Act 2, Chapter 4
Hi there, reader! I just want to make a quick announcement and say I am SO sorry that I'm taking forever to push out chapters. Lots of major life changes have been happening and it's been eating up my free time and energy ;_; Holy shit this chapter is over 9K words what the hell is wrong with me haha... If you've read this fanfic all the way up to this point, THANK YOU for being so supportive. This fic is my most favorite personal project I have EVER done and I am extremely grateful for any and all readers and comments. With all that being said, let's get on with the new chapter!
Almost two years ago, Ratchet, Clank and Mina were a couple months into being stranded in the Polaris Galaxy. Their journey to discovering the Lombax secrets and defeating Tachyon was tedious and tested them to their very limits. During this particular time, the trio found themselves in a heated battle against the space pirates on planet Ardolis.
Ratchet and Clank fought in battle while Mina stayed behind the team to act as support, as she usually did. Mina repaired any of Ratchet's weapons and used the raritanium he'd picked up to upgrade whatever he asked. Other than that, Ratchet rarely gave Mina any sort of attention during the entire journey. And Clank was always too busy being Ratchet's voice of reason.
After finishing off another crowd of pirates, Ratchet tossed back his jammed blaster for Mina to catch. He didn't say anything to her as he was occupied with telling off Clank about the Dimensionator. Those two frequently clashed during the entire journey and Mina was left out of most of the conversations. Mina looked down at Ratchet's blaster in her hands, then back at her two friends. Their words couldn't reach Mina's ears as she learned to filter out their arguments.
Mina's ears bent down as she refused to look in the direction of her friends. Their tones were full of irritation and impatience and tension rose as they tried to shove away their anger. For as long as she knew them, Mina had never seen Ratchet and Clank argue so much- or at all. Sure, they had their disagreements, but this time was different. This time, they both wanted such different things that from the looks of it, nothing would bring them to a common ground.
Mina adjusted a strap to her overalls while she fumbled around with the blaster. Her mind went back to Al and how she should've been at work instead of some distant galaxy. A faint rustling noise caught Mina's attention and she looked up at the top of a cliff; More pirates watched the group like predators watching their prey. You idiot. Use your big Lombax ears for once! Ratchet and Clank were completely unaware and Mina dashed towards them to grab her Lombax friend by the top of the head and shoved him out of the way.
"RATCHET- IT'S AN AMBUSH!" Mina shouted as Ratchet and Clank were practically thrown to the ground right before bullets could hit them. Ratchet quickly got up to attack the pirates back before realizing Mina still had his broken blaster. He snatched it from Mina and attempted to open fire, to which only resulted in an obnoxious clicking sound. Ratchet growled in frustration and threw the blaster to the ground. Mina took a step back at Ratchet's anger at the same time Clank flinched at the same noise.
The pirates closed in quickly before Ratchet had the chance to pull out a better weapon. He swung his wrench at one pirate, who grabbed the wrench to pull Ratchet closer. The rest of the pirates surrounded the group and all clung to Ratchet, getting ready to hop back into a ship that was lowering to the ground. Mina squeaked in shock and reached out her arm to grab Clank's hand. She yanked so hard that she pulled Clank off of Ratchet's back and collapsed to the ground with Clank in her arms. The pirates cruelly laughed at the two while one knocked out Ratchet as he was shouting for help.
"RATCHET!" Both Clank and Mina yelped simultaneously as they helplessly watched their friend get carried away. A few pirates remained on foot to prevent the two from following the ship. Mina, with Clank still in her arms, got up from the ground to run away as fast as she could.
Mina continued running through the tropical forest even long after the loud gunfire could no longer be heard. Mina grunted every other second as she ran further and further away. Clank lifted up one finger and spoke, "Mina?... Mina?"
"Wh-What?" Mina huffed and didn't slow down.
"I think we have lost them."
"Huh?" She finally came to a stop, "Oh… Right." Mina placed Clank down on the ground.
Clank put his hand up to his chin and looked around, "And it would appear that we are now lost, too."
Mina placed her fingers into her bands and gripped on tight. "Oh, no no no…" She paced back and forth, "Why did I have to be so loud and shove him like that? He's got big, long ears, he probably heard the pirates and would've noticed them anyway. I should've fixed his blaster quicker. Oh, I hope he's okay. I need- I need to get you two back together again!" Mina looked down at her watch and attempted to use her communicator, to no avail, "AND I still have no signal! I hate this galaxy! And I hate pirates!"
The little robot interjected, "Please, we must remain calm." Clank had de-escalated many of Ratchet's stressful rants in the past. Both many years ago and just a few minutes ago. This was no different. Clank was just grateful that he's never had to calm both of them down at the same time before.
Clank's eyes opened as wide as they possibly could, and for a moment, he was disconnected from reality. He heard the voices of the Zoni calling to him, "Don't worry for your friend, Sire..." Said the Zoni. Clank saw a vision of a now conscious Ratchet fighting the pirates inside their own ship. The Zoni spoke again, "He will be fine… For now."
Clank snapped back into reality to see Mina giving him a concerned look. Clank reassured, "The Zoni spoke to me again. They said Ratchet is conscious and fighting his way through the pirates. We will all be together again soon."
Mina groaned while gripping her face, "Oh, no. You're still hallucinating?! Clank, I can fix you up. You know I'm great at fixing stuff, right? Why won't you let me fix you? We can find Ratchet after I know for sure that you're gonna be alright."
The small robot was tired of explaining to his friends that he was not hallucinating. Clank grew bothered by Mina's erratic behavior and carefully approached her with one hand up. When he made eye contact with her, she calmed herself and put down her hands. Clank said, "Mina, we are going to be just fine. And so will Ratchet. For now, let us focus on finding shelter as it is starting to get dark."
Mina's ears drooped and she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so." she said, watching Clank walk beside her. "Heh. Sorry I don't have a harness. I'd love to have you as my backpack."
"That is alright. I do enjoy a good walk every now and then."
The duo walked through the luscious jungle as the sun set quicker at every passing second. Mina kept glancing back and forth between the sights in front of her and the little robot at her side. She hoped Clank didn't notice her stares. She just couldn't help but enjoy the sight of a small robot walking next to her with such little legs. Mina's lips stretched into a slight smile and as soon as she realized she was smiling, Clank looked up at her. Mina kept her smile on.
Clank tilted his head, "What is on your mind?" He asked.
"I was just thinking… I realized that even though we've known each other for years, this is the first time you and I have ever actually hung out by ourselves."
"Hmm… Perhaps we can use this time to get to know one another."
"Yeah… Yeah I'd like that."
The Zoni spoke to Clank inside his head to tell him where to go. The otherworldly creatures instructed Clank to follow the sound of their voices. Mina didn't question Clank's path as she didn't have any better ideas. The Zoni soon lead the duo to a small cave underneath a cliff. The cave was just big enough for a few people to sleep under without being easily spotted by pirates.
Mina squatted down to sit under the ceiling of the cave and Clank sat across from her. Clank raised a finger, "Would you like to build a fire?" He asked.
Mina stretched out her body to reach some nearby twigs and tossed them in the middle of the cave floor. "Sure." She said, "I've got the perfect fuel for it, too." Mina stood back up, took out Ratchet's broken blaster and threw it to the ground. The sudden action caused the weapon to break open and catch flames.
A burst of fire landed on Mina's t-shirt and she gasped before she smacked it away. Clank exclaimed and prepared to lunge forward to help but sat back upon seeing Mina dealing with it herself. The flames burnt her sleeve and one strap of her overalls. Mina groaned, "Okay, that's it." She reached for her watch, "Clank? Can you, uhh, turn around please?"
"Oh… Sure." Clank obeyed the request.
Mina slipped out of her clothes and put on a fresh pair of dark washed jeans, pink shoes, and used her watch to let a blue, green, and pink colored bodysuit grow over her body. "Okay, Clank. You can turn back around now."
Clank looked in awe at Mina's new outfit. Mina grinned, "Pretty cool, huh? Check this out-" She grabbed a sharp stick to intentionally rip a hole in the bodysuit.
"What in the-" Clank pondered at his friend's actions, then was at a loss for words to what he witnessed next.
Within seconds, the rip repaired itself as if it was never torn. "This suit came with my watch when I got it." Said Mina, "I always wanted to wear it at Al's, but he complained that it 'didn't fit the dress code'."
"Well, I think it is very lovely."
"Would you say it… Suits me?"
"Yes, yes I would."
The two sat and stared into the fire without a word. They both knew that they were thinking about the same things. Clank sat up straight and proper, like always, and Mina slouched on the ground with just one arm holding up her body. They tried to come up with a conversation starter, yet couldn't come up with anything. Then again, how could they be so casual during such a time? Especially when Ratchet was off fighting pirates by himself.
The cackling fire continued to burn as the two friends finally broke and talked over each other with the exact same words, "I'm just worried about Ratchet. Oh, sorry."
The duo smiled while looking away from each other. Mina began again, "You know, you guys have the most adorable friendship I've ever seen."
"Really?" Clank asked.
"That's probably not the best way I can describe it, but it's true." Mina readjusted her seating position before she continued talking, "I still can't get over how lucky I was to be able to meet you guys. I mean, I never really had super close friends like you."
"Why not?"
"It's not a big deal. I was just focused on school. You know how it is. I was always 'the smart one', just like how Talwyn described you."
"I see."
"Yeah- So, I didn't get any close friends until I moved to Solana and that was when I met Al."
"I do not believe you have ever told me where you were from."
"Oh! I'm from the Bogon Galaxy. I moved to Solana 'cause of a bad situation that happened with my family. But I don't wanna get into all that…" Mina traced her finger along the dirt. She could feel Clank staring at her, and she perked her head back up at him, "So, uhh, other than doing cool stuff with Ratchet, what kind of cool stuff do you do on your own?"
Clank's optics flickered at Mina before he shifted his focus onto the crackling fire between them. He felt the gears in his chest turn faster and to avoid any further awkward silences, he was quick to answer Mina's question, "I have plenty of hobbies outside of keeping Ratchet alive."
Mina let out a soft giggle.
Clank grinned at Mina's positive response. He continued, "I enjoy various mechanical engineering as you two do as well. At times I go on walks at night to look up at the sky. It looks exactly the same every time, however every time I see it, I am just as fascinated as if it was the first time."
Mina nodded in agreement as her smile stretched wider. She huddled her legs up to her chest without taking her eyes off of Clank. Something about the way he spoke about his interests was so endearing. Then again, he's always had that charismatic effect in every conversation.
The little robot perked up a finger, "And of course, I was the lead actor in my own show."
"Oooh! You were so cool as a secret agent! I played so many episodes on the holo-vision at Al's whenever I was working."
"Why, thank you. It was such a thrilling experience to get to play a hero."
"But, you are a hero in real life."
"Yes, I am. I was speaking more in terms of being a solo hero. But do not get the wrong idea. I very much enjoy being with Ratchet. Especially being literally attached to him. I… I like being close to him."
"So you're a physical love kinda guy, huh?"
"You can say that."
The fire began to die out and the duo both stood from their seats to grab more firewood. Clank held out his hand, "Please," he insisted, "You have done enough for quite some time. Allow me to assist."
"Okay. Thank you."
Clank walked away from Mina only a short distance, making sure that he was still within her sight. Mina watched as her little robot friend rustled his hands in the nearby bushes for more branches. Mina's eyes stayed on Clank, but her mind wandered elsewhere. She thought about Ratchet and what he was going through, she thought about their new friend, Talwyn, and what she had been going through prior to their meeting, but mostly she thought about if and when everybody would be back in Solana. Surely Al was worried sick about all his friends suddenly disappearing. Surely work needed to be done. Yes. Work needed to be done. Mina had to return to work. She hadn't received a paycheck in weeks-
"Mina?" Clank stood on Mina's left hand side with a small log held in his arms.
Mina's head twitched and she snapped back into reality, "Huh?"
Clank's bright green gaze was full of concern, "Are you alright?"
"Oh, y-yeah. I guess I was just lost in my thoughts."
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"No- I mean, I don't need to, it's okay. I swear." Mina's tone was at a higher pitch than usual. Clank wasn't convinced but decided not to pry and tossed the log into the fire. Flames burst up towards the ceiling of the cave once more, and Clank sat back in his original seat. Mina's anguished face and silence only made Clank's curiosity rise and started to turn into worry.
Mina caught onto Clank's rising concern and let out a quiet chuckle, "Y'know, I have a pretty funny story that I think will lift our spirits up a bit."
"Alright. Go ahead and tell me."
Mina shifted her position to sit cross-legged, and spoke with various hand gestures, "Okay, so, a few months ago I was out flying with Ratchet to Rilgar and he stopped at a gas station. I went inside because he wanted some snacks and I met with the cashier guy, who was super dirty but had the most adorable nose and cutest tooth gap."
Clank cocked his head at that statement. Mina continued, "Anyway, I realized I recognized him from a hilarious news story; He had done time for vandalizing Galaxy Burger's restroom with a bunch of spray paint. I personally thought his 'art' was awesome. So I asked him out, got back in Ratchet's ship, and he just knew by the look on my face that I had met a new guy. He said, 'Mina, don't you dare go out with him.' and that only made me want him even more. I stayed at the guy's house for the night- which was a super awesome night-"
Clank interrupted, "Where is this story going?"
Mina giggled, "Just hold on, I'll get there. The next morning, the guy got a voicemail on his holo-phone from some middle schooler about buying illegally modified nanotech from him! Yeaahh… I ran out the door before he even woke up, and when I got back to Al's," Mina stumbled with her words as she began to laugh, "Ratchet and Al attacked me with spray bottles the second I walked through the door. Hehehe, they sprayed me until I was completely soaked. Ever since then, they've both kept spray bottles with the label, 'Dumbass repellent'."
Clank smiled with discomfort at the contents of the story but laughed along with Mina as he did admit to himself, that was pretty funny. The way Mina spoke so casually about such actions was certainly odd, but not necessarily surprising. It was no secret among their friend group that Mina was impulsive and always up to something.
"You definitely are as 'weird' as Ratchet says you are."
Mina stopped laughing, "So he thinks I'm weird, huh?" She asked sarcastically.
"I believe he means it in an endearing way."
"He does. Hell, I like to call him all sorts of things in an 'endearing way'. I love sharing that style of humor with Ratchet. Honestly, he's probably my favorite person I've ever met."
"Really?"
"Yeah- Well, that doesn't mean I don't care about my friends all equally-" Mina stammered, "I-I mean I just think Ratchet and I click really well, and I love hanging out with him and talking to him. Heh, sometimes I wish I could be his backpack, even though I would crush him."
"I am sure Ratchet feels the same way about you, too."
"You're his favorite person, though. You two have something way more special than him and I do."
"True, I will not deny that. Perhaps you should tell him that someday."
"Tell him that he's one of my favorite people to hang out with? That's obvious, though. I hang out with the same group of people all the time."
"But maybe it will make him happy to hear that. Especially with…" Clank leaned over to his side to look up at the sky to see imperial ships flying through the atmosphere. He leaned back in and spoke quieter, "...Especially with everything he is going through right now."
"Yeah…" Mina squeezed her eyes shut and rested her cheek on her palm. "I want to help cheer him up, y'know? It's gotta be hard to learn that almost your entire species was killed by a vengeful cockroach. And Talwyn also lost her dad and has been picking up all his Lombax research. I'm glad Ratchet has all of us. He's a really good guy. He deserves friends who are as good as he is."
"I could not agree more."
"Well, while we're on the topic, I guess I can say that I like being with you, too, Clank. You're so smart and talented and you're really, really nice. Sorry we had to be stuck in a bad situation for us to actually hang out together alone for once."
Clank felt his temperature rise. If robots could blush, he would definitely be blushing. "I enjoy your company as well, Mina."
Clank took note of Mina's increasingly baggy under eyes and drooping head. The lack of sunlight was also an obvious indicator that it was way past nighttime. "I suggest we get some rest for the night. We will search for Ratchet tomorrow."
Without hesitation, Mina fell over on the ground and curled up, "Goodnight, Clank." She smiled, "Ahh... Dirt has never felt so comfortable."
Clank giggled before saying goodnight as well, and drew in his limbs to shut down.
The duo fell asleep quickly as the fire had completely died out. The only light source was the moon and stars that were slightly blocked out by the amount of trees in the surrounding area. Sometime later in the night, Mina awoke to a cold feeling on her back, as well as the sound of gears and cogs ticking. She barely opened her eyes to notice Clank was missing, and she perked up her head to try and see where he was. Mina's slight movement bumped against something cold and hard. She figured she must've been sleeping next to a rock, but when she turned her neck to look behind her shoulder, she saw Clank huddled up near her back, as if he was her backpack.
Clank's sensors picked up movement against him and he awoke. He made eye contact with Mina before he stretched out his limbs and scurried away from her, "I-I am sorry," He stuttered, "I did not mean to invade your personal space. I must have been dreaming about Ratchet and I find myself feeling more safe when I am with him-"
"Hey, it's okay." said Mina, as she was still laying down on her side. "You can come back over. I don't mind."
Without a word, Clank folded his hands together and stared at Mina. He hesitated before huddling up against her back once more. "This… This is nice." He said.
"Yeah."
"Do not tell Ratchet I told you this, but sometimes we sleep together."
"Aww, really?" Holy crap. How is it possible for two grown men to be this cute?, Mina thought.
"Yes. I hope you do not think it is strange-"
"It's not strange at all. You're always pressed up against each other anyway. Besides, you said you were a physical love kind of guy. You need love like that from friends, too."
"Certainly." Clank closed his optics and began to shut down once more, only to be momentarily interrupted by Mina flipping over so that the front of her torso met with Clank's back.
Mina reached out her arm to wrap around Clank's body and pulled him close. "Come here," she said.
Clank's entire system felt like it had been lit on fire. Every mechanism within him ran so fast he could hardly keep up with himself. His body twitched under Mina's soft touch before he calmed down. Clank couldn't tell if Mina could hear his motor or not. He hoped she couldn't hear it. It was all he could hear. Within seconds, all of Clank's worries melted away. It was just him, the beautiful night sky, and his dear friend.
The little robot's mechanisms slowed down back to their normal state. He could hear distant animal noises and the cool breeze but nothing else. Absolutely nothing else. Not even Mina's heartbeat, despite his head being right up against her chest. Clank squished himself even closer to Mina and leaned the side of his head further onto the upper left side of her chest. He listened very carefully. . .
Clank had heard Ratchet's heartbeat on plenty of occasions. But that was a Lombax heartbeat. Do Markazians have a different sounding heartbeat? Does every organic creature have a different sounding heartbeat? No. That couldn't be it. Ratchet's heartbeat sounded like thump-thump, thump-thump. Clank observed Mina's heartbeat to sound more like a click, click, click. An all-too-familiar click. To confirm his suspicion, Clank carefully put his two fingers up against Mina's wrist to feel for a pulse. There was no blood flow whatsoever.
Surely Mina couldn't have been dead. No, there was no cause of death and she had just moved and spoke less than a minute ago. Clank pondered to himself while not taking his eyes off of Mina's hand that was draped across his body. He realized the clicking sound was oddly familiar. When did he hear such a sound? Then it hit him. He remembered the women robots he was required to be physically close to during his Secret Agent Clank days and how close the actresses held him. Their chests also made that exact same clicking sound.
A moment passed before Clank decided to push himself away from Mina. She perched herself up on her elbow. "Clank?" She asked, "What's wrong?"
"Mina, are you…" He hesitated, looking back and forth with his hands shaking, "Are you… A robot?"
Mina's eyes popped out and her mouth was agape before she chuckled, "I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out."
The little robot cocked his head in confusion. He had so many questions yet couldn't process a single one at a time. He stuttered so much that he felt his head spinning.
Mina took note of Clank's confused state and held out a hand to prevent him from stumbling over. "It's a lot to take in, I know." She said, "That's also a very funny story. Wanna hear it?"
Clank was still holding his head in an attempt to stop the spinning.
Mina shrugged, "I was a normal, organic Markazian for most of my life. Well, as normal as a child prodigy and full-time babysitter can be."
"I knew about the child prodigy part. But, babysitter?"
"For my siblings; Norrie and James. They're much younger than me and both of our parents worked so I took care of them whenever we weren't at school."
"You did mention earlier about a 'bad situation with your family', is this related to that?"
"Yeah. Anyway, I was a real Markazian once upon a time. Smart, skilled, had a whole life ahead of me- Then when I was about 18, our house caught fire. I don't know what caused the fire, I don't even remember anything from the accident. All I know is the ceiling caved in on me, and I was in a coma for months." Mina felt a lump in her throat and her eyes started to burn. She cursed herself, Dammit. Don't you dare cry.
Clank felt his own body grow stressed at the sound of Mina's cracking voice. No matter how badly he wanted to verbally express support, he knew he had to wait until his friend was done talking.
Mina continued, "And when I woke up, something felt… Strange. Like, I could hear so many things and my thoughts ran much faster than I knew possible. Ugh, that hardly makes sense. But that's how I felt. The nurses helped me stand on my feet and I couldn't feel their hands on me, then I looked at myself in a mirror…" She ran her fingers through her fluffy bangs while trying to hide her glistening eyes. She refused to meet Clank's gaze as she knew he was already worried.
"It was too much for you to handle, was it not?" Clank asked, "Yet you currently have this outer appearance that looks organic. How?"
"Well, that's the funniest part of this story." Mina forced a smile, "I swear I spent a whole year in my bedroom- after it was rebuilt, of course. I saw an ad on the holo-vision about a tech company that sold these super awesome gadgets and accessories that could make armor literally grow over your body. I had this crazy, dumb idea that one of those gadgets could make skin grow over my metal body." She choked out a giggle to distract both herself and Clank from her squeaking voice, "I hired so many- S-So. Many. People. To work on this watch to make me look as much like my old self as possible…"
"How did you afford such a device?"
Mina choked on her own tears. She could no longer hold it in and the tears streamed down her cheeks. "I didn't." She sobbed, "I, uhh… I stole my parents' credit cards to pay for the watch."
Clank's optics flickered. He couldn't find the words to express his disappointment, and he was too shocked to make a different facial expression to suggest disappointment.
Tears streamed down Mina's cheeks. Her face burned in embarrassment yet she didn't have the energy to try and hide it. Her fake laughter quickly turned to sobs as she covered her mouth, muffling her voice, "My whole family begged those doctors to find a way to save my life. They gave me another chance-" She slammed her fist on the ground, "And I repaid them by ruining their lives! Why didn't they just let me die?!"
Mina's legs shook as she shuffled out from underneath the cave and took a few steps so that she could stand on her feet. She kept her back turned from Clank to hide her bright red face. Mina never considered herself to be much of a crier, especially not in front of someone she had never hung out alone with. She wished she could have had this conversation in a much different setting. Mina attempted to air out the rest of her grievances, however her sobbing had grown too strong and completely blocked out any words.
Clank got up to rush over to Mina and placed his hands on the front of her legs and looked up into her tear-filled eyes. "How long has this all been building up?" He asked.
Mina sniffled and wiped a thumb across her cheek, "Years."
"Please sit back down with me so that we can continue discussing this."
"Okay."
That was completely new territory for Mina; To have someone sit down with her and allow her to air out all of her feelings. Sure, Al had provided emotional support when it was necessary. But due to his rather socially awkward behavior, Mina knew better than to constantly go to him for that kind of help. Ratchet was even more awkward (especially around women, from Mina's own observations) so going to him wasn't much of an option at all. Of course 'the smart one' would be the best shoulder to cry on. She couldn't believe she never thought about hanging out with Clank in the past.
Mina refused to look at Clank as she sat back down. She ended up lightly whacking Clank's forehead when she bent her knees. Clank ignored the discomfort and held one of Mina's hands, while her other hand covered her face.
"Was Al aware of your situation?" Clank inquired.
"Y-yes." Mina replied, "Actually, I told him the day we met. I-I knew he would be super excited to get to have a robot as an employee so I had to use that."
"And that is why you are always with Al? Because you are working to pay off that debt?"
"Yes. Sometimes I work so much that Al kicks me out for days at a time because he hates seeing me overworking myself. But…" Mina adjusted her seating position while she still held onto Clank's gentle hand. "I couldn't just not work, y'know? I got a job as a bartender at a disgusting 24-hour bar in Solana behind Al's back. I at least wanted to work at one of the high-end bars but I'm banned from them."
Clank cocked his head, "How did you manage to get banned from multiple bars? On second thought, I do not want to know. Do you not highly dislike customers? I always saw you working in the back of the robo-shack for that reason."
"Yeah. I hate dealing with stupid, jerky customers but I was willing to do it if it meant making more bolts! I need- I need it…" Mina's tears flowed as if a dam holding back a raging river had been broken. Clank tightened his grip on Mina's hand, and her sobbing just barely calmed down.
"Mina, look at me."
She did just that. She could see her reflection in Clank's optics and became fully aware of what a mess she was. Still, those solid, beaming eyes provided just enough gentle reassurance to prevent Mina from looking away.
Mina wiped her tears again and smiled instinctively, "Wow, this is so embarrassing. We finally get to hang out, and you have to see me like this-"
"No. It is okay." Clank said, "You have been holding your feelings in for far too long. Hmm… I wonder… Is that the reason why your overall behavior is- how do I put this delicately; Out of control?"
Mina furrowed her brows in offense. She knew he wasn't wrong, yet other than Al, nobody else had ever been so upfront about it. And she certainly didn't enjoy the confrontation. "Uhm, I don't know. Probably? Y-yeah, I guess?" Her famous attitude had returned.
"Perhaps when we get home, we should get you some more help. I am more than happy to assist."
"No, Clank. You're doing plenty right now. I really don't wanna drag you or anyone else into my problems."
"Considering the main situation at hand, and everything else we have all been through together, we do just that; Handle even the worst of things together. And that is exactly what I want with you. Do you really think Ratchet and Al, and I would not want to help you? We all care about you very much."
"Heh. Well, I dunno. I think I would rather focus on helping Ratchet find the Dimensionator and squishing Tachyon. For right now, anyway."
"Of course. I mean, after all of this is over."
"Maybe."
Mina's genuine smile had returned and Clank mirrored her expression, knowing he had accomplished his goal of cheering her up even just a little bit. Before another exchange could be made, Mina's communicator on her watch lit up. She jolted in her seat and answered the call. The other end of the line produced only fuzzy noises. "Ratchet? Is that you?!" Mina exclaimed, "Are you dead?"
"Yeah, Mina. I'm dead and this is my ghost talking."
Clank pulled Mina's wrist closer to him, "Ratchet, are you alright?"
Ratchet chuckled, "I'm doing great! Just broke out of my cell in Zordoom prison without a scratch!"
Talwyn's voice could be heard in the call, "He got shot in the shoulder and I had to cover him."
"Hey, Talwyn!" Said Mina, "So, uhh, you guys are both at Zordoom Prison? That's a weird place for a date, but I'm supportive."
Ratchet paid no attention to Mina's comment, "Clank, Mina, find Aphelion and she'll take you guys to Zordoom to pick us up."
Mina stood to her feet with Clank close by her side. "Great idea, but we're very, very lost right now."
Clank's attention left his friends as he heard the voices of the Zoni speaking to him. Their soft calls directed Clank down a path. "This way, Sire." The Zoni said.
Clank gripped onto Mina's fingers and pulled her away from the cave, "The Zoni are telling me that we should go this way."
"Uhh… Okay- Hey, Ratchet? Clank says his spooky hallucinations are gonna lead us to Aphelion and I don't have any other ideas so I'll call you when or if we get to her. Byeee!" She hung up the call.
Ratchet didn't groan at the mention of the Zoni like he usually did. As much as he didn't believe that the Zoni were real, they were the only lead that his dear friends had. And for a brief time, he thought he had lost them forever. They were more important to him than that silly disagreement.
Clank picked up speed and Mina could barely keep up with him. Mina almost told him that it wasn't necessary to hang onto her hand the entire time, but she decided that she didn't mind it. Clank seemed to know exactly where he was going, and he did, as it took no more than a couple minutes before the duo found Aphelion.
Mina shrugged, realizing they weren't that lost. But it no longer mattered. She rushed to the ship and attempted to open the door to no avail. She yanked harder with the same results.
Clank spoke up, "Gently, Mina. Try speaking to her. You are not a Lombax, so Aphelion is likely hesitant."
"Okay… Heyyy, Aphelion?" Mina asked, "One machine to another, can you do me a favor? Can you let us fly you so that we can rescue our best friend and his kind of girlfriend, and then beat up Tachyon later? Please?"
Aphelion's electronic voice spoke up, "Thank you for saying 'please', Ms. Oxford."
"No problem, Ms. Aphelion."
The duo climbed in and Mina gestured to the steering wheel, "Wanna fly us, Clank?" She asked.
"I-"
"Those Zoni lead us to Aphelion, do you think they can help lead us to Zordoom?"
Clank smiled and switched seats, "Perhaps."
Clank flew Aphelion through the sector as both the navigation and the Zoni helped guide him. Mina put her feet up on her seat and held her knees to her chest. The duo spoke to each other only on a few occasions during the flight, as the relief of Ratchet and Talwyn still being alive lifted their spirits just enough. Ratchet turned on his location on his communicator. From the looks of it, he and Talwyn had completely escaped the prison and were located on the outside. Good riddance. Neither Clank nor Mina were in the mood for dealing with another crowd of enemies. Not without Ratchet, anyway.
Clank quietly landed Aphelion on a nearby landing platform, safe away from any guards, and Ratchet and Talwyn rushed over to the site. Mina stumbled out of her seat to get to Ratchet. She reached out her arms before reluctantly pulling them back in. She could tell by the look on his face that he was absolutely exhausted, yet relieved at the sight of his friends. Talwyn looked about the same.
"You guys alright?" Mina asked.
"Yeah we're fine." Ratchet replied. He looked up and down Mina in awe, "Whoa, nice suit!"
"I was gonna say the same thing." Talwyn added.
The Lombax kneeled down to reach Clank's eye-level and reached out his hand to hold his friend's face, "You okay, pal?" Ratchet asked.
"Yes. We are fine. Mina took good care of me."
Mina grinned, "Hey, you took good care of me too, buddy."
Clank turned to look up at Mina, "Is there something you would like to tell Ratchet?"
"Oh! Yeah! I'm so glad you and Talwyn are okay."
Clank lightly smacked Mina's leg with a scowl on his face.
"I-I mean," Mina scratched the back of her head, "There's, uhh… There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time. Talwyn, you can listen too."
Ratchet and Talwyn stayed completely silent as Mina laid it all on them; The truth about what she really was, how she came about, and the massive debt that had been hanging over her head for years. When Mina finally finished her story, Ratchet looked all over Mina's body in utter confusion.
"So, you're a robot," Ratchet began, "And you… You wear a skin suit that grows from your watch?"
"Basically, yeah."
"... Y'know, that's honestly not the weirdest thing I've ever heard of."
Talwyn approached Mina and gestured to her left wrist, silently asking for permission to see the watch. Mina allowed it and Talwyn inspected the piece of technology. "This is incredible! Talwyn exclaimed, "I've never seen anything like it- Or anyone like you before. Do you think you can allow me to do some research on this at some point?"
"Sure!" Mina agreed, "As long as you don't mess around with my settings too much. I have this beautiful complexion to maintain, after all."
Ratchet let his curiosity get the better of him and he reached out a finger to poke Mina in the cheek. Both Mina and Talwyn gave slight glares at Ratchet for his actions, but he was in too much amazement to notice. He continued poking around Mina's face and then her shoulders.
"Wow… There really is a robot under there…" Ratchet whispered under his breath.
"You having fun there, 'Bax boy?" Mina asked. Said 'Bax boy' didn't react to Mina's question and she remembered that discussion she and Clank had about Ratchet. Although she knew that moment wouldn't be the most appropriate time to tell him how much he means to her. No, such a statement needed to be told in a better setting.
Clank let out an ahem, "Ratchet, if I may interject, I believe Mina has something else she would like to tell you." Of course Clank was thinking the exact same thing.
Mina burst out, "Yes! Of course! Ratchet, we need to stop messing around and get back to our main goal of crushing Tachyon like the annoying fly that he is."
Clank smacked his palm onto his face and shook his head.
Ratchet and Talwyn nodded at each other and called for Cronk and Zephyr to arrive at their location. Clank watched Mina as every inch of her demeanor gave off the impression that she wanted to speak, but also didn't want to at the same time. Clank knew that if he was going to get her to open up more to Ratchet, it would take a lot more effort. And getting her to open up to anyone else wouldn't be much easier. Still, his desire to help his friend only grew stronger as the overall mission carried on. . .
Finally, it was all over. Tachyon had been defeated and the Polaris Galaxy was liberated at long last. Ratchet, Clank, Mina, Talwyn, Cronk, Zephyr, Qwark, and Rusty Pete all celebrated their victories together in triumphant bliss. The whole group mingled among each other with conversations filled with relief and contentment.
Talwyn and Mina discussed the watch and its fascinating technology. Ratchet and Clank spoke to each other not too far away from the two women. Ratchet bent down so that Clank could whisper in his ear. After he was finished speaking, Ratchet nodded his head and Clank approached Mina.
Clank asked, "Mina, may I have a word with you?" That question gave Talwyn a clear indicator that whatever was going to be discussed was likely private, so she slinked away to give those two at least a little bit of privacy.
Mina sat on her knees, "Sure- Wait, is this about me needing to open up more to Ratchet?"
"Actually, no."
"Oh? Okay, then. What's up?"
A burst of energy exploded in the room, and a bunch of Zoni appeared for the entire group to finally see for themselves. Everyone stared in awe and disbelief as the creatures surrounded Clank and lifted him up in the air. Mina leaped to grab for her friend only for the orb of energy to smack her back down onto the ground. Ratchet ran over to help Mina up and cried out for Clank.
"It is time for you to fulfill your destiny, Sire…" Said the Zoni. Clank and the Zoni disappeared without a trace.
Nobody said a word, nor made a sound. It seemed that everyone was waiting for someone else to make the first reaction, yet no one did. That feeling of relief of a now liberated galaxy had faded away. One of Polaris' saviors was suddenly gone without reason. How was this going to affect everyone? Not just Clank's friends, but the entire galaxy?
Ratchet's bushy eyebrows furrowed in a way that no one had seen before. He let out a low, deep growl before he turned to Aphelion and gestured at Talwyn. "Tal," Said Ratchet. His tone was filled with anger and vengeance, "We're going to find Clank."
Talwyn nodded and walked towards Ratchet. Mina glanced from side-to-side, then back at the rest of the group, who only shook their heads and shrugged in perfect sync.
Mina's hand brushed back her bangs and she approached Ratchet with caution. "Uhh, excuse me?" Mina asked, "Am I riding in the trunk or-"
"You're not coming." Ratchet interrupted without giving Mina even a glance.
"Huh? What?"
"I said you're not coming."
"Why not?"
"Because you need to take this time to go back to your family and talk to them about what you've done."
Mina folded her arms and stepped back, "No. I'm not going back to them. I doubt they even want to see me anyway."
"Yeahhh. I can't imagine why that would be."
The rest of the group remained distant and refused to be a part of the feud that was taking place. They were all familiar with at least one or two of the people in the arguing trio and were well-aware that every one of them had tendencies for feisty attitudes. Having them all together during such a time would erupt into something much worse for sure. Pete leaned into Qwark's ear and whispered, "Psst… Wanna go hit the pub, mate?" He asked.
"Yes, perfect! Let's go!" Qwark responded without even trying to stay quiet.
Pete and Qwark dashed away in a split second and Cronk and Zephyr followed behind, "Hey, wait for us!" they called out simultaneously.
The remaining trio gave no reactions to the group's departure. Talwyn held up each hand in front of her friends to interject, "Guys, relax."
"I'm perfectly relaxed." Mina huffed.
"Mina, I'm serious," Ratchet continued, "You're lucky you even have a family to go back to. I know you've been working constantly to help answer for what you did, but you need to do more than that."
"I'd much rather help you find Clank." Mina's voice rose, "I can't just do nothing while you and Talwyn look for him by yourselves. He's my friend, too."
Ratchet groaned, "You won't be 'doing nothing'. You will be with your family and fixing your relationship with them."
"It's beyond fixing, Ratchet! What don't you get about that? I did something awful to them and now I'm paying the price."
The Lombax's eyes rolled before he put his hand to his face in irritation. He took a deep breath then started speaking louder, "See, you say that, but as long as I've known you, I've known you as a person who's constantly acting on impulses. You acknowledge your mistakes and yet you do nothing to try and stop yourself from making even more stupid mistakes."
"Well, what do you want me to do, then?"
"Grow up, Mina. That's what I want you to do."
Mina's face burned red and hot, while her ears dropped down low. She slightly opened her mouth, ready to say something, only to end up swallowing her words. Ratchet kept his serious face on, even though he was aware of how much he had just hurt his friend. Talwyn held her hand to her mouth in shock.
Mina shrugged, her hands slapped on her thighs as she harshly let down her arms. "Alright. Fine." She turned around and began to walk away.
Talwyn gave Ratchet a subtle smack on his shoulder. He shook his head at her, prompting Talwyn to gesture towards Mina. The Lombax took a deep inhale and squeezed his eyes shut then went after Mina.
Ratchet fast-walked up to Mina and put his hand on her back, making her twitch. "Mina, wait." He said. "I'm sorry. That was a little too much."
"Yeah. Yeah, it was." Mina scoffed.
Ratchet stammered his words as he tried to figure out exactly what to say, and to try and not hurt his friend any further. He thought about how Clank would handle this situation; how Clank always knew what to say... His stomach started to twist at the grim reminder.
"I know things haven't been easy for you." Ratchet finally found his words, "In case you haven't noticed, things haven't been easy for anyone else, either. But maybe you'll be able to fix things if you just try."
Mina gave a long face and stared at the ground. Ratchet took a step forward and put his hand on Mina's arm, "I know getting back to Bogon won't be easy. Don't you have any relatives here in Polaris? Maybe on Markazia?"
Mina nodded, "My aunts live there. I haven't seen them in several years, though. So I don't know how they will react to me suddenly appearing on their doorstep. But I will see if they'll take me in."
"Whatever works for you."
"Okay. I'll try."
"Good. I'll make sure to give you updates whenever I can."
"Thanks."
"You're a good friend, Mina. I just want you to be better." Ratchet turned away, "I gotta go now. I'll talk to you later."
Mina reached out her arms then folded them back when Ratchet started to walk back over to Talwyn and Aphelion. "Yeah… Talk to you later..."
Mina sat quietly against the wall inside the restroom. Her right fingers curled over her watch as her entire body remained stiff. She stared straight down at the floor with her back hunched forward, her neck and shoulders twitching at the uncomfortable position.
Ratchet's words after Clank's capture still pierced through Mina's heart like a dagger. She knew he was right. He was right then, and he was right now. Mina could only wish that her friendships were the way they used to be, back before they all ended up in Polaris. The battle against Tachyon and his army changed everything. Once again, Mina's life had taken such a huge turn so suddenly, and completely out of her control. Even when things weren't her fault, she ended up in trouble anyway. So what was the use of trying to stay out of trouble? It seemed to come to her naturally on its own.
Still, Ratchet had his points. While his points stood, Mina hadn't yet paid off the debt she owed, either. If she didn't pay it off every month, her parents would have to pay more than they already did. But if she didn't insist on helping Ratchet, he might not be able to find Clank in a timely manner. Mina knew as little as she did about the 'time machine', but she didn't plan on telling Ratchet anything anyway. He would know that Mina worked for Nefarious willingly. Would he also find out that they had a romantic affair? Both Ratchet and Clank would hate her for sure. She knew she would deserve for her best friends to hate her.
And Nefarious...
Mina swore to herself multiple times that she would stop thinking about him, but it was no use. How could she ever forget the time she spent with him? The way they got along so well and bonded in a way that neither one of them expected. Yet Mina panicked too much to truly tell him her feelings. Not like that would have turned out much better, anyway. Or maybe it could have?
"I can't believe I actually miss him." Mina told herself aloud.
She had to figure out which priority she should handle first. Clearly Ratchet didn't want anything more to do with her, at least not at that point, so she should avoid him (And besides, he had General What's-His-Name helping him anyway). Avoiding Ratchet also means avoiding anything to do with Nefarious, so that option was scratched out as well. Which left just the one priority that has already been number one for years; Paying off the debt.
And right outside the door was a man who would make the ideal partner in achieving that goal. It was laid out ever so perfectly. However, there was a different price to pay as well. Something Mina never wanted to have happened; Innocent casualties. Surely a life of crime with the Smuggler would result in such things. Her eyes squeezed shut at the thought of that sweet Nefarious trooper she befriended- the trooper she didn't try hard enough to save. It wasn't fair for Roger to have to die the way he did. If it weren't for Mina, he would still be alive. Ratchet never would have allowed such a thing to happen.
In a second, Mina stood up straight with lifeless eyes, and flipped her bangs out of her face. She gripped her thighs before standing up and letting herself out of the stall.
She walked out of the restroom and headed back over to the table where the Smuggler kept his eyes on here the whole time. As she walked, Mina's ankles slightly wobbled while the rest of her body refused to react to the sudden uneasy balance. She put her thumbs in the front pockets of her pants while the rest of her shaky fingers slowly scratched her thighs.
The Smuggler sat back in his seat, staring up at his date with slight concern, "Everythin' alright?" He asked.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. I just, uhm… I want you and I to be… Partners. As in, close partners."
The nameless man's eyes opened wider, "You want me to be your boyfriend?"
"Yes."
"Really? Is that so?" The Smuggler definitely did not want to question what happened during that phone call, much to Mina's relief.
"Listen, I know you're probably not the type to settle down in a serious relationship," Mina hesitated, "I'm not either. But maybe we could work something out."
The Smuggler sat forward onto the table with his hands folded. "Mind tellin' me why you're interested in a relationship with me, then? If ya believe you and I are not 'the type' to do so?"
"Well, for starters, I punched you and you immediately agreed to go out with me. I like a man who can appreciate my occasional abrasiveness." She started to pace back and forth, "You're really smart and cunning, you know where all the fun stuff in the galaxy is, you're kinda hot, you're great at communicating, and I think we get along well enough."
The man paused with a blank face before smiling, "... Only 'kinda'?"
Mina grinned and shyly looked away.
The Smuggler cleared his throat, "Hmm… First off, ya mentioned your ex boyfriend not too long ago. Ya sure he ain't still on your mind?"
"He's not on my mind anymore, no. And- this is totally random, but you have to swear that we won't end up killing any innocent people during any 'business' exchanges. It's just a line I won't cross."
"I swear we won't have to kill any innocent lives. I ain't a cruel man, ya know. I also ain't sure my type of lifestyle is one I'd wanna give to a lady."
"I've told you just a few snippets of my lifestyle. Do you really think I can't handle yours? I can handle anything." Mina slowly leaned over the table and reached across to grab the Smuggler's glass and stood back up to drink out of it with a smirk, "So? Whaddya say?"
Before the Smuggler could give a response, his parrot was heard from under the table, "Squawk! She's a floozy! Never trust a floozy! SQUAWK!" The Smuggler smacked the top of the table, making the glasses rattle.
Mina raised an eyebrow, "Has… Has he been under there this whole time?" She asked. "Never mind. Anyway, do you want me to be your partner? A genius engineer who can modify and upgrade all your weapons and gadgets to your heart's content?" Mina took another sip from the Smuggler's glass with her other hand resting on her hip, "A pretty and fun genius engineer?"
"Are you tryin' to charm me, Minerva?"
"Maybe. Is it working?"
The Smuggler had a wide smirk, "Alright. Ya got me… Partner. I think this may just be the greatest deal I've ever made."
"I have to agree."
