Flight of Power

by ipkloveyou

Well, this is my first story, or fanfiction, rather. The universe is always expanding, thus giving way to cosmic mysteries and encounters. This is a story about a character leaving her galaxy for universe she never knew existed.

12. A New Challenge Ahead

Chapter Eleven

Femka stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom much like she would do in the morning to judge her appearance and just daydream. She was already dressed and ready to go. She kept her hair tied up behind her tightly in a bun and her outfit fit firmly against her body. She placed her necklace around her and put her glasses on. She had everything she needed in Ratchet's room and took her backpack with whatever supplies she felt that she should bring. It was ten o'clock in the morning and the duo was back in the garage performing the same routine, getting the ship tuned up and packing supplies. Femka joined them with her determined, yet anxious, spirit. Clank greeted her like he always did while the mechanic dealt with the finishing touches. Femka had a smile as she walked to the ship with the little robot.

"Are you ready, Miss Femka?" he asked.

"I think so." She shifted the weight of her backpack over her shoulder and stood firm.

While Ratchet worked on the last detail of the ship Femka entered the vessel and sat on the side seat behind Ratchet and Clank's usual spot and sorted through her things in her backpack waiting for the two to enter as well.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Ratchet said going through the side door of the ship and hopping onto his seat, Clank following after.

Femka sat in the seat behind the two and buckled herself in. She was excited and extremely nervous at the same time. The ship engaged and hovered further off of the ground as the hanger door opened slowly. Surely enough, the ship was on its way off of the planet and through the atmosphere into dark space ahead. Fortunately, the coordinates that they copied from Ipsin's old vessel were still in the ship's database. They had direction, a place to start but little information to follow on—better than nothing.

"Our flight should take us no more than… hmm… seventeen hours," Clank deduced.

Ratchet groaned.

"This thing's going on auto-pilot sometime during the duration of this trip."

Femka braced herself for a boring ride. There wasn't much to do on this small ship. There was a cramped room to sleep in, a lavatory, another small room Femka wasn't sure was and the chamber up front. She brought her drawing book and her materials for the language she'd been studying but that wasn't about to help pass seventeen hours, which is why Femka was glad there was a place to sleep on this ship.

Thirteen hours had passed and the ship was well already on auto-pilot and the three lounged about the cabin getting whatever holo-vision signal they could on the monitor. It wasn't much longer after that that Femka left the two to go to bed for the reaming four hours of their journey. She lain down on her side and pushed her arms underneath the pillow on the bed.

"Almost there. I hope we can find this guy. Those Remiliens did say that they weren't going to make this easy." Femka's eyes closed.

Her eyes opened again after what felt like only seconds of sleep. She could hear Ratchet calling out to her and she groggily left the bed rubbing her eyes under her glasses and entered the front section of the ship. She could see a red planet in front of them.

"Is that Sepria?" she said sitting down in her seat.

"Yep, that's the place."

There were ships flying about as well and other space stations outside orbiting the planet. It was rather large but then again it was up close already. They would have a lot of ground to cover, though time wasn't exactly an object of matter, it was still important to Femka that she locate this Arlis character. The woman's fingers gripped at her chair when the ship began descend through the atmosphere, something she wouldn't be able to get used to. They broke through several layers of clouds to see the scenery below them. From up high it seemed like the planet was sparsely populated, having dense cities that were built far from each other. Between all of their population was desert and arid land and the rare river or body of water. Ratchet lowered the ship to a city by means of his own judgment. The ship landed on dock in the middle of the metropolis eventually as Clank then proceeded to push a few buttons on the computer consol.

"Downloading central map to navigational unit."

"Where are we going to start first?" Femka asked putting her head between the two seats in front of her.

"Anywhere. Someone's bound to know," Ratchet replied unstrapping his seatbelt.

She watched him hop off of the seat as she followed after the two to the door of the ship. Upon getting a ground view of the city around them, Femka only thought it looked the same to here as Meridian did. Everything was just as advanced and certainly just as overwhelming. Another thing she noticed was the intense heat. The sky was overcast but god was it hot. She didn't want to find out what it would be like when the sun came out. For the meanwhile, she just stood close to the two; by now Clank was on Ratchet's back and the Lombax was scouting the city before him for potential Remiliens to interrogate. It was just to get people's attention—they all apparently had some place to be, that or they were simply just rude aliens. Ratchet tried to get their attention the polite way until about ten minutes passed and he was feeling frustrated.

"Do they think I'm trying to sell them something? I just need to ask a question!"

"Those two guys did tell me that it'd be difficult to talk to the Remiliens," Femka added rubbing her arm.

"Yeah, well, it's really annoying. Not even the infobots are pleasant."

"Maybe we should try a different approach?"

"Ah, yes," Clank spoke, "as in going someplace that is more environmentally social."

"Is that possible here?" Ratchet rolled his eyes.

"I bet we could get some answers in a bar or maybe a café." Femka shrugged her shoulders.

The mechanic sighed.

"It's better than just standing here and getting rejected by every pedestrian. Let's go."

Femka followed close behind Ratchet as they searched for a pub or something of the sort. Their language, naturally, was different and the signs that were placed above any store or building were illegible—but that's what electronic maps were for. The three traversed the city for a while until they were able to locate some bar that bordered the desert ahead. The trio entered the building which had dim lights, something typical for a place of its kind. There were more than just Remiliens sitting around, which was good for them, considering the species was exceptionally arrogant—so they've witnessed. Femka glanced about the room with her eyes trying to find the most approachable specimen. It didn't seem like a tough-guy joint but the translator wasn't good at initiating conversations about such a topic with weird creatures. She barely was used to all the alien species she saw on Igliak! She kept close to Ratchet and Clank as he motioned towards the bartender who looked like a familiar species to Femka. Ratchet's ears went up with a twitch of his tail resting his upper body against the counter.

"So. A Terachnoid working at a bar, on Sepria, in Reiggel?" his brow rose.

"Judge me all you want Lombax," the alien began with a lift of his glasses, "but I have to make ends meet somehow."

"Why don't you just fix computers? Your kind are renowned for being nerdy."

"But this place has so many benefits. I don't have talk anyone I don't want to. It was aggravating working at Pollyx, always dealing with the same people who knew nothing about the simplest electronic device. I couldn't take it anymore."

"Then why a bar? Here of all places?"

"It's like I said, I don't have to engage myself in monotonous conversation or give direction over and over again. The people that come in here only want to wind down and drink. I can respect that. If I remained at Pollyx any longer I would've become an alcoholic, too." His head slowly shook as he wiped a glass clean with a small cloth. "As for reason of traveling this far, it was kind of coincidental. But it worked out anyway. Besides, the dry air is better for my asthma."

"Oh, I have asthma, too." Femka joined in peeking over Ratchet's shoulder with a small smile and raise of her brows.

The pink-toned alien sighed longingly after seeing Femka.

"And that's another perk. You can meet beautiful women like the one who stands next to you. "

"Aren't drunken women usually just desperate?"

The Terachnoid sighed.

"Of course, with pros come cons…"

"I don't drink," Femka added with a sneer and looked at the depressed bartender deciding to change the subject. "Can I ask you a question?"

"As long as it has nothing to do with a computer…"

"No. It doesn't."

"Then please."

"Well, you seem like a nice, modest individual. Would you happen to know about a Arlis Marlow?"

"Arlis Marlow?" the Terachnoid gulped looking around the room. Some of the customers were looking their way. "We don't really talk about him here," he whispered.

"But I really need information about him."

"I'm sorry I can't help you. This place is very strict on that sort of intell. And I don't want to be a part of it."

"He can't be worse than Ipsin." Her shoulders shrugged.

"We don't talk about him either!" his arms flailed.

"Well, who does then?"

"I don't know! I don't know anything!" the alien said hiding underneath the countertop.

"Not even if I… went on a date with you?"

"No! I still wouldn't know anything!" he cried from underneath the counter. "Although, I would take you up on your offer nonetheless."

"C'mon, Fem," Ratchet sighed with a shake of his head and grabbed her hand leading her out of the bar with him. "There's no need to be desperate while you're sober. Terachnoids are too cowardice anyway. We'll just go somewhere else."

"Hey," a voice called out to them as they walked by several tables to the exit.

The mechanic turned his head to seek out the voice.

"Over there," Clank pointed.

There was a figure sitting alone at a table in the back of the bar. The person motioned for the three to come closer. When they approached the shadowed figure was in disguise, a black mask covered their face and the rest of their head; their body was covered by some robe or old style of clothing. It reminded Femka of someone from the feudal era of Japan or something.

"Take a seat," the voice insisted. It seemed distorted, like it was being disguised by a modulator.

The three took their own chairs each and sat down staring at the strange person across from them.

"So, I heard you're looking for a specific Remilien, huh? I can help you."

"Oh, yeah? And why trust a stranger?" Ratchet questioned.

"Nobody else is going to help you. As far as I can see you don't know anything about this place, so who else is there?"

"Alright, then if you're gonna help us what's the catch?"

The stranger smirked under their mask.

"I'll tell you later. We can't talk business here. Meet me at the Volkera Plaza tonight at zero hour, and then we'll discuss our matters there."

Before saying anything more, the stranger stood up and left the bar leaving the three to look curiously at one another.

"That was interesting," Ratchet noted standing up a moment later.

"Indeed. I wonder what makes him, or her, so willing to help a group of strangers," the little robot pondered.

"We'll just be cautious anyway when we meet up with… him or her. Depending on what they ask for in return'll depend on whether we can actually get the information or not." Ratchet looked at Femka. "I want you to get home, too, but I want you to get home safely."

"I know," she smiled standing up next.

The mechanic returned the smile and let his friend link onto his back once again.

"Let's get something to eat and go back to the ship until we have to meet up with what's-its-face."

The bar was far behind them as they looked for a decent place to chow down on something. Femka was starving and so was Ratchet, and well, Clank didn't eat. In a matter of time they discovered a decent food outlet that served things that weren't too unusual for their taste. Regardless, it would be new to the both of them. Femka tried to order something that reminded her of the food she barely was used to on Igliak and Ratchet went out of his way to try something that looked utterly abnormal. The two went to town while Clank looked up the directions to Volkera Plaza on his navigational device. It looked like it was across town from where they were.

"What is that?" Femka asked pointing to Ratchet's food.

"I have no idea."

"Is it good?"

"Try for yourself," he grinned pushing his plate closer to her.

Femka was hesitant at the face he was making and she took a piece of food off of his dish with her fork and put it in her mouth. It tasted weird. It was meat, but it was weird. It was spicy too and after a moment of chewing it just became awkward. She took a napkin and spat the piece of food into it while hearing Ratchet laugh at her. Her face was scrunched with her chin pushed in her neck.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too, but I already made a commitment," Ratchet shrugged still chuckling and continued eating. "What about your food? Is it any good?"

"It's interesting." She prodded at it with her fork. "Better than what you're eating if you ask me." She took a bite of her food to get rid of the aftertaste that lingered on her tongue.

The Lombax just smiled at her and begrudgingly finished off the rest of his food. Actually, the taste was okay by the last few bites. Maybe it took some getting used to, an acquired taste. Ratchet's eyes glanced over to Clank who sat beside him and watched what the little robot was up to. He was typing on a holo-display computer trying to gather information about the planet—to pass time and to educate himself.

"So," Ratchet said looking at Femka after a moment of quiet, "when you get home, what's the first thing you're going to do?"

Femka paused and thought.

"I don't know. I think first I'll have to find my mom. She's the first person I want to hug." She sighed with a small smile looking down at her food. "And then my friend Alexander. I miss him a lot, too. But I think it'll be hard to say goodbye here…"

Femka stared down at her food. She still couldn't fathom the immense feelings she harbored. She never thought something like this would so upsetting. She's had to say goodbye to many things in her life and she was never any good at it. She could feel her eyes swelling, so her head didn't budge. The two across the table from her have been wonderful friends in the short time she spent with them and letting someone so important go would be the hardest thing anyone could ever do. Femka didn't mean to be so quiet but she was lost in thought again and Ratchet began to reconsider his choice of a question. Femka sniffled with a rub of her hand against her nose and she looked up at her concerned friend and smiled a bit feeling embarrassed for the awkward moment.

"Sorry," she laughed lightly. "I just kind of got lost for a minute."

"I noticed." His ears perked. "Are you ready to head back to the ship?"

Femka nodded and left her seat as the two others did the same. The walk back was quiet but it didn't take too long. Femka just thought the whole time and stared off into nothingness occasionally making a small sigh or sniffle through her nose from congestion. When they got to the ship the first thing she wanted to do was sleep or take a nap. Femka could feel her eyes weighing down. While the bed on board wasn't the most comfortable at least it was a bed. Her feet carried her on the ship slowly and her body fell onto the bed. She closed her eyes and listened with her ears the sounds that Clank and Ratchet were making when they entered the vessel. Her body rolled to face the wall and her eyes opened to see her tired reflection on the metal surface. The door to the room opened and the mechanic stepped in.

"Alright, move over."

"Hm?" Femka looked over her shoulder.

"I'm a little tired, if not more than you, since I had to stay awake seventeen hours for the duration of the trip and then six hours before that, so I'm a little sleepy. And as much as I like sleeping on couches the chairs in this ship aren't that comfortable."

Femka scooted to the middle of the bed with a leer and sprawled her arms and legs over it covering most of the surface as she lay on her back.

"Oh, you're playing this game, huh?"

Ratchet moved over to the bed and took a hold of one of her hands to drag her near him but she of course resisted and hung onto the bed and threw a pillow at his face when he let her go. She sat up on the bed with the other remaining pillow ready to fight him for the turf. He looked at her with a dramatic, appalled expression, since she brought weaponry into the situation; but she left a part of the bed open and he quickly took to the opportunity crawling onto the flat surface. She watched him crawl closer towards her with his tail slowly swaying after him. For some reason it overwhelmed her causing her to hide behind the pillow with a blushing face.

"Why are you hiding? You're the one who started this."

His hand motioned to pull the pillow away from her face that was only now being covered by her hands.

"I thought you'd at least hit me with it again."

And she did. Femka stuffed the pillow to his face, because of how close he was to her. But she couldn't help but laugh after seeing his ears rise up when the fluffy material hit his face.

"Thanks…," he said with a muffled voice taking away the pillow and sitting up across from her. "Okay, now move over."

Ratchet tossed the pillow back at her and she placed it on the bed while he retrieved the other pillow for himself. Femka lain down to face the wall again but gave Ratchet enough room as well this time. She took off her glasses that became smudged from being pressed against her face when behind the pillow and she folded them placing the eyewear on a shelf above her in the wall. She still felt silly for blushing at something like what happened moments ago but there was no helping it. She calmed herself after a minute and closed her eyes.

"Ratchet…," she said quietly, "is your tail wagging?"

"Huh? Oh. Sorry. It's involuntary… sometimes…"

She smiled and chuckled through her teeth when it stopped brushing against her backside.

"Ratchet…," she said quietly once again after another pause.

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna miss you…"

"I'll miss you, too."

She smiled lightly still and opened her eyes again to stare at her distorted reflection. It made her heart flutter.

"Really?"

"Of course I will," he said with a tired smile.

Hearing that help put some of Femka's worries at ease for the time being. Her eyes closed again letting her heart slow down. Her thoughts scattered until she was finally asleep and so was he.

• • •

Femka felt a push against her shoulder and her eyes opened hearing a voice calling her. She grumbled and squinted at Ratchet who'd been trying to wake her up for a few minutes.

"Are you awake yet? It's time to go."

"Huh?" she yawned with her eyes still out of focus.

"C'mon sleeping beauty."

Ratchet rolled the woman over and lifted her body up by pulling her arms towards him. Femka eventually woke up rubbing her eyes and throwing her legs over the edge of the bed. The glasses that she wore earlier went on her face until she remembered they were smudged and she proceeded to wipe them clean with her shirt. She took a hold of Ratchet's hand after he offered it to help her get up.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said with a stretch.

"Good. Clank already has the coordinates to that plaza, so we'll just take the ship."

The mechanic left the small room and headed to his seat next to his partner. Femka came in shortly after and sat in her seat behind them. The ship lifted off and flew for only a few minutes and Femka could see out of the window the plaza beneath them. It was a huge place but it was completely deserted. The buildings around the circle were stores of some sort and in the center was a gigantic fountain, but not a single soul in sight. It was kind of creepy. Despite the eerie feeling, the mechanic landed the vessel out of the plaza's circle, just a few feet before it. Femka unfastened her belt and stared out into the darkness around her with her head just slightly poking out of the ship's side door.

"Where is he… she?" Femka asked stepping out of the ship.

"Over there, it would appear," Clank noted the figure standing by the fountain.

"Let's go," Ratchet said walking in front toward the mysterious stranger.

Clank hopped onto Ratchet's back as Femka followed closely behind. The stranger watched them advance and smiled underneath the mask he/she wore.

"Glad you could make it."

"Interesting choice of location," the Lombax said looking around. "So, what's the deal?"

"Right to business. I admire that. Well, I told you I would help you locate Arlis Marlow but first tell me, why do you need to find him? Nobody ever talks about him; as a matter of fact, most people here pretend he didn't exist."

"We have predicament. My associate here needs to get back home and we think Arlis can help her." Ratchet explained. "She's not from anywhere you would know. Actually, we don't think her home is even on this universal plane."

"My necklace was the reason I was spirited away."

She held out the jewel to the stranger as it glowed brightly.

"That's Neroltrium… Hmm." The stranger thought before talking again. "So, you think Marlow can tell you what you must do then? Hm. Interesting. While you're here, I'd suggest you keep that thing out of sight. I'm surprised no one's noticed it yet."

Femka placed the necklace in her shirt and looked back at the masked stranger.

"Why is it that Mister Marlow is treated as though he never lived?" Clank asked curiously.

"Because of his association with Doctor Ipsin Ro and Sergua the Oppressor. He was the one who continued research on the material. After Sergua's failed attempt on galactic domination, most people here were ashamed that they were Remilien and wanted nothing to do with the history—Neroltrium included. As far as Remiliens knew, the stuff was just unnatural and only brought trouble. But Marlow still wanted to learn about it. He adopted a pupil and taught him everything he knew. It was someone who he could share his interests with. But Ro was an unstable mind and he delved deeper into the material's dangerous side. Needless to say, our government found out what he was doing and exiled him off of the planet. They banished Marlow soon after."

"Do you know where he is?" Ratchet questioned with his ears alert.

"I do, sort of. I'm also sure Marlow could help you. But second, I need a favor from you."

"I'm listening."

"There's a friend of mine who knows where Marlow is, exactly where he is. Unfortunately…" The three waited in anticipation. There was always an unfortunate part somewhere in the story. "…he's in jail."

"And you want us to break him out?" Ratchet perked a brow.

"That's the idea. But that's my only favor I have to ask of you. I can't break him out myself."

"Can I ask why he's in jail?"

"It's personal." The mysterious stranger stopped and listened in to the sounds around him/her. There were footsteps echoing around the buildings near them. Someone was coming. "So is it a deal or not?" the masked person said quickly.

"Ratchet, we must take into account the penalties and consequences of your choice should you accept his or her offer," Clank headed.

"I know, I know."

The Lombax glanced to Femka with a sympathetic look and her heart sank at his expression. He wanted to help her return home and she saw that.

"Ratchet, you don't have to do something like that for me." She frowned.

"What, were you gonna do it yourself?" He smiled lightly turning back to the figure behind the mask. "It's a deal."

"Good. I want to rendezvous with you the same time that you met me today, tomorrow back at the pub where we first met. Bring your ship. I have to go for now. You should probably get going, too."

The stranger turned their head toward the footsteps that grew louder and started off in the other direction. Ratchet watched for a moment and turned to Femka nodding his head for her to follow him back to the ship. The two hurried on their feet and went into the small vessel. Clank let himself off of Ratchet's back and went to his seat. Femka sat down on the side seat in the back as the mechanic took his place at the controls. She felt guilty, for no valid reason, too. Her eyes stared at the floor as the ship took off into the air. She watched out the window for a moment and saw that they were already landing after what seemed like only five minutes of flying.

"Where're we going?" she asked standing up from her seat.

"Well, that mysterious masked character said to meet back at the pub the same time we met him or her today, so I figured that's plenty of time to actually get some sleep in a place that's meant for sleep. Also something to eat."

"At past midnight?" Clank questioned leaving his chair as the side of the ship opened.

"Well, just a quick snack. I'm sure some place is opened. I mean, it is a city."

Femka followed the two out of the ship carrying her backpack over her shoulder. It was fairly late but where Ratchet picked to land seemed a bit lively still. It made her wonder what was with that plaza they were just at. It was a ghost town in that section of the city. Femka walked slowly behind them taking in all the Remilien aliens she was seeing. Still, there were some familiar faces walking about. And over head above the buildings she could see the galaxy and the planet's moon that hovered brightly above. By the time her head adjusted to glance forward she saw Ratchet and Clank walking to a building ahead of her and quickened her pace. It was a hotel—or so she assumed when she entered the building with them and inspected the foyer with her eyes. There was no desk clerk present but from the looks of it to get a room was done by some sort of machine near the front desk. Everything was automatic. To pick a room, all you needed to do was press some buttons on the computer and it would display rooms available, the types and the prices for the rooms and the duration of the stay. Femka watched the mechanic work the machine mumbling something while looking for a language that he could read. Ratchet made a breakthrough in due time figuring out how to operate the device and the code to their room was presented via receipt after he paid. The three entered an elevator shaft that would take them to their floor. Femka day dreamt the whole ride up looking out the clear glass to the city outside. She had the sudden overwhelming feeling of heights for some reason when she stood close to the glass. Her feet shuffled toward the center of the lift still losing herself in her mind. She didn't realize the elevator stopped and that her company stepped out.

"Fem," Ratchet sang out.

"Oh!" The woman scurried out and chuckled a nervous laugh pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry."

"Still thinking about that someone?" he smiled looking back at her over his shoulder as he walked on to the room.

"Yes," she blushed faintly.

He only kept his smile turning his head back to look down the hallway and stop in front of a door just a few more feet ahead. Ratchet took out the receipt and punched in the numbers on the panel that was next to the door and the hexagonal gate opened seconds after. Femka entered after the two walked into the medium-sized room. There was a window that looked out to the neon-lit buildings in the city. The translator stared at the view for a moment before setting her things down next to one of the beds. Ah, yes. There were two beds this time. Not that sharing a bed wasn't enjoyable for either of them—Femka was small and Ratchet wasn't much bigger—but it would be nice to have a bed of their own, especially for Ratchet. Clank's comfort was accommodated easily regardless of where he slept (though he didn't necessarily need it). Ratchet plopped onto the other bed and sighed resting his arms behind his head and crossing his lower leg over the other. Femka walked toward the bathroom after digging through her bag for her pajamas. The girl was still sleepy and she planned on getting sleep for at least eight hours. She slipped into the bathroom and examined the area. Most of the things seemed similar to all the other bathrooms she's witnessed but still, it was a different planet. Something's were bound to be different. Femka scrutinized the shower and sighed longing to make herself feel clean. It seemed easy enough to work and within a moment her glasses, necklace and clothing were off and she hopped into the hot shower letting the water pour down on her. That always made her feel good. She stood there with her eyes closed and let it all soak in for a few minutes before she actually washed her body and hair.

"That felt nice…"

Femka pushed the water off of her face with her hands and turned the shower off taking a step out of the chamber and drying off with a nearby towel. She wrapped the towel around her body and quickly brushed her teeth before partially drying her hair with the damp wrap as well. Seeing her blue and purple colored hair in the mirror didn't bother her anymore—she accepted it a while ago—but it was still weird anyway. The woman dressed in her nightclothes and walked out of the steaming bathroom putting her hair up in a ponytail. She saw that the Lombax found something to eat and giggled at the strange face he was making while chewing the food. He couldn't figure out if it was good or not yet. Clank was sitting close to him on the bed as well reading the same book since last time on Jowai near the light that was on the nightstand. Femka sat on the bed and put her dirty clothes into her backpack and rested on her backside onto the bed. Her head turned to look at Ratchet who was inspecting an element on the food he was slowly chewing and put it in his mouth with one finger looking contemplative as he did so.

"How is it?" she smiled showing her teeth.

"Questionable… But…"

"But?"

"Better than that whatever-it-was that I ate earlier. These people have no taste in food."

"Is it sweet?" she asked rolling onto her stomach. "It looks like some kind of bread."

"It's something," he said raising his eyebrows and handing Femka the snack for her to try.

Femka reached out and took the object sniffing it first and took a small nibble. It did taste a little sweet. The texture was soft like bread and there were little bits of something within it. Actually, it didn't taste that bad. She handed it back to him with her arm stretched out and shrugged with a lift of her palms.

"I don't think it's so bad."

"Which leads me to question what your food tastes like back on your planet," he squinted an eye at her.

"Depends on where you go. Some food is good; some food is not so good."

Ratchet finished the rest of the stuff bed wanting to brush his teeth. Femka watched him walk into the bathroom and close the door behind him. The distinct sound of running water could be heard. Femka rolled on her side and looked out the window and her soft smile faded. She was already back in a daydream when Ratchet came from out of the bathroom feeling slightly more refreshed from brushing his teeth and losing a layer of clothing. The Lombax dove onto the bed after kicking off his shoes causing Clank to bounce up, though his eyes were still on his book. The small robot turned his head over to Femka who seemed like she was falling asleep (or already was asleep) and set his book down.

"Ratchet, I am turning off the light. Please do not snore this time."

"I don't snore," he argued lifting his face from the pillow he smothered himself in when he dove.

"And how would you know? You are asleep when you do it."

"Yeah, well, you still have insufficient proof."

"And I will prove you otherwise if I am ambitious," he said flicking off the light.

Ratchet shook his head before moving his head to the other direction and then running his body in the same way.

"Goodnight to you, too, Clank," he closed his eyes. "Goodnight Fem."

"Goodnight," Femka sighed out through a small yawn.

• • •

There sounds of moving objects that went about the room brought the young woman further out of her dreams and her eyes flickered open just a crack to see the sun coming into the room and her ears tuned into the faint sound of electricity that traveled from the holo-vision set that had been turned on. Femka reached tiredly over the bed and into her backpack with her hand to pull out her comm-link and brought the device to her face to see the time. It was past noon. Femka laid there for a moment with her head rested on its side against the comfortable pillow and stared out the window tuning into the sounds that were around her. Ratchet and Clank were already awake and moving about the room as well. Femka sat up eventually after smelling something good and scanned the room until she saw the two familiar faces. She saw Clank on the other bed flipping rapidly through the channels on the holo-vision set and Ratchet was in the little kitchen area of their hotel room making something.

"Good afternoon Miss Femka," Clank said. "Have you slept well?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded rubbing and wiping away the sleep from her eyes. "Anything interesting on holo-vision?"

"It is difficult to say. I am not sure I understand the Remilien sense of humor, though, however, I have found an interesting channel which speaks about this planet's history."

"Yeah, that's real exciting," Ratchet said from the other end of the room.

"Education is not for everyone."

Ratchet scowled turning his head back at Clank with a squint as Femka proceeded to laugh openly.

"The language that I translate between with English has a name for that that children like to use back in their country. They'd say you're intelligent allergisch, allergic to intellect."

"Just whose side are you own?"

"The side that wins." Femka smiled with her hair a mess and slid out of bed to inspect Ratchet's activity by the kitchen. "What're you making?" She leaned against the counter propping her head with hands under her chin and her elbows against the flat surface.

"Something that's actually edible. I tried eating breakfast earlier but I can't stomach the food here. It tastes awful. So I brought some food that I had stored on the ship and decided to make it, since this clearly qualifies as an emergency."

"Can I have some?" she looked up at him with her body hunched over the counter.

Ratchet gave her a dubious look with a risen brow to which the woman responded by fluttering her eyes and smiling in an attempt to act cute. She hoped that her looks would be enough to persuade him. Ratchet's ears went up at her expression and his eyes drifted down to catch a glimpse at her exposed cleavage easily shown from the loose shirt she wore. His nose turned more pink than what it already was and his tail swept as he handed her a plate putting the food onto it while cracking a nervous smile and quickly placing his eyes onto her face. Femka stood up straight taking the plate and looking at him with a funny smile and her head cocked to the side. She seemed to miss what he was looking at.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"What?"

She shook her head lightly but smiled anyway taking the food with her back to the bed, sitting down and eating it with her hands. It was definitely tastier than the food she had tried earlier on this planet. Femka could see the relief and delight on Ratchet's face when he took a bit of the food he made as he walked over to his bed. She smiled at him while eating a piece of the delicious morsel.

"Oh, thank god we don't have to be here much longer," the Lombax said with his mouth full.

"What're we gonna do until we have to go meet that person tonight?" Femka asked eating still and watching the holo-vision before her.

"I haven't got anything planned." Ratchet looked over to Clank. "What about you?"

"Well, I did see a few places that seemed rather interesting around here. This city seems very technologically successful and I was reading on some of the history yesterday while we were out. I was hoping to gain knowledge of their technological advancements."

"Nerd."

"It is better than sitting around all day," he said in rebuttal.

"Oh, I'll think of something to do," he said finishing up his food. "I'm just not gonna eat their food."

Ratchet stuck out his tongue and motioned off of the bed to take his dirtied utensils to the sink. Femka handed out her plate to him before he made it very far and he took it bringing it to the small area with him. Femka hopped off of her bed next and scampered to the bathroom taking her backpack with her. She knew she took a shower yesterday but there were other things she needed to do that she forgot to do last night. She closed the door behind her and set her bag on the toilet seat and dug around in it for a moment until she pulled out a small razor. She still wanted to up keep her hygiene and femininity, so something like this was a requirement. She undressed from her nightclothes and stood before the mirror nearly nude with the exception of her underpants and put the razor underneath some warm water from the faucet of the sink. She took a washcloth that hung from a small hook on the side of the mirror and dampened it as well soon grabbing some lotion that was by the shower and rubbing it on her legs. She took the razor from the bottom of sink and run it up and down her moistened leg and repeated the process until she did the same thing with the other leg, occasionally wetting the cloth again and smoothing out her legs with it. Femka tapped the shaver against the rim of the sink and continued her hygiene to her underarms. Doing this always made her feel somewhat unattractive as a human being. Regardless, she finished the job and took the razor from her underarms and tapped it again against the rim of sink and let it soak underneath the running water from the tap. The woman washed her face next and put some of the water over her hair to slick it back away from her face. A small dab of soap managed to slip in her eyes when she went to clean it off and she shut them tight from the small sting it brought. Her hand fumbled in the sink for the cloth but she instead grabbed a hold of the razor catching her finger on one of the blades. She bit her tongue in response to the sharp pain and cupped her finger within her other hand. Her face went under the falling water to get the soap out of her eyes and she lifted her hand to see the blood gushing from out of her finger. She grimaced sucking in air quickly through her teeth. Femka looked around the bathroom for any sign of a first aid kit or some band aids but found nothing. She squeezed her finger and held it above her head hoping that the blood would slow down eventually. It just poured out for a minute or two before Femka put some toilet paper around it to help. She stood there for a few minutes until her hand lowered and she inspected the open cut.

"Ow…," she said looking at the wound on her index finger. "Stupid thing."

She put her clothes on for the day after packing the other ones inside the bag, making sure not to touch anything with her cut finger. She left the bathroom noticing that it was void of life and that the holo-vision had been turned off. She squinted her eyes and glanced about the room slowly stepping out of the bathroom.

"Clank? Ratchet?"

"Ooh!"

Femka's eyes suddenly widened at the person that appeared in front of her with a gasp leaving her mouth. Ratchet was laughing in front of her as he was the person who leaped out to scare her. The woman narrowed her brows letting the Lombax finish his laugh.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist. You were in there for awhile and usually when people leave the bathroom after a long time they're completely unsuspecting of what's on the outside and normally Clank wouldn't even be in a bathroom, so it's not like I could do this to him. Plus, I actually have to use the toilet." He smiled tipping his head to her and brushed past Femka entering the bathroom with a swift shut of the door behind him.

She would've pulled his tail if she could've caught him in time but she just glared at the door and walked back to her bed still holding her finger. She looked at the long sliver that ran down her index finger and looked over at the end of the room when she saw the door open. Ratchet's ears motioned up and down noticing Femka was holding up her finger.

"What're you doing?" he asked walking over.

"I cut it while I was in the bathroom. It hurts." She showed him her injured finger.

He looked at it with a tilt of his head and took her hand to see the cut more closely. He let go of it and went to his clothes that were on the floor from yesterday and dug around for something until he found it. He brought out a small grey pouch and took out from it a smack tube of liquid and an equally small roll of white tape. Ratchet walked back over to where Femka was and sat next to her on the bed and held out his hand for her to rest in it. She gave him her hand and gently held it to begin applying whatever was in that tube onto her cut index finger. She felt him hold her hand before but it still gave her chills anyway. It was so warm and soft and his hands were so much larger than hers. Femka's trance wore down when the medicine touched her wound. It stung somewhat making her wince until the mechanic covered up the injury with the white tape.

"There," he said finally finished and giving her back her hand.

"Thanks." Femka wiggled her fingers and watched Ratchet put the things back into the grey pouch and kicked her legs in front of her. "Did Clank go to see those things he was curious about already?" she asked looking in the Lombax's direction.

"Yeah, he said when he was finished he'd come find either of us."

"Did you think of what you wanted to do yet?"

"Not really," he chuckled. "What about you?"

"I wanted to go look around but I didn't want to go alone."

"Then I'll go with you."

Femka smiled delighted and got up from sitting on the bed. She put on her shoes and hurried over to Ratchet who waited for her by the door. Her smaller necessities she carried in a small pouch that clung to her belt. She put her glasses on lastly and placed her necklace around her neck and inside her shirt. She remembered what the stranger said yesterday. She didn't want to attract any odd attention to herself—more so than she already did at least. Ratchet opened the door and Femka exited first with him following behind her. They both headed down the hallway and to the lift they all took last night. Femka looked out to the city through the glass again making certain she wasn't too close. When they reached the bottom floor Femka was the one who was following behind Ratchet this time until they exited the hotel room. Though the sun was out and it was beautiful the weather was still miserably hot. Only after a few minutes of walking did Femka start to sweat underneath her clothing. What she wore was a white, thin material and it left most of her arms exposed—maybe that wasn't such a good choice. She looked over to Ratchet wondering how he didn't look so bothered.

"Aren't you hot?" she asked as they walked, fanning herself with her hand.

"I was born for this type of weather." His tail swept. "But it is pretty hot, even for me." He adjusted the collar of his clothing around his neck.

"I would think that being covered in fur would have something to do with it, too," Femka said reaching out to one of his ears and tugging on it playfully.

Ratchet shook his head moving out of the way so Femka couldn't grab onto him anymore but the woman insisted on trying to lunge after his tail next. He was wise to her plan and continued to turn away from her reach. It almost looked like they were doing some silly dance. When Femka tried reaching for his tail again with a gleam on her face, the Lombax slipped away reaching for the ponytail behind her head and tugged on it causing her to turn herself around and grab after his hand nearly tripping in the process and falling against him. Ratchet placed his hands on the sides of her upper arms to keep her from tumbling any further and chuckled when the woman lifted her face to look at him with her palms pressed against his chest.

"Not very graceful on your feet, are you?" he teased.

"No," she looked away, her cheeks turning pink.

"I was just kidding," he smiled tilting his head to try and look at her face.

Every time he tried to look at her she'd turn her head in a different direction to avert his gaze. Ratchet's eyes were distracted by something else soon thereafter, however. His head perked at an interesting display of Remilien activity not too far away from where they stood. The people walking under a nearby archway were overdressed and wearing what might have been the Sepria traditional garb.

"I wonder if that's a wedding," Ratchet spoke still watching the people walk by onto a bridge.

Femka turned her head around and saw the display for her own eyes. There were several people walking in front of two other Remiliens. There was a man and a woman side by side following the crowd. From where Femka stood, she could see the smiles on their faces as a Remilien behind them rung a gentle gong and another that lead the crowd played an interesting looking horn the size of his upper body. Femka noticed that the woman who was dressed the most extravagant had a bit of a belly. It made her smile at the thought for some reason. While Femka was distracted by the show, Ratchet took the opportunity to pull on her hair again. The mechanic laughed at her when she turned around quickly trying to swing at him and he started to run off, though Femka chased right after him. She was fast and kept up a decent pace as Ratchet ran along the walkway through a small crowd of people. His head turned back slightly to see if the woman was still on his tail but only turned around noticing that she wasn't. Ratchet went back through the crowd to see the human breathing heavily and hunching over.

"Are you alright?" he asked walking over to her with a quirky smile.

"I'm fine…," she panted wiping the sweat off of her forehead. "I'm okay…"

"Let's go find some place where you can cool off."

Ratchet motioned for the woman to follow when she finally caught her breath. They walked for a few minutes longer until they both came to a tall building. It was a mall of some sort and fortune would have it that the place was much cooler inside than outside. Femka followed behind the mechanic and sighed heavily at the burst of cool air that hit her face when she stepped further into the complex. There was a large fountain that scraped the ceiling in the center of the mall. Femka immediately walked over to it and sat by the rim near the water that gushed out and fell into the large pool around the sculptured spout. Ratchet joined her, sitting next to her with his tail curled around his bottom, as she took a hand full of water and dumped on top of her head with a happy sigh.

"What're we going to do with the rest of the time we have?" Femka asked looking at the time on her comm-link. They had ample time to kill.

"I have no idea. We've got about ten hours, don't we?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sure there's something moderately entertaining to do. It might not last ten hours but we'll find something."

"I want to explore the desert."

Ratchet looked at her like she was an idiot.

"You sweat instantaneously the minute you step outside in this weather. I don't think it's much of a good idea to wonder in the wasteland with how you are."

Femka turned her head to Ratchet.

"I saw a river, albeit a small river, but I saw it running along the city. We could follow it."

"I dunno know, Fem. The sun's really hot here and your skin's very fair. You'll burn if you're out there too long."

"I'll buy an umbrella. And we won't be out that long. And besides, it's already fourteen hours into the day and I know that this planet has a twenty-four-hour cycle just like my planet does, and if it's anything like my planet then the sun shouldn't be up longer than twenty hours."

Ratchet snickered with a flick of his tail and smile on his face.

"Okay, fine. We can go. But if I notice your skin is turning red we should probably go back—and I told you so, also."

Femka smiled standing up from her seat on the fountain rim.

"We'll need to go back to the room first so we can get water to bring with us," Ratchet stated standing up as well.

The woman more than happily led the way back to the hotel room this time. She was eager to go exploring. It was still completely different than Earth but the desert was somewhat similar to the one she lived in. What's more is that they had plenty of time ahead of them, so why not explore? When she made it to their room Femka hurried over to her backpack and took her clothes out of it and waited for Ratchet to come back with the canisters of fresh water. The outfit that she wore now wasn't so bad to wear out there; it was a good thing it covered most of her body and that it was very light in color and in thickness. She only worried about her arms and her head. Femka pondered for a moment setting her bag on the bed and dug through every compartment.

"I know I put that stuff in here before I came to this universe," she said aloud searching through her bag. "Aha!"

Femka pulled out a small bottle of sunscreen she threw in her backpack before she went out bike riding the day of the incident. It hadn't expired yet and it should do the trick well enough. The woman lathered her arms and face up with the cream and kept the bottle in the compartment it was in. Femka found her phone and MP3 played in another compartment when she was looking through her things and remembered that they were both dead. She chuckled through her nose with a small thought in mind that concerned her ability.

"I could probably recharge these now that I think about it. But I'm a little scared that I might overheat them, or blow them up… I can control my power but not that well."

She placed the phone and MP3 player in the place she stored them previously and looked over at the door that opened revealing Ratchet who was carrying six canisters with him that occasionally dripped from the moisture that gathered around them.

"Okay, this should be good enough."

He brought the bottles over to Femka's backpack and she held it open for him to place the tall, water-filled objects inside. She pulled the bag up and zipped it putting it over her back.

"This is heavier than I thought," she noted trying to adjust the weight of the bag with her own.

"Here, let me carry it." He took the bag from her shoulders and wore it instead over his back. He loosed the straps and adjusted the backpack so it was more comfortable. "Ready?"

She nodded eager to get going.

"Alright, let's go."

It took them about an hour to walk to the edge of the city and make it to the bottom where the river was. There was a shaft that would take them to the ground that was covered in sand and the river was just less than a mile away. Ratchet was taking the journey barefoot since he figured it would be easier that way than wearing shoes. His feet were designed for the terrain they would be walking on regardless. The two trucked onward toward the river and already the heat was pounding onto to Femka from the hot sun above. She kept up the pace with Ratchet until they made it to the stream of flowing water. There was some vegetation that grew along side of the small river and Femka walked through it to step into the surprisingly cool water. She continued to walk further into the water until it came up to her waist and she sat down with an audible sigh of refreshment. Ratchet smiled and waited for her to come back closer to the land.

"Okay, we can keep going now," she said smiling with water dripping off of her clothing and hair.

Femka walked alongside her friend by the river intermittently taking a drink of water from the bottles they brought with them. By the time the woman turned her head back to look at the city they left behind them it was looking pretty small—well, not that small, but much smaller, nevertheless. The sun was making its way closer to the ground as well. They had been walking onward for over an hour and from time to time Femka would take dips in the river. At one point, Ratchet left the backpack on the ground to join her—even he was getting hot. As they continued along again, Femka looked at her communicator to see that the time was already half past seventeen hours of the day but the sun looked like it was getting ready to touch the horizon soon.

"Ratchet?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's go back now. I'm getting tired."

"Yeah, me too. The sun looks like it's going to set in a couple hours anyway."

The two turned around and began making their way back. Most of the walk back Femka was lost in her thoughts. Their conversations were sparse, since the woman daydreamt so much. Ratchet once looked over to her with a smile wondering just what she was thinking of. She saw the look and blinked turning her head in his direction.

"Still thinking about that person?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm still thinking about them."

Femka sighed through her nose looking onward to the city that was getting bigger by the minute.

"I really wish I could tell you how I feel," she thought. "But it's so difficult…"

A little more than an hour and a half passed that they were finally at the city's border and riding the shaft that they took earlier up to the walkway and to the transport. Femka's clothes were still damp and she made sure to stand while on the monorail car as they went back to the hotel. Of course she was still quiet and looking at the ground. As they walked back to the hotel Femka looked over at her friend and finally spoke feeling like her emotions were becoming more harder to bear all of a sudden.

"I have a problem," she said looking down keeping a slow pace.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Ratchet's head titled slightly and he stared at her.

"I'm confused…"

"About what?"

"Besides that person that I've been thinking about, I've been thinking about something else. I've been thinking about home and how much I can't wait to go back and see everyone but at the same time I… I don't want to go home." She stopped walking and held her arms. "I don't wanna leave."

"I… can see why that's a problem." The mechanic stopped as well. He noticed that she looked like she was about to cry after he spoke. "Oh, Fem, don't cry…"

"I'm not… I'm just upset…"

Ratchet's ears went down feeling sympathetic for her and moved closer to the woman putting a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her a little. Her sad eyes looked up at him.

"I'll miss you…," she said trying her hardest to push back a tear that clung to the corner of her eye.

"Come here."

The woman inched closer when he opened his arms and took her in for a tight embrace and she wrapped her arms around his neck resting her head over his shoulder. He held her close keeping silent for a while just thinking to himself. Some things were starting to make a little more sense to him now. All those moments when Femka would blush around him didn't go unnoticed and that "person" she was always thinking about, he had a feeling who that was as well.

"No wonder why this is so difficult for her," he thought.

But he wouldn't say anything about it until he knew for certain. Even the mere thought of it made him shy. For the moment he let Femka relax in his embrace and she sniffled just once with an exhale through her nostrils. She closed her eyes and he could feel her body weight rest on him as her face shifted to nestle into his neck.

"Fem," he said quietly after a moment, "I know it's hard but you have to think of what's best for you."

"I know," she muttered with her face still hidden somewhat. "I just… I don't want to lose someone like you."

"You won't lose me, Fem."

"Yeah, I will. If I go home, I won't be able to see you again, especially if my planet isn't even in this universe. And if it was, you still couldn't see me, because of how underdeveloped we are compared everyone else here." She sulked.

"I'll think of a way." Ratchet pulled her out in front of him, keeping his hands firm on her arms. "Don't be so down. I mean, you haven't even left yet." He smiled at her attempting to make light of the situation but Femka's head was looking down at her feet. "Aw, c'mon, Fem. You're making me depressed." He frowned.

"…I'm sorry."

Ratchet sighed and let go of Femka with a huff. It was already twenty hours and the sun was completely under the horizon. The Lombax didn't feel like he would have any luck trying to cheer the girl up either. She seemed determined to stay unhappy for the time being.

"Hey," Ratchet said breaking the silence, "we should head back to the hotel room to get our things ready. We have to go soon."

Femka nodded slowly and started walking forward but remained silent as she did. She felt a knot in her stomach but she just couldn't say anything without killing the mood further. Femka glanced over the Lombax that stood next to her when they arrived at the hotel and stood in the elevator. She wanted to open her mouth again but turned away and kept quiet as they reached their floor and both left the lift walking into the room. The lights were dim and Clank didn't seem to be around still. Ratchet pondered where his friend was with a small curious hum before he started gathering whatever things he had in the hotel room. Femka took back her bag from Ratchet and pulled out the bottles of finished water. Before she started putting her clothes and things back inside the backpack she headed into the bathroom to relieve herself and at the same time just think. The woman stared at her face in the mirror and sighed.

"Way to be, Fem," she said quietly with a little groan.

The young woman grumbled and turned the sink on dampening the washcloth from earlier and lathered up her face with it. She turned off the water having a second thought to just shower instead. Her clothes were nearly dry on her body but from sweating all day and jumping into unknown waters she just felt like a shower was better for her. She sighed heavily with mild aggravation at her own stubborn emotions and let the warm water run over her when she undressed and stepped into the stall. Femka put on her necklace when she finished and wrapped a towel around her body and left the bathroom to retrieve her clothes. Ratchet had finished gathering everything and left for the moment to put what he brought back on the ship. The emotionally congested female dressed quickly and put her glasses on to see the room more clearly and sat on the bed putting her stuff in the backpack she carried around with her everywhere. She took out her sketchpad while she waited for the mechanic to return and flipped it over to a drawing she had done several weeks ago. She smiled at it brought out a pencil to make a few more adjustments to the drawing and held it out in front of her when she was finished to critique it.

"There."

Just as she smiled at the picture the door opened and she looked over to see Ratchet and quickly closed her drawing pad putting it in her bag.

"Are you ready? Clank told me he was already on his way to the pub and he'd meet us there. Do you have everything?" the mechanic asked looking about the room.

"Yeah."

Femka slipped her backpack over her shoulders and motioned over to the door leaving first with Ratchet behind her. They both silently went down the elevator again. This time Ratchet was finding it hard to speak with the quiet girl. He had thoughts of his own plaguing his mind. He felt bad that he couldn't cheer her up and at the same time he felt equally terrible that she couldn't even choose between his world and her own. That was whole reason they were here in the first place, though. He wanted her to be happy and to go home and to reunite with her family and friends. But because of the other thought in his mind he knew she'd still be upset if she left. The mechanic almost felt like what they were about to do would be fruitless. Regardless, they both entered his ship and headed to the pub. Femka sat in her seat that she always would sit in and looked out the window the whole time. They had a couple more hours until the mysterious stranger would meet up with them by the time they arrived at the pub. Femka stepped out of the ship leaving her things inside of it and walked inside the place with Ratchet. It was the same as yesterday, dim lights, soft music, ordinary aliens and a Terachnoid bartender. Ratchet's eyes scanned the room to see Clank sitting at a table with a few fembots and the Lombax couldn't help but crack a smile. They seemed to be swooning over the little man as he laughed and talked about his stories. Ratchet walked over to meet with his friend placing a hand on his hip with a small smirk.

"Seems like you're in good company, pal," he said perking a brow at the women that sat around him.

"Ah, Ratchet. Yes indeed. I have been enlightening them about all our adventures and daring feats," Clank responded with a glow.

"I'm sure you have."

"Where is Miss Femka?"

"She's right—" Ratchet looked behind him but there was no Femka. "Well, she was right here." His head glanced around the place to see Femka sitting at a table in the corner with her head down low and resting on her arms.

"She does not look very happy." Clank blinked with a concerned stare.

"No, well, she's stuck between a rock and a hard place." Ratchet sighed with a drop of his shoulders.

"What do you mean?"

"She's kind of upset about going back home and leaving us." He scratched his neck. "Also…" Ratchet glanced at Femka quickly and then back to Clank before he continued, "do you mind if I talk to you in private?"

"Of course not." Clank hopped off of the chair and turned to his company. "If you will excuse me, Ladies."

"Certainly, Clank," the three female robots said together with giggles.

Clank proceeded to follow Ratchet over to the bartender's counter and sat down next to him in an empty seat.

"What is the matter?" Clank asked blinking his big, green eyes.

"Alright, you remember how you always say I'm bad with women?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm about ninety-nine percent sure that Femka likes me, not in the platonic way either," The Lombax said looking back over to the woman who slumped at her table.

"How are you so certain?"

"It's just a big hunch, buddy and it's another reason that makes it the more obvious why she doesn't wanna leave." His face turned back to Clank. "I just don't know what to do about it," he said with a shrug looking her way again. "She is really pretty…" His voice was soft and he was deep in thought.

"Ah, I understand. Miss Femka is a very attractive woman. It is interesting that she finds you attractive as well, given that her species know its kind as the only intelligent life forms in existence. But I have noticed, as well, how she acts around you at some points."

"I don't wanna break her heart, Clank. She's so fragile."

"And so it is what you meant by being 'a rock in a hard place'," he commented.

"Yeah." He slouched. "If she stays, she'll just be homesick for Earth and her friends or family won't see her again, and if she leaves, she'll feel incomplete; and I don't know if either of those are feelings that will go away over time. And we came here to take her home."

"The decision is entirely of Miss Femka's discretion."

"I know. But I don't think she can decide." Ratchet sighed once again. "I wonder what made her like me so much?" he pondered aloud with his chin on his palm and his elbow on the counter.

"I am nothing more than certain that it was because of your valor and charity which caused her to become so fond of you. After all, you did take her into your home and watched over her when she needed someone to." Clank turned his gaze to his pensive friend. "And I do believe right now she needs you still."

"Yeah," he smiled gently. "I feel guilty watching her sit there by herself. I just wish I could get her to be happy for the time that she has left here."

"Miss Femka is a smart woman. I am sure she will come to a revelation eventually."

"I hope so, otherwise this trip is gonna be rough." Ratchet slid off of the stool. "I'll be with her if you need me."

Ratchet's tail swept behind him as he walked over to the table that the lonely woman sat at in the dim light. There was a small lit candle that burnt on the table. Femka was watching the little flame dance and flicker when Ratchet sat down next to her. He copied her position folding his arms and slumping forward placing his chin on his wrists low to the table top and stared at Femka until she was looking back at him. He smiled at her moving a thick strand of hair from her face and placing it behind her ear.

"What'cha doin'?"

"Thinking," she lightly smiled back.

"What about this time?"

"Something to eat."

"Oh, that's right. We skipped dinner…" He sat up with his ears in different directions. "You seem to have more tolerance to the food here than I do. Do you want me to get you something from up front?"

"What about you?" Femka sat up straight as well placing her hands on her lap.

"I'll just get something from the ship. I'm not prepared to stomach their cuisine again." His eyes narrowed with a shake of his head. "I'll be right back."

The woman nodded her head and watched him walk off to the counter and talk to the pink alien on the other side and give him some bolts after pointing with his thumb over his shoulder to Femka's direction. The Terachnoid nodded and Ratchet then left the establishment. Femka blushed with a warm smile and saw the bartender scuttle over to her table with a plate of food balanced on his hand. He set the dish in front of her and adjusted his glasses.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Of course," he chuckled fidgeting his fingers bashfully. "Please enjoy it, Miss."

"I will. Thanks." She gleamed as the nervous Terachnoid shuffled back to the counter and started eating her food.

The resemblance was to some kind of pasta—and it wasn't bad at all. Though, she had a feeling Ratchet would disagree. She tried to pace herself when she ate it but, well, she was starving. Ratchet finally returned with something that would better fit his own tastes and rejoined Femka at the table taking note in her fast consumption of the noodles.

"Wanna try?" she asked sucking up some noodles when she did.

"Nah, it's all you," he declined.

"How much longer until that person shows up?"

"We've still got about an hour." Ratchet began eating his food.

"I wonder who or what they are."

"Personally I'd like to know what gender they are. Or if they even have a gender…"

"That happens here?" Femka looked up at him from her food.

"Sure. Sometimes it's very unexpected… and unanticipated…" He grimaced.

Femka couldn't help but laugh at the face he was making. She figured he must've had a bad encounter at some point in his life. After a moment of just talking and eating Clank decided to join them at their table and engage in their conversations as well. It helped pass the time until the stranger was to arrive. The clock struck midnight and right on cue the masked alien sauntered into the pub scanning the room for the trio. He/she approached them when he/she finally saw where they were and the group turned to stranger's direction as the person sat down at another table across from them not looking back.

"Are you ready?" the voice asked quietly.

"We've been waiting on you," Ratchet smiled turning his head away from the stranger.

"Good," he/she smiled and pulled out a nav-unit. "Get to your ship and synchronize with my navigational unit in ten minutes. We'll see each other soon."

The masked being left the table as quickly as he/she came and Femka looked over to Ratchet with an empty plate in front of her and then over to Clank. Ratchet glanced back at her with a nod of his head.

"Let's go."