The auroras fade from the skies at long last, and Nova pours the last of the tea. "I really can't thank you enough for your help, Ratchet. It's done more than you know."

"No problem kid, It's the least I can do. You've needed it, for sure. Just try not to freak yourself out so much in the future, alright?"

"I'll try. Oh, by the way, where is that projector you mentioned?"

"It's in my room." Ratchet finishes off his mug, setting it to the side. It leaves his hand, fizzling out after it's no longer needed. "Check my nightstand for a box, you'll find it in there."

Nova lets out a hum of understanding. "So that's why I didn't find it. I didn't want to go through your personal stuff; figured Clank would have wanted me to leave it as it was."

"Well I say you can go through it, Nova. Might be a nice trip down memory lane, anyway." The lombax shrugs at her. "It's not like I need my old stuff anymore, so feel free to use whatever you need."

She nods, her own cup dissappearing. "If you're sure, then I appreciate it." The teen takes one last look into the stars, then rises to her feet. "Alright, I think I'm ready. How do I get back to the real world?"

As soon as the words leave Nova's mouth, there's a sudden gentle breeze that seems to come from everywhere at once. Praying that friction lessens the chill crawling up her spine, bare arms cling to each other. Looking down, she notices that said limbs are turning translucent, glowing faintly. "What the-what is this?" The back of her palms are brought to curious eyes, studying the effect.

"You're ready to go, so I guess you're on your way out. Before you leave, promise me something." Ratchet stands to meet her eyes.

"Anything, sir."

A gloved hand is stretched out to meet a far smaller one. "Swear to me that you'll never lose that spark in you, Nova. Don't ever forget what your name means, and don't ever forget why you hold that staff."

Instead of just accepting the handshake, she pulls the lombax in close for a hug. "I swear it."

They part, and Ratchet gives her a proud smile as he taps the side of his head. "If you ever need me, you know where I'm at. Good luck, Nova. I know someday you're gonna blow em' all away."

They wave goodbye, and as Nova's body fades, white fills her eyes.

…

The color gradually returns, revealing the mnemonic station and the two caretakers once more. The energy around her dissipates, and Nova's feet touch solid ground. Sigmund presses a button to open the door, and the young woman slowly exits the chamber, getting a feel for moving her own body again. The larger caretaker approaches her, visibly excited by the successful experiment. "It worked! How do you feel, Nova? Any dizziness, soreness?"

Nova locks her fingers together, stretching her arms to the skies. "I feel pretty good, considering I was there for almost three days. I feel like I should be way more stiff than I am." She lazily rolls her neck and shoulders, enjoying the feeling. "And a lot hungrier."

"Actually, Nova, You were only in the chamber for two and a half hours."

The markazian's spine lets out a pop mid-stretch, and she freezes in place. Wide blue eyes snap to Sigmund's gaze. "Wait, so it's still the same day?"

"Yup!" Sigmund excitedly adds in his own notes to compliment what the equipment gathered. "Aw man, Orvus would have loved to see this data!" The clicking of frantic typing stops, just long enough for a quick question. "Can I ask what it was like in your mind? Did you find what you were looking for?"

The two robots are met with a nod, accompanied by a grin stretched across her face. "I did, and Ratchet was actually there! Bits and pieces of our pasts were jumbled in there, and it was so fascinating to see. There were areas based on planets I'd never been to before! The whole thing was just incredible. Do you mind if I use it again sometime, Sigmund?"

"Not at all! As long as I can monitor your progress, I'm totally fine with it. I never knew organics could use this thing!"

Clank comes forward as Sigmund puts away his computer pad, observing that Nova herself seems a bit different now than when they met. She seems to stand a little straighter, instead of retreating inward. She's learning more about the universe every day, and it's a stark contrast from the young woman that sprayed the hotel bathroom with an automatic toilet once. The memory threatens to bring a giggle to his vocal processors.

He couldn't be more proud of her progress.

"I am glad everything worked out in the end. I assume your meeting with Ratchet went well, Nova?"

"It did, and he told me to tell you hello. He told me about what you two discussed way back when, and that he's with the others now."

The words assure Clank that he did the right thing all those years ago, and his servos hum with contentment. "So he is at peace after all, that is good to hear."

"Yeah, he seems to be. He helped me realize a lot of things. About myself, about the situation. He even taught me how to use a swingshot and hoverboots, too! I needed this, more than I thought I did. Despite the drama it caused, thank you for letting me do this."

Clank returns her smile. "Thank you, Nova. I must admit that hearing from Ratchet in some way gives me a bit of closure, as well."

The lone organic lets out a bit of a yawn, suddenly remembering how poorly she slept the night before. "I'd love to stay longer, but I'd like to head out now if that's okay."

Clank looks up, fearing that this meeting has only strengthened her nearly self-destructive resolve to learn, to work, to fight. "There is still plenty of time before Nefarious attacks, Nova. You had that seizure recently, so pushing yourself today may not be wise."

It throws Nova off a bit, hearing Clank. It's probably not the first time he's said something very similar in the past weeks, but now, there's a worry in his voice she's never allowed herself to hear before this moment. He's been right this entire time, she thinks. I'm sorry for not seeing it before, Clank. "Oh, I'm more thinking along the lines of getting some coffee, honestly. That new brand we ordered for the garage is really good."

The response throws Clank for a loop, not expecting her to be the one to suggest rest for once. I suppose whatever they discussed got through to her, Clank thinks. That is good. "That sounds like a good idea, Nova."

She leads the way to the teleporter, and Clank follows by her side. Stopping to say her goodbyes to the crimson caretaker, she waves to him. "Thank you again, Sigmund. We'll come visit again soon!"

"See you two later!" The two of them disappear, and Sigmund plugs the data into the Clock's main computer. It's feminine voice echoes around the Clock's halls in response to the new information.

"Mnemonic Station records updated."

…

Nova gently removes her harness; a physical sign that she doesn't plan on training the rest of the day. She looks at him with a smile, and gives him a quick "I'll be right back" as she turns to the bedroom without another word. She seems calmer, more content than before, but there's something else in her eyes that Clank needs a bit more time to read.

He follows to voice his concerns to her, and moves to knock on the door. What he doesn't expect, however, is for the door to gently crack open. The act itself isn't a new occurrence, as Nova has miscalculated the force to swing the doors shut before. In her focus on other things, she tends not to realize that the click of the door wasn't shutting. Normally, this isn't a problem, and Clank simply remedies this by closing the door behind her.

But now it's a big problem Clank isn't prepared for.

Nova is facing away from the door, having changed into a casual pair of jeans, and she wraps her arms around her shirt. Before Clank has the chance to look away, the garment is removed with one quick motion, tossing the cloth to the corner of the room. Oh, no.

Clank watches as her curls fall down her back, hovering a few inches above her bra. He notices the lean muscle that she's being granted by the heavier weapons she's been training with, and how they seem to accentuate her existing curves. The stripes burned into her back wrap around her rib cage, moving with her, and he can't help but think it..fascinating.

A twinge of guilt washes over the little bot as his CPU catches up with his optics. What am I doing, watching Nova undress? It is completely inappropriate of me! He turns away to shake her image out of his mind, praying that she doesn't notice the sound of the door shutting. She would think of me as some sort of deviant!

Nova reaches for the black tank top she usually wears for days off, and is distracted by the click of the door behind her. Her body pivots to face the source of the noise, but she finds nothing there. Hm, must have left it open, I guess. A wandering mind brings heat to her face. Oh no, did he see?

Nova shakes off the blush and throws on the shirt, leaving her brooch on the bed for now. Opening the door, she finds Clank on the couch with his hands clasped together, staring into their metal. "I'm back, just wanted to get comfy." The little robot seems deep in thought, so Nova tries to get his attention once more. "Are you okay, Clank?"

Pulled from browsing his internal files, he looks up at a fully clothed Nova. She doesn't seem angry, which is a good sign. "I am fine, Nova. I am just...processing the events of the day."

A hum, then a nod of acceptance of his answer. The couch bounces a bit with the new weight added to it. "Yeah, it's been a busy day already, and it's still barely afternoon. With my, um, falling out, and all those bad memories coming back with it. I really didn't mean to scare you back then. I expected a reaction, but I didn't know my body would just..shut down like that."

"It is alright, Nova. I know that was not your intention, but the past is behind us now." Clank watches her face soften at the reassurance, and decides to use a new subject as an excuse to move the conversation forward. Anything to distract his memory banks from the previous scene. "You mentioned before that you wanted to make coffee, correct?"

...

The scent of freshly ground coffee fills the kitchen air. The bag of unused beans is passed to Clank, who rises from his perch on the counter to put it in the cabinet. With a press of a button, the hot water begins to move through the coffee pot. A deep breath fills the organic's sinuses as she enjoys the scent, the moment of serenity.

Clank watches Nova grab the mug and fill it with her usual cream and sugar, and that look in her eyes from before returns. Upon further inspection, it suggests she is holding tightly onto a thought, and trying to find the words to express it. "Is everything alright, Nova?"

The coffee falls into the glass pitcher, drip by drip. In it's reflection, there's a slightly troubled pout. "I'm alright, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Nova's gaze leaves the coffee as she reluctantly answers. "I wanted to come clean, be honest with you. I.." No, feels too soon. After the message, maybe. I don't want to rush things. "I haven't been sleeping well. Even on my off days, I was still worrying about work, and studying even after you shut down for the night. I've been wearing concealer under my eyes to hide the rings."

Clank can't help being a bit concerned that she'd work as hard as she did to hide her overworking herself for this long. "If I am honest, Nova, I am aware of this already."

The hand that reaches out for the handle of the pot makes contact, but stops at Clank's words. "What? How? I thought I-"

Clank interrupts. "I always wake up before you, Nova, and you almost always fall asleep with the book in your hands. The first time I brought my concerns to you, your heartbeat betrayed your words. I could detect the lie in your voice as well. I have also noticed that after your more 'productive' days, you suffer from nightmares."

There's a sigh of defeat. "I'm sorry, Clank. I shouldn't have lied to you. I'll put the books away at night from now on. You were right, I have been pushing myself too hard."

"Thank you. However, I am more surprised that you did not inform me sooner. Why would you attempt to hide your stress from me?"

The coffee is poured, the teen's eyes not daring to meet her friend's. "I didn't want you to worry about me."

"Nova, you can always trust me with anything that is bothering you. If you do not want me to worry, I ask that you not give me a reason to."

She smiles, and while it's not the biggest confession she's got, it's a start. "I'll try my best, Clank. I promise." I sure have been making a lot of promises today, Nova thinks. She takes the first sip, placing the mug on the counter. "The day's still pretty young, so let's have some fun. Maybe some hologames? Ratchet showed me some really cool ones."

"Did he now?" Clank jumps down from the counter, leading the way to the living room. "I would be glad to observe what he has taught you of them."

"He's certainly taught me a lot, that's for sure. More than I ever expected him to."