Hello! Chapter 4 has arrived. I tried something new and i would love some feedback. What did you like? What didn't you like? What can I improve? I'm very excited to hear! But now... Please enjoy chapter 4!
Ratchet activates his lamp illuminating about 15 meters of the tunnel. The two Lombaxes look at each other before they start to walk down the tunnel. "Let's hope it leads somewhere." Ratchet whispers.
It's very quiet inside the tunnel. Only some distant noises of water dripping from the ceiling can be heard and the echoes of their steps. After about 5 Minutes walking through a seemingly endless tunnel it suddenly splits. "Oh no." Ratchet sighs. "What if this is a damn labyrinth down here?" he asks with concern. "There has to be some sort of map down here." Rivet says while looking down the tunnel to the left.
Ratchet sighs. "Let's hope so." he says while looking into both tunnels. "Where should we go?"
Rivet also looks into both tunnels. "Let's take this one." she says while pointing down the tunnel on the left. Ratchet turns around and lifts a brow. "Why?" he asks. Rivet looks at him with a smile. "Because we could stand here for hours thinking about where to go… Or we just take a risk." she explains. He laughs slightly. "Alright. Let's go this way." he nods while taking the lead. Rivet giggles and follows him close behind.
Rivet looks down onto the tip of his tail which swings from left to right. "Ratchet?" she asks quietly. Ratchet looks over his shoulder. "Hm?". She looks up into his eyes. "What if we were wrong and they hurt them?" she asks.
Ratchet looks at her before he looks forward and down on the floor. "I don't know. I just hope… They didn't." he whispers. Rivet quickly closes the space between the two before laying her left hand on his right shoulder. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." she whispers.
He looks at her before he smiles and lays his left hand onto hers. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean to." he says. Rivet blushes a little before she smiles. "Let's get our friends back." she says while pointing towards a ladder.
Ratchet looks at the ladder. "Let's do this." He nods before he starts to climb up. He slowly lifts the lid while looking around. It seems they are in some kind of shower. Slowly and silently he climbs out with Rivet following soon after. She quickly peeks outside the door. Ratchet closes the lid again before following her towards the door.
Outside the door waits a long, poorly lit corridor. Rivet looks around before she looks at Ratchet. "Alright. Coast is clear." she says. "Now what?" she asks.
Ratchet looks at the floor while trying to think of a plan. Rivet watches him patiently. He snaps with his fingers. "Alright. Here's the Plan. First: We don't split up, okay? Second: We'll search every room we come across for useful stuff. Maybe weapons or something like that. Third: We avoid direct confrontation with guards. We need to stay low on this one." he explains.
Rivet listens carefully. "Normally I'm not someone who does stuff stealthy. But… I'll try my best." she says. "Alright then. Let's keep moving." she smiles at him. Ratchets nods and gently strokes her arm before which makes her blush. He then peeks out before he moves.
Careful, step by step the two Lombaxes move stealthy through the corridor. They pass some rooms which were used as living quarters presumably by the former inhabitants of this facility. "Looks abandoned. Then why did we see this factory still producing something?" Ratchet asks himself in his mind. He shakes his head before they enter the next part of the building.
Before them stretches a large hall with rails near the ceiling and the floor. They still carry carts which are moving. Judging by the glow emanating from them they carry molten metal. "This factory is still operating…" Ratchets whispers to Rivet. "Why?" he asks as if she would know the answer. "I don't know.." she whispers back to him. "Let's keep moving." she says while pushing him a little.
The sudden noise of a heavy door opening makes their ears twitch. Quickly they hide behind some crates. They peek over them to see some Guards walking through the hall. Two of those scaled goliaths they encountered on Savali and two robots which are much larger. "Did she actually manage to get those blueprints she is looking for?" one of the two guards asks. "Don't know. This little pest is stubborn. Even tried to delete her memory." the other guard shrugs. "But it's only a matter of time until she gets what she wants. She always gets what she wants." he adds until they both leave through another door.
Rivet growls a little. "That's right. Keep on fighting, Kit." she says until she looks at Ratchet who nods. "Let's find them." he says while moving forward again. They determined it would be the best choice of action to just follow the rails. They should lead somewhere, right?
They enter another part of the factory. The foundry to be exact. A very large room, if you can call it that. The molten metal is poured into all kinds of forms. Some for weapons, some for building parts. Parts like those Rivet used to repair her wall. Conveyor belts transport all the different pieces through this enormous room for further processing. The two Lombaxes look around. "Impressive." Rivet says with a nod which Ratchet agrees to.
Again the sound of a door opening right behind them. Without thinking too long, Ratchet grabs Rivet's wrist and jumps onto one of the many conveyor belts before getting down to hide in a corner. They watch as a large female walks in while looking around. She hides her eyes behind a big pair of sunglasses. Her torso is organic. But her arms and legs are artificial limbs. Rivet looks at her in shock before looking at her own metal arm.
Ratchet notices and gently places his hand on her cheek. "Are you alright?" he whispers. Rivet blushes. Again he saved her from her own thoughts. She nods before they both look back at the female.
"Production is at 100%." a small robot suddenly says while entering the room. He carries a clipboard while hovering above the ground. Somehow the robot reminds the two Lombaxes of the Emperor's assistant. "We got orders for more weapon parts." he continues.
The female looks down at the robot. "Good. They shall get what they need." she says with a dominant voice. "What about this little, yellow pest? Did we get what we wanted?" she asks. The assistant bot shakes his head. "No."
The female growls before she lets out a little evil laugh. "That's okay. With this other robot at our possession, we'll get it." she says while she turns around. "Sooner or later." she adds while she leaves again with the small robot following her.
"So Clank was right…" Rivet says. "They want the blueprints for the Dimensionator…" she sighs while shaking her head. Ratchet keeps looking at the door for a while. "I hate it when he is right…" he says. "At least we can be sure they're both here… Somewhere."
Rivet nods while she climbs back over the conveyor belt to the other side. "Right. Let's keep searching."
They both leave the giant foundry the way they came in only to see one of those big robots guarding the door they came through. Luckily he's facing the other direction. Ratchet swallows hard as he slowly guides Rivet to the right. The robot hasn't noticed the- *Clack*.
The sound of the door they came through closing makes both Lombaxes widen their eyes. The robot turns around and looks at them. "Intruders." he determines before simply trying to grab them.
Rivet pushes Ratchet away from her while also pushing herself away just in time to avoid capture. "Please do not resist." the robot says which makes Rivet sigh. "One bolt everytime I hear that."
The big robot first looks at Rivet but then over to Ratchet who draws his handblaster. "Hostile intentions detected. Activating defense procedures." the robot says while his right arm turns into a weapon which immediately shoots at Ratchet. He manages to evade the blast with a jump. But his blaster gets destroyed. He looks at its remains. "Aw man… That was a special offer." he says, a little annoyed.
Rivet manages to catch the attention of the robot by punching him with her metal hand. It did not do much damage but it sure did it's job. "Uhh… Hey you! Yes you! You big… Dumb robot!" she tries to provoke it somehow. "Insult noted. Searching for an appropriate answer." he says.
Ratchet uses that time to look around. Too bad they didn't bring their Omniwrench and - "Hammer!" he exclaims and quickly runs toward the tool which has some similarities with Rivet's. It is not as big as hers but it'll do the job for now.
The robot gets up to full height while walking towards Rivet. "Appropriate answer found." he starts. "No you." he says. That catches Rivet off guard as she looks at her metal arm for a second. "Prepare to be annihilated." the robot continues, raising his weapon to aim at Rivet.
Ratchet suddenly attacks the arm with the found hammer. Because of that the weapons of the robot shuts down. "Error. Weapon not online. Proceeding with unarmed assault." the robot simply says while swinging around in an effort to hit Ratchet who manages to duck underneath the attack, losing the hammer in the process.
Rivet runs towards him and manages to get the hammer in her hands. As soon as the robot tries another swing she slams it into his arm again, gaining the attention of the robot. "I see… He is programmed to attack whoever attacks him!" she yells over to Ratchet throwing the hammer towards him.
Ratchet catches the hammer and immediately slams it into the back of the knee, making the robot trip a little. The big robot turns around again towards Ratchet. "Resistance is futile." the robot says while Ratchet shoves the hammer underneath the robot back at Rivet.
She grabs the hammer and slams it into the same spot as Ratchet, strongly damaging the leg to the point where the robot can no longer move it. He still tries to turn around with a swift swing of his arm trying to hit Rivet. She ducks before hitting the arm with the hammer before throwing it back at Ratchet. She runs towards the robot.
Ratchet catches the hammer and smashes it right into the back which brings the robot further down onto his knees. While Ratchet jumps he lets go of the hammer which is then catched by Rivet again. She also jumps and slams the hammer directly on the robot's head.
"Warning. Damage reaching critical point. Power Source offlineee~" the robot says with a voice getting lower and lower until he lays still.
Ratchet looks at the robot. "We did it." he says, a little surprised. As soon as he stood up again he got jumped by Rivet. She giggles and hugs him tightly. "That was awesome!" She says with joy. "THIS is what I call teamwork!" she says.
Ratchet blushes a little as he also hugs her. "Yeah. We're pretty awesome." he says. Indeed they are. Both Lombaxes worked in perfect harmony. They managed to bring down an enemy three times their size with just a hammer.
They let go of each other both smiling. Suddenly they hear noises. Big heavy steps coming towards them. Ratchet grabs Rivet by her wrist as he starts running towards a corridor pushing her in front. Rivet starts to lead the way. Ratchet looks over his shoulder just to see two more robots of the same size and two of these guards. "There he is!" one of them shouts as he manages to spot Ratchet.
"Damn… The robot must have set off an alarm." he says. They reach an intersection. Steps behind them and in front of them. They quickly run into the corridor on the right. A dead end. "Oh no." Ratchet says before he looks at Rivet. "Listen up. They did not see you. They just saw me. I'll distract them. You hide here." he says. Rivet looks at him with big eyes. "What? No! I won't leave you!" she says in shock. Ratchet grabs her shoulders. "No time to argue. Just… Stay low and we'll find a way out of this situation." He says while looking her deep into the eyes.
Tears build up in Rivet's eyes. "But-" Ratchet shakes his head. "Please Rivet. There is no time to argue." he says before smiling at her. "I'll be fine." he promises while gently stroking her Cheeks. She nods slowly before Ratchet pushes her behind some crates and starts running back. He barely makes it to the intersection before the guards show up. "GET HIM!" one of them screams while they all chase after him.
Rivet slowly stands up as she is sure there is nobody there. A tear rolls down her left cheek which she quickly wipes away. She runs down the corridor after Ratchet.
The male Lombax runs as fast as he can while being chased. Suddenly there is a leg stretched out in front of him which he didn't notice. He trips over and falls to the ground. A familiar face comes around the corner. "Long time no see." the scaled creature says while taking off his hood. A snake-like face looks down at Ratchet covered in black scales. A big scar over his left eye. His eyes look strange with some sort of purple glow. This is the one who dared to choke Rivet on Savali. "Hey. How are things going?" Ratchet replies while slowly getting up just to be apprehended by the guards which chased him. "It seems things are going very well for me." the scarred guard says with a grin. "Can't say the same thing about you." he adds. "Just my luck." Ratchet says with a smirk. "Bad luck." the guard says. "Now… Where is your little friend?" he asks. "Do you really want an answer to this one? Come on, you're almost making this too easy." Ratchet says while rolling his eyes. The guard laughs. "I almost like you." he says before looking at the other guards. "Bring him to the old warehouse. Maybe SHE will get some information out of you." he says while Ratchet gets dragged away. "Wait! Can't we talk about it over dinner?" he says. "And gag him for God's sake!" the scarred guard adds while giving his Eyes a massage.
Rivet catches up just in time to see them dragging Ratchet away. She sighs and follows them stealthy.
After a long walk they finally arrive at the old warehouse. Inside they tie Ratchet up and remove the gag they put in his mouth. "You guys are mean." he simply says. Meanwhile Rivet manages to sneak inside and hide behind some old crates. She waits until everyone leaves the room. "Now." she thinks to herself, but before she could even move, the door opened again. The strange female they saw in the foundry came in. Her bionic arms and legs are chromplated and look more like real limbs.
"So. The Lombax who saved the dimensions… At least one of them." she starts while walking around Ratchet, inspecting him from all sides. "Let me guess. You're here to save your little robot friend, yes?" she grins while standing in front of him.
"Where are they?" Ratchet asks with a slight growl to which the Women laughs. "Oh they are here. Right next door." she says while pointing towards the wall on her left. "And thanks to you, this little yellow pest finally gave in." she says with a big grin on her face. "My little mind controlled slaves told me about you and your friend. The other Lombax. Where is he?" she asks.
"He?" Rivet lifts an eyebrow. Ratchet looks at her confused. "He? Well SHE is not here. We got separated. And even if I knew where she was, I wouldn't tell." Ratchet replies.
The woman lifts both brows. "Oh? A female Lombax?" she laughs. "How adorable." she grins at Ratchet while scratching him under his chin with her finger. "But where are my manners? I'm Nandaria." She says while she takes off her sunglasses only to reveal her eyes having some sort of purple glow in them. "And you are Ratchet, I know." she grabs his chin and forces his look into her eyes. "And now, Ratchet. Look into my eyes. Let's make you my subordinate and have you look for this… Female Lombax." she says while her eyes seem to shine bright.
Ratchet can't look away. His eyes widen as he begins to sigh. Nandaria smiles at her success. "Now… Who is your love?" she asks which makes Rivet clenching her Hands around the handle of the found hammer.
Ratchet stares at her for a while before he looks to the side with a sassy smile. "Not you, that's for sure." he says. Rivet loosens her grip and she looks up as she hears Ratchet say that.
Nandaria looks at him surprised. "Interesting. Not many people are able to resist my glare." She looks him up and down. "People who can't love. People who were hurt badly because of love… And People who are in love." she explains. "Don't tell me it didn't work because of that other Lombax." she grins.
Ratchet looks at her in surprise. "What? No." he shakes his head while blushing slightly. Nandaria laughs. "Well that is… Strange." she says. Rivet keeps listening to them.
"That 'female' has taken your heart? That… Flat chested loner?" Nandaria mocks him AND her as if she knew Rivet was hiding in here. Rivet narrows her eyes while placing one hand on her chest. "Bitch." she whispers. It takes more to hurt her feelings, right? "And don't get me started on this hideous Arm of hers." Nandaria continus. Now she has touched a nerve. Rivet drops her ears a little while looking at her bionic arm. "Hideous?" she asks herself.
"Look who's talking about hideous proteses." Ratchet shoots back at her. "Instead of you, Rivet looks absolutely stunning. And yes. WITH her arm. It's kinda cool. You just look… Fake." he smirks at her. "And what about her having a flat chest? At least she's not insecure about herself like you are. Let me guess. Your arms and legs aren't the only 'fake ones' right?"
Rivet looks very surprised with a blush. Nandaria stood there a little shocked. "At least people love me!" she suddenly snaps at him. Ratchet smiles at her. "Aaaand? You think no one loves her?" he asks, trying to make her more angry.
"Nobody loves someone like her!" she snarls at him, making him laugh. "Of course. I do." he says with a wide grin, exposing his teeth making her hiss at him. She starts to quickly leave the room. Rivet sits there, ears dropped and eyes wide open in shock.
Ratchet laughs a little before he shakes his head. "Stupid bitch." he says while grinning at the door. "Agreed." Rivet says which makes Ratchet instantly drop his ears and widens his eyes. He looks towards Rivet. "Wha-.. How… Why… WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" he exclaims. Rivet quickly puts her left finger on his mouth. "Do you want everyone to know I'm here? Quiet you Dumbax." she says while untying him. Ratchet blushes and looks at her with big eyes. "H-how long have you been here?" He asks quietly. "Since they brought you in." she says. "We two need to talk after this." She says cold which makes Ratchet very nervous. He nods slightly. "Clank and Kit are next door." he says before they head towards the door. They peek outside. Just one guard. Rivet quickly knocks him out with her hammer.
Ratchet looks at her. "They may be hypnotised. She tried to do the same to me." he explains. Rivet lifts both her eyebrows. "I know. I heard her." she says with a small laugh which makes him blush. "Oh.. Right…" he says before he opens the door to the next Room. There on the ground sit two small robots.
"Ratchet! Rivet! Finally you're here." Clank says while running towards them. "Hey, Bolts." Rivet says with a smile before she walks over to Kit. She picks her up and hugs her. "I was worried sick." she says. Kit sighs. "I know. I'm sorry I caused such an inconvenience." she says a little sad. "Oh… It's not your fault. But next time you want to grab some stuff, I'll follow you." Rivet says with a smirk while placing Kit on her back. "Agreed." Kit says.
Ratchet and Clank watched them before they looked at each other. "It seems my suspicion was right. She wants to build a Dimensionator. But I don't know why." Clank says while hopping onto Ratchet's back. "Me neither. But we don't need to stick around to find out. The only forge strong enough to build one is destroyed." Ratchet says before they leave the room and the two Lombaxes, now accompanied by their robo pals, run down the hallway. "That is correct. She shouldn't be able to build one. Even with the blueprints." Kit says. Rivet looks around. "That's all nice, but… How do we get off the planet? My ship is wrecked, remember?" she says. "Damn…" Ratchet remembers. "Take a right turn, then the third right again and then the second left." Clank says. "This will lead us to their hangar."
Ratchet smiles. "Thanks, buddy." he says while he follows Clank's description. They reach the hangar, strangely without any encounters. They look around. There are even some of the old ships used by the Emperor. One like Rivet lost. "Perfekt." She says with a smile while boarding one of them.
Ratchet looks around the hangar. Suddenly the door opens where they came in. "There they are!" the scarred guard yells. "GET THEM!" He orders his henchmen to charge towards them. Ratchet quickly sits down next to Rivet. "Let's go." He says. Rivet nods and manages to start the Engine. "Don't let them get away! She still needs them!" the scarred guard yells. Rivet pulls back the steering until they lift off right into the sky. She laughs. "YES!"
Ratchet smiles at her and the two robots enjoying this victory before he frowns. "She still needs them. I believe they will come after us." he says. "We should find a place to hide for a short while. To gather our thoughts and create a plan." he says with a sigh. "And to talk." Rivet adds which makes him blush and cover his eyes. "And that."
"I suggest we try to hide on Sargasso. Your home should be hidden enough." Clank suggests. "Good idea." Rivet nods as she puts in the coordinates for Sargasso. "Let's go home." she says with a smile before they enter hyperspace.
