Chapter 6

Peculiar Punishment

In the early morning hours, Ratchet and Clank arrived on Sargasso ticked away into early noon-time. Within Rivet's garage movement was beginning to stir. Kit and Rivet showed signs of awakening as they stretched, yawned, and cracked their joints loose. Wanting to leave the garage dark, Rivet ignored the light switches and went to the closest to fish out her typical black jumpsuit. Her mini yellow sidekick shook off her charger, battery full of power, and rushed to her friend with renewed joy.

"What are the plans for today now that Ratchet and Clank arrived?" Kit anxiously asked with hands happily sliding together. Eagerness spewing off her in waves. Rivet arched an eyebrow and gave a light chuckle.

"Slow down Kit, we barely got up ourselves. Let's just hang out a bit, give the boys time to rest. Once they're up we can go."

"Sounds like a plan," she nodded while sauntering off into the kitchen. "I will check the coffee maker to ensure it's still working."

"Thanks, Kit…" Rivet winced a half-smile, her head obviously still a bit sore from the left overhang over. "Coffee does sound like heaven right now." Her ears perked up as she jetted a handout to get Kit's attention. "Make sure there's enough for Ratchet, he might want some to."

"Ratchet drinks coffee?" She scratched one of her two orange light bulbs on top of her head. Shrugging her shoulders, she thumbed up Rivet and went into the kitchen to prepare a few rounds for coffee.

~Rivet's Upstairs Office~

Ratchet laid on the pop-out mattress Rivet graciously lent him with Clank nestled by his side. The male lombax was turning about, sweat pouring from his fur. Inner demons whispered intense anxiety-provoking thoughts. Memories relentlessly hitting his frail conscious that he struggled to keep together.

"N—no… please… don't…" Ratchet whispered in deep sleep, a tear threatening to spill. His hands clawed the pillow beneath, nails almost tearing the fabric to shreds as he anxiously tried to cover his chest. The wound pulsed against his split skin, burning the muscles barely held together by the stitching.

"Stop…" he pleaded again; ears flattened with fur bristled.

Ratchet's Dream: Flashback-2 weeks prior~

Ratchet ran through the dark streets, its dull glowing streetlights cast a ghoulish orange veil over the concrete. His boots pounded against the puddles left from the rain that started to resume its downpour. His heart was pounding with the speed of a racehorse's sprint. A shadow was behind him, closing in rapidly on his heels. Unable to keep the speed up, Ratchet face planted against the concrete.

"Who are you?" he shouted angrily, holding his bloodied nose.

The shadow figure wore a long robe, coal-black eyes glaring down at the male lombax. No pity or remorse seen in those empty eyes. Ratchet bristled his fur in an attempt to look more aggressive. Which did nothing but cause the stranger to tilt his head at him.

"Whoever you are…" he quickly drew his Omni-wrench. "I'm not going down without a fight!" Air whistled around him as the lombax skillfully bounced off his feet and dove right for his pursuer.

But with each swing Ratchet took, the stranger dodged them. Almost like a professional tango, his attacker stepped away from each blow as fast as the hero could dish them out. Lighting cracked; more rain began to fall in huge clumps. Almost blinding the yellow lombax as he found his muscles getting heavier from exhaustion. Eventually losing his energy and taking a step away from the attacker who refused a retaliation blow.

"What do you want? Spit it out!" Ratchet yelled, frustration beginning to boil his nerves like a fried lobster.

"Pieces…" a deep electronic voice whispered as he suddenly raised a long-barreled sniper-looking gun. A huge jagged spear was clipped to its front, the sharp tip shining from the storm's angry lights. This startled Ratchet as he took a step back, both the words and the weapon throwing his mind in a complete loop of confusion.

"What? Pieces?" he held up his weapon, preparing for another attack. "What do you mean?"

The stranger said nothing, instead cocked the barrel and took aim.

"White arm… not enough." He hissed as the weapon started to beep, a laser landing on Ratchet's head. But the male lombax didn't pay attention as his eyes narrowed at the words spoken.

"White?" he looked to the ground, his mind starting to get tense. His ears rose, tail trembling as he flexed his fangs. "Arm? You… whatever you're talking about, you won't live to finish that statement!"

Ratchet, with renewed vigor, leaped from the ground. Weapon held high above his head; he yelled a battle cry as he threw his weapon down. The attacker aimed the gun, its targeting laser barely landing on Ratchet's chest. The wrench contacted a jaw; robotic fluids flew everywhere. At the exact same time, red also mixed in with the spillage. The trigger had been pulled.

All Ratchet remembered seeing was medics surround him before being loaded onto a makeshift bed.

~End of Dream~

Ratchet shot awake, eyes wide with pure raw fear. His hands gripped his chest, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Pain, the familiar sheering pain of a sharp rusted blade tearing through his surface. Right into his chest and down all the way to his upper hip/waist area.

"Wha—what?" he looked around the room, as if just remembering where he was. Getting up from his bed, he rushed over to a nearby mirror, looking himself up and down. Not seeing any signs of damage, he breathed a sigh of relief… only a dream. Until a savage burning sensation blurred his vision.

Gasping in pain, Ratchet pulled his shirt up and saw the huge grizzly mark. His jaw slowly fell as he hesitantly touched the tip of it. Too scared to completely feel the edges that trimmed his fur down to a mess. He was still too fearful to touch the mark, mind still struggling to believe this was real. That physically feeling the wound would destroy any hope he had that this wasn't real. Even though he knew deep down it was. But… denial was his only source for comfort.

… … …

… …

…

A robotic hand found his shoulder, blue eyes looking in concern to Ratchet.

"You okay?"

Ratchet looked to Rivet, eyes so worn and exhausted, he forced himself to look away.

"Please go away…" he whispered, not having the strength to deal with this.

"What are you talking about?" The rebel whispered grief-stricken as she extended her robotic hand to hold his own. "I want to be there for you, but you won't tell me what's wrong…" she hugged him tightly, lips touch his cheek.

"I love y—" She was cut off by a finger to her lips.

Ratchet's ears lowered, shoulders starting to tremble. "No, you don't…" he turned away, forcing himself free of her hands. Sure enough, she slowly started to fade.

"How could you say that?" She asked, her voice quickly losing volume.

"Because you're not real," he whispered, fighting the tear that threatened to spill. "The only happiness I have with you is when I lose consciousness."

"If you'd just—" She tried again until Ratchet shot his hand up, being more persistent in his effort to quiet the allusion.

"And… I don't have the mental fortitude… to suffer this right now." He inhaled a sharp breath. "Please… go away."

Just as Rivet vanished, her voice suddenly came to him again. Right in the doorway came the real female lombax herself, ears perked up in curiosity to see Ratchet facing the wall and… talking to himself?

"Ratchet, what are you doing?"

"Why won't you leave me alone!" he snapped with a tear now falling from his face. "I can't handle this tor—eh?" Rivet stood in the doorway; eyes wide. Ratchet quickly realized this was not an allusion as he quickly dried his eye and forced a fake smile.

"Oh… uh… h—hey Rivs, so sorry! I didn't know you were there."

"Uh…" she slowly came in, reaching a hand to put on his shoulder. "Why were you yelling?" The surprise came when he quickly backed away from her hand. He kept a firm distance between them. Keeping a step away every time she took a foot towards him. This bothered the female a great bit as she moved quicker and barely successful in nabbing the slippery male lombax's shoulder.

"Ratchet…" she spoke a bit more forcefully, shaking him a bit as if he was lost in a trance. "What's going on?" her ears were sitting straight up, eyes huge in sheer alarm. Concern was brewing up beneath her surface in waves, this bothering the male lombax even more.

"S—sorry, I was… sleepwalking." He told the half-truth, managing to slip out of her grip again. Ratchet forced an eager smile to knock her off his scent. "It happens when I don't get enough sleep, sorry if I woke you."

"You… didn't wake me." Rivet lowered her ears, eyes still boring into him. He refused eye contact, even going as far as to keep his back to her. Sighing, she knew the stubborn hero wasn't going to talk and decided to drop it. For now.

"Okay, well… I have coffee brewing," she gestured down the stairs, silently asking the male to join her. "I would love some company. If you feel up to it."

"Oh, uh, sure." He looked over his shoulder to show her his approving nod. "Though would it be alright if I had something else, like orange juice?" Ratchet laughed nervously, latching his hand onto the back of his head to perform an awkward rub. "Coffee and I are not exactly the best of 'friends."

Relieved to see the male hero smile, Rivet nodded towards the door. Leading him out and down the stairs, she couldn't help but notice how much he was sweating. The walk down the steps felt longer then usual, something she was typically accustomed to. Being alone, everything around here had a pretty quick pace to it. But with company, especially a face she preferred, seemed to make time tick slower. Rivet pressed her bionic hand to her shoulder, trying to think of something to say once they finally got into the main area.

"Yea, we have orange juice, at least I think." She scratched her white chin in thought while letting the male lombax take the lead into the kitchen. Right behind him as she got ahold of the fridge to give it a quick glance over.

"Good morning Ratchet, did you sleep well?" Kit asked, twirling in her seat with much joy.

"Oh?" He was caught off guard by the sudden question. "Ah, yea yea I slept decently. Takes me a little while to get used to sleeping in an unfamiliar area, but overall, no complaints." Ratchet confirmed with a happy thumbs up.

Clank raised a finger in the air, preparing to add onto the subject before Rivet interrupted.

"I… noticed you sweating a lot." She placed a carton of orange juice along with an empty glass. Gesturing for her male companion to take it as she recovered a mug of steaming coffee. Eyes firmly on Rachet, watching his moves like a hawk. "Is the office to warm?" The rebel took a big gulp then wiping her mouth clean. "I've been meaning to fix the A/C unit… but since I rarely go in there, it kind of slipped my mind."

"Oh, psh!" Ratchet waved his hands. "I can handle a little heat, no big deal."

"Yeeaa… sure," Rivet took another sip of her mug before pointing a finger at him. "You can crash on the couch if you want." She gave him a sheepish smile at the odd look he gave her. "I would've offered it last night, but I thought the portable bed would've been more comfortable—"

"No no it is comfortable!" He rushed to correct the statement, hoping Rivet didn't perceive it as criticism. "I just didn't expect to be staying the night is all."

"Yea, I mean… I get that," she laughed nervously. Awkward silence returned full force as the white lombax scratched her neck, darted her eyes away, and took another frantic sip of the coffee. "So!" she quickly added, scaring both Ratchet and their little robo-friends. "Thought of something," her coffee mug was returned to the table.

"You're still in trouble for making me worry," the female lombax smirked, a bit of guile hidden underneath.

"Ah, yea…" Ratchet rubbed his neck, a bit uncomfortable at the oddly rambunctious look. "I didn't think you were serious."

"Oh no, my head was about to crack like a walnut from that hangover. Now that I'm thinking more clearly, you defiantly owe me."

"Define 'owing' eh?" The hero laughed nervously, resituating his pilot's hat. Cheeks flushing a bit red, but thankful his fur hid it well.

"Oh no, that'd be too easy," she slipped past the male, placing her bionic hand on his head. "I find suspense to be the best punishment before the actual one presents itself." Rivet chuckled and rubbed Ratchet's hand, his ears bobbing up and down at the odd gesture.

Ratchet raised a finger to add a comeback, but Rivet starting into his eyes just left him baffled.

"O-k… I'm all ears." He answered, albeit a bit hesitantly.

~An Hour Later~

Rivet walked around a large shop located in the heart of the former Nefarious City. With the ego-driven emperor finally terminated, the city was now being run by some senators. A new name was currently being batted around amongst the new elites while his face was being removed from all seeable traces. Since the name hasn't been decided yet, the citizens have been akin to calling the city 'Former N', a sort of final jab at the deceased emperor.

Ratchet was grateful the city looked well put together. All citizens looked friendlier, the skies were brighter, even shops and other places were booming with life and color. But at this moment, the male lombax found himself unable to gawk at the sight as he followed Rivet. A mountain of gadgets in his hand as he buckled his knees, struggling to keep up with the fast-paced rebel.

"Rivs!" Ratchet hollered out despite the mountain of gadgets pretty much veiling his whole body minus his legs. "If I'd known my punishment was helping with your once-a-week shopping, I would've brought better gripping gloves!"

"Hey, I told ya," she snickered as she inspected a new wrench, not being to picky on the prices today. "Besides, this stuff I small, I'm not even gonna make you help you with the new engines and wall barriers I got coming in." Rivet nodded to the tools' shiny frame, good condition for purchase, deciding this as she tossed it onto the pile Ratchet was towing around.

"Good grief, I never depicted you as someone who likes to shop!"

Rivet laughed as she decided to carry some of top parts of the pile before Ratchet caved in. Making his load a bit more bearable as she continued to lead the way to the next aisle.

"I hardly go shopping, but when I do it's just things I need." She inspected a new coffee maker, hm'ing to herself. Her tail swished side to side, something it usually did when she was attempting to make up her mind. "The coffee wasn't super bad… but ah, what the heck, today is special." Rivet snatched the box and tossed it back onto Ratchet's pile.

Ratchet chuckled, sweating a bit with arms trembling to hold all the stuff. Normally that'd be a breeze for him, but the pulsation in his chest reminded the lombax of his 'curse'. With tail and ears dipped downwards, he fell into a state of sullen silence. Remaining quiet for the next fifteen minutes of their shopping spree.

The silence was caught on to as Rivet looked over her shoulder to stare at her male counterpart. Seeing him lift those heavy items gave her a pleasant vibe. She couldn't help tilting her head as she spotted a nearby cart. Not wanting to strain him further, she grabbed the basket and pushed it over to Ratchet. Which he responded to the sight with a bit of surprise, she just gave him an awkward smile.

"Well, I think an hour is long enough to learn a lesson," she sheepishly laughed and helped her friend dump the remaining gadgets and food into the basket. With both being incredibly short, Ratchet and she had to tag-team it and push the cart from its bottom half.

Ratchet still didn't say anything, Rivet frowned at this, a new pang of worry trying to work its way out of her. What was going on with the male lombax? He hadn't even been here for half a day and already she was getting severely worried again. She thought having him in her presence was enough to soothe her frequent feelings of concern, but all it did was worsen it. Suddenly an idea hit her.

White ears perking up in joy, the female lombax grabbed Ratchet's arm to get his attention. "Hey!" she started with true excitement. "How about after this I give you a little surprise?"

"Is this part of the punishment?" Ratchet slyly added to hide his sadness. He glanced down at her hand on his arm. Sighing, he gently pulled away, pretending that he was distracted by the cart's weight to explain his dismissive behavior. Hoping the blue-eyed rebel didn't question it.

"No, this is the reward part for enduring the punishment." She frowned when he pulled away, sighing and forced a smile to hide her spurious state. A strange automatic feeling arose in her, wanting to return her hand to his arm. Having him pull away while being so close felt like a punch to her gut. But Rivet hid this well.

"Well, can't say I ever refused a reward."

"Defiantly not, huh hotshot?"

Ratchet laughed, banging his hand on the cart to control his laughter. "Alright, I'm game, what is it?"

"Like I said… suspense is the bet." She smirked as she helped him push the cart to the exit.