"So, what exactly is this place, Ratchet? It's weird, like stuff from both our lives is jumbled up here. I was in a thick forest, but I cut away the vines to get here."

Ratchet extends a hand to the world around them, and Nova follows the gesture to scan the area. "This place is built from both of our minds, and you've been pretty stressed lately. I wanted to help build something a bit calmer, like home, to make this easier. There's key places like the Apogee Space Station and the Phoenix up in the sky, and you probably came out of the Quantos section. This one is obviously Veldin, but I guess your memories of home blended with mine and they clashed a bit."

"Is there a biome for every planet you and Clank went to?"

"Not every planet, but key ones. Most of the time, I just hang out here and do my own thing. Ships, hologames, that kinda stuff."

Nova hums in response, his answer making sense from what Clank says of him. "I'm curious though. Can you see through my eyes, or is it more indirect than that?"

"In the spirit world, there's a monitor that lets me and the others see the living. I can't see through you, unless it's something funky like possession in those holo films. You'd have to let me through to directly see the living world."

"Wait, that's actually a great idea! What if I could perform a seance, and you could talk to Clank?"

Wide eyed, Ratchet blinks in response. "I-I'd love to, but didn't you say that takes years to learn?"

"No, I said at least a year." Nova brings her hand to her chin, mumbling her questions to herself. "But maybe I'm a special case? I mean, it's Zoni energy that brought me into this world, after all." She tilts her head to Ratchet, raising her voice to address him directly. "How did that work on your end, anyway?"

"I'll start from the beginning. When your parents went to Quantos, Orvus was watching. He took a special interest in your parents, and he showed you to me, told me that 'this is the one'. That ceremony put everything in place for him to save you two. All I had to do was attach my spirit to yours, and I could keep my promise to Clank."

"Promise? What promise?"

"You haven't seen the message?" He asks. "That's what that brooch is for, it's a part of a projector. Didn't want it getting stolen, and the plumber offered to hold onto it."

"A message for me? Why didn't you give it to Clank? Wouldn't it have been better to give it to him, or the Zoni?" He found my energy signature through the Clock, she thinks. That's why Clank saved me, because the Zoni showed me to him.

"Well, the Zoni don't just show themselves to anyone, Nova. I hadn't seen one other than Orvus since I went to the Clock years ago, and I hadn't built it before we spoke. I couldn't pass on the brooch through Them. Clank was going to the Clock to be a caretaker, and I figured that the Plumber would find you first. He came to me right after I was done with it, offered to pass it on. I'm pretty sure he can see into the future or something, the guy always knows stuff before anyone else does."

Find me first? As much as Nova was raised to respect the dead, that seems like such a foolish oversight to her.

"Well, he was the last one to find me. Nefarious found me first," She huffs. "Destroyed my home, and almost killed me. Because of this," she says, lifting her sleeve up to her shoulder. She throws it down in frustration, ruffling the cloth. "Nefarious ran me off, and sent a transmission to gloat the second I started to make the beginnings of some sort of peace out of the situation. The press jumped to the first person that Clank attached to, when he spent so long in the Timekeeper he forgot what storms were like, and the universe pronounced him dead. All because you disappeared. And that's why I'm here, isn't it? To pull Clank out of the Timekeeper? To fight your battles?"

"Nova, that's not-"

The skies darken around the two of them, and rain begins to fall onto the desert sands.

"I have less than two weeks until Nefarious does Orvus knows what to the universe, because he saw me as you. And hearing Clank's stories, it's sure as all hells not gonna be pretty."

Ratchet tries once more to calm her down, his patience beginning to wear thin, and their surroundings rumbling with the storm. It begins to look like he's gonna have to fight fire with fire. "Listen to me, you need to calm down, or you'll-"

"No, I have every right to be mad!" Lightning strikes the garage with the woman's frustration.

"I've been working my tail off to try and be a fraction of what you were. I've read your blueprints over so many times I could draw them in my sleep. I've burned myself with huge weapons and thrown myself to the rocks with the recoil. I've had nightmares of losing one of the only friends I have left in the world because Nefarious took everything else from me, because you would rather have died than dealt with the mess you made!"

That's it. "I'll tell you why if you cut the crap, shut up for two seconds, and listen to me!"

The markazian retracts at his growled out response, and she immediately shuts up. Clank was right, that is..truly terrifying. As Nova's anger disappears, the storm fades out.

Ratchet takes a deep breath, centering himself before continuing. "Clank asked me to go. I wanted to stay at first."

Nova quietly speaks up, unable to help asking one last question. "Why would he ask you to go?"

He's calmer than before, but there's a deathly serious look in his eyes now. "I'll explain, and I ask that you watch the message ASAP. If you can look me in the eyes and tell me I'd lie about something that important, then you can hate me as much as you want. Until then, you have no idea what you're talking about."

Nova solemnly takes in his words, his tone. After all, she can't think of a good reason he would lie about any of this.

The lombax gives a tired sigh as he continues, and as he sits down, a bench from the museum appears out of thin air for him to use. Nova makes a mental note that she probably has some control over her surroundings here as well, but doesn't interrupt Ratchet again.

"He said that I had more waiting for me in the afterlife than what was left for me with the living. My family, my friends. I couldn't argue with that, as much as I tried to. On another note, if I was a robot, the universe would probably expect me to fight again someday, since robots don't have the same physical limits organics do. He knew I was tired from all that. Not too sure about my biobliterated form from the museum anyway."

Nova sits down next to him, her voice low. 'I just can't catch a break'. That's what Clank told me he said once. "So he felt you'd be happier in death with the others than alive with him. Was he right?"

"Well, I can't deny that it's nice over there. I can't give too many details, though. Promised Orvus that as part of the deal. But I can say that the others are there, and we can watch over the living. It sucked to leave Clank alone, though."

"Yeah, but he had Sigmund, so I guess he wasn't entirely alone. But then I showed up, and he saved me after Nefarious.."

Nova's voice, still softened by the atmosphere, trails off as she sees Ratchet staring between his feet, gripping his hands as his ears droop in shame.

"Nova, I'm sorry. You're right. If I'd stayed around, Nefarious never would have-"

A hand is lifted in front of his face as she sits down, shaking her head as she aims to stop whatever train of thought he's heading toward. "No, I'm sorry, Ratchet. I lashed out at you because I was frustrated; wouldn't be the first time I've done that. Scared off another friend of mine doing it. You couldn't have known Nefarious would return, but knowing his story, I'm not surprised. He'd have come back eventually. Not necessarily with Quantos, but somewhere else. Clank tells me that you were always too quick to blame yourself entirely when things went south. Nefarious' actions are his own, and your wish to stay with Clank in some way is separate from that. You two have done so much for the universe, and you deserve peace."

Ratchet looks up at her. "Thanks, kid. That helps a lot, actually."

Her arms outstretched for a hug, Ratchet accepts it. "For better or worse," Nova sighs, "We're in this together. You're a part of me now, and I have to finish what you started."

The two of them separate, and the atmosphere is fully calmed at last, the final drops of rain drying from the sands.

"You know, Ratchet, I guess it's thanks to Nefarious that I got off Quantos. I may never have met Clank if Nefarious never chased me off. Even if we met from dramatic circumstances, Clank is the best thing that's happened to me, and I don't know-"

Ratchet's voice picks up, and they finish that thought together.

"-what I'd do without him." The two laugh, and Ratchet stands up straight. That light returns to his eyes, and he gives Nova a smile.

"I know you can beat Nefarious, Nova. The others and I've seen you with that staff of yours, and Clank's taught you well. But I couldn't help but give you a little something to boost you. Guess Orvus knew what he was doing when he picked you. The fongoids are tuned to Zoni stuff, and so are you to me I guess, so it works."

Nova raises an eyebrow at the comment. "A boost? What kind of boost?"

"You've actually used it once before. Remember the Zurkon that got away?"

The Zurkon? Nova thinks back to it, and tries to think of anything supernatural, out of the ordinary. Sure enough, back then was pretty strange. 'I barely had a chance to see it...glowing eyes'... "Wait, so that was your influence?"

Ratchet smirks with pride in his accomplishments, and Nova tries to imagine what she can do with this power, with the ability to tap into Ratchet's spirit in some way. "Pretty sweet, right? I call it Bullet Time. I was going to show it to you when you showed up here, but I guess I don't need to."

"But I honestly have no idea how I triggered it. I just wanted to stop that Zurkon. Wait, I thought that only the Zoni could manipulate time. Don't tell me lombaxes are wizards or something."

"No, it's more of an advanced focus, no quantum energy required. I just helped you speed up your base instincts, like a quickdraw given a fancy name if that makes sense."

"Like in holo games?"

"Exactly. I wouldn't try going crazy with it though. Orvus tells me that messing with soul energy can be kinda dangerous, so I'd only use it if its a life or death thing. But anyway, come on, let's head inside. You need to rest."

Nova watches as he turns to walk to the garage, but doesn't follow. "What are you talking about? I don't have a lot of time, and I need to train for-"

Ratchet stops. "I'm not gonna take no for an answer, and I'll give you two reasons why. Alister spent at least twenty years fixed on one goal, and that obsession got him killed because he didn't want to hear the truth before it was too late. The Prog twins were used by Mr. Eye, focused on bringing back the Nethers, and they murdered Cronk and Zephyr for it in cold blood. I'm not letting you get stuck in that kind of spiral."

He's right, and Nova can't deny it. "You're right, I could use a break."

"Take a break; you need it mentally and physically." Ratchet steps closer, peering into her face. "You look pale. I can see the rings under your eyes, and this is your mental projection, not your actual body. I'm surprised Clank hasn't said anything about them."

"I, uh, tend to wear a lot of makeup."

"Well, I married a markazian, so don't think I'm fooled for a second. I always knew if Tal tried to hide her stress. Nova, how long have you been pushing yourself like this?"

Nova can't help but feel like she's being scolded like a child, but he's not wrong to do so, and she knows it. "...16 days."

"And days off?"

"Two so far. Clank and I agreed that gives the most time to train without me burning out."

"Do you actually sleep on those days, or relax at all, Nova? Holo games, or reading something fun?"

"Well, yeah," Nova shrugs. "Some hologames, and a bit of holovision, but I read more than anything else."

"What kind of stuff? Comic books? Fiction?"

Nova looks away, scratching her hair by nervous reflex. "Um... do weapon schematics count?"

Ratchet rolls his eyes with a groan, bringing a hand to the bridge of his nose. "No, Nova. Reading weapon schematics, while mentally fixated on training, does not count as 'fun'. It's training with a loophole. Go to bed."

Nova walks towards the open garage, and the couch inside does look pretty comfortable.