The city of Metropolis, capital of planet Kerwan and the Solana Galaxy. Hordes of glass towers with metal bracing sprawled over the ground, the duo's courtier ship mere gnats flying by. The lombax's green eyes catching the hover lights directing traffic. After the disastrous landing on planet Novalis, he wasn't taking any chances. Having lost his ship for whatever mysterious reason stung, but he got over it with the need to find somewhere to land.
Not actually having that much recent experience in dealing with a large urban area such as Metropolis, finding a parking space required several fly bys. Cruising around the city while avoiding the air traffic, eventually Clank was able to spot a clearing large enough for the courtier ship. Once was done, they made their way through a service tunnel.
What lied at the end was a grand view of the city in motion, two sets of green eyes paused to stare. One excited at the adventure it promised, the other for the beautiful complexity of motion. But duty called and they came down the stairs to continue the search for Captain Qwark. Well they would have had not Ratchet paused in front one of those blue Gadgetron vendors. When it opened up again, yet another of the lizard like salespersons appeared on the expanded screen. "Hey there Fuzzball." Ratchet's ears flickered down, at least it wasn't Tiny but could people stop giving him these stupid nicknames?
"We've got some good stuff today, a blaster! Very versatile. And there's nothing better than ten energy bolts per second streaking into the gut of your enemies." Ratchet's ears flicked upwards as he pushed the order button and since somebody was kind enough to allow him all of Gadgetron's wonderful line of person defensive toys for free, the blaster wide barreled and shiny appeared for Ratchet to pick up. The weapon twirled around the lombax's fingers then Ratchet made a face, one with an eyebrow raised. "That's weird"
Clank asked why from behind him. Ratchet looked over his shoulder. "Nah, it's just I thought I saw a blaster like this in Uncle Alister's office. Said it came when he went missing." Uncle Alister never really let that kidnapping go, and Ratchet sometimes overheard Ma complain that the white furred lombax was obsessed with who did it. To this day, there were no leads. Ratchet now had a nice selection of weaponry. Too bad he didn't have a way to carry all of them. Clank had some storage capacity within his chest compartment but there was a limit to that. Shuffling a Pyrocitor, Omni-wrench, and Blaster around while trying to keep the search up was proving to be very difficult.
"Are you dealing with a lot of stuff? No place to put them? Well have we got the product for you!" Two heads snapped towards a booth that the organic one of the duo could swear wasn't there a few moments ago. It was a small alien that seemed to do the speaking and the little detail that he was hooded didn't have Ratchet too inclined to listen. But he really needed a better way to keep all this stuff he had now, and possibly would get later. The salesman in the booth took off the hood and Ratchet had a mustache and purple glasses grab his attention.
"Uhhh" the lombax trailed off, and saw the alien pull out from under the booth table something circular. It seemed to be some sort of device, round with several complex parts within, both mechanical and electronic. There was also several smaller circular round crystals installed but still Ratchet in all his technological knowledge had no idea what the deuce it was supposed to do.
"Very rare item, almost impossible to find nowadays." The salesman said and then jumped onto the booth. With one quick motion the device was slapped onto the lombax's shoulder. Ratchet's eyes widen as he turned to the piece of technology that made several whirring and clicking sounds. One pair of green eyes turned cold towards the salesman when the weapons in those gloved hands disappeared. "Once device has synchronized desired possessions in dimensional matrix, they can be retrieved with mental commands instantly." The alien with the rusty colored fur (Clank later told him it was Rufous but who would come up with a color like that?) said slightly faster and bit more high pitched.
Ratchet just looked at the salesman, and thought about his wrench. Just the very moment he started recalling the hefty feel of the metal and electronics, it appeared in his hands. The salesman cut in that the device had unlimited storage space and if every piece of ammunition was gone, it made for passable cover. "How much" Ratchet said after a moment's thought and was floored when the salesman said it was just three hundred bolts. Something this useful being that cheap? The lombax thought it would cost at least a million bolts. Something came up in the lombax's head. "What's the catch?"
"Nope no catch, nobody else could use it. So I think it was a piece of lombax technology, no other species could get it to work." The salesman said but to Clank that didn't make sense for how could the salesman know how to use it? The robot made his thoughts clear and the salesman shrugged. Maybe he also was keyed into the security features? For Ratchet, that was enough talk. He needed something to keep his weapons and gadgets and storage and this seemed to be the perfect thing to get. Plus for some reason, buying and using this thing seemed like a good choice. Call it lombax instinct but to Ratchet it seemed this was something that should be his and the salesman wasn't cheating him.
"I'll take it, " Ratchet said, pushing the required three hundred bolts over. The salesman with the big fluffy ears and short stature nodded and wished the two good luck with whatever they're doing. The alien turned to leave saying that the device would always be of use to the lombax and robot. A closed sign flipped over to the booth and the lombax just watched the salesman walk away. "What just happened?" Ratchet asked and Clank didn't have an answer. At least they could get on with their search for Captain Qwark and the duo walked off leaving the strange event behind them.
For a few minutes more Clank allowed himself to remain on the lombax's back but eventually asked to walk under his own locomotion. A few hesitant steps and to the robot, it appeared the probability curves were within his favor as of this solar cycle. Only a few steps away was Captain Qwark. The robot made his way over while calling out to Ratchet about his discovery. While the Hero of the Galaxy went off about the obstacle course in the area, Clank had matters of import to tell him. "Excuse me captain, but we have more pressing issues. We urgently need your assistance."
The robot with a soul overheard Ratchet approach and say his name. The robot affirmed he heard the lombax while trying to get the Captain's attention. "Do you notice anything unusual about Captain Qwark?" Ratchet said.
Clank looked to the Captain, then the lombax and to Captain Qwark again. "Well I find the fact that he has a spring where his legs should be to be quite puzzling." Ratchet then questioned what Clank thought was the reason and Clank said "Possibly an injury occurred while battling evil?" His own fists shadow boxing, something in his circuitry informed him this was the most appropriate motor response.
The lombax's outburst (laughter, Clank's database pulled up) had Clank hypothesize that the robot's guess was wrong especially when Ratchet said. "This isn't the real Captain Qwark, you tin head! It's a robot!" "But hey somebody knows where Captain Qwark is has gotta be at the end of this course. After all how hard can it be?"
It was sometime later, with the lombax's fur all mussed up and dripping that Ratchet rued those words. The course was pure murder. At first it was simple, just easy climbing and several jumps over short gaps. But then they went and upped the ante with sliding platforms, wall jumps, and wall jumps with sliding platforms. Having a time limit before plunging down towards the ground was a frustrating experience. But at least for the lombax and robot, Ratchet finished the course and there was somebody there that knew Captain Qwark.
"Listen up, you lardballs! That was the most pathetic display I have ever seen on that obstacle course!" A robotic voice screeched out. Before them was a mechanical female whose nametag introduced her as Helga, Captain Qwark's fitness trainer. Ratchet still catching his breath asked for the meaning of Helga's words. Clank cut in that the duo did finish the course, keeping an eye on Ratchet's vitals, especially the lombax's pulse. It seemed to skyrocket when Ratchet went to start the challenge and only now started to slow. "Ya, but it was veak, veak, VEAK! Vhen I was competing I would devour courses like that for breakfast!"
"Bet that's not all." Ratchet shot back, well more like muttered to the ground. Helga was big, very big and Ratchet didn't want to be the star piece of equipment for a lombax toss.
Helga sniffed and glared "If it were up to me, you would drill, drill, drill for the rest of the day! But somehow you managed to impress that fool Captain Qwark!" Clank was surprised at that, Captain Qwark was aware of them? Perhaps already knowing of Chairman Drek's scheme? The small robot asked for confirmation of this fact. "He certainly does. And vorst of all, he wants me to give you a prize for that ridiculous performance!" She gave a dismissive wave. "I'm supposed to give you a Svingshot, so you can svay to and fro like little insects!" She followed the motion, letting her bulk move grandly like the tides of the ocean.
"Alright, let's see it." Ratchet said, eyes shining at a new shiny gadget to tinker and use.
"Not so fast! Today the two of you disgraced my obstacle course, so I am going to make you pay!" Helga snorted when she meant to have sniffed. It wasn't her fault, her gift came with a price.
"But that prize is ours from the captain. That's not fair." Clank said, internal circuits heating up but that couldn't be right because the internal sensors registered that his circuits were at their optimal temperature.
"Too bad, life's not fair." Helga said raising her nose in the air. Ratchet with gritted teeth, asked how much did the robotic woman wanted for the slingshot. "Oh? Nononono, I don't vant your bolts." She gained quite a sneer. "You vill merely hear me sing." Ratchet shrugged and told Helga to let them hear it. It was interesting to say the least, and while the duo didn't know it there were several reports later on that several local ships underwent strange shuddering around the area. In the end however both the lombax and his little robot companion were standing ramrod straight. Ratchet's eyes were wide and dilated, blocking sharp green with shattered black, and his ears twitched. Clank on the other hand had his hand up to his open mouth, an "oh ,my" stuck between the metallic rims of his lips. The robot's first experience in music, and wasn't just opera, but classical opera. Where quality and ability of voice mattered much more, and Helga's voice had enough ability to pin the duo there like butterflies under a case. Helga laughed, a mere "Hah" coupled with sniff made her much nobler than she was before. Then she ruined it. "The two of you make me sick!" She snorted as she tossed the swingshot in the still shocked lombax's hands. "Can't even handle a little high class." She said as she got on a taxi that drove her away.
"What just happened?" Ratchet said. "I do not know" was all the answer Clank could give. Then they continued their search, well mostly. Ratchet felt like taking the gadget for a swing and it was only fortunate for the robot that the only few swing-shot drones in the training course were the ones that took them back to the entrance.
Their walk to find their next lead, hopefully this Big Al character, was strangely quiet. Not that Ratchet was itching for a fight but after the chaos on planet Novalis, his reflexes were on high alert. Thankfully Clank spotted the large golden statue that was prominent in the commercial. They continued over there, blissfully unaware of the smoking piles of debris that they walked past and the blargian helicopters and commandos that plummeted to their doom. Meanwhile in an unrelated piece of news, in the shadows somebody hooded was lying back against the wall of a skyscraper. After spotting the duo making their way over to Big Al's, the person turned to the frozen dairy bar shaking within his hands. For three hundred bolts, it wasn't half bad. Loneliness on the other hand made it bittersweet.
"Ratchet," Clank pointed "that's the man we saw on the infobot. Remember? He knows Captain Qwark!"
A yellow alien turned around and began peering at the newcomers with his lenses on a headband.
"Hey, you're that robot guy, right?" Ratchet said and the person the lombax was talking to actually preened.
"No, actually I build robots. I myself am not a robot guy per se" The man with the nametag of Al said and then laughed to himself as if he made quite the joke.
Ratchet sighed "Nerds" and that was all he really needed to say actually. "I like him" was Clank's response.
"So, now that we've cleared that up, what can I do for you?" Al said wringing his hands with a washcloth.
"Well, we saw your infobot announcement. You were with Captain Qwark. We're trying to find Captain Qwark. We thought you could help us." Clank said.
"Your logic is commendable, however I haven't seen Captain Qwark since we shot that commercial several months ago. Didn't even bring business up all that much, the Captain has really let himself decline." Al took a closer look at the robot that stood below the counter. "Say, do you run on standard XP-18 sisterboards?" It turned out Clank did run on that particular model of sisterboards and on Version 7.66 to boot. "I may be able to help you out after all. How does a helipack
upgrade sound?" Ratchet looked to Clank, wondering aloud what sort of upgrade could the little guy handle. "Natch. Since he's a seven-six-six, with a very versatile chassis I could have the little guy up and flying in no time! Of course, I'll just need my fee for service. Won't be too much, a thousand bolts if you will."
"Ratchet, if we can get our hands on that upgrade, our mobility would be greatly increased for our search for Captain Qwark" Clank said. However the hint of excitement in the robot's normally cultured voice belied that reason.
"Alright, alright" Ratchet said as he handed over the required amount, it was lucky bolts could be almost picked up off the street around here or else they'll run out of cash for ammunition fast.
Al on the other hand once he had the bolts, grabbed onto Clank to pull him up. "Okay, this won't hurt a bit" Al said when Clank put up a slight protest. It only took a few seconds of tinkering and metallic clashing but there Clank stood. Propellers on arms and head, ready to glide over gaps and provide additional lift to jumps. "Ratchet, am I cool now?" the robot asked.
"Hey, you're da man, Clank!" Ratchet said and because he pointed to the robot, it must have been true. Al on the other hand let out a gruff and annoyed "you're welcome" prompting Ratchet to admit "Yeah you do good work too Al."
The duo left Al's Robo-Shack when Ratchet caught sight of a Blarg commando jet-packing in the air. Pulling himself and Clank into cover, they watched the Blarg move towards the grav-train station. "Now why would one of the Blarg utilize the grav-trains?." Clank said.
Ratchet rolled his eyes, "What else would they be doing there? Using them of course. " But Clank still wished to know for what reason the Blarg would be using the trains. Ratchet could only shrug at that. "Let's find out then" the lombax said. With Clank's new heli-pack, the robot was able to boost Ratchet's jumps over some cargo containers. Clank detected the rhythmic vibrations within the lombax's chest (heartbeat, his internal database informed him) start to climb in intensity and speed. Clank puzzled over this among other things that the organic life form had shown him. Anger, fear, and praise all different things that evoked different responses from his circuits. As the lombax's heartbeat sped up even more, correlating with losing sight of the blarg commando, Clank waited for the situation to change while considering his own lot in life.
Then Clank felt Ratchet stop and from his vantage point, it seemed to be the entrance to the grav-train station. The robot detached himself from Ratchet's back and when he saw what had made the lombax pause, his mouth plate slid down. "Oh my." What was before them was an entire arsenal of high-grade explosives. Each container stamped with the logo of Blarg Industries.
"That's just crazy, why are they letting the Blarg move this around? In broad daylight!" Ratchet held his hands out to the shipment of bombs that was enough to displace an entire continent or several of them. His hands then gripped into fists, Ratchet's voice came out more as a growl. "Then it'll be better if this junk doesn't get where it needs to go." Clank however protested, after all wasn't this a legal shipment of Blarg Industry goods? Even if they were going to be used in a criminal enterprise, the logical thing to do was to inform the authorities, such as Captain Qwark. They'll put a stop to this. "But this is our only lead. I don't think we have time to find Qwark!" The grav-train was moving. "Come on!" Ratchet said and he grabbed Clank returning the robot to the bolt on his back. Funny it seemed like every time the robot was returned there, it felt easier to move around.
The lombax, taking a running start leapt over the gap between the cars and the station. Rolling to slow down his momentum, Ratchet raised his head to the sight of a bunch of Blarg Commandos. With a whirr and a click, the blaster and his wrench appeared in his hands. "Time to get started." The lombax cracked his neck. What followed was a flurry of chaos. Wrench bouncing off the walls and blarg bodies. The energy bullets flying through the air. Ratchet had an advantage, he just had to point and shoot. Whether it was an enemy or some of the explosives, it was less resources for the Blarg to continue their mad planet stealing plan. Of course it made for some difficulty when he had to scramble off the train car being blown to bits. After the first one where he had to leave his Omni-wrench behind, he had thought with regret about abandoning his very first tool. To his surprise, his Omni-wrench had reappeared in his hand shortly after. With a grin and a solid whack across the helmet of a commando. Best three hundred bolts I've ever spent.
In the end once the train stopped at its destination, what was left was several cars on fire, a lot of smoke, Blarg bodies everywhere and one sheepish lombax stepping onto the platform. "Well that happened" Ratchet said scratching his ear with his wrench. All that work and not one clue where to go next. But at least the Blarg wouldn't be using those bombs anytime soon. Clank cried out a warning and the lombax pivoted, the space where he was singed with a blaster shot. His Omni-wrench already flying out in a comet strike. One hit and the blarg left this world with an overly dramatic scream.
"Ratchet, look" From the blarg's body came an info-bot blinking in confusion. It then showed the message uploaded into its memory. "Well Clank, looks like we're headed to Eudora."