...The last part needed a companion, I think... There might still be one or two more to come...
Oh, he was aware of the fate that he'd been pushed out of.
There was absolutely no denying that fact. Ratchet thought it had been trippy moving through areas where movement slowed to a crawl… well, that had nothing on this. Even the second time- the time that, technically, nothing happened- he'd had a hard time believing it.
Alister? Alister Azimuth, murdering him in cold blood? Maybe he'd been too close to see how deeply rooted the desire to bring the lombaxes back was. Bringing their race back had sounded fantastic…but that hadn't been his focus, he'd dedicated himself to finding Clank. Even before being told that it wasn't a time machine, he'd had his doubts; the reference to the Dimensionator simply made up his mind.
As per usual, Clank and –by contrast, rather unusually- he had been right. But Alister wouldn't take no for an answer.
The lombax's neck still hurt from being pinned up against a building by the elder's wrench; that had actually happened, after all… but it was hard to classify the pain in his chest. Technically, that injury wasn't real…but could such a severe blow be completely undone? The unblemished flesh throbbed again, beneath the blue decal on his armor, and- completely automatically- Ratchet brought a hand up to it, but stopped millicubits from touching it.
Sure, he had been battered and bruised an incredible amount today -even by his own standards- but he had a feeling that this wasn't solely physical trauma…
It had been beyond his logical dreams: another lombax! And not just anyone, a close friend to his father, a companion since childhood! Maybe Ratchet had seen something of the mania in the elder's eyes… heard it in the refusal to see him as his own person, and not Kaden… but he had sincerely hoped that it would not come to…that. In the instance that the General had left he and Clank, he'd had a bizarre sense of déjà vu… in retrospect, it was obvious what it had been; he'd felt it- albeit one hundred times worse- back in Apogee Station, years ago.
But…that just proved that, in the end, he'd done what was right.
Back when they were facing off against Nefarious, he'd meant what he'd said to Clank: that he would support whatever decision his friend made. Upon reaching the Great Clock, however, Ratchet had a feeling that he'd know what that answer would be.
For once, he was absolutely thrilled to have been wrong.
So…the day had had its ups and downs… granted, the slope of said "ups and downs" were high enough to be undefined… But he'd made the right decision, and, in a sense, he'd been rewarded for that…
Who knew, maybe Alister had finally found peace.
In the meantime, though, Ratchet was going to go back to sleep -more or less pass out, that was. With a sigh and a sleepy smile, he hugged the 'captured' Clank closer to himself…just to be sure he was still there. Better to be safe than sorry, right?
…Boy, was he glad that the other was on standby mode…
