AN: Hi, this is a two parter, the second part isn't done yet, and I am highly debating on waiting for Clank's birthday to post it whenever I do finish it. But anyway, I'm just gonna copy and paste a thing of how I interpereted the time line of events of Tools, Orvus disappearing, Quest for Booty, and Crack in Time, from my AO3 notes:

Alright, I have to get this out of the way since I've seen literally everyone who's written a Crack in Time fic have the two year thing as the go to for how long the boys were apart, but here's how I picture the timeline, and this is without double checking on TJ Fixerman's twitter to see if anybody has actually asked this and gotten a confirmed response, but this is how I interpreted the time the boys spent apart... A year/ a year and a half at least, but not a full two years, that's just how long Orvus has been missing.

So, Orvus teleports to who knows where to get away from Nefarious, and undetermined amount of time passes before the other Zoni realize Orvus is not coming back so they must fall back on the destined plan B - Clank, their sire. They take him, and a year passes ; Quest for Booty, and Sigmund even says that Dr. Nefarious tried hacking into Clank's brain for a year as well, and as far as we know, maybe only a few months have passed since Quest for Booty when A Crack in Time starts for Ratchet, and Clank finally waking up.

But again, that's just how I interpreted it.

But anyway, enjoy!^.^


It was nice to see Gimlick Valley so peaceful and happy instead of the barren swampland Ratchet and Clank had originally found it in.

The statues that looked surprisingly exact even after ten years and what was probably only a half an hour in the Battle of Gimlick Valley itself, were also a delightful surprise. However they really did want to borrow the ship they were promised in the past just to get off planet, but they needed a few battery bots to help charge up the Argonian Class 3 Battle Cruiser.

So they wandered around the village that was all abuzz with excitement of the reenactment of the Battle that would happen that night. The boys made a mental note to tow the battle cruiser back in time for it.

As they wandered, looking out for the battery bots, they couldn't help over hearing a few conversations here and there.

"Help! I can't swim! Momma! Your little boo-boo needs help! Momma!"The Fongoid villager mimicked perfectly despite the stark differences in Fongoid and Argonian vocal ranges.

"BAH-HAH! That's the best Argonian impression I've ever heard!" Guffawed another Fongoid villager.

It wasn't until they wandered near the shelter cave again that they took pause in listening to one of the elders retelling the battle to some of the children, especially since one of the children mentioned Yurik having seen a talking lunchbox on the back of the mysterious Lombax savior.

"Oh-ho, Yurik was mistaken. That lunchbox was actually a direct descendent of Orvus himself! So you see, the Zoni still watch out for each and every one of us! Merh."

"Clank, how did he know that?" Ratchet stressed his friend's name and whispered through gritted teeth, already starting to walk away so they could talk about it properly as he spotted a battery bot.

"I am not certain." Clank whispered back, lowering his volume to do so. "However if I had to make an educated guess, I would assume it had something to do with the combination of the battle taking place ten years ago where my father would still be around and watching my every accomplishment, the fact that we did occasionally use my time bombs in that battle, and the possibility that my father visited just to see that statue's completion and rant and rave nothing but high praises about how I was his son."

Ratchet was quiet for a minute, just taking it in, before he nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't entirely be surprised. There's also the chance that they recognized you were part Zoni because of the time bombs, since I'm guessing only the Zoni can do something like that, maybe even your dad could specifically only do that."

"You are probably correct in that assumption as well. For I neglected to tell you a year ago during the Tachyon adventure, that technically I am also capable of slowing down time, but most likely only in the presence of other Zoni, and there haven't been any in the Clock since Dr. Nefarious scattered them, as well as you having collected them in that… oddly specific Zoni holding device that would otherwise be called a jar." Clank admitted before turning his tone to a slight sternness as he referred to the fact that his brethren were in said jar.

"Hey, hey, hey, I got this vessel from right in front of an accurately carved giant golden statue of your dad in a temple back on Quantos. The Fongoid chief even said it was gifted to them by Orvus himself. So if anything, this 'jar' was a precaution in case something happened, which it obviously did." Ratchet argued back lightly.

"I must really stop underestimating my father. He really is quite brilliant behind his jolly exterior, and I say that after only seeing a holo-vid and some programs of him he placed into my subconscious." Clank said after humming thoughtfully. "He designed the Great Clock itself after all."

Ratchet whistled a low note, to show that he was impressed. "Well, we know for a fact that he didn't build it alone. The Fongoids even said that the Zoni are hive minds that have to be together to get anything done, just three of them were enough to fix Aphelion and give her a new paint job… for some reason, something about their bioenergy being the most powerful thing in the known omniverse."

"That makes sense. My first direct encounters with them, when they sought me out to give me visions of the future, when they gave me those wings, and when they helped me find a ship part in that little Raritanium mine on Fastoon, there were exactly three of them at the very least. But they still needed me to guide them a little when we navigated the mine." Clank concurred.

"Didn't you also say they called you 'Sire'?"

"Yes, though it is still strange to consider."

"Then that makes you a Zoni prince, and Orvus a Zoni king…weird." Ratchet gave a very pregnant pause on purpose. "I'm not gonna have to call you, your majesty from now on, am I?"

Clank couldn't help but give his signature giggle, it was amusing enough that were he an organic he would have snorted too.

"As amusing as that is to think about, no. Never mind the fact that we are close enough that the formality is not necessary."

"Thanks, pal, I love you too… Like a brother, you know?" Ratchet covered before it got too awkward.

Clank giggled again before replying. "And I, you, Ratchet. As platonic as brotherly love comes."

"I'm still sorry I couldn't save your dad, Clank." The Lombax said somberly as he chucked the battery bot into the socket and hover booted off to find another one.

"I am certain from your description that you did all you could and I do not fault you for not being able to get to him in time." Clank replied forgivingly.

"I didn't quite say all of it because of Alister being there. It's the only good news I left out, well two bits of good news I guess but, I don't think he's dead, even Nefarious didn't think so by the sound of it before I finally threw a Constructo bomb at his face."

"Then…?" Clank urged curiously when Ratchet hesitated in continuing.

"I think he teleported out of there, even though he was being blasted by the hypersonic brainwave scrambler which might've injured him when he blinked out enough that after, what, the two years he's been missing he hasn't come back? Your exact schematics were the last thing on his mind that Nefarious could get." Ratchet finally let out.

He felt Clank lean his head back, probably to look at the sky in awe and thought at the revelation. Ratchet himself reached back for one of Clank's hands to give it a supportive squeeze.

"Thank you for telling me that. It is a small hope that he is alive and out there somewhere, which makes sense that he has not come back and the Zoni had no choice but to take me to the Clock to take his place as it is what I was made for, he even put my face on the door to the Orvus Chamber." Clank didn't know why he had to mention that last part but he did still find it funny after seeing it in all its rotating golden glory.

"Your welcome, buddy. Did he really? I'm not surprised since his last thoughts before he disappeared were of you."

"Yes, Sigmund said my father loved me very much and was apparently always 'XJ-0461 this or XJ-0461 that' specifically. One of the images in the Chamber was a clip of getting on the hoverbike shortly after receiving that distress call from Captain Quark, which leads me to believe that he's been watching us from the beginning." Clank replied fondly.

"Wait, XJ-0461 is your actual name, and serial number? Wonder what the XJ stands for…Ooh! Maybe it stands for Zoni Junior but with an x!" Ratchet theorized as he scooped up the last battery bot.

Clank chortled at the little theory and had to agree as the alternative would be Orvus Junior, which would lead to Ratchet renaming him Orange Juice, an idea he was not fond of and kept to himself just in case.

"Perhaps you are right, Ratchet, but unless we someday find my father by chance, we may never know for certain."

"Hey, it's my theory and I'm sticking with it, now let's get outta here and beat the screws out of Nefarious." Ratchet replied as he chucked the battery bot into the proper socket, instantly helping charge the ship to full capacity of fuel.

"Yes, let's." Clank agreed, as the duo hopped into the ship together after the okay from Yurik.

It was an interesting series of conversations to be sure, ones that would easily be forgotten about given the overall current situation as both had a lot on their mind, such as Clank's decision to stay as the Senior Caretaker of the Great Clock or stay with Ratchet. Ratchet was more focused on the task at hand in dealing with Dr. Nefarious, but in the back of his mind was still worried about his relationship with Alister now that he himself respected Clank's explanation that the Great Clock was not a time machine. But neither could worry about those things right now. Dr. Nefarious was a much greater threat, one they had full confidence in dealing with as easily as the last time.

At the very least, their conversations here gave Ratchet an idea on what to make for Clank's birthday. Since it was still a ways off, it would him plenty of time to draft it all out and prepare for it, but again, Nefarious really needed his robo butt whooped right now.