"Cassandra G. Benson! In the name of the galactic laws of justice, you are under arrest!"

Captain Qwark's voice came through a megaphone as he and other soldiers of the Galactic Rangers rushed out onto the field. Many criminals who were still spectators fled, but others stayed and now also drew their weapons against the troops led by the green hero. In the great swarm of battle, the little silver bot and his yellow counterpart ran through the sand toward the lombaxes and the tiger alien, who became happy at the sight of the little ones, "You did it, pal!"

"Not quite yet! The boss finally needs to be taken care of!", James twitched his sword and ran through the criminals, who tried to stop him. Ratchet decided to do the same and looked over at the snow white lombax once more, "Okay, you ready?" "Yeah! Let's go," grinning, they both twitched out their blasters and ran towards the top platform where the boss was watching the massive fight from above.

"Hm...maybe it's time for the tactical retreat. I have to do it all over again, change my name and..." before the pink lady could continue a soldier landed in front of her and pointed his blaster, "Don't mo..." However before he could take a step, E.L.O shot him down from the side and the trooper's lifeless body tumbled back down. "Thank you, E.L.O.," the boss said coolly, before turning her gaze to the lombaxes. There were the two responsible for this mess, slapping her followers down, "E.L.O, I'm leaving! Finish it!"

No sooner said than done, the elite gangster shot himself high into the air with his jet pack, while Cassandra now beat a retreat. She had thought it through, because she would go down the normal way first, and then open a secret passage so that no one could retrace her trail when...

"CASSANDRA!"

No luck in her escape plan, because the traitor stood before her with the look of a killer on his face, "Let my family go!" A vein of anger formed on her forehead before she suddenly held her arms in front of her and touched each of her silver bracelets, "Do you think I became boss for no reason?" And that's when the hidden mechanism activated, and the bands encased her body in an iron suit, where the crowbar was the default weapon and visored goggles were placed on your eyes, "COME ON, KITTY!" That's when Cassandra jumped like a madwoman on the tiger alien and the clash of steel could be heard. Both gangsters had fallen in a fierce exchange of blows and neither thought of giving up.

This fight will decide everything.

"We have to get to James! His family is in danger," Ratchet knocked one of the gangsters away before his eyes met the rebel again. But before anyone could say anything else, the cyborg landed in front of them again. Around him he knocked the soldiers away before his sights were back on the lombaxes, where Rivet was already snarling angrily at the elite gangster. "Get ready for round two," with that she ran at E.L.O again and swung the hammer at him once more, which he cleverly dodged and countered with iron punches again. Just like last time, he was a few steps ahead and knocked the rebel down, but she was still standing. Ratchet now joined in and both lombaxes rushed their weapons against the gangster, who only effortlessly blocked everything again and set to fierce counterattacks.

"ARGH, damn it," Rivet was flung away by E.L.O, whose gaze was now fixed on Ratchet. The rebel had to act quickly, but before that, Qwark suddenly helped her up, who then returned fire against some attacking criminals, "Are you okay?"

"Yes...Qwark! There's a mother being held hostage over there with her children. We're busy, you have to rescue them," the rebel ordered the hero, who could see the silhouettes of the three from far away. Nodding, he ran off, and Rivet turned her attention back to the gangster, who was now grabbing Ratchet by the neck. She had finally had enough of this iron monster and went at him from behind with the hammer, swinging the weapon with a tremendous force.

This one then hit violently against the jet-pack.

"What...", Ratchet was released, as E.L.O noticed the attack and then flung to the sky. The jet pack was hit so hard that it lost control, swinging the elite gangster wildly. Uncontrollably, the cyborg flew into the podiums or spectator seats, trying to pull the flying machine off his back before more injuries would happen. "Ratchet, quickly the chariot," the rebel pointed to one of the old chariots with spikes on it, where she was now getting her boyfriend with him to put it back on its wheels, "Okay, now fire the bouncer under the wheels on my mark!"

"But...", before the orange one could say anything the cyborg slammed to the ground again and managed to pull off the defective jet-pack. Steam puffed wildly from his shoulders, and he tried to regain his breath so he could set to an counterattack.

That was when Rivet yelled loud, "FIRE!"

Rivet's scream drew the cyborgs attention, as Ratchet's bouncer send her coming towards him along with the chariot. The rebel then briefly jumped from the encounter and the chariot performed its work. The spikes in front bore through the armor at the belly deeply into the flesh and E.L.O was rammed with this against the engines of the equipment, which were responsible for the megaphones. The material of the spikes caused the current to flow to them, whereupon the cyborg received a tremendous electric shock in addition to the holes in his abdomen, which caused him to twitch wildly and explode onto the red visor. When it was over the gangster smoked all over his body, where once his visor was there were now two red eyes staring at the lombaxes. His death was near, but E.L.O suddenly had to start laughing with satisfaction, which also irritated the heroes.

"...Impressive..."

And that was his last breath. The gangster died in front of them. "...Ratchet, we have to help James," Clank was the first to break the silence, which brought the hero back and ran to the podium with his beloved to help your ally gangster. Qwark meanwhile also came back and successfully managed to rescue Whitney and the children, who were covered by the Rangers, so now the lombaxes had enough time to finally put a stop to Cassandra.

Slowly they approached the entrance to the arena. James and the boss were still hammering away at each other, but the pink lady was gaining the upper hand. The crowbar slammed into the side of the tiger's face, making him spit blood, and then he took a hook to the chin with it. James was now lying on his back on the floor, before Cassandra sat over him and pressed the piece of iron against his neck, taking his breath away. "You shouldn't have betrayed me," Her glasses had now been knocked off as well, revealing her insane looking eyes, as she watched the larger one gasp for air. James finally squinted in, activated his sword again and rammed it into her thigh out of reflex, causing the mafia woman to cry out. She got back up and pulled the blade from her flesh, only to get a fist against her face.

The tiger alien struck again, causing his former boss to tumble backward, now holding the wound on her leg. Both were exhausted and panting wildly, but all the more wanted to see the respective death. James strode slowly toward you, but it was planned and the boss also had an ace up his sleeve, "IF YOU WANT TO PLAY LIKE THIS, THEN LIKE THIS!" From her sleeve she pulled out a hidden knife, which she stroked at his right eye, forcing the larger one back, screaming. The scar around his eye was now bleeding profusely and the impaired vision would make it difficult for him to fight. Now he felt the hard blow of the crowbar against his back, almost bringing him to his knees before he could just about turn around again.

Before he got the jump kick from Cassandra.

The impact sent him out the front of the exit and into the arena, where gangsters and security guards were now interrupting the fight. Ratchet and Rivet appeared just now and looked at the gangster lying on the ground, coughing up another load of blood. The Boss also came right out from the side and grinned sinisterly at the tiger alien, "I'm gonna skin you alive, and use you as my new carpet!". Before Cassandra could make the next punch, her gaze turned to the lombaxes, where immediately she became in a panic state, "NO FURTHER!" At that, the pink one twitched a remote control behind her belt, "...or I'll blow us all up!" Everyone was silent and didn't move, but before then Ratchet was the first to break the silence, "You lie! Get off James!"

"DON'T...THIS IS...MY FIGHT!"

The lombaxes were stopped by the gasping voice of the tiger alien, who held them back. But his eyes were on something else. Next to him, a dead criminal lay on the ground, wearing a mining glove as a weapon, the last of his ammunition lying in front of him. He unexpectedly tried to reach his arm for it, while Cassandra was still shouting at the lombaxes, "Do you hear? The teddy seriously wants to die in front of the audience! That's fine with me, and afterwards I'll shoot any of you fuckers dead, who try to get in my way!" It did not interest her that she was alone against an army. The madness had spread in her and it was time for the mafia boss to kill the traitor.

Who suddenly rammed his hand against her sides.

"What...", then the beeping could be heard. A mine was attached to the boss that was about to explode. Panicked, Cassandra tried to swat it away before James struck again. With one move he reached up, wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his chest with all his might, squeezing the air out of her. Wildly she struggled around, kicking against his legs and even biting his neck, but the tiger alien didn't let up, which then made the boss realize what was about to happen.

"LET. ME. GO!"

And then the mine exploded. Briefly, the heroes had to cover their eyes from the light before crying out in concern, "JAMES!" When the light disappeared there was only a pile of sand in front of them that was the last of the gangster's armor. The boss had also been reduced to dust by the explosion, carrying only a piece of her purple hair. "He...He's...", Ratchet carefully picked up the sand, let it slide through his fingers and then lowered his head with his eyes closed. Rivet joined him and put her arm around the hero. It happened. James had given his life to overthrow the boss and bring down the gangster empire. His family also joined in now, their eyes filled with tears and kneeling to the sand. The last of their family father, what was left.

"Daddy...", tried James's kids to ask for him. But without an reply.

Everything after that passed quickly. The remaining criminals were arrested, even if some had to be struck down, the arena was closed and the heroes had arrived back in the night sky of Megalopolis. The gangster's family remained on the planet, and would then find their way back home in a different way, despite several offers from the orange lombax to take them along. There now sat Ratchet and Rivet on the couch in their apartment quietly next to each other. Clank and Kit were across from the two of them, going over the last few days in their minds.

"Ratchet," then finally the Rebel broke the silence and received the look of your beloved back, "Is that how it goes in your dimension?"

"Hm," he raised his brows questioningly, before then his counterpart completed your question, "I mean...all this adventure, and danger. Is that often in your life?" Now the male Lombax understood and gently put his arm on Rivet's shoulder, "Well...I haven't brought down any mafia yet." At this, the four heroes actually had to laugh slightly before the orange one continued, "It's more like the adventure is coming to Clank and me. Sometimes things just happen, and there's nothing you can do about it." Rivet nodded slightly in agreement before then suddenly her chin was gently grabbed.

Her blue eyes then met his green ones.

"But it can come as much as it wants...I'm happy you'll be by my side then," his smile literally melted her heart, as she then wrapped her arms around his neck. But Ratchet didn't stop there, "Whatever happens...I know you'll be with me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Together through all dangours..." Then he did it. He gently placed his lips against Rivets, which then sealed their intimate kiss. Clank and Kit just had to smile as the lombaxes had their intimate moment again and finally broke away from each other. "...I just hope James is in a better place," the orange one then said, before the rebel snuggled up to his side and looked to the stars with him, "I'm sure he is." Rivet then closed her eyes and smiled as she just took in the hero's closeness, "I love you, Ratchet."

"I love you, Rivet" that would have been just one of the many adventures the lovers would face, but it was still far in the future. Now only your bond had grown stronger.

EPILOG

Whitney and the children were in an elevator. Next to her was a robot that resembled the bodyguards and silence filled the room. They were still on the same planet, because a lot had come up to the family, which prolonged their stay here. Finally they reached the top floor, where the bot led them to a large, wooden door and entered the room with them. It was still a bit darker, as the light was dimmed and only the marble was visible. For a long time it remained silent, until suddenly the robot had to start laughing, whereupon also suddenly the markazian had to smile a bit.

"Wow, haha. I gotta hand it to you, *boss*! Of all your plans, faking your death was the best!"

The light activated. In front of them stood a tall man in a black suit, looking at the facility of the dead Cassandra, and then lowering his gaze to the family and the bodyguard bot. The scar on his eye had healed in the meantime, but it was visible through his fur. But that didn't bother him, because James had received a bigger prize for it. The robot then laughed again, "How did you know there was a trap door?"

"I didn't know," the tiger alien admitted openly. Whitney and the children walked up to him happily, and snuggled up to the family man happily, who also wore a big smile. "It's just a shame they'll never know you're alive," the markazian said, before watching the gangster pull something out of the suit, "Yeah..." He had let the photo from Zurkies framed, which showed him with Ratchet and Rivet happily partying together.

"...But I'll keep my word! I will make this city a better place", he resolutely walked with his family to the desk, where behind them the big window gave the view to the city. The tiger alien put the frame on the table and turned around again. Now a bunch of new gangsters, aliens and robots joined him. He was satisfied, though his friends had to die, their sacrifice would not be in vain. Then the criminals lifted glasses and held them out in front of the gangster in suit and tie.

"LET'S DRINK TO THE NEW BOSS!"

He made it. Everything was now his. That down there was no longer Cassandra's city, but HIS city. Determined, he held his children up in his arms, who stared happily at their father and he returned their smiles, "Kids...NOW everything is going to be better!" And so he settled into his office chair and stared at the gangsters, the bodyguards, his family and then finally at the photo of the visit to Zurkies. James had it all thanks to them, Ratchet, Clank, Rivet and Kit. It was only because of their help that he was now in this position as the boss of the mafia and he wasn't going to waste it. James put the picture back and thought about the lombaxes one last time before the new job would be waiting for him.

Unfortunately, Ratchet and Rivet would never find out about all this.

THE END