This chapter was very exciting to write! I hope you guys like it! As always, feedback is very welcome. Enjoy reading!
As they arrive on Savali, they notice some of those big robots they fight on Cyr 3. "So many… How did she do that?" Rivet asks. "The factory, where we were held as hostages, produced them. To finance themselves they sold some of their goods. But most of their production went into those robots. I guess for exactly such an occasion." Clank explains. Rivets sighs. "Alright. Then We'll have to fight our way through them." she says.
They get out of their ship and draw their weapons. Ratchet and Rivet look at each other before they start running towards the village of the monks. "So uhh.. Rivet?" Ratchet asks while Rivet shoots the Enforcer at one robot rushing towards them, sending him flying. "Yeah?" she asks.
Ratchet smiles. "Would you… Go out on a date with me?" he asks while shooting at the same robot who tried to get up, destroying him. A smaller robot, built to quickly attack the legs, runs towards Rivet. She draws her hammer and hits the robot, sending him flying towards Ratchet. He draws his OmniWrench and swings it like a baseball bat, destroying the robot and sending him flying, hitting a bigger one at the head who was threatening a monk. "A date?" Rivet asks. "I would love to!" she smiles at him.
The big robot charges at them while the two Lombaxes walk normally. "Perfect!" Ratchet answers Rivet with a big grin on his face. Rivet starts to run towards the robot. As soon as he claps his hands together to crush her, she slides underneath him, pointing her weapon up at him. She fires and the robot flys a little into the air. As soon as he comes down, she fires again, causing the robot to be ripped apart by the force of this weapon. "You okay back there?" Rivet asks Kit. "I'm okay. Thank you for asking." Kit says.
Rivet gets up on her feet again before she walks next to Ratchet. "Where will you take me?" she asks smiling. Now five of those small robots run towards them. "I don't know…" Ratchet says while he aims his Burst Pistol at them. He quickly unleashes five shots, hitting all targets. "Maybe… A nice restaurant before hitting the shooting range again?" he casually points his gun over his shoulder, shooting another one of those smaller robots. "And after that, we could spend some time together somewhere nice?" he suggests.
Rivet giggles while she slams her hammer on one of those smaller robots. "Sounds great." she smiles at him as they press on. "Is this normal? Them talking casually while their life is in danger?" Kit asks to which Clank replies. "It is. Don't think about it too much." He says with a little laught. Both Lombaxes look over their shoulders before they look at each other with a smile.
They manage to get to the outer parts of the village near a cliff where they find two of those big robots trying to destroy a shield protecting Gary and a few other monks. Ratchet and Rivet look at each other before nodding. Rivet hides behind a wall while Ratchet shoots two times, hitting the robots. Still programmed to attack those they're ordered to or those who attack them, they charge at the male Lombax. Who stands there, totally relaxed. "To be honest, I don't know good restaurants in your dimension." he says. "Guess you can choose your favorite." he adds with a smile, looking at the robots who now jump at him.
Before they could reach him, Rivet fires her weapon, sending the two robots flying over the edge of the cliff. "Hmm… I think about something." she says while laying her weapon over her bionic shoulder while placing her left hand on her hip. Ratchet stares at her for a while. Rivet raises an eyebrow. "What?" she asks. Ratchet smiles and rushes towards her, giving her a gentle kiss. "Nothing." he then says. "Nothing?" She she asks. "That was not nothing." She grins while suddenly aiming at his head. He smiles and quickly gets down as Rivet fires her weapon, sending another big robot flying down the cliff. Ratchet gets up again grinning. "Let's keep moving, shall we?" he says. Rivet nods as they make their way to Gary.
"Guys!" Gary exclaims. "I knew you would come. How are you?" he asks with a big smile. "We are fine, Gary." Kit says while jumping off Rivets back. "Gary. Where is the Surinox Comet Shard?" she asks. "That strange woman asked the same thing. I have sent her to the mountain temple. The trials will slow her down, I think. The Shard is located inside the catacombs." he says. "Then we need to be there first." Rivet says while Kit smiles at Gary. "Thank you, Gary." she says before she hops back onto Rivets back. "Be careful. This woman is dangerous. I don't know how, but she managed to hypnotize some of us." Gary explains. Ratchet and Rivet look at each other before nodding. "We will be. Thanks." Ratchets says. They make their way across the bridge and head towards the catacombs.
"How can they be everywhere?" Rivet asks while she looks around. There are so many robots around. But also some of those snake-like guards and the presumably brainwashed monks. "I don't know. But we have to stop them somehow." Ratchet says as he spots two big robots with one monk threatening a small group of monks, hiding under a shield. "We need to help them." he says. Rivet nods and the two make a dash towards the robots.
Ratchet uses his Burst Pistol to grab the attention of one while Rivet shoots her small Handblaster at the other. The robots quickly turn towards them. Ratchet shoots the leg of the Robot running towards Rivet. He trips as Rivet shoots her weapon, sending the robot flying into the one charging at Ratchet. Both hit a boulder pretty hard. One of them stops working, the other tries to get up before he gets shot by Ratchet.
The brainwashed monk looks at them, also with this slight purple glow in his eyes. He runs towards the two Lombaxes. "Woah hey! We're friendly!" Rivet yells at him while dodging his swings. "It's no use! We have to knock him out!" Ratchet yells while he takes his OmniWrench. A swift swing on the monk's head and he falls over.
Ratchet keeps an eye on the knocked out monk while Rivet walks over to the others. "Brothers. Are you alright?" Kit suddenly asks. "Sister Kit. Yes we are." one of the monks says. "Thanks to you and your friends." he adds while the monks bow down. "Uhm… You're welcome." Rivet says with a smile. "Hey! He's waking up!" Ratchet yells towards Rivet. She nods at the monks before she runs to Ratchet, her hammer ready.
The monk slowly sits up, holding his head right where Ratchet hit him. "Urgh… What happened?" he asks while looking around. He spots Ratchet and Rivet, ready to knock him out again. "WOAH HEY HEY! No need for violence, Brother and Sister Lombax!" he says with big eyes.
The two Lombaxes lower their weapons. Ratchet notices the purple glow in his eyes is gone. "He's alright." he saye while pointing to his eyes. Rivet notices and nods. "Good. So… We know that a knock-out gets them back." She looks towards Ratchet. "This… Guards Nandaria has... You think they are brainwashed too?" she asks. Ratchet nods. "I think so. The one with this scar has this glow in his eyes. Also… Remember how she called them her mind slaves?" he says. "I remember." Rivet nods.
One of the saved monks steps forward. "They managed to brainwash five of our Brothers. We would be grateful if you help them." he says. Ratchet and Rivet look at each other. Rivet smiles, making his heart jump. "Of course we'll help. Where do we find them?" he asks.
"Two of them are with this strange woman. The other two made their way towards the Badlands Temple." He says. "Perfect. That's the way we need to go." Ratchets says. "We'll help them. No worries." he says with a smile. The monk bows in gratitude before he leaves with the others.
Ratchet watches the monks leave for a long time. Rivet looks at him a bit concerned. She walks over to him, laying her bionic hand on his cheek to gently guide his gaze at her. "What's bothering you?" she asks. "Ratchet sighs and places his hand on hers. "These monks. She managed to brainwash some of them." he says. "Indeed, this is concerning." Kit says. "The monks here are strong willed. They should be able to protect themselves against such an attack on a mental level." she says.
Rivet looks over her shoulder then back at Ratchet. "I see…" she whispers. "You think she upgraded her.. Hypno… Thingy. Now you're afraid she'll turn you against me.".
Ratchet nods. "I don't want to hurt you." he says. Rivet smiles at him. "You won't." she says while gently caressing his cheek before she lovingly kisses him. Ratchet closes his eyes while wrapping his arms around her. Suddenly he stops and opens his eyes again as he feels Kit. "Yes. I am still on her back." she says, making Clank laugh in amusement. The two Lombaxes look at each other before they laugh too. "Sorry Kit." Ratchet says. "Oh it's fine." she smiles. Rivet looks at Ratchet and nuzzles his nose before she steps away. "Let's get moving." she says.
Ratchet smiles. They make their way towards the Badlands. On their way, Rivet looks over at Ratchet. "You remember our bet?" she asks. Ratchet looks at her and smiles. "How could I forget?" he says. Rivet smiles softly back at him. "I… Know what I want you to do." she says quietly. "What is it?" he asks curiously. "I want you to stay with me." she says softly. Ratchet stops walking and looks at her in total surprise.
Rivet also stops before she looks at the ground. "We're still from different dimensions." she starts to explain. "And… I don't know how we'll handle this... " she whispers while getting close to him, resting her forehead against his. "I'm afraid this will… Stand between us." she says while she closes her eyes.
Ratchet also closes his eyes. "I don't know either… But I know that we'll find a way." he says softly. "I won't leave you." he adds while gently placing his right hand on her neck. "I promise.". His words make her smile. "Thank you…" she whispers. "I -" she was cut off by a robotic voice. "Scanning. Lombaxes and two Robots. Hostiles detected."
The Lombaxes quickly look at three of the big robots and one of those snake-like guards who points at them. "GET THEM!" he yells as the robots charge at the two Lombaxes. Rivet acted quickly as one of them swings his massive fist towards them. She parrys it with her hammer only to direct the punch into another robot who looks not at the robot who hit him. "Hostile intention detected. Prepare to be destroyed." he says and suddenly attacks the other robot.
The third robot however manages to pass the others and wants to take a swing at Rivet who was still a little distracted. Lucky for her, Ratchet was not. He quickly yanks Rivet's weapon from her and shoots the robot into the other two. Both of them now see him as an enemy. The three robots suddenly start a gigantic robo deathmatch.
The guard stands there in confusion. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET THEM!" he points at the two Lombaxes. "I see. Their programming is.. Interesting. They seem to attack everything that attacks them. Even if the supposed attacker is one of their own." Clank says. Ratchet, who gives Rivet her weapon back, nods. "Yes. We figured that out on Cyr 3. They start to attack the one who was hitting them last." He looks towards the guard. He charges at him and wants to swing his OmniWrench at him. The guard catches it mid swing and grins. "What? Did you really think I could be attacked that easily?" he says. Ratchet looks at him with big eyes before he grins. "Yep." he nods.
It was at this moment he widened his eyes as he looked to his left. Rivet charged the other way around the robots, knowing what Ratchet was up to. She swings her hammer at the guard, knocking him unconscious. Ratchet grins at her. "Good job." he holds up his thumb. Rivet smiles at him. "You too." She looks at the guard. "Should we just let him lay here?" she asks. Ratchet nods. "He'll be fine." he says while looking at the robots. Two of them are now destroyed. The third, now pretty damaged, looks at the Lombaxes. "P-p-prepare to - to - to - to be anhila- ERROR!" he just says. "Yeah, yeah.. Keep talking." Ratchet says before throwing his OmniWrench at him, knocking him over. Rivet quickly jumps into action and slams her hammer down onto the robot's head, destroying it.
Ratchet picks up his OmniWrench and looks at Rivet. "Let's go." he says while pointing towards the entrance to the Catacombs. As they enter they notice two Guards at the entrance. Ratchet and Rivet look at each other before both of them nod. They confront them head on. Charging at each of them they lift their weapons above their heads. Both guards lift their arms to protect them. But before one of them knows what's happening, the Lombaxes throw their weapons at the other guard. Not seeing this coming, they are too slow to react. Both of them get knocked out.
"Did I ever tell you how much I love being so synchronized with you?" Ratchet says with a wide smile towards Rivet who is picking up the OmniWrench. Rivet chuckles. "Me too." she throws him his weapon before she picks up her hammer. "I believe we are too late." Clank says all of a sudden. "If they are here, that must mean SHE is already inside.".
The two Lombaxes look at each other. "He's right. We need to hurry." Ratchet says before running inside. Rivet follows close by. Inside they see the last four missing monks. They stand in front of a door looking inside. Ratchet looks at Rivet and claps his hands silently. She nods before they sneak up on them. They jump and both of them grab two monks by their heads just to smash them together. The monks fall to the ground unconscious. "It's really easy to knock them out." Rivet says. "Too easy. Why?" she asks. "Maybe it is because this hypnotization weakens them to some degree." Clank says. "Makes sense." Rivet says while lifting her eyebrows. "Or those monks are not used to violence." Kit adds. "Or that." Clank says. They walk inside the catacombs, looking around. They spot Nandaria in the middle of a big room, holding the Comet Shard.
Ratchet quickly draws his weapon and shoots at her. The shot was deflected by a force field surrounding her body. "What?" he asks. Nandaria looks at him with a big grin. "Nanomachines, son.".
Ratchet looks at her annoyed. "Nanomachines. Are you kidding me?" he says annoyed. "Oh yes. They protect me from such pathetic attempts on my life." she says. "I would love to be the one to get rid of you… But my time is precious. Sekeshi? Would you be so kind and get rid of those pests?" she says as the scarred guards step forward. "It would be my pleasure, my queen." he says before charging at the Lombaxes.
They both jump aside. "We can't shoot him. He's being used." Rivet says to which Ratchet nods. "We need to knock him out." he says. Nandaria laughs. "Good luck. He's specially trained in combat." she wipes some of her long ebony hair out of her face. Clank and Kit quickly jump off the backs of the Lombaxes, knowing they could be standing in their way.
Sekeshi swings his fist at Ratchet, who manages to dodge. Rivet tries to jump at him from behind but he just turns around while lifting his leg. He kicks Rivet away. Ratchet swings his OmniWrench at him. Sekeshi catches it before it hits him. He lifts it and Ratchet up only to smash him into the ground. Ratchet gasps for air. Rivet attempts to swing at him again. He dodges and gains some distance. "How can we beat him?" she asks. Ratchet gets up again. "I have an idea. It requires us to move in perfect harmony." he says quietly while looking at her. "Lead the way." she smiles. Ratchet picks up his OmniWrench and runs towards him. He jumps and lifts his weapon. Sekeshi stands ready to simply parry it. But as Ratchet swings at him, he ist hit by air. Surprised he lowers his cover to look at Ratchet who lands in front of him. He dropped his OmniWrench the moment he started to wing. Rivet catched it. She is directly behind Ratchet right in Sekeshi's blind spot. He can't react in time as she hits him, knocking him out.
"That's all you got?" Ratchet says while turning towards Nandaria who just keeps smiling. "Not at all." she says while a Wormhole opens and a giant robot comes through. at least two times bigger than the other robots who tower over the Lombaxes. Rivet looks at Ratchet. "You had to ask, do you?" she says. Ratchet looks at her with a sorry smile.
The robot looks around before he says: "Hostiles detected. Prepare to be-" "Annihilated." the two Lombaxes say in unity. "We know." Ratchet says before he draws his Blast Pistol. He shoots at the robot. It has no effect. "Oh…" Ratchet looks at Rivet who also shoots her Enforcer. Also to no effect other than to be the target. "We don't have enough power." Rivet says before she dodges a punch.
Ratchet looks around. "Not enough power… Give me your gun!" he says. Rivet throws her gun over to him. "Great. Now distract him!" he says while going to the entrance. "Oh great… How should I do that?" She dodges another attack. "Hey you! Stupid robot!" she screams at him.
"Insult noted. Searching for proper answer." the robot says while stopping for a second. Nandaria pulls her eyebrows together. "Proper answer found. No, you." he says before he continues to attack. Rivet keeps jumping to evade being hit. "Did anyone ever tell you that your answers suck?" she says. The robot stops again. "Data not found." he says before resuming the attack. Rivet makes a backflip to gain distance. "Now you know! Also, you are ugly!" she says with a grin. "Insult noted. Searching for proper answer." he says while stopping. "Damn that's easy." Rivet says. "Proper answer found. No, you." he says again. "It's like arguing with a five year old." she says with a sigh.
Meanwhile Ratchet works on the weapon. He looks up to see Rivet dodging every attack. "Damn she looks good." he says. "Ratchet. Focus." Clank says. "Oh right." Ratchet nods before he keeps working. "Aaaaand… Done!" He picks up the weapon. "Rivet!" he yells and throws her the weapon. She catches it and aims at the robot. "Say hello to my little friend!" she yells. "Hello." the robot says before Rivet pulls the trigger. The blast erupting from her weapons is so powerful, it sends the big robot flying against the wall, making stones collapse on top of the robot, destroying him.
Rivet also gets knocked back. She's catched by Ratchet. "I got you." he says with a smile. Rivet looks at him with a loving smile. "I know…. Thanks." she says softly. Suddenly her weapons got cut in half. The explosion emanating from it, pushes the Lombaxes into the wall. Rivet landed on Ratchet again. He hits the rock pretty hard and gets knocked out. Before she could even react, she gets picked up by Nandaria. "Enough with you, you little pest." she hisses at her. "You with your hideous arm have caused me enough trouble. Knocking out my loving followers." she hisses again. "That's no true love. They don't love you… No one does!" Rivet snaps at her. Nandaria widens her eyes. "And instead of you…" Rivet says while looking at her metal hand before clutching it to a fist, "Me and my 'hideous' arm are loved truly!" She yells at her before punching her with her metal hand, destroying her shield for a second. Before Nandaria could react, Rivet hits her head against Nandaria's, making her drop the Lombax.
She looks at her hands which she uses to cover her nose. It was bleeding. Rivet looks up at her with a sassy grin. Outraged, Nandaria swings her metal leg at the female Lombax, kicking her aside before opening a wormhole. "Then I will enjoy DESTROYING EVERYTHING YOU LOVE!" she screams while she grabs the unconscious male Lombax. "NO!" Clank and Kit scream while trying to catch Ratchet. But they're not fast enough. Nandaria jumps through her wormhole with a maniacal laugh.
"No…" Rivet says in shock. "No no no no… This is not happening." She says while slowly standing up again. Sekeshi slowly awakes. "Urgh… My head…" he says. Rivet runs towards him, grabbing his collar. With tears in her eyes out of fear, sadness and pure rage, she growls at him. "WHERE DID SHE GO?!" she screams. He holds his hands up. "Wait! I'm no longer under her control, I swear!" he says. Noticing the purple glow in his eyes is gone, she lets go of him. She sits down, pulling her legs towards her and resting her eyes on her knees. She allows herself to cry a little before she regains her composure. She looks at him with wet eyes. "Please… Where did she take him?" she asks. Sekeshi looks at her. "Her homeworld… Arisio." he says. Rivet wipes her eyes before she stands up. "We need to go. Now." she says to Clank and Kit. Both following her as she leaves. Sekeshi gets up and also follows her.
"I'll help you, as far as i can." he says. Rivet looks at him. "Thanks." she says while they head towards her ship. Without wasting any time, they start it up. Sekeshi types in the coordinates of Arisio as they lift off and head towards it.
