuts him off, bringing his hands down. "I mean, everything about the Great Clock in general, because, again, the idea that it can time travel is a theory." He states, stressing it by pinching two fingers in the air. "In other words, it might not even be possible."
He waves out a hand. "Sure, Clank may have confirmed that it's real, but that's all he did; simply confirm that it does in fact exist. I mean, we don't know anything about it or its abilities for certain, that thing might just be the universe's biggest art project for all we know. It could just be a giant hunk of metal floating around in space that does absolutely nothing!"
Mags tilts hie head side to side. "Well… Alright, sure, you do make a good point about that. But, Kaden, this is the Zoni we're talking about. Literally every single artifact we've found by them isn't useless, everything they do has a purpose." He argues. "And if that's the case, then something as big as the Great Clock must be able to do something equally as big, like controlling the space-time continuum like you theorize."
"Yeah, but then if that were true, then that just raises the question of what if it does time travel?" Kaden rebuttals. "Because if Alister had my notes like I saw, then he'd know that'd be a genuine possibility. And if anyone would try and undo everything that Tachyon did, it'd be the exile who enabled him to commit his genocide in the first place, or it'd be the Lombax who grew up without the rest of his species. I have no doubt that he and Ratchet ended up at the Great Clock at some point according to Clank's response, and I also have no doubt that Alister would try to use it to undo his mistake, or Ratchet using it to reunite with the family he never had."
"And…?" Mags asks with a raised eyebrow.
"And, that leaves the question of why." Kaden tells him gravely. "If they had the motivation and ability to change everything for the better in the palms of their hands just like that, then why didn't they? The only possible answer is that either the Great Clock doesn't have the ability to turn back time like we think, or if it does, then there is a damn good reason it shouldn't if it stopped either of them from doing so." He states firmly.
"That's… a really good point, actually." Mags mutters, looking away as he rests a hand on his chin. "But… what are you going to do about all of this?"
He exhales a breath as he leans back, crossing his arms, and shaking his head. "The only thing I can do, really; Just ask Ratchet myself." He answers with a shrug. "Which is not going to be an easy conversation at all, and not one that I'm really looking forward to, either. I mean, hell, he can barely talk about Alister as is, and now I'm asking him about how he died and hey, is your best friend really connected to these nigh-mythical beings? And while you're at it, mind telling me about the Great Clock and if it can manipulate time, too? And if so, what's stopping you from bringing back our people?"
He sighs, beginning to rub his face with his hand. "Things were so much simpler just a couple days ago." He mutters. "I mean, I am happy with everything that's happened with Ratchet coming back, don't get me wrong, but now I'm sitting here considering the possibility that all my theories about the Clock are real, and that my son and his partner are right at the heart of it, along with my best friend that I had no idea was even alive for the last two decades, and the fact that none of this might even matter if we can just go back in time and change the past to stop Tachyon." He says, waving an arm around in a broad gesture.
"Yeah… I can see why you wanted to talk to someone about this." Mags says with a small but dry laugh. "But, is there anything you want me to do, then? Like, I don't know, talk to him with you? Because I am totally willing to help you out in whichever way I can."
He shakes his head. "No, I have a feeling that this is something that only me and him can talk about together. And, well, I mostly just wanted to talk so I could try and wrap my head around all of this, put it all out there to see if it doesn't sound completely crazy. Which, I mean, it does, but at least it makes some sense now that I explain it."
"Well… alright then." Mags replies with a nod. "I'm still glad I could help in some way, then, even if it wasn't a whole lot."
Kaden musters a smile for the first time since they started the conversation. "Hey, I wouldn't say that. This did help a lot. Really. I've been stuck inside my own head stewing over all these ideas for the past couple days, so it's a huge relief to finally let some of it out." He tells him earnestly. "And besides, there is something that you can do to help."
"Of course, what is it?"
"Don't tell anybody else about any of this." He tells him, waving a hand across between them. "I mean, you and I both know that Julie would try and pry it out of Ratchet, and I don't wanna think about what the Council would do if they caught wind about any of this. Until we can figure out exactly what happened between Ratchet, Clank, Alister, and the Great Clock, I think it's best if we kept this a secret."
"Yeah, don't worry, I'm with you there." Mags answers resolutely with a firm nod. "At the very least, I don't want to get everyone's hopes up if we find out we can't fix everything after all."
"Thanks, Mags." Kaden replies, flashing another small smile. "I'm glad I can count on you."
"It's no problem, Kaden. Plus, even as crazy as all this is, I can't say I haven't had to keep a secret as big as this before, either. I mean, I had to keep my mouth shut when you told me you were building that insanely illegal Dimensionator all those years ago, right?" He offers with a small shrug and a smile. "And hey, it's not like I've told anybody else that I helped you make it since then, right?"
Kaden chuckles. "Except for Julie, though."
"Well, what else was I supposed to do when she started pestering me nonstop about why you were arrested for trying to buy black-market Phase Quartz? She wasn't buying it when I said I had no idea." He asks, holding his hands up. "And I still remember how when I finally told her, she was more upset at the fact that we didn't let her help than the fact that you could've been left to rot in prison for the rest of your life."
"Well, in any case, just make sure to keep your lips better sealed this time around." Kaden says, sliding back over in front of the Dimensionator as he picks up a wrench. "Should be easier given that no one else should be able to find out about any of this, though."
"Like I said, you've got my word on that." Mags says, also moving over to resume working on it as well. "But… do you know what you're going to do if everything we think about the Clock is true?" He asks softly. "Or if it isn't?"
He pauses in the midst of turning a bolt, but after only a few moments, gives a small sigh before resuming his task. "Not really, honestly." He says with a shrug. "I think it's best I take this all one step at a time, and cross that bridge when we get to it. If we can go back and stop Tachyon, then great. But if we can't, well… at least I learned another anecdote about my son's life."
"Sounds like a good enough plan to me." Mags replies, securing another plate onto the Dimensionator with a screwdriver. "And, well, not sure if it's entirely appropriate to the situation, but good luck, anyway."
Kaden huffs a small laugh through his nose. "No, don't worry, I definitely think I'll need it. Thanks, Mags. For everything."
He smiles. "Don't mention it, you know me and Julie are always here for you, no matter what. If we were there to pluck you out of that Tachyon's claws, we'll be there to help you out with all this Great Clock business, however it'll end up turning out." He assures him with a nod, Kaden returning a smile before he looks down and points a tool.
"Oh, erm, pass me that ratchet, would you?" He asks.
"Oh, yeah, sure thing, here you go." Mags responds, passing it over to him before he thanks him with a nod.
And before long, the uneasy tension that's befallen onto the room during their conversation begins to dissipate as they return to working on the Dimensionator, enjoying the comforting sounds of their tools, and transition into lighter topics as Kaden begins informing Mags about what he and Ratchet were up to the previous day, like their breakfast together, their hoverbooting session, and their flight home. And eventually, he got to talking about their breakfast this morning as well.
"I never knew you could mess up pancakes as badly as he did." Kaden says amusedly. "It's almost impressive how badly he can cook, honestly."
"Like father like son, by the sounds of it." Mags replies with a chuckle, currently soldering wires together. "I remember the first couple times you invited me and Julie over for dinner after the Exodus, we kept taking turns shoving food onto each other's plates whenever you weren't looking because it tasted so bad."
"Do you think I really didn't notice what you two were doing?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like suddenly having more food on your plate in a matter of seconds is a subtle tactic, you know."
"What, you didn't buy our story that it was so tasty we got a second helping as you went to the bathroom?" He asks with a smile.
"If you were going to lie, you shouldn't have had Julie in on it, too. You know she does that thing where she stretches her lips way too far to be a real smile whenever she has to hide something. Like this, see?"
He then proceeds to mimic the expression by putting on a huge fake smile that almost made his cheeks hurt as he widens his eyes, prompting Mags to laugh. "Man, you got that down pretty good!"
Kaden drops the expression as he too begins to laugh as well. "You should've seen the face she gave when I asked if she crashed your old ship, I thought she was about to pull a muscle with how much she was stretching her face like that!"
But as they both laugh at the image, they are both suddenly cut off as they hear the door to the lab slide open with a hiss, and look over to find Harold standing there, gripping onto his cane while wearing his signature expression of grouchiness, although Kaden noted his scowl got much deeper as soon as he looked at him, which only made the smile on his face grow larger.
"Harold." He greets him cordially.
"Kaden. Mags." He returns distastefully. "Are you two currently busy at the moment?"
"We are, actually." Kaden replies with a wide grin, placing a hand on top of the unfinished Dimensionator between him and Mags. "We're in the middle of building ourselves a brand new, shiny Dimensionator, completely free to use however we want without a bunch of self-righteous—"
"Pricks, fools, charlatans, et cetera, I know. I've already heard it." Harold cuts him off with a wave of his hand. "Mags has already given us that spiel yesterday when he requested permission to build it, and as did Julie, which is especially grating given that she isn't even affiliated with your department, but I digress. You've no need to gloat about it any further, Kaden."
He shrugs. "Maybe. But I sure as hell still get the right to shove it in your guys' face that I finally have my son back after hearing you all tell me that he's been dead for two entire decades." He says with a stony stare. "And again, fuck you for that, by the way."
Harold hangs his head with a small sigh before picking it back up to look at him once more. "Again, we are all truly, deeply sorry for our transgressions against you and your son, Kaden. We didn't intend to hurt either of you, we were simply doing what was best for the Lombax species as a whole when we enacted the prohibition on Dimensionators, and your separation was an unfortunate consequence of that."
"Uh huh." Kaden replies with crossed arms and an unimpressed look. "Glad you think that, but it still doesn't change a single thing about what happened, though. You can still all go fuck yourselves." He says, glaring at him.
Harold opens his mouth to say something, but after a moment, he simply frowns while huffing an indignant breath. "Noted." He grumbles.
"Erm, moving on…" Mags speaks up, growing a little unsettled by the extremely tense stares he and Kaden were giving each other, "What exactly are you doing here in the first place, anyway?"
"Ah, yes." Harold responds, breaking from the intense staring contest to instead focus his attention on them both. "I am here to inform you both that you have a pair of visitors whose business I think best concerns you two, given the nature of their situation."
Mags gives him a confused look. "Visitors? Who are they?"
Harold raises an eyebrow. "Have you really not heard? If anyone would've found out first, I'd think it'd be the two of you."
"Obviously we don't if we're asking about it, Harold." Kaden replies irritably. "You don't have to be an ass about it."
He shoots him a look. "Are you just going to be this cheerful from now on?" He asks annoyedly.
"Only when I think you and the rest of the Council deserve it." He answers pointedly. "Which is almost all the time, though, so, yeah. Get used to it."
"Again, who exactly are you talking about?" Mags asks.
"A Markazian and a researcher from our Genetics Division." He answers, giving Kaden a scowl. "The two are friends, and they came in here this morning after we announced the repeal on the Dimensionator ban yesterday. They claim that they're from the other dimension, apparently, just like Ratchet, and given the nature of your department—along with your situation with him—I figured that you two were their best option to turn to for this matter." He explains, raising an eyebrow. "So, again, are you two busy at the moment?"
"Wha—No!" Mags answers. "Go ahead, send them in!"
He nods. "Then please wait for a moment as I go and fetch them." He says as he turns around and walks out of the door, which closes behind him.
"These are just crazy times, huh?" Mags states, glancing over to Kaden with a smile on his face. "What do you think those guys have to… say? Erm, Kaden?"
He trails off as he sees Kaden staring at the ground in deep thought, brows furrowed as he quietly mutters to himself. "A Markazian… and a genetics researcher?" He asks as he places a hand on his chin.
"What is it?" Mags asks. "Wait… don't tell me you actually know who he's talking about?"
"I… I think I do." He tells him, wearing an apprehensive look. "Ratchet's told me a few stories about some people he used to know, and about how they went missing after they managed to relocate the Dimensionator I hid. I wasn't holding my breath when he said they were also chased by space pirates right before they disappeared, though, but…"
"Seriously?" Mags asks in disbelief. "We're about to meet your son's friends, of all people?"
"I think so, yeah." Kaden replies with a similarly surprised tone. "And not only that, but I've actually met her before. In fact, I think you have, too."
"What do you mean? They're from another dimension, how could I have possibly met them? Or you, for that matter?" He asks, pointing at him with incredulity. "Just who are these guys?"
He takes a breath. "I think we're about to meet—"
He is cut off as the door opens once more, making both him and Mags snap their attention over to see Harold standing there yet again, but this time, accompanied with two individuals; a tailless female Lombax with a ponytail, and a large, brawny, bearded Markazian.
"Kaden, Mags, this is Angela Cross and Max Apogee." Harold introduces them, motioning a hand to the respective individual. "Angela, Max, this is Kaden and Mags, heads of our Interdimensional Division. I'm sure they'll be able to answer any of your questions."
"Excellent, thank you for your help, Harold." Max kindly says to him, tipping his head with a warm smile.
"It's my pleasure. Do you two need anything else?"
"Nah, I think we're fine for now." Angela assures him, returning a smile of her own.
"Very well. I just ask that you be patient with Kaden, however, he has a tendency to have quite the smart mouth at the most inappropriate times." He warns, giving him a glare that went completely ignored as he simply gawks at them in utter shock. "Along with being crass, as well."
She chuckles. "Don't worry, I knew a huge smartass back home in the other dimension, I'm sure Kaden here couldn't be any worse than him. And, again, thanks for the help, we can take it from here."
With a nod, he turns around and walks out of the door before closing it behind him, leaving the four of them alone in the uncomfortably silent room as Kaden remains frozen like a statue while Mags gives him a mildly confused yet concerned expression for his reaction, all the while Max and Angela simply stand around awkwardly before she clears her throat, breaking the silence.
"So, uh… where do we start?"
So… guess Ratchet's little offhand comment some chapters ago about Max and Angela maybe being with the Lombaxes wasn't so little actually, huh?