Ratchet let out a small yawn. He placed his elbow on the window next to him and rested his head on his hand. His large eyes reflected the stars that they flew by. The Lombax let out a bored sigh that Clank didn't bother acknowledging, as his friend always got like this on long trips. They had spent the past two hours in a dead zone, so there was no reception for radio or even the communicator. And Ratchet wasn't taking too kindly to that.

Growing more bored by the minute, Ratchet pushed back his seat and reclined it, crossing his arms behind his head as he laid down. If he had nothing to do, then now would be a nice time to take a nap and pass the time quickly. The plush surface of the chair supported his sore back nicely, but it wasn't enough to make the pain go away. He didn't plan on feeling like this when he left the facility, but a lot of things he didn't expect happened when they were there.

Speaking of which, Ratchet remembered that pink lemonade experiment that Dr. Dexter had told them about. When the liquid had drenched in, a bit of it had gotten into his mouth, and it didn't taste anything like pink lemonade. Maybe Dr. Dexter would have to get that experiment back on track in order get it to taste like actual pink lemonade. The taste Ratchet was met with was a horribly bitter and disgusting taste, like he had taken a bite out of a bar of soap or something disgusting like that.

But there was something that Ratchet was a bit concerned about. There was something...off about him. He felt funny in a way that he couldn't describe properly. It was like he was dizzy, but he could see straight. It was like he was partially disconnected from reality. It may have just been from the lack of sleep (sleeping in a ship wasn't the best thing) or maybe he was just hungry, but something was bugging him in the back of his mind. Ratchet was well aware that Dr. Dexter told him that the liquid that had spilled on him was harmless, but if he was genetically altering lemonade, wouldn't it still be somewhat dangerous to get into his eyes and cuts? Maybe he was just overthinking it. He had half a mind to tell Clank about his concerns, but he didn't want to worry his friend more than he already had today. If things become worse, then he would tell Clank about it. But for now, it was something he was going to keep to himself and hopefully goes away on its own.

Ratchet had just gotten comfortable and Clank had barely turned the page of his book when Aphelion's communicator started going off. Ratchet sat up at the sound of the familiar rings and Aphelion's voice sounded out as she read the ID of the caller.

"Incoming call from: Schmidt, Dexter."

"Dr. Dexter?" Clank said quizzically, putting his book down. "Do you think that the Leviathan escaped again?"

"I hope not," Ratchet said with a bit of worry. He did not want to deal with all of that again. He reached forward and tapped the answer button on the ship's communicator and the familiar Terachnoid face showed up on the screen. "Hey, Doc. Did you forget something before we left?"

Dr. Dexter shook his head quickly. So quickly that Ratchet and Clank couldn't help but notice that he look panicky about something. Maybe another Leviathan did get out. But he started talking before they could ask any question, "No, this is something much more important. Ratchet, have you gotten out of the vehicle or come into contact with any other people since you left?"

"Uh...no. Why?"

"Alright, that's good, that's very good. I need you to stop your ship and tell me your current coordinates. I would have done this sooner, but you were most likely flying through a dead zone when I needed to reach you."

"What is going on, Dr. Dexter? Why do you require our current location?" Clank asked.

"I'll explain everything as soon as we arrive. The starship we're coming in has a warp drive, so we shouldn't take too long. Just please send your ships coordinates."

Ratchet and Clank looked at each other in surprise. They weren't sure what was going in, but the urgency in Dr. Dexter's voice told them that they should do what he said. Clank tapped several buttons on the communicator and sent Aphelion's current coordinates to Dr. Dexter's communicator. Once he received them, he nodded.

"Thank you. We'll be there as soon as we can. Dr. Dexter out."

The communicator screen went black as Dr. Dexter ended the call. Ratchet and Clank almost felt overwhelmed by the sudden urgent call. He said that this was very important. Maybe there was something at the facility that they forgot to do? Or there was something that Dr. Dexter wanted to give them. The possibilities intrigued the duo.

"So, he'll be coming to us," Ratchet said, placing a hand on his chin. "We didn't forget anything at the research lab, did we?"

"As I recall, the only items that we brought were your Omniwrench, Plasma Whip, and this book that I am holding. We did not leave anything back at the facility. Perhaps he is going to show us something?" Clank said, really having no clue what Dr. Dexter wanted with them.

"He's bringing a whole starship with him. Maybe they captured another Leviathan?" The thought of that made Ratchet feel a bit more excited.

"It is...plausible. But I do hope that it is not the reason for stopping us." Clank wasn't sharing the same enthusiasm about a possible new Leviathan as Ratchet was. He had enough Leviathans for one day.

Knowing that they had to wait around for the starship, Ratchet and Clank resumed the activities they were doing before they received the call from Dr. Dexter. Clank reopened his book and happily continued along, reading about quantum physics (it was one of his favorite scientific topics). Meanwhile, Ratchet laid back in his seat again and got comfortable. There was a perfect Lombax shaped groove in it that was left in it from the recent long trips. He closed his eyes and relaxed. Maybe he could get a few minutes of sleep in before the starship arrived. If he was lucky, it would shake off the funny feeling he was still experiencing.

Unfortunately, the moment Ratchet could feel himself beginning to drift off, Aphelion let out a warning of an approaching starship. He sat up in his seat and looked outside to take a look at this ship. Ratchet and Clank were forced to stare in awe, as the only thing they could see out the window was an enormous white starship. It almost looked like it was glowing with the intense white color. Ratchet shielded his eyes from it and whistled with an impressed tone.

"Whoa. I knew that the doc said he was bringing a starship, but that thing is huge!"

Clank nodded in both agreement and amazement, "It is even larger than the Starship Phoenix. What kind of purpose would a colossal starship like this one have?"

"I don't know, but after seeing the size of this big guy, I'm feeling pretty excited-AH!"

The white starship had stopped in front of them, and after a few moments, the entire Aphelion jerked, sending Ratchet and Clank back down into their seats. Clank rubbed his head and looked out the windshield. There was a blue beam being emitted from the starship and it was directed towards them. He recognized a mean like this. He turned to Ratchet as he realized what was happening.

"Ratchet, they have us in a tractor beam. They are going to pull us in."

"Ugh…" Ratchet groaned a bit, rubbing his shoulder. He scowled at the tractor beam. "We can fly by ourselves, they don't need to trap us in a tractor beam."

"I presume it is because they think that we might not know where to dock."

"I would have figured it out eventually…" The Lombax sighed and sat back in his seat. "Well, let's sit back and enjoy the ride, I guess."

Even though he knew that Ratchet wasn't happy with being forcibly pulled in, Clank decided to simply follow what he said and sit back in his seat. The tractor beam pulled them in closer and a docking bay opened up They were too far down on the ship to see the words on the side of the ship. The black coloring contrasted immensely with the white of the ship, reading:

'POLARIS SANITATION FORCE'

The duo waited patiently for Aphelion to be pulled into the docking bay of the starship. They were brought all the way to the landing pad before the shimmer blue tractor beam faded away and gave Aphelion her free will back. Ratchet finished landing the ship before opening the cockpit. The silver docking bay was very large, so large that they could fit at least fifty more Aphelions inside. However, the docking bay was completely empty and their ship was the only one to be seen.

Shrugging off the lonely docking bay, Ratchet and Clank hopped out of Aphelion and took a few steps away. It didn't seem like anyone was there to greet them. This was giving them flashbacks of extremely recent events. Maybe there was a Leviathan lose in this place, too. Though Ratchet wasn't exactly in the mood to be thrown around again. But the hissing of an opening door across the docking bay reassured the two that there was no creature lose on board. However, they were confused by the group of people coming towards them. Were they all dressed in...hazmat suits?

Ratchet and Clank glanced at each other as the group of hazmat dressed people surrounded them. Ratchet spoke up and gave a small wave, "Hey fellas. Nice, uh...nice of you to have us. You guys...having a costume party? Or are you blowing things up with chemicals like Clank did here a few hours ago?"

"I'm sorry about their unsettling appearances," said a familiar voice. The crowd of hazmat-suited people parted and Dr. Dexter, also wearing a suit, came through with a white box.

Ratchet looked around at the people before looking back at Dr. Dexter, "Doc, what did you need us for? And what's with all the hazmat suits?"

"Is there radioactive cargo on board?" Clank asked.

"Well, I can't quite answer this question yet. First I need something from you, Ratchet." Ratchet's ears twitched at this, wondering what exactly Dr. Dexter needed from him. The Terachnoid opened the white box he was carrying and fiddled with its contents. When he put together what he needed to be put together, he signaled some of the people in the suits. Three of them walked up to Ratchet and grabbed him, restraining him so he couldn't move much.

"Hey!" Ratchet cried out. "What are you doing? Get off of me!"

"Again, I'm really sorry," the Terachnoid said. He revealed the items that he had been fiddling with. A needle, a tube, and a vial. Ratchet's eyes went wide and he shook his head. Dr. Dexter sighed with a bit of sadness. "I don't want to do this, I really don't. But I need to take a blood sample from you, my friend."

"What? No! You can't have my blood!"

"I'm afraid you have no choice. If I don't get blood from you, then I won't know if you're in danger or not."

"Danger? What would he be in danger of, Doctor?" Clank asked, several people watching him, prepared to stop him if he tried to stop the blood draw.

"I'll explain everything once I get the results of the blood back. But I need to get it first," Dr. Dexter said.

Ratchet squirmed in the people's grip and he could feel his fur standing up on end at his arm was flipped over. He looked over at Clank who returned a look of sympathy. He knew that Dr. Dexter said that his blood needed to be drawn and checked for danger or something like that, but he was not one for getting his blood drawn. Ratchet wasn't a fan of needles, and having a needle in his arm taking his blood was not a pleasant thought. However, there was not much he could do. All he could think to do was look at Clank and focus on that sympathetic look. If this hold blood testing thing ended up being all for nothing, he was going to get out his Omniwrench out and give everyone a piece of his mind.

Dr. Dexter carefully put the needle in Ratchet's arm. The Lombax took a sharp breath through his teeth as he felt a harsh pinch. It only took a few moments for the doctor to get all of the blood he needed, but it felt like an eternity for Ratchet. He jumped as he suddenly felt the needle snap at him as it was carefully removed. Dr. Dexter wrapped the wound with a pad and gauze in case more blood was going to leak out.

The hazmat team released Ratchet and he gave his Terachnoid friend a harsh look. Dr. Dexter coward before the angry Lombax ang gave him a small wave, "Th-Thank you for letting me draw blood from you."

"I didn't exactly have a choice," Ratchet said bitterly, rubbing his arm. His ears lowered as he was tired of being left in the dark, "Now tell us what you're trying to do. Why did you need my blood? What kind of test are you going to run?"

"Like I told you, I will explain after I run the test," Dr. Dexter said. He was definitely hiding something from them, but it was something that the Terachnoid didn't want to talk about until he was definitive confirmation about it. He nervous motioned the duo towards the exit of the docking bay, "Look, the test won't take that long. If your blood contains what I think it contains, then we're going to have a serious problem."

"I feel like we should be informed about this 'serious problem'. You cannot hide it from us like this," Clank said, becoming impatient himself.

Dr. Dexter rubbed the back of his head. "Eh...let's just say that...the pink lemonade wasn't actually the pink lemonade experiment. I have to make sure that your blood isn't contaminated with the liquid that you were covered in. Just wait in the sanitation room until I'm done. I'll be right back with the results."

Despite Ratchet and Clank's protests and questions, the duo was forced out of the docking bay. The hazmat team guided them to the sanitation room that Dr. Dexter had mentioned. The inside was as white as the ship itself. It was a small room that simply contained a table and a chair. Ratchet was quick to lower his ears and slump down in the chair, grumpy from having his blood drawn and frustrated by the lack of information. Clank stood next to him and tried his best to offer support, but he honestly had no idea what to say. He was as clueless about his friend.

"I knew that the liquid wasn't lemonade," Ratchet said, finally speaking up. "It didn't taste like it at all. It kind of felt too thick."

"If it was not lemonade, then that means that it really was some sort of chemical. Did you wash it out in the chemical shower?" Clank asked.

"I'm pretty sure I did. I did the shower and the eyeball cleanser and everything. I even washed my mouth out. There can't be a trace of that stuff left in me."

"Well, it seems like Dr. Dexter wants to make sure. We cannot be risking your health, after all."

"He didn't seem worried about my health when he sent us to go fight the baby Leviathan." Ratchet planed his head on the table and lowered his ears. "He needs to hurry up and come get us. I just want to head home to my garage. Summer is almost here on our side of the planet, so people will be lining up for proton scrubs and air conditioner repairs."

"With the average temperature on Veldin, every day is practically a summer day, so I do not think that the time of year matters."

"Fair point-!"

The two looked at the entrance of the room as the doorknob turned. As expected, Dr. Dexter walked in, still wearing the hazmat suit. He was carrying a piece of paper in his hands but the vial of Ratchet's blood was nowhere to be seen. Clank tilted his head and tried to take a peek at the paper the doctor was holding, but he couldn't see what was written on it. But the distraught expression on Dr. Dexter's face greatly unsettled them. There was about to be some bad news.

Dr. Dexter tried to start off with a calm and friendly greeting, "Erm...hello, friends. I am sorry about the wait. How are you doing?"

"I feel like I just got a needle to the arm," Ratchet said with his ears lowered. He didn't have the patience to go through greetings, he wanted to know what was going on. The Lombax stood up and crossed his arms. "What's the deal, doc? What's all this about a chemical being in my blood? What did you find in there?"

They waited for an answer, both Ratchet and Clank staring at Dr. Dexter with harsh glares. The doctor looked like he was sweating in the hazmat suit. He looked extremely nervous about something. He kept opening his mouth to speak but no words would come out. After a few attempts of trying to explain the results of the blood test, he let out a disappointed sigh. He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell them with his own words. Dr. Dexter looked down at the paper in his hands, they shook slightly as he decided to raise them. The paper was held up and Ratchet quickly took it, wanting to know what the problem was. The Lombax got down on one knee so Clank could read the results as well.

This was the first time they saw the results of the blood test. But, according to the key generously put at the side of the paper, everything seemed pretty normal. However, Clank noticed something near the bottom of the paper. A section labeled "tested illnesses", and they expected it to be blank, as Ratchet had to illnesses he was aware. But one name sat in the box. Even with the amount of text on the page, the illness name stood out. Ratchet muttered as he read the name of the illness out loud and tried to pronounce it properly.

"Cor...Venenati…" Ratchet raised his head from the paper and looked at Dr. Dexter. "What's Cor Venenati?"

Dr. Dexter tapped his hands together and he became even more nervous. He had a strained voice as if he was truly forcing himself to speak. "Cor Venenati is a virus. A deadly virus that leads to the disease of the same name. This is what I wanted to test your blood for. Ratchet, my friend, you have been infected with the Cor Venenati virus. The full disease will develop within...five hours or so."

Ratchet and Clank's eyes went wide at hearing this sudden news. The test results slipped from Ratchet's hand and landed softly on the floor at their feet. The Lombax shook his head as he stood up. This wasn't right. This couldn't be right. "I have a...a disease? How? Why? What is this Cor Venenati disease?"

Dr. Dexter took a deep breath. It looked like that he owed the two a proper explanation. He told Ratchet to sit down and the Lombax obeyed, as he was willing to do anything for an explanation at this point. The Terachnoid adjusted his hazmat helmet and began explaining everything he knew. "A few years ago, the Polaris Defense Force contact me and my colleagues at the research center. They wanted us to study the Cor Venenati virus to find more information about it. However, this was a very dangerous job to take on. The Cor Venenati virus is extremely contagious, hence the hazmats suits here and back at the research lab. Despite having the virus to study, we have only recently gotten around to studying. The pink liquid that you were drenched in was the concentrated virus. When it entered your eyes, mouth, and wounds, it infected your bloodstream and has begun developing."

"This is very serious, doctor," Clank said, stepping forward. "What do you plan to do with Ratchet if the virus is so contagious."

"You're not going to turn me into some lab rat, are you?" Ratchet asked with a scowl.

"No no, we already have a plan on what to do," Dr. Dexter said, assuring Ratchet that they weren't going to turn him into some gruesome test subject. "You see, you are not the first person to be injected with the virus. We have a quarantined planet at the edge of the Polaris galaxy that houses the holders of the disease. You will be taken there until further notice."

"And what about the disease itself? How long do I have to wait before I can be cured?"

"Um...about that…" The Terachnoid said, becoming nervous again. He couldn't bear to look into either of their eyes as he spoke one of the scariest sentences that anyone could hear. "There is no cure for the disease you have."

"What?!" Ratchet and Clank yelled out together.

"What do you mean there's no cure? There has to be a cure!" Ratchet said, pushing his chair back as he quickly stood up.

"I'm sorry, but no cure has been discovered yet," Dr. Dexter said, shielding himself from the Lombax. "The Polaris Sanitation Force is working hard with their scientists to find a cure."

"What am I going to have to put up with until they do find a cure?"

"Well, it is hard to say. The disease affects different species in different ways. Some species experience excessive molting, hair and fur loss, and sometimes loss of complete senses like hearing or taste. However, no matter how it affects you, the end result will always be the same."

"And what is the end result?" Clank asked although he had a very good feeling about what it was.

Dr. Dexter lowered his voice a tad as he delivered the gruesome answer, "'Cor Venenati' means 'poisoned heart' in an ancient language. The final phase of the disease attacks and stops the heart. It takes about five years to reach the final stage, though."

Ratchet's ears lowered all the way. He felt his vision become a bit blurry and he stumbled backward, the chair catching him on his way down. Clank rushed to his friends at and placed a hand on Ratchet's arm. The Lombax looked like he was ready to pass out. This information was too much for him. He had a disease. A fatal disease. His breathing became faster and faster, almost to the point of hyperventilating. Clank's sympathetic touch was the only thing keeping hold of him at the moment.

He muttered between breaths, his eyes still wide, "I'm going to die...I'm actually going to die…I...I..."

"Now don't be thinking that!" Dr. Dexter quickly said, catching the surprise attention of the two. He went on to explain, "The cure for the disease has been in the works for years. They could cure it any day now! There is a very high chance that they'll be able to cure you before the five years are up."

"And if they don't find the cure?" Ratchet asked, still breathing heavily.

"L-Let's try not to think about that!" The doctor responded, patting Ratchet on the shoulder. He tried to sound as gentle as possible even though all three of them were panicking slightly. "Look, all you have to do is live on the quarantine planet for a while. There are lots of people to meet and I'm sure that they're all fun. And Clank here can go back home and tell your loved ones that you'll be alrig-"

"I am not leaving Ratchet," Clank said firmly, moving between Ratchet and Dr. Dexter.

"B-But you are not at risk. We promise that we'll take good care of your friend and-"

"I am going to stay with Ratchet. I will not allow him to go through this alone," the robot took a step forward while Dr. Dexter took a step back. "I will live on the quarantine planet with him. If I left him alone there to possible perish, I will never forgive myself."

Clank's words were enough to pull Ratchet back to reality. The urge to show the slightest smile came to him. He sincerely appreciated his friend's efforts to stay with him. A frown then formed on his as he thought about what Clank staying with him meant. He felt guilty thinking about how Clank was going to be stuck with him on a quarantined planet for possibly five years. He wouldn't be able to leave to see friends or even go to the Great Clock if they needed him there. Clank was going to be sacrificing a lot by doing this. But with the tone of the robot's voice, it's what he truly wanted to do.

Ratchet reached down and placed a hand on Clank's head. He looked at Dr. Dexter, "Clank's right. I'm not going anywhere without him. You can either take us together peacefully or take just me and deal with a fight."

The Terachnoid stared at the two together. Their determined faces reminded him of himself when he was focusing on science experiments. It was something admirable, so he couldn't help but agree with them. He nodded, "I understand your request. You two will be sent to the quarantined planet together. But I am still so sorry about this. I never meant for this to happen. If we had just kept that Leviathan contained, you would have-"

Ratchet raised a hand to quiet the doctor. He shook his head, "This isn't your fault and we don't blame you for this. And having a deadly disease is...horrifying. But like you said, they could find the cure any day now. It's only a matter of time, right?"

"Er...right," he said with a nod, surprised by Ratchet's change of attitude. Though the Lombax was most likely putting up this hopeful act so he wouldn't feel bad for somewhat causing this. But it was a decent note to go on. He turned around and grabbed the doorknob. "We'll set course for the planet immediately. Leave us a list of people to send notices to so they know what is happening. And please, just...hang in there...I'll come and get you when we arrive."

The door close shut and Ratchet and Clank were left alone again. And the moment things went silent, Ratchet put his head on the table and started breathing heavily again. Clank noticed this immediately and grabbed his friend's arm again. He wondered how Ratchet had managed to stop the hyperventilating in order to give hope to Dr. Dexter. He could detect Ratchet's heart rate rising more and more.

"I...I don't know what to do, Clank," Ratchet said through his breaths. "This can't be happening. It has to be a bad dream. I can't actually have a disease. I can't actually have five years to live."

"Ratchet, please attempt to calm down, your heart rate is rising at an unhealthy rate," Clank told Ratchet, keeping a grip on the arm.

"I can't die. I can't die, Clank! Talwyn, Qwark, everyone. I won't be able to see them again. I'll die without saying goodbye."

The robot climbed up onto Ratchet's lap and got into his face. He did his best to calm his friend down. He placed his hands on Ratchet's shoulders and shook his head, "Do not think about the possibility of death, Ratchet. That will only make matters worse. You heard Dr. Dexter, they are going to find a cure for this disease. I am sure that you will live through this. But letting the fear take you over will ruin your fighting chance. So please...calm down."

Despite his stress, Ratchet took Clank's words to heart. Like always, Clank was right. If he spent the entire time being afraid, then he had no chance of fighting the disease. But he was so scared about this. It was so sudden and so serious. He felt like he could pass out right on the spot. But Clank's glowing green eyes staring at him and his friend's words were enough to convince him to at least slow his breathing.

It took a few minutes for Ratchet to gain control over his breathing again. His heart rate had gone down as well, but it was still beating rather fast. But a little calm was better than not calm at all. Ratchet's ears lowered and he put a hand on Clank's head again. He spoke in a weak and depressed voice that told Clank that he was still panicking.

"Thanks, Clank. Since you're gonna be with me, maybe this whole waiting for a cure thing won't be that horrible."

"I could not leave you in this time of need, Ratchet. I could not call myself your friend if I did. You are going to make it through this and I am going to help you."

"Yeah...yeah…"

Ratchet rested his head on the table, Clank still sitting in his lap. He let out a small and dreadful sigh. He didn't know what the outcome of this situation was going to be. He didn't know what the disease was going to do to him on the road to stopping his heart. And he didn't even know if he was going to be cured. All he could do in the meantime was stick with Clank and hope. Only five years time would tell if that would be enough, though.

(Oh my god, this website went down after I posted the first chapter of this. And it stayed that way for around ten hours or so. Such bad timing.)

Sorry if this chapter was rushed. I kind of struggled with this one. Also I'm wayyy to excited to get to next chapter. Cuz you guys get to meet a certain new someone next time!

So...Ratchet has the Cor Venenati Disease. For those of you who don't know, 'Cor Venenati' is actually Latin for 'poisoned heart'. And, of course, it's called that because the disease slowly poisons the heart until it stops it. That's either really creative or really dumb. Probably a bit of both.

Also, disclaimer here, I don't know that much medical stuff, so if I get any medical facts wrong between the whole virus and disease thing, I apologize in advance. Just kindly roll with it.

Alright, Ratchet and Clank will be put on the quarantined planet next chapter! New friends await! And I'm so excited to write about the village and characters there!

Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster!

This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, signing off!