21 Days Remaining...

Nova looks to her quick select, taking a deep breath. Today is all heavy weapons, all with powerful recoil. Clank has thrown out five gadgebots, idle for now, and placed them a few yards away. "Alright, Nova. We previously introduced heavy weapons with stationary targets, but now it is time to get them moving. I will send out Zurkons that shoot back once you are comfortable with moving and dodging as well. After you have mastered it on your own, I will attach to you and act as a counterweight. That should make things easier."

"Okay, let's get started. So widen my stance, lean back with the weight, and fire, right?"

"That is correct. Let us begin with the Blitz Gun."

Nova preps herself, and the shotgun appears. She stumbles a bit with the weight, still not quite used to the heavier weapons. Clank sends a silent signal to the bots, and the gun's barrel is pointed to the targets, moving with them as they scatter. Two well placed shots to the farthest bots obliterate them, and the center ones are destroyed by the indirect bullet spray. It's lifted a bit from the recoil, and Nova's hands shake from the force. At least she didn't smack herself with it like the first day. Nanotech can heal bruised ribs, but not wounded pride. My lungs still have air, nice. As the scrap falls, her teacher nods and gives approval.

"Good. When using this weapon type, bear in mind that the closer you are, the higher your damage output and accuracy. However, being close to your enemies will put you at greater risk of attack. Find a balance, and you will be fine."

"I'll come back to this later today. I'm okay with this one, but I need to improve on rocket launchers."

Clank throws out another set of bots, allowing them to move freely. The shotgun is put away, swapped out for the Negotiator. She leans most of the weapon's weight on her shoulder, another lesson she's learned. Makes things seem less heavy that way. Nova aims down the sights, and the rockets fly out. There's a small crater blown into the ground, and the recoil and pressure from the explosion knocks Nova flat on her rear. She winces in pain, groaning as the wind is knocked out of her. "Man, I've gotta stop doing that."

"Skill will come with time, Nova. Be patient with yourself."

The trainee huffs, looking up to the sky and counting the clouds. She looks at her hands, a bit calloused under the worn leather, and sighs. "Well I need it to come faster. I'm running out of time, and Nefarious isn't gonna wait for me to get back up if I trip over hot air."

Clank extends a hand to hers with a smile, and Nova brings her attention to him. "Have faith, Nova. You have made great progress so far, and there is still plenty of time. Now, would you like to try again?"

She nods, and Clank helps her to her feet. More targets are brought out, and she picks the Negotiator back up with a smile. Nova settles, fixing her position, and flexes her trigger finger. An eye is closed as she gazes through the sights, lining up with the center of the skittering bots. They suddenly stop moving, and Nova hesitates before firing upon hearing a rumbling noise in the distance. "What in Zoni's name is that?"

Clank squints to peer at the source of the noise, not liking the numbers that his sensors are giving him. "I believe we have company."

The robot and organic turn away from the garage to notice a swarm of faces. They're both organic and metal, bolting toward the building. Nova puts away the Negotiator, not wanting to risk shooting a civilian. There's cameras, microphones, and fans alike, and they're screaming. The stampede destroys the gadgebots from before. The noise skyrockets in volume, and Nova backs into the metal wall of the garage as the group presses closer.

Clank watches as panic flashes in her eyes, and she tenses up as she tries to put on a brave face. The people all have something to say, but only one voice cuts through the crowd as a news camera is pointed at Nova's face. "Darla Gratch, Channel 64 News. Our press and local conspiracy theorists couldn't help but notice your recent activity. Your crash landing. A foreboding message from a long-forgotten villain, and claims of a 'business trip'. A decommissioned ship headed for the museum, then the former home of a dearly departed hero. It seems you've been training for quite a while, haven't you?"

Nova shuts down, her voice cracking under the pressure. Her breath hitches, and her throat locks up. There's no warning, no time to think. Her eyes dart back and forth over the faces, then stick to the ground. Too much noise, too many strangers. "I-"

Never being a woman to back down, Darla continues her questioning. "Our sources believe that you're the one Nefarious is looking for. Tell us, why? And what's your connection with a celebrity like Clank?"

The crowd zeroes in on Nova, and it feels like the entire universe is watching. "I-I, uh..Clank is..."

Thin hands shuffle along the garage wall, shaking as they desperately search for the door's button. Her eyes are glazed, burning holes into the sand, as if she's an unexpected question away from cracking. She makes eye contact with Clank, and he doesn't need to hear a word to know what she's screaming. Help me.

Clank stands by her side, attempting to diffuse the situation. The sight calms Nova slightly, but the press doesn't move. Instead, their focus shifts to him. "I must ask that you cease your questions. I understand your curiosity, as I am an academic soul myself, but the sudden attention is causing undue stress to Nova. Please respect her space."

"Oh, I'm sure that our dear Nova will face more than just press in the future. Maybe you can tell the viewers at home where you've been all this time, Clank?"

"That is confidential information that I do not plan on disclosing, and that is my final answer. This impromptu press conference is over."

Clank turns away from the crowd, opening the front door for Nova to retreat. She takes the chance without hesitation, and is inside as soon as the space so much as cracks open. A quick bio scan confirms his suspicions, and Clank follows her inside as the crowd is left in the dark.

Her breathing is labored, and her hair is in her palms. Nova's back is against the wall, and she's staring into the floor, trying and failing to stop the panic attack that threatened to reveal itself outside. "It's too suspicious; they already know, I know it."

"I am sure that they do not know about your circumstances. Try to breathe."

"Of course they know! You and Ratchet never left each other's sides, it's obvious. Should I just tell them and get it over with?"

"If you think it best, then I will stand with you. However, you must calm down. You assume that the press has even the slightest hint to work off of, and that is not the case."

Nova gets up, moving straight for the kitchen as Clank follows. "I would share it, but what if thugs come for us? Who wouldn't want a crack at taking down 'Ratchet'?"

With a frustrated scowl, his name leaves her lips like a curse. As soon as she hears the dark color of her voice, she mentally scolds herself for it, recalling that her elders would be disappointed in her disrespect for the dead. Clank does his best not to take offense to the tone used, but fails. His response is much firmer than usual, and his eyes are narrowed in irritation. "May I remind you that you are speaking about my best friend? Believe me, Nova. They would be foolish to attempt anything of the sort. We were skilled heroes, and there were very few that did not know what we were capable of."

Nova's frustration dissolves, and she reminds herself to apologize to Clank later. For now, she's gotta work out this bad mojo. Nova opens her cookbook to the dessert section, choosing the first recipe that meets her eye. "Let's hope this new universe isn't filled with idiots, then."

The markazian begins to pilfer through the pantry, gathering the basic components for a chocolate cake, and places them onto the counter. Clank notices that, unlike her previous baking, the ingredients aren't organized in any way.

Nova grabs a bowl from the cabinets, and starts throwing ingredients together. Butter that should be softened to room temperature is instead nuked in the microwave. The eggs are cracked with a bit more force than needed, sending bits of shell into the mix for Nova to manually pick out. She's quicker, less precise with her measurements, and over mixing the batter. That is new, Clank thinks. She is usually much more cautious. He slowly walks into the kitchen to make sense of things, suspicious of the unusual behavior.

"Nova, are you all right?"

"Nope!" In her response, she grins widely at Clank with a cup of flour in hand. Twisting her wrist, the flour falls into the bowl, throwing a bit into the air. The powder flies into her face and clothes, and she sets the mix aside. Grabbing a cake pan from the cabinet, she pours the batter in without a second thought. It's only as she picks up the pan and looks at the oven that her eyes widen with a sudden realization. "The oven's not even preheated. And I forgot to grease the pan." A sigh of defeat at her carelessness. "This is gonna be a mess, isn't it?"

"That is very likely."

…

The oven goes off, and Nova removes the cake, placing it on the counter to cool. Ten minutes later, it's nowhere near cool enough to remove, but Nova scrapes most of it out anyway. It's sloppy, and crumbling apart in so many places. It's better than nothing, however, and Nova opts to skip icing it entirely.

Placing a cake chunk into a bowl and grabbing a spoon, the frazzled teen throws herself into the couch. With the movement, a bit of flour falls off of her clothing into the furniture. She takes a bite, and the cake is, well...It's not gross, otherwise she would have thrown the thing out. She won't torture herself with nasty cake. She mumbles as she digs into her creation. "I'm okay now, Clank. It's dry and flat, but the chocolate is there." A swallow as she faces Clank. "Sorry about what I said earlier, too. I should have considered that he was your friend above anything else, including hero stuff."

Clank sits next to Nova as she quietly eats the cake, sufficiently calmed from the day's drama. "Apology accepted, and thank you for it. Baking has been proven to relieve stress, and I can see that it works for you."

Nova nods, humming in agreement as she swallows a bite of cake, then speaking as soon as she's able. "It's nice to have a hobby that I can control. Today was a bit all over the place, but it's still good anyway. Next time it'll be better, though. Proper baking needs focus and precise measurements, but my ability to care about that is shot at the moment."

Knowing Nova, Clank can be sure that she certainly puts a lot of passion into her craft, so it's a bit strange to see her make something so haphazardly. It is certainly interesting to see how baking, which can be demanding with its strict science, is also a tool to reduce stress. "If your mind is clearer afterwards, I believe that this particular cake has served its purpose."

The cake piece is eaten, and Nova places her used dishes in the sink. Moving to the outside window, she sees that the press is gone after having been denied answers. Opening the door once more, Nova equips the Negotiator, placing it on her shoulder as she smiles to Clank. "It did. I feel a lot better now, so let's get back to work."