Shell Shock

Writers: Denny and Leila
Rating: PG-RG
Warnings: Ratchet/Azimuth. Violence.
Disclaimer: We value our lives too much to even dare think about claiming Ratchet and Alister as our own. We borrow them for an RP, so don't worry. [Put the Wargroks back into your cage!]
Summary: Everyone's nightmare is to wake up in a cold, dark place without a clue where one is. Sadly, that's what's happened to us. What's even better, we have monsters and weird encounters to endure as well. And then there's them…
Lucky, right? If I ever get out of here, I will need some therapy sessions.

Chapter 22

Giggling.

Water dripped somewhere into a pool, the splash echoing hollowly.

Ratchet groaned. His body felt cold and clammy, his mind dull like a smoothened edge. Where was he? How had he ended up here?

A sickeningly sweet smell reached his nose. He curled his nose, face scrunching up as it made him distantly anxious although he couldn't tell why so. Trying to open his eyes was almost not worth the effort - lids stuck together, heavy as metal, and it made no difference of sight that he doubted for a moment his eyes were really open.

Open your eyes, precious.

Giggling reached his ears. Then, steps slowly approached him.

Open your eyes and see the surprise we have for you.

His eyes were open, but he knew he should have closed them again. He knew whatever hid in this darkness was nothing he wanted to see, nothing he wanted to realize the existence of. And still he followed the sound of the giggling, drawn to it like a fly to the perfume of a carnivorous plant.

Come hither, precious… And let us lead you to your present.

Glowing lines appeared on the ground and indicated the path Ratchet had to follow. They illuminated the environment in a faintly orange tone, just enough to reveal the shapes surrounding him.

Ratchet stumbled, weak or disorientated he wouldn't know, concentrating on the orange lines. The sweet smell began to bite the further he moved.

With each step he took, however, a sickeningly strong note of iron mixed itself into the odor. What was lying ahead? He could only fathom it.

And that inviting, taunting voice...

A distinctive shape appeared in the dark, but only in outlines. Then, a line appeared within the shape, forming an endearing grin.

Dearest precious, the voice whispered, Come closer. We won't harm you this time, no, we won't even touch you. Hands clapped against each other before they were stretched invitingly to each side. Now come closer and see the present we have prepared...

"You can shove your present down your throats." Despite that being growled, it sounded lower, wispier and with so much less weight. He looked around, arms crossing over each other and hands holding his forearms.

Oh, but we are certain that you will want to see our present. A giggle. After all, it is something you certainly will deem precious to yourself…

"'Precious to myself'...?" Damn their manipulation, these Shapeshifters. He began striding to the indicated direction, the smell almost overwhelming him now.

Oh! Careful, precious…

The ground beneath Ratchet's steps lighted up slightly in cold, blue light. The tip of his foot was touching the pool of water he had heard before and spread the light below his feet further. The Lombax stopped, almost jerking back from the pool. It was not that the sudden change in the environment had startled him, even when the ground underwater began to emit the same cool light.

The fact that it was not water, but a similar, thicker substance, did.

Careful or you will step on it.

The smell pressed now through his nose down his throat and into his stomach, filling his insides up so quickly that it was pushed up and rose back, threatening to spill from his mouth. The blood's dull red color instead of crimson told that it had been lying here for a while already.

Unwell, precious?

Cold, delicate fingers were gently placed onto his shoulders, just as much as the Shapeshifter brushed its cheek against Ratchet's faintly. He could feel it grin in amusement, barely being able to hold its giggle back.

But you haven't even seen our present yet.

A snip with its fingers – and numerous glowing lines illuminated the environment dimly around them in an even, small circle. It reached, however far enough to reveal something that tore a scream from the Lombax's mouth.

The entity giggled, clearly delighted by the younger's reaction. Embracing Ratchet almost endearingly, it smirked into his fur.

Delicious, isn't it? We love the sight of it as well.

Penetrated by a spear, his white fur had been tainted with blood.

[-]

The shock stayed even as the fur morphed into a vanilla tone and the strands of hair into a flat plane the longer he stared. The nausea rose even stronger as the smell of roasted meat reached his nostrils, mingling with the lingering odor of blood. He tried to shrug off the weight from his shoulder and distantly noticed the hand had grown larger.

"Ratchet?" Amber eyes blinked at him as he shook the younger once more. "Are you all right? You have been mumbling and moving around quite a lot in your sleep…"

"What...?" Shakily exhaling, Ratchet tried to understand this sight so different than the one he had seen in his... it had been a dream? When he inhaled again he noticed no traces of blood - rather of the shampoo from the bathroom.

"Is everything all right?" Azimuth pulled his eyebrows together in worry. What was distressing the other so much? "You seem quite unsettled-"

Ratchet let himself fall against Alister's chest. Under his ears he felt the other's heart go faster suddenly and this had relief flooding him.

Surprise caught the elder. He blinked as he found himself sitting on the ground, Ratchet holding onto him while hanging halfway out of the bed. "... Ratchet?"

"... Just having woken up from a nasty dream and realized it was fortunately not real."

"... A nasty dream?" Azimuth blinked. "What was it about?"

"The guards." The mumble was barely audible.

Silence. The elder gulped lowly and flicked his ears. Then he put his arms around Ratchet and pulled him out of bed into his embrace. "They won't get in here. Not as long as I'm still around."

Ratchet's eyes jerked open along with him tensing up in Alister's embrace. Before he could get the wrong idea Ratchet relaxed again, mumbling, "Sorry, you surprised me."

"… Heh." The elder chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess it is odd if I act like this." He smiled at Ratchet and pointed at the table behind him. "Breakfast is ready."

The responding smile wouldn't come to Ratchet on its own, so he put as much sincerity in his voice as kept his head bowed. The genuine tone came easily, luckily. "Thanks. You're really good at this house holding stuff." Although he wasn't hungry at all - which he contributed to his nightmare - the breakfast smelled fantastic.

"Hm. I take this as a compliment." The Lombax stood up and reached out for the younger. "One has to take care of things when one is on his own. That includes essentials like this."

"I can cook a bit myself, but nothing fancy like this." The smile came now, little as it was, as he made his way over to the table.

The elder took a seat and waited for the younger to begin. Then he took a bit of the roasted meat and cut it into small pieces. "It's not like this is any fancy stuff. It's simple, really – for a quick breakfast."

"It's still amazing. I'm often too lazy to make breakfast myself and order something." All the dishes really looked good and also smelled like it.

The elder chuckled at that. "No offense, but I suspected this."

Despite the gloom, this answer came so unexpected that a smile cracked through and Ratchet rubbed his head. "I guess it's pretty obvious. I'm the 'lone bachelor' type guy."

"Mhm." Azimuth grinned faintly and looked at the younger with a glint of amusement. Then he turned to his food again and frowned. "... Since we fought the Prideful yesterday, I conclude that today we should be confronting the Wrathful. They shouldn't be as difficult as the ones we met yesterday, though, even if we have to proceed with caution-"

"I don't mind discussing strategies, but not now, please." The chair scraped over the floor as he pulled it back, frowning lightly. "I don't think it's good to think about our task all the time, especially regarding the Shapeshifters."

"Then what do you suggest?" Azimuth looked up to him. There was slight worry in his gaze, most probably because of the memories of their encounter with the Prideful. Was he nervous? No, that wasn't the word. Perhaps uneasy. "I would welcome a distraction, but also preparing for the battle to come."

"I see what you mean, we just can't let it happen they occupy our thoughts all the time or it will drive us mad." Still feeling hunger only distantly, Ratchet chose to butter a slice of bread. "As for distraction, just let's focus on breakfast and 'work-unrelated' topics as long as we eat."

"Then would you be so kind and initiate some small talk?" Alister watched him silently. "I feel too preoccupied with the guards right now as that I could think of a topic."

An unbidden and unexpected pang of annoyance hit Ratchet. I had a frikkin' nightmare about them where they stabbed you, and have I been talking about them all the time since I woke up? It was then he realized that he was being ridiculous. It could very well be that Alister had experienced a nightmare just like him or the thoughts of the guards were simply weighing heavily on him in the moment.-

Fortunately Alister was unaware of what went on in Ratchet's mind. The younger tried to think quickly about a topic that would interest them both and even more so Alister. When the idea came, an amused smirk pulled one corner of his mouth higher than the other.

The sight had Alister arching an eyebrow. "... What are you brooding there in your mind?"

"You know, I once invented electrifying underwear. I called them 'Stunderwear', a huge seller on Umbris. Now... while I once didn't like the idea this could be representative of all the Lombaxes, I've realized that they were normal people too, with quirks just like Terrachnoids and Agorians."

He leant forward on the table, head hovering over his propped up arm. He was grinning.

"What were the silliest things Lombaxes ever invented? - And did you invent something like it too?"

"... Stunderwear?" The elder's eyebrows twitched. Then a humored chuckled escaped him. "God, if that is the pinnacle of your inventions..." He shook his head slightly. "Well, you see, we Lombaxes invent all kinds of things. From extremely useful over incredibly useless to utmost questionable devices." He wouldn't answer the question if hehad ever invented something silly.

"And can't leave anything unmodified?"

The elder nodded with a crooked grin. "Nothing's more fun than modifying something so much that it's unique to you." A pause. "Of course, my wrench is an exception. I wouldn't want to modify that."

"Well, as I told you before, my current wrench is a present by Zephyr and Cronk. For their age they really outdid themselves by modifying it with the kinetic tether."

"I know." Azimuth shook his head and smiled. "Though it doesn't help much in here." He put the last bit of his breakfast into his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"At least you're not going on about illegal technology again." Ratchet joked, making the elder chuckle as well. Then a frown came over Azimuth's face as his thoughts wandered astray. "I still sometimes think that things would have turned out differently if I had found you sooner."

A groan left the Lombax as he rubbed his temple. "Alister. Come on, where did that come from?"

"Just contemplations." The general looked up slightly. "A lot of things can go through my head when there is more than enough time given to reflect on my decisions and actions."

"I see." Ratchet paused before he continued. "True. Things would have turned out differently if you had found me earlier on; but then we wouldn't be in this situation together - you and I." He stressed the pronouns with a soft smile.

At this the elder blinked. His ears flicked as he looked aside to hide his flustered expression, unable to suppress the urge to rub the back of his neck. "I... I guess," he muttered.

Ratchet snorted and grabbed after the hand on the table. Alister's head jerked back at the contact. "Gosh, I'm the younger one of us two, but half of the time it is you who acts like a teenager."

"What- what? I'm not!" Azimuth shook his head and growled lowly in slight frustration. He did not pull away his hand, however - instead his fingers curled slightly around Ratchet's. "I would rather say becauseI am older than you I am less able to... you know, accept this situation-"

"I like you." Maybe the way to approach the situation was to be straightforward. "Not as friend or mentor - I really like you."

Boy, was the elder glad that they had their armors offline - otherwise the young Lombax would have seen how much Azimuth's head was burning. "R-Ratchet...", he stammered, "You shouldn't say such things that light-heartedly-"

"I'm not saying it light-heartedly. I mean it."

At this Azimuth turned to him. He had a peculiar gaze in his eyes, an odd mixture between flatter and slight elation, but also the faintest trace of disbelief. "Ratchet," he started, "I..."

Ratchet put a finger over his own lips. He winked. "No offense to you but you think too much most of the time. So please - just shut up and take my compliment as it is."

The elder's ears twitched. Then he used his free hand to scratch his cheek. "I'm trying... But... It is not as simple for me as it is for you."

"It only seems to come easier for me." He shook his head, unconsciously rubbing with his thumb across the back of Alister's hand. "I have my own insecurities about our relationship - but that is also what I believe it is: a relationship."

"It is?" By Orvus, Azimuth, how could you let yourself go that much? Oh this obnoxious voice of reason - was it reason, or rather pretentious values? - spoke up again. It pulled a string in the elder's mind that he tried to ignore. "I mean... We... Is it really? Since we..." He scratched his cheek once more as his voice grew so low and fast that the murmur was almost lost. "We skipped a few steps before that yet to speak of the fact that I don't know about this kind of relationship and then there is the fact that I'm... ahem, not the youngest Lombax in the universe."

"This is one of the points I worry about, too - it all went so fast. We've known each other barely for a few weeks but life-threatening events can speed a relationship up quite a bit. As for age, you're the fittest individual aside me that I've ever met, and you look good too in my eyes. That opens the question what you see in me." The younger's gaze wandered astray. "I'm nothing more than a normal mechanic and did only get a basic education, after all."

"That's not true." Azimuth whispered, "You are much more than that." A pause. "A normal mechanic with a basic education, you say. Neither is true – after all, there are other ways to be educated. And other ways to prove oneself." These words made Ratchet perk his ears and look into Azimuth's eyes. The elder had now put both hands around his and held it loosely.
"You are smart, really smart", the general continued, "You know how to handle things just as you learned a lot simply by experiencing it. This is something that makes you unique. The things you know couldn't have been learned simply by attending school or university – they show who you are. Someone who has shaped himself throughout his life and has never lost sight of the right way." A smile appeared on Azimuth's lips. "You became a hero not because you attended school, but because your intuition and life experience have led you into the right direction."

And then there is the fact that I see more in you than I should, just as much as I am overlooking things for the sake of this. The elder did not speak these words out. Instead he lowered his gaze and looked at their hands, smirking faintly to himself. "I will be frank. At first, the only thing I saw in you was Kaden's son. A link to the past, link to my best friend. But…" His eyes met Ratchet's. "Slowly, over these weeks, this is no longer what I see in you. I see you, Ratchet, hero of Solana, savior of Polaris. The Lombax who achieved all this on his own. You are not simply 'Kaden's son'. You are much more." Just as much as you mean more than this to me now. More than you should.

"Attention to our employees-" The voice dropped from the ceiling and the two Lombaxes jumped in the direction opposite of the table, letting go. Alister yelping as he knocked his knee on the underside. "Work commences in fifteen minutes. Please report to your respective stations for duty." And with that the transmission ended. Azimuth rubbed his knee and growled lowly. "Damn it... Talk about timing."

"Every distraction has an uncanny timing to disrupt us when we are relaxing or talking about something important." With a look to the table, he walked back and resolutely shoved down his bread slice as well as some fruit which he helped downing by drinking two glasses of water. He would be nuts to go into another fight without properly eating. He had forgotten to do so yesterday before falling asleep and the hunger finally caught up so the amounts felt good instead of stuffing.

"Seems so." Azimuth put his armor in the right position and attached the metal protection to his shoulders. "But what can we do? I suppose this is how it will be." A snicker as he looked at Ratchet with a playful grin. "Let's just hope that when there is something utmost important to say, there will be no interruptions."

"Don't tempt fate - or whatever has the power and a stupid enough humor to contradict you."

"I have the feeling that whoever is controlling this universe will be merciful this time." He chuckled before he headed to the wardrobe and took out his wrench.

Ratchet retrieved his own wrench, a doubtful frown adorning his forehead. "If you say so."

[-]

When the door to the instruction room opened, the first thing they heard was the doctor's voice close to bursting his processors and the communicator's speakers.

"I don't CARE if they work just as efficient while singing this stupid song!", he screeched, "Make them stop instantly!"

The butler rolled his eyes. "I will see what I can do. But mind you, sir, our workers need some form of entertainment too- Oh. There he goes." Lawrence touched his audio processors and grimaced slightly. "By Orvus, his voice can be so piercing at times. Don't you agree, my dear employees?"

"Do I even dare to ask what got Nefarious so high-strung? A song?" Alister and Ratchet seated themselves on the chairs.

"Yes, a song." Lawrence sighed deeply. "A silly song that is quite popular on Pirate Radio right now. I fancy it is about adoring someone endlessly, and it certainly is not as awful as Nefarious tries to make me believe, but the fact that they sing it to ward certain guards off is only amusing for that long."

"... To ward some guards off?"

"Yes. But as you may have guessed, not only the good doctor finds this method quite questionable." Lawrence shook his head. "I fancy the idea that they do not know that the guards are on the look-out for you."

One of Ratchet's ears twitched. "W-what? What does that song have to do with us?"

"Well, if the guards are looking for you, then they won't be controlling the workers as thoroughly as normally, right?" Lawrence sighed. "So of course they will assume that the absence is correlated with the song's coincidental sudden rise in popularity."

"Ooooh man." Ratchet didn't know if he should laugh or shake his head.

"Well, I say let them have their lucky charm, then." Azimuth chuckled. "If it gives them a feeling of security, let it remain a little longer. Perhaps we will be fast enough to get rid of them before they realize it is an illusion."

"I would gladly do so, were it not for strong aversion the doctor bears for it." Lawrence rubbed his audio processors. "It is painful to hear him scream every day."

"Short of threatening with death won't make them stop, maybe not even that when they believe it's keeping the guards away. I think they are more scared of them than of Nefarious."

"Oh that will change in a matter of time- whoops. I said too much." The butler sighed and walked to the machines. "Are you ready to-"

"What do you mean 'that will change'?" Azimuth narrowed his eyes. "Are you hiding something from us?"

"Nothing. It is only that the good doctor can turn quite vile and ferocious when he is angry." The butler turned back to the machines. "Either way. Are you ready to pursue another round of Shapeshifters today?"

"Wonderful, another secret." The murmur wasn't even that low, since the Lombax did not care about the robot hearing him. "We are as ready to fight as we were yesterday - not looking forward to it, but ready." He said in a louder voice.

"Splendid. And I have a new device for you. A prototype, even. But I am confident that you will be able to use it." The butler typed in several passwords and codes. "It only works against lower-ranked and weakened Shapeshifters, however."

"We can use every advantage that we can get." Ratchet tilted his head the device. "What does it do?"

"When activated, it forces them to contract into their hibernation state – an orb. While they have still high physical resistance in this form, they need several minutes until they regain their shape-shifting abilities. In this time they can't perform any action at all."

"... This sounds too easy. There is certainly some kind of catch to it." Azimuth crossed his arms.

"How perceptive you are." Lawrence smiled faintly. "Yes. There is a catch, two to be exact. One is that it takes twenty seconds to be activated."

"And the second catch?"

The butler turned around. The devices looked like arm braces, only that they had a small ejectable hook attached below the wrist. "You have to hit them first."

Ratchet jumped up. "You can't be serious! How can we attach these without touching the guards?"

"Well. They are ejectable, and retractable. A thin wire made of Raritanium connects the hook with these braces. If you miss, you can retract it in two seconds."

"And how fast is the hook's ejection?"

A click sounded. Almost simultaneously the hook had ended in the opposite wall.

"I would say quite fast."

"We still need to attach them to their arms or maybe their legs, if that is even possible." Ratchet pressed the heel of his palm against his temple. As if the guards held still long enough to become a target.

"That might be true, but at least you can try several times. This is why there is this handy retractable cord." The butler flexed his hand. A slight jolt went through his body when the hook entered the container again. "Just don't try it too obviously, will you. Add it to your weaponry, if you will, so that you can choose it as fast as possible. Try to avoid their sight when using these immobilizers."

"And we have to stay close to them so the hook won't get pulled out. Fantastic." His face scrunched in frustration.

"I fancy the image of them going wild and you flying through the air while being dragged around."

"I am sure you do." Azimuth groaned lowly. "Can we at least expect some back-up regarding the fight? The last time you left us without any support."

"I can offer you mental support, yes. Do you prefer cheerleader-slogans or motivational speeches?"

"Neither." Deadpan. "Or would you like me to compare you to Captain Qwark and his 'mental support'?"

"I think I will pass." The butler sneered faintly. "But jokes aside, I will accompany you. Well, via communicators, of course, but still. Perhaps help out with a few pointers."

"As long as you tell us when something unexpected comes up like YESTERDAY did, yes, I would like you to do so." Ratchet imitated as best as he could Lawrence's flat sarcasm.

"I will see what I can do." Lawrence folded his hands behind his back. "But rest assured; this time the data on the map is correct."

"Also no last second changes made possible by the guards?"

"I wish I could give this much reassurance, but as we all know, Shapeshifters are anything but predictable. I can only fathom that there are certain formations that they prefer. Whether it proves to be correct or incorrect is something that you will have to discover at the scene." A sigh. "Now, as pleasant as it is talking with you two, you should get moving. The Shapeshifters are going to appear in less than ten minutes and you don't want to have to run after them, this would raise their suspicions."

"Understood." Azimuth nodded before he turned to Ratchet. "Let's go."