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.

14. We've Found Him

Chapter Thirteen

Smoke and black dust filled the air and the craft that smashed directly into the hard ground of Fortum was no longer in commission. The three that were inside remained unconscious after impact. Ratchet's armor took most of the damage from being thrashed about during the crash landing; his mask flew off of his face and his body slumped in his chair. Faas sustained cuts and bruises while sitting crooked in his seat with the belt halfway undone. Clank's exterior was scuffed but he was the only one who didn't need to worry about much damage. The robot sat in his seat disabled from the EMP wave. The computer up front sparked sporadically and smoke filled the cabin. Ratchet coughed becoming slightly conscious and opened his eyes with a slow flicker after flicker of his eyelids. His body hurt and a low groan escaped from his mouth. His head turned about slowly as he saw what had become of the interior of the ship and he coughed again trying to unbuckle his seatbelt. He grunted after the thing unlatched finally and pushed his body upward and pressed his feet on the ground. The mechanic gritted his teeth at the pain but stood up straight while using the pilot chair to help prop him up. He walked over to the side door and tried opening it up with the button on the side panel. That only sparked electricity at him, too. He sighed heavily with a puff of his cheeks and coughed again. Ratchet grabbed onto the handle of the door and started to pull at it. It was jammed.

"Oh, yeah, sure. The strongest part of the ship is its side door." He kicked it with frustration and attempted to ram it with his shoulder.

The door didn't budge and now, thanks to his aggression, the mechanic had a sore shoulder. He took out his wrench and tried smashing the door open that way. He began to cause several indentations on the metal seal after awhile of constant hitting. The door hinges loosened and finally the thing fell apart with one last swing and Ratchet collapsed out of the ship onto the hard ground with a whimper. His eyes lost focus for a minute until he shook his head and stood up on his feet. He looked around him to see what environment he was stranded on. He remembered the view above just before the crash. It didn't seem like this planet was inhabited—inhabited by anything intelligent, least ways. The ground he stood on was a dark purple of stone and rock. The plants that were around were of various sizes and colors, most of them were red, however. They crashed in a forest. Ratchet's ear twitched hearing the sounds of Fortum's nature. There were growls and bellows in the far off distance; the plants even made noises of their own. Ratchet turned back around and hopped inside the ship. The others were still out. The mechanic first went to Faas and undid his seatbelt. He needed to get him out before his lungs filled with too much smoke. Faas was heavier than Ratchet (also taller) and carrying him over his shoulders was the only way. He placed him next to the ship on the ground carefully and went back inside for Clank taking him out of the vessel as well. Ratchet placed his small friend next to the Remilien and ran back inside the ship to gather some provisions—or whatever he could find. He stocked his ammunition from what was left over on the ship and grabbed Femka's backpack putting it over his shoulders. The mechanic hopped off board the ship and took out a bottle of water. He poured some of the liquid in his hand and dripped it on Faas's face. The alien didn't shift even a hair. Ratchet's fingers pressed into his neck to feel for a heartbeat. He was still alive.

"Hey, wake up," he nudged the red-skinned alien moving his shoulders and shaking his unconscious head lightly and tried pouring more water onto his face.

The man scrunched his nose as some of the water entered his nostrils and his eyes squeezed tight as a small grunt tumbled from his open mouth.

"Can you hear me?"

Faas's eyes opened slowly, his vision was blurred and Ratchet's voice was muffled whenever he spoke. There was a moment of silence before the mechanic tried getting the Remilien's attention again by waving his hand in front of his face. His eyes looked directly at Ratchet and he blinked his eyes tight again until he let out another verbal sound.

"Ah… what…?"

"I said, can you hear me?"

"I can hear… What's… what happened?" The alien attempted to sit up straight.

"We crashed on some planet," he said backing up so he could stand on his feet. "My nav-unit says we're on Fortum."

Faas rubbed his head feeling a small bump on the back. He grunted with a heavy sigh and stood up slowly using the side of the ship to help him.

"We crashed on Fortum?" He sounded annoyed. "Why the hell did you break me out of jail?"

Ratchet's ears lifted at opposite ends and pointed outward, sensing the slightest lack of appreciation.

"It was Gallo's idea. Your friend said the only way I could get the information was to break you out of a prison." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Information for what? What exactly is this about?"

"The whereabouts of Arlis Marlow."

He scoffed with a sarcastic smile and laugh.

"Arlis? You risked all of our lives just for Arlis?" His tail flicked.

"Apparently!"

"Well, you've practically found him!"

The Lombax's expression eased to something a little more confused.

"Yeah, that's right. He was sent to this planet all those years ago. This is Fortum. This is a planet that they dump people like me, or now you, on," he pointed angrily, "just so they can die. This planet is so hostile I'm surprised we haven't been disassembled already. We survived a crash just so the planet can kill us. Thanks a lot."

"Oh, like I really planned to crash here!"

"Well, if you hadn't broken me out of jail!" Faas shouted.

"Didn't I already tell you that it wasn't my idea? I just needed information! Besides, I would've thought that a convict would appreciate seeing the light of day again."

"Not if it's on Fortum! At least on Hol Hoyuk I was somewhat safe and guaranteed a meal everyday and a bed to sleep on. What am I guaranteed here? Death! This place is a death sentence!"

"We're not gonna die here," Ratchet said rolling his eyes. "So, stop being such a pessimist."

"I can't believe this. This is nuts. You break me out of jail just so you can get information about Arlis who's probably been dead for a long time since he got to this place, and you expect me to be okay with everything."

"Look, my comm-link still works, yeah my ship is pretty much destroyed, but there's still a way to communicate. I have rations, I have weaponry, we're not completely defenseless. So calm down, because if you don't I also have anesthetics somewhere."

Faas glared at the mechanic and growled until he looked away and sighed.

"You know, this place is watched over by satellites that orbit the planet. People aren't supposed to just waltz in here or out of here. What're we supposed to do?"

"Like I said, my communicator's still getting a signal. Even if this place is being monitored it's not that good. Don't forget, if you're friend wanted you out of jail I'm sure he or she will come back for you. I'm determined to get off of this place but Gallo made it seem like Arlis was still alive. I need to find him."

"What do you need him for?"

"For Femka. Here, look."

Ratchet took off that necklace that his Earthling friend let him keep and presented it to Faas. The alien's eyes opened wide as he held the necklace in the palm of his hand.

"I don't believe it… How do you have this?" he looked shocked.

"It's not mine, it's Femka's. She's had this thing for a long time. She's not from any of the galaxies we know. But she came here on accident. And it was because of this thing. It's a long story but she needs this Arlis Marlow so she can go home."

Faas stared at the blue and purple stone for a moment and handed it back to Ratchet who put it around his neck again.

"Arlis knew everything about this stuff—I of all people would understand." The alien leaned against the ship rubbing his head. "Arlis was my uncle, or is…," he laughed halfheartedly. "When I was a little kid, Arlis would teach me everything about his studies or whatever he stumbled across. He showed me Neroltrium and said that I had to keep it a secret. But I remember there was some other guy with him all the time. Ipsin Ro. He was his assistant or something. I didn't mind the guy but I was little, I didn't really mind anything. But all that changed." The Remilien sighed.

"What exactly happened? How did you end up in jail?"

"It was a misunderstanding. I've been in that prison for a long time and it wasn't even my fault. When I grew into a teenager I noticed something was wrong with my uncle. That guy he hung out with was always pushing him to go further with what they were studying. He always said, "Yeah, sure! Of course! Why not?" He wanted to learn more and more about Neroltrium but he was so naïve. There was an accident in his lab one day. Some of the material just got out of hand. Gallo was with me that day. We were both with Ipsin and Arlis. When it happened, Gallo's face was disfigured and I almost lost my arm. Ipsin was fine and Arlis just lost his tail and sustained some other injuries. But the Council found out and arrested my uncle. Ipsin got away. His punishment was banishment. Gallo was sent to the hospital to treat the wounds she had on her face." Faas stared at Ratchet who seemed surprised to learn that Gallo was a woman finally. "She and I were sent to prison just for being associated with Arlis," he continued. "But Gallo got loose and ran off. They sent me to Balva soon after and I was only able to speak with Gallo once many years later. When I went to the prison on my home planet they told me what would happen to my uncle." He looked down at his bare feet. "Ratchet, that's your name, right? I am a very confused Remilien. I'm finally free. But I can't tell you how I'll be if we actually find my uncle. I have so much angst for what happened. Sure he's my flesh and blood but for everything that he and Ipsin have done…" The red alien's fist balled and he went silent gritting his teeth.

Ratchet sympathized and slouched turning his eyes to look at the ground.

"Ipsin's not alive anymore," he said quietly.

"What?" Faas's view quickly fixated on the Lombax that stood several feet away.

"He escaped to Igliak in the Polaris galaxy. He's the reason that a lot of this got out of hand again. He kidnapped my friend and wanted to use her for some weapon just because of the necklace that she wore; when she came here it gave her the same attributes as the Neroltrium itself. But when I came to rescue her, his ship and weapon were demolished and he went with it."

Faas felt a bittersweet emotion flood through his veins. Ipsin was dead. It was a good thing; but at the same time, he wished that he could've been the one to kill the man. It was his fault that his uncle ended up the way he was. He was silent again and continued to stare at the ground. Ratchet didn't open his mouth again until he noticed a familiar, mechanical sound coming from the small unconscious robot near him. Clank was coming to at last as his antenna was blinking on and off. Ratchet stumbled over to him lifting his head off of the hard, purple surface of the planet. Clank's eyes opened slowly as their green lights glowed brighter and brighter. The robot's visual input gathered the information around him and finally recognized Ratchet whose face was above him with a smile. His big, green eyes blinked slowly.

"Good morning," Ratchet said happy to see that his friend was alright.

"Where are we?" the sentient being asked sitting up slowly.

"Planet Fortum. Criminal deathtrap and murderous wasteland."

"Oh, my…" Clank shook his head and stood up with a stretch of his arms and legs. "What precisely is our plan?"

"I haven't really got one yet."

Clank opened the small hatch on the front of his body and checked his communicator for a signal. He appeared to have one just like Ratchet but it didn't go very far.

"It's the satellites," Ratchet said. "I've still got a connection but it doesn't carry far. Though, I'm thinking Gallo and Fem'll return for us eventually. Until then, though, we don't have much. Oh, yeah, also, this is where the guy we're looking for is."

Ratchet proceeded to fill his friend in on the information he missed while he was unconscious. The robot seemed very intrigued haven heard that Faas was the nephew of the banished researcher.

"Is that so?"

"Yep, that's right. But there's a chance he might not be alive. I haven't seen this place in action just yet but from the loud bellows coming from the distance and Faas's description of the planet, I could imagine why."

"This may be very problematic." Clank tapped his chin and turned his head upon hearing a low growl nearby.

Faas turned his head as well.

"Something must be curious about all the commotion. I bet we scared a lot of creatures away earlier, though, that's not gonna stop them from coming back."

The sun was barely visible above. The trees were thick and blocked out most light. Ratchet's ears twitched from the sound of the wind passing through the canopy above. He looked up having caught something out of the corner of his eye. There were red vines running up the side of a gigantic tree that the ship had crashed into. The Lombax watched as the vines were visibly moving around the tree branches and slowly down the tree's trunk.

"This place is making me uncomfortable," Ratchet spoke with a cringe on his face.

"We should try to find a way out of this forest," Clank suggested.

"Good idea."

Ratchet handed Clank a weapon and presented one for Faas as well. The Remilien was hesitant to take it. His hand gripped it loosely and he held it in both of his hands. He stared at the device for a moment only to find that Ratchet was about to head away from the ship.

"Wait a minute!" He reached out for the mechanic. "You can't just go out there. You have no idea what it's like."

"I'm not gonna sit around here all day."

"You may have weapons but how do you know they'll be effective against anything here?"

"I really don't. But if we just sit here all day we'll still be vulnerable."

Ratchet's eyes were looking up at Faas who took his hand away from the Lombax's shoulder. His head cocked to the side noticing that the vines were still coming down from the tree near them. Suddenly his expression became more unhappy as his ears went down seeing something unfortunate happening to his ship.

"My ship…," Ratchet said exasperated.

The Remilien turned around to see the local flora crawling around the ground and onto the ship. He stepped backward and watched the vines latch onto the smoking wreckage and continue to grow around it.

"Your… ship…"

The Lombax was helpless do too much of anything for his broken ship. It didn't matter much anyway. It was in a wreck to begin with. He heaved a great sigh and stared back up at Faas.

"I suggest we go somewhere else, because I have a really good feeling if we stay here we'll be eaten alive by a plant," he emphasized with a stern face.

The alien continued to back away as he watched the ship get slowly dragged away. When they were in a safer spot, Ratchet took off the backpack he wore behind him and handed it to Faas.

"Could you hold onto this? I need Clank on my back. The floor of the forest is probably alive, too, and I really don't want him to disappear."

"Sure…," he answered fixating on the ship and taking the backpack.

Clank hopped onto Ratchet's back soon after.

"Don't lose that bag, it has Femka's stuff in it," he stressed starting into the forest.

"Right…"

The most of the truck through the dense jungle was fine. Strange noises continued to sound all around them. It was imperative to watch where they were steeping. The plants were more than alive and animated. Weird creatures loomed above, small rodents or reptiles hung in the trees. Faas witnessed one such creature leap right into its doom by accident. A plant swallowed the critter whole when it landed onto its vines. His face cringed and he kept his weapon close by, his finger was ready on the trigger.

• • •

"Is Fortum still considered a part of Reiggel?" Femka asked sitting in the front passenger seat of Gallo's ship.

"No. It's outside our galaxy but it's still monitored and governed by Reiggel's federation."

"Even though there's nothing on it?"

"Oh, no. There's stuff on it alright. It's full of life, just unintelligent life. And criminals—if they're alive."

Femka sat back in her chair feeling uneasy about the whole conversation. She couldn't stop thinking about Ratchet and Clank, if something terrible happened or not, or if they even survived the crash landing. Her arms covered her unsettling stomach and she frowned looking out the window at passing ships and stars around them. Gallo glanced back through the holes of her mask at the nervous woman next to her.

"Are you gonna be alright?"

"Yeah," she sighed quickly.

Gallo looked away keeping her hands firm on the controls. They already made their purchases of weapons back at a local Grummel Net store and the goods were sitting on the seats behind them. Femka never used a gun in her life and Gallo wasn't a good shot. She hoped they wouldn't actually need them. The masked woman had her own set of anxiety as well. They were about to fly into a potential suicide mission as they flew back to the wasteland of a planet. The two were silent until Gallo broke the quiet with a question.

"So," she abruptly said, "are you and that Lombax a couple or something?"

Femka immediately turned her head with a taken aback expression.

"You kissed."

"We're not exactly an item," she exhaled shyly looking away again.

"It is cute," she said.

Femka glanced over to the pilot with her eyes only feeling awkward at her statement.

"Well, it is." She laughed lightly. "I saw his face after you kissed him, when you ran into my ship. I think he likes you."

"Are you teasing me or something?" Femka said unhappy.

"No, I'm serious."

"What makes you think that?"

"What? That he likes you? He broke someone out of jail for you. I think that's a pretty good indicator that he cares about you."

Femka stared at her lap with the smallest bit of blush slowly begin to consume her face.

"And like I said; his face was exuberant."

"Why are you talking to me about this?"

"I'm just trying to make conversation."

Femka sighed and stared at Gallo for a moment.

"It doesn't matter anyway if he likes me or not. When I go home I won't be able to see him again." She turned her head away again. "It'd be pointless of me to pursue anything with him."

"I don't think so. I'd make the most of what you have while you still have the chance."

The young woman's hair fell to the sides of her face when she looked down again. She couldn't say anything back to Gallo. She just pondered about what she said last. Her eyes returned to the mysterious woman and then again to her twiddling fingers on her lap. The rest of the way back to Fortum they were silent and Femka just let her thoughts run wild. She saw the small planet becoming larger over time as they flew fast towards. It was the size of a fingerprint on the windshield by now. The only thing Femka could think of was if Ratchet and Clank were alright or not. Of course she wanted to tell him how she felt but she couldn't do that if he wasn't alive. That made her sick in her stomach just imagining something like that. She tried to stay positive but what she was about to get herself into would make thinking like that a little more difficult. Within less than a half an hour they were close to Fortum. The dark planet loomed before them, the satellites that plated some of the globe like a ring orbited slowly.

"What exactly are those things for?" Femka's voice pointed to the metal plates circling the planet.

"They're there to monitor life on Fortum. I don't really know much about this planet, though. All I know is that it's the last place you'd want to be. It's like I mentioned before; this place is extremely hostile. Whoever watches over the planet's environment doesn't want anything leaving it."

"Then how're we going to land if it's being watched?"

"Getting in is easy, Femka. I may have said that they don't want people to leave but they could care less if you enter at your own risk, considering no one makes it out alive anyway."

Femka's view drifted from the pilot and to the purple abyss ahead. They glided right past and underneath one of the massive satellites. The woman stared in awe at it as it consumed the ship in its shadow. One of them was the size of a city it seemed. They were huge! The ship drifted downward through the clouds. Gallo was looking at her comm-link and trying to connect with Ratchet's but the signal was getting interrupted.

"I can't lock onto his signal." She grunted. "Those stupid things are messing up my computer's navigational units."

Gallo gripped at the controls mildly frustrated as the ship hovered through the thick clouds. They were over a range of mountains and as Femka looked out her window she could see several larger creatures flying around over them. This place looked prehistoric. Her ears tuned into the high-pitched beeping sound from Gallo's communicator as the woman continuously tried to reach to others.

"What're we gonna do if you can't reach them?"

"I don't know. We'll have to land. Maybe I can get a signal from the ground."

Her hands pushed forward on the controls and the ship began to descend quickly. There wasn't much room to land below. The area was covered in rocks and uneven surfaces. Gallo decided to let the ship go further over a jungle that was coming up—the same jungle Faas and the others were traveling through. Unfortunately, they were going the other way and the others by now were reaching the outskirts of the questionable forest.

Ratchet's comm-link was going on and off from Gallo's attempts to reach him; but it just wouldn't go through all the way. His hand reached for the small, round device and inspected it with a tilt of his head while walking through some foliage around them.

"Ratchet, where are even going?" Faas inquired swatting a vine away from his shoulder.

"I honestly couldn't tell you. Hey…" His voice rose in curiosity and discovery as he ran through the forest ahead of Faas.

"Hey! Wait!" The Remilien ran after him and panted catching up to him after a moment. "Why did you run off?" He paused looking out at the world in front of him.

"We're out of the forest," Ratchet said turning his head back to the confused alien behind him.

It was just like that. The forest abruptly ended. Before them was a vast and seemingly endless valley with mountain silhouettes in the far beyond. The ground was perfectly flat but steam rose from the ground as spouts in periodic bursts hissing loudly. The purple ground was cracked all over allowing the hot air to escape through it.

"We can't walk across this," Faas announced with a lift of his arm and point of his hand. "That steam is probably over two-hundred degrees."

"Do you suggest we walk around it?"

"No, I suggest we find another alternative route."

"Where? Back in the forest?" Ratchet's brow perked.

"I don't really see any other options. Besides, we don't even have a destination. We're just aimlessly walking. So, why walk across a valley of hot geysers that has no end?"

"It has an end—it's just really far." He shrugged. "Furthermore, I'm not going back into that deathtrap." Ratchet grimaced. "And you were the one who was scared of it the most earlier. Why would you go back in?"

"Because at least in the jungle there was more than just steam and rocks!"

"Yeah, and I really don't see anything else that's more deadly than that out here!"

"Must we argue?" Clank interrupted with a sigh.

"Yes, because your Lombax friend is suicidal!" Faas scoffed.

"Really? You really have the audacity to say I'm the suicidal one when you want to go back in there and get consumed by a flower or a tree? You saw what happened to my ship!" Ratchet glared and slumped his shoulders. "I'm going this way. Do what you want. I'll find Arlis on my own."

The Remilien jeered and watched Ratchet start into the valley. He bit his tongue and groaned standing there for a moment until he finally swallowed his pride running after the mechanic. Ratchet was currently watching the ground closely in front of him trying to step out of the way every time vapor was discharged from below. He could feel the heat when the steam would pass by his face or tail. Faas was forced to do the same following behind Ratchet. His dark red ears twitched every time the ground rumbled. Walking across these hot, flat lands was making him more nervous by the minute, not to mention that the surface was pretty hot as well. His bare feet were feeling the wear of all the walking that they had been doing so far. His head looked up at the sky above. The place was covered in a thick blanket of clouds and the sky was dark. It was hard to tell the time of day but it was still broad daylight. A fountain of steam jet directly past the two in a line that went back as far as the jungle behind them. Faas followed the spray until it disappeared and his chest fell with a heavy sigh that followed subsequently after. The ground shook again and far off in front of them the mountains looked like they were shooting out volcanic emissions. They couldn't stop now. They had already walked so far. The forest behind them was now getting smaller and soon it was just a bold line on the horizon after hours of walking. They were approaching the mountains finally and the ground started to become less flat and more rocky. There were springs around them now and some green life grew around them. Faas wiped his forehead of some sweat that gathered there from the heat. Once again the ground growled beneath them as the mountains in front of them erupted slowly gushing out hot molten rock.

"This is not a good idea," the Remilien stated stopping in his tracks. "We're going up this mountain?"

"It's not that bad," Ratchet said with a small smile and looked up ahead with mild hesitation. "Well, maybe we should stop for now."

He scratched the back of his neck and wondered over to one of the hot springs. The rock was all shades of purple and red. He peered into it looking at the endless abyss inside. The water occasionally bubbled and he pulled his head away remembering what he was looking at. The mechanic didn't want to be around when that thing erupted. He decided upon sitting on a rock that looked safe enough and wasn't very hot to the touch. Faas did the same only with a heavy sigh.

"Arlis was your uncle; if he was alive, where do you think he would be?" Ratchet glanced over at the tired alien.

"Well, he was always so secretive. If he is still alive and on this planet, I'd have to say that maybe he'd be somewhere underground. You know, just because it's safer and no one would find you there. Maybe like a cave." He shook his head. "C'mon, Ratchet, this is useless. This place is too big. I mean, it's huge! And looking all over Fortum for a guy that we're not even sure is alive or not, it just… it's fruitless!"

"We'll find him…"

Ratchet lowered his head and put his chin in his palm to think. He wouldn't say it aloud but he was having second thoughts himself. Faas could be right—as a matter of fact he was practically right to begin with. Arlis Marlow might be dead by now and looking for a dead man on a gigantic wasteland of a planet was incredibly unproductive. What else was there though? The drive to continue onward was diminishing for Ratchet. He flipped open his comm-link and stared at the screen with a dull expression. His face changed to something more meticulous as he stared intently at the device in front of him and stood up after a beeping sound went off. Faas looked at the Lombax with concern and a deep stare wondering what his problem was.

"Do you hear that?"

"What, your beeping?"

"Yeah! It's beeping."

"So? It was beeping earlier." His eyes shifted back and forth puzzled.

"Yeah, I know, but it was a different kind of beep. This beep means that I've locked onto someone's signal on this planet. Someone has a comm-link active."

The man stood up as well and examined the small, beeping device as well.

"Oh, my god… Can you track it?"

"Yeah, my communicator has the signal's origin." He pressed another button on his device and uploaded the signal to his nav-unit. "There. It's not that far. I guess it was close enough that the satellites didn't interfere. That, or we just had a stroke of luck."

The Lombax didn't wait around for Faas to make the decision to follow him or not through spoken words. Instead, he began in a quick run to the source of the signal. The red alien hurried behind him trying not to stumble over the rocks that were protruding from the hot ground. Ratchet began going up the pile of rocks tripping occasionally from trying move faster than his feet would allow him. He climbed higher and higher against the steep mountain. The signal, according to his nav-unit, was either coming from the other side of the mountain or inside it. Regardless of the danger, he pressed on. Once more the ground was shaking. It was starting to feel somewhat unstable—not that it was very stable to begin with. Faas fell forward and landed on his knees holding onto a group of rocks to the right side of him so he wouldn't tumble down all the way to the bottom.

"Ratchet!" he called out with concern. "I think something terrible's happening!"

The mechanic leaned into the mountain holding onto something as well as the place insisted on shaking and rumbling.

"I cannot see ahead of us, but I believe this mountain is ready to erupt," Clank surmised.

Ratchet looked ahead up the mountain able to see spurts of lava shooting from the top. But it was doing that earlier as well. The mechanic squinted his eyes seeing something coming down the mountain. The rocks were splitting in half as hot steam began bursting out of it. The Remilien was able to see beyond Ratchet what was coming their way. His heard turned around to see the ground far away below them and quickly turned it back in horror having no resolve for the awful circumstance. His eyes were wide as the rocks suddenly split around them and crumbled underneath their feet forcing them to fall hopelessly to their death. The rocks surrounded them as they all dropped inside the mountain. The hot air that passed them as they fell was like fire in the eyes. The fall felt like forever until finally they all hit the ground with a crushing thud. Ratchet lost consciousness and Faas was barely awake lying on his back staring up with half-opened eyes at the small light that came from the hole they fell through. Clank was the only one who was unharmed and functional. The robot unclasped himself from Ratchet's back and pushed whatever debris was on top of him, running to the front and attempting to wake him. Clank was unsuccessful and glanced around the area they were in. It was some cavern underneath the volcanic mountain. He could see springs around them. The temperature of the cavern was humid and like a sauna. Clank ventured over to Faas who lay semi-conscious several feet from Ratchet and removed the small rocks off him as well. The Remilien looked at the small, worried robot and slowly moved his hand to his head. It hurt to touch. His eyes shut at the sharp pain. His body ached and he was certain he broke something in the fall. Faas tried to sit up taking deep breaths and gritting his teeth at the pain that followed.

"Where are we…?" he grunted after a moment of trying to sit up.

"We appear to be in some sort of passageway within the mountain's interior. I cannot wake Ratchet. I fear that he may have a concussion. And what of you, Mister Faas? Are you okay?" His green eyes stared concerned at the man.

"I can't feel my left arm… I think it's broken…" He grunted again letting the limb be limp. "Aside from my head and arm, I think I'm okay… Oh." His gaze turned to the backpack that was no longer on his back but a couple feet in front of him. "That's still in one piece…"

Faas's weapon was nowhere to be found. A rock from the fall probably smashed it to bits. Ratchet's navigational unit was still blinking and beeping from where his body lay. Clank turned his head noticing the beeping was more frequent.

"What're we gonna do? We're stuck down here and your friend's unconscious and it's his entire fault."

"Please do not blame him. His intention was not for this to happen to you." He frowned. "I can see another tunnel further down into this cavern. I am certain that there is a way out." His head looked up to the hole above them. "If I could fly I would gladly lead us out, however, I am not strong enough to carry either of you out of here."

Faas examined the tunnel before them as he sat in his spot breathing heavily. His black hair fell against his face in a mess and some blood trickled down his nostril. He wiped his nose with his right hand and stared at Ratchet who was still unconscious.

"His communicator is beeping fast."

"Whatever he had tracked must be here in this cavern."

"God, it could be anything…"

Clank looked up at the weary alien and glanced back at the tunnel.

"I will go ahead and search the area," he stated walking back over to Ratchet and taking his comm-link from off of his belt. He felt his mechanical heart sink as he saw a small stream of blood dribble down his friend's forehead. "I will upload Ratchet's data of the item he was tracking to my system and leave his comm-link with you." Clank walked over to Faas after entering the proper numbers into his database and presented the small device to the red alien. "I would like you to watch over him, please," he said sadly holding out the communication device.

The Remilien took the mechanism slowly and frowned holding it in his hand.

"He's… not dead…, is he?"

"No." Clank's head shook lightly. "But you must keep an eye on him. While I am gone, try to wake him up."

"I'll try…"

Clank nodded putting his trust in the stranger and began down the corridor of the hot cavern. Seeing in the perpetual dark wasn't a problem for the small being. His eyes could scrutinize the cave without a problem. He walked hearing the sounds of dripping water and also the infrequent rumbling that was happening below him deeper within the mountain. It was the same visuals throughout his walk; springs colorful rocks and the like. The tunnel seemed endless. He kept in tune, however, to his navigational unit as the beeps continued to speed up every fifteen minutes or so.

Faas looked at the tunnel Clank had walked down over an hour ago and sighed through his blood-crusted nose sitting next to the unconscious Lombax. He had tried waking him up earlier by pouring small amounts of water on his face or by nudging him. Nothing seemed to do the trick, though. He was out like a light. The Remilien once again looked at the body beside him and pushed open one of Ratchet's eyelids with his fingers to see the eye rolled in the back of his head. The sight gave him chills, forcing his fingers to move away quickly and let the eyelid shut. He remembered Ratchet bringing other provisions with him and rummaged through his pockets and bags (even Femka's bag) to if there was anything that might be able to help. He tried to look for some smelling salts or something with ammonia that would force Ratchet awake. He didn't recognize something that fit that description, unfortunately, and stopped sifting through the bags. He figured it was best to try and get his helmet off and check the wound on his forehead. It was a challenge for having only one functioning arm but he moved Ratchet's heavy cranium onto his lap and undid his helmet which only had his other brown hat underneath. He could see the injury reaching up to the Lombax's crown. The blood stopped but Faas tried to put some sort of bandage on it to keep it protected. He took off Ratchet's aviator hat and frustratingly attempted to tie a bandage around his head. His legs moved around to try and adjust the mechanic's weight against him and to position his head so that the bandages would wrap around right. They kept falling every now and again causing the Remilien to curse and grunt. Finally he managed to secure the cloth around Ratchet's injured head and laid the man on the ground as he tried to fix whatever small cuts and wounds he had of his own. Every time the ground shook he became even more paranoid. Faas stared at the comm-link and watched Clank's signal go further from their location. He noticed something interesting after a while of just looking at the thing and wondering what the text said. There was another blinking light in the opposite direction of Clank. His head tilted a little wondering what it was.

"I wonder if that's a preset for the ship's location," he pondered aloud. "Maybe this thing has a HelpDesk or something."

His fingers fiddled around with the buttons. The text the device was defaulted in was a language Faas didn't read or speak. He frustratingly tried to figure out where the language settings were and gave up with a sigh.

"Do you have a HelpDesk?" he asked the small machine.

"HelpDesk is currently on silent mode," a female voice responded from the comm-link. "Would you like to change the settings from silent mode to on?"

"Yes?"

"HelpDesk is now audible."

"Who's that flashing light? Do you know the serial number?"

"My directly lists the serial number as F-E-M."

"F-E-M?" he reiterated confused. "Who's… Fem…? Femka? That woman he was talking about before… She's here? Call F-E-M," he demanded to the device.

"The connection is poor. Would you still like me to dial?"

"Yes, yes, hurry!"

Gallo had already landed the ship on the other side of the jungle where the trio's ship had crashed. The masked woman was able to get a clearer signal when she finally did land the ship on sturdy ground. Her computer showed the coordinates of where Ratchet's busted ship had previously landed when they were near the planet hours ago. She didn't know that it was no longer there, unfortunately. Femka sat restlessly in her chair looking at the dark environment around them. She was startled by the sound of her communicator beeping a peculiar tune. She stared down at her belt and saw a message flashing in holographic display. It was Ratchet's number. The woman gasped causing Gallo to turn her head to the woman's reaction as she fumbled with the device to answer it.

"Hello?" she said rather quickly. "Ratchet, is that you?"

"It's Faas," the voice said back.

Femka was confused but Gallo moved closer to Femka and took the device without permission relieved that her friend was alive.

"Faas!" Her voice shook and the module that transformed it was disabled. "You're okay…!"

"Yeah, I'm fine… It's good to hear you again, Gallo…"

"Where are you? Are you in the ship?"

"No. We left the jungle and the ship behind. It's actually n—the- -more. We're across some long stretch of land and we're trapped underground… Ratchet's with me but he's -. The little robot we- ah- to look for a si- we've b- fol-."

Faas's words continued to be cut-off as he spoke.

"What? I can't understand you. Faas? Hello?"

The signal finally was disconnected. Gallo sighed heavily looking at the device and handed in back to Femka. The signal was gone off of the comm-link when Femka looked down at it. They had the most vague of information to go off of in order to find their friends. What bothered Femka was that she didn't hear what Faas said about Ratchet. She could only guess what was going on and that frightened her the most. Gallo put her hands on the controls of the ship and started the engine again as she cursed under her breath.

"Fucking planet," she bit her lip.

"What're we doing?"

"We're gonna fly around again and try to get back that signal. Keep redialing his number."

Femka glanced at the comm-link and continued to press the button to dial Ratchet's number repeatedly as the ship began to fly through the air once more. Gallo only had the clue that Faas gave: some long stretch of land. That wasn't helpful. She remembered seeing many long stretches of land in all directions outside the jungle. She just had to pick a direction and fly around until they found the signal again. Doing that just seemed to piss the woman off, though. But it was all that she could do for now.

The Remilien who waited back in the deep cavern, however, only stared at the communicator with disappointment. He felt stupid for not being more clear in explaining their location. He was caught up in hearing his friend's voice. He clutched the device with anger and gritted his teeth at the resurfacing pain that his arm was bringing. Unfortunately, Clank's location was now lost as well when he looked again. He rested his back against a rock and stared up at the hole in the mountain above his head and closed his eyes. This day was going on long enough.

Clank, meanwhile, was still traveling in the tunnels underground. There was a point where he came to a fork but continued along the path that he thought was best. His good judgment was only bringing him closer to the signal. Unfortunately for him, it had faded out as well. It left Clank discouraged but he continued down the pathway. The rumbling persisted but where he was it didn't seem quite as violent. At a point there was a light up ahead, a small light. His eyes maximized with expectation and he hurried along seeing the light grow. His eyes adjusted being able to tell that it wasn't the sun but rather artificial light. Curious. He stopped running as he came to the light finally that was hanging from the low ceiling of the cave. It swayed lightly back and forth as if someone had touched it recently. It was fire burning brightly in a makeshift lantern. Clank's head cocked to the side and he stared down the tunnel seeing more of these lights hanging from the walls or ceiling. His small legs carried him down the tunnel until once again there was another fork. One fork was lit somewhat and the other had a greater light coming from inside. Clank could make out sounds as well, like someone was walking about. He braved to enter further trying to be quiet and to not upset whatever was further inside the cave. After all, someone seemed to have made residence here and it could be something… unpleasant. Clank kept all possibilities in mind. His eyes couldn't help but examine everything he walked passed. It seemed like whoever was living in this cave decided to make the place as homey as possible. Clank passed by what he assumed to be a makeshift stool or place to sit and a pile of roughly cut wood. On the ground was the fur and skin of some creature being used like some kind of mat. Before Clank was a man several feet ahead with his back turned. He was sitting at his crudely made table mumbling to himself as a light burned by him. His hair was long and tied back into a ponytail. His clothes were tattered and torn and he wore no shoes. The small robot cocked his head trying to make his assumptions while still going unnoticed. His skin was red from what he could see. It was very possible that the man in front of him was Arlis Marlow.

"Excuse me," he broke the ice.

The man jolted a turn of his head back and stared with fear at the small robot. His eyes were tired and his face was old. He looked unclean and like he hadn't seen a barber in years—for that matter a bathtub.

"Who are you?" he said in an old, shaken voice.

"I am Clank. May I ask who you are?"

"I… You're not… Are you a convict?" He slowly stepped away from his makeshift desk.

"Certainly not." His head shook.

The man narrowed his eyes trying to get a better look at the tiny, mechanical being.

"What are you doing here?"

"Our ship has crashed in the jungle. We were making our way over this mountain following a signal from a communicator until we fell through. My communicator brought me through most of this cavern."

"A communicator?" The old man looked back to his work area and grabbed an old device similar to Ratchet's or Femka's and held it in his hand.

"Yes. I believe I was following your signal."

"You found my signal?" he said amazed staring still at the old comm-link. "Incredible." He looked down at the robot and kneeled to his level. "You said your name is Clank? I'm Arlis."

"I have surmised." He smiled feeling successful in his search.

"You have?" His eyes blinked but a smile came to his aging face.

"Yes. Mr. Marlow, we came to this planet on accident but regardless we were searching for you. We need your help."

"My help? But what can I do? I've been stuck here for years. You can't get off this planet. It's a dumping place for people like me… or worse than me, if that's possible." His eyes stared at the ground solemnly.

"I am afraid I must disagree. We will find a way off of this planet and we intend to bring you with us."

"I can't leave…" Arlis stood up slowly. "I've messed up too much to ever go back. I've been banished, that's why I'm here, Clank." The elderly man walked back to his desk and sat down again. "I know no one will ever forgive me for what I've done..."

Clank looked sympathetically over at the hunched, old man before speaking again.

"There is someone with us I think you should see, Mister Marlow. I am not here to waste your time but I do believe you should at least come with me for the moment. It is not very far."

Arlis sighed and cleared his throat. He sat there for a moment until turning his head to view Clank. He slowly got up and walked over to a section of his cave to grab a walking stick. He sighed again. What did he have to lose?

"Alright. You can show me."

"Thank you."

Back in the hot cavern Faas still looked at the communication link in his hand. He stared up at the same hole he'd been looking at for well over an hour. A sound grabbed his attention, however. Ratchet who lay next to him was finally starting to wake up. His eyes shut in tightly and small whimper escaped his mouth. Faas sat up straight and crawled closer to Ratchet noticing his movements and sounds.

"Ratchet? Ratchet?"

The Lombax opened his eyes slowly seeing the blur that was the Remilien slouched above him. His hand instinctively reached for the injury on his head but Faas stopped him.

"Don't touch that. You hit your head really hard."

"What?" he said half awake.

"We fell through the mountain and you hit your head." He paused. "Do you remember anything?"

"Yeah…" He released an exhale which expressed his pain before he tried to sit up.

"Be careful."

Faas helped as best as he could with his free arm at helped Ratchet to prop against the rocks behind him. His head was spinning. It felt like something was lodged between his eyes and over the bridge of his nose. The mechanic glanced tiredly around the tunnel finally feeling the bandage on his head and seeing his hat and helmet on the ground.

"Where's Clank?" he asked becoming more aware.

"He went off into that tunnel over there. He decided to follow the signal that you had tracked on your comm-link." Faas handed the Lombax his device back. "I think Gallo and your lady friend are here somewhere. I was able to speak with them about an hour or something ago. But… the signal got cutoff. They don't know where we are…"

"But you spoke to them?" He said holding the side of his head with a grimace.

"Yeah." Faas looked down. "Ratchet, listen, I'm… I'm sorry about this."

"Sorry?" He stared at the Remilien and frowned. "Nothing's your fault. If anything, you should blame physics, because we fell… I'm sorry. I don't feel very coherent. I also see two of you…"

"I'm not feeling so good myself…"

Faas mustered a small smile. But his smile disappeared and he was silent. It was hard to concentrate of the rumbling of the mountain but he could've sworn there was loud sound coming from outside. It grabbed his attention back to the hole that he kept peering out through. His ears perked on the sides of his head and stood up slowly. Ratchet watched him still trying to gain his bearings.

"Ratchet… do you hear that?" he said walking closer underneath the hole.

"Hear what?"

"It sounds like… it sounds like a ship."

Ratchet staggered to his feet and motioned toward Faas to listen for the sound. Every other noise coming from the mountain's activity was a little hard to hear over but Ratchet's big ears picked up the sound he knew well. It was a ship. It was Gallo's ship. They couldn't see it but they could hear it as it drifted through the air breaking through the wind.

"Oh my god it's a ship…"

The mechanic patted the sides of his pants and belt frantically looking for something that would grab the ship's attention. He took out one of his guns and pointed it up at the hole and began firing.

Across the firmament, Gallo could see a stream of bright lights shooting into the sky out of the corner of her eye. She quickly steered the ship toward it. Femka looked over to the woman and out the window in front of her to see the lasers flying into the air.

"Do you think it's them?"

"I'm pretty sure. I don't think anyone else was brought here with a weapon," she said rather ironic.

Gallo sent a shot of ammunition from her ship in equal hopes that the others could see it as well. Ratchet's firing stopped for a moment and then persisted. Gallo knew at that instant they were communicating and continued to fly fast toward the shots. They quickly arrived over the volcanic mountain and the woman could see through her mask where the lasers were coming from exactly. She fired another shot and waited for the return fire to desist so she could fly closer to the area. Ratchet looked up from the cavern, as did Faas, and they could very clearly hear the loudness of Gallo's ship. The ship slowly began to hover over the large opening above and the two felt instant liberation knowing that they would be rescued. Above, Gallo left the ship to hover and quickly ran to the back of the vessel to open a panel on the side of the wall. Her fingers pressed at a series of buttons until the floor in the middle of the ship started to open revealed the hole where Ratchet and Faas were. The masked woman pressed another button as a small lift that was located in the furthermost back end of the shuttle moved forward on a tract and slid over the hole. It was like a little metal basket that acted as a shaft to let things in so they could go up or down from and to the ship.

"Get on."

Femka hurried onto the object as Gallo pressed another button while getting on as well and the device lowered slowly taking them into the hole. It wasn't able to reach them, however. The elevator could only travel so far. When it stopped Femka was finally able to see her friend again. They were only separated for a few hours but it was long enough for her. Her face lit up seeing the mechanic but frowned when she noticed the bandage on his forehead. Her eyes searched the area looking for Clank but she couldn't see him either. She also noticed Faas's condition as well. His arm was just limp. It looked like it was practically out of its socket. Gallo, meanwhile, had planned ahead by bringing a metal chain with her and attaching it to one of the bars of the shaft. She threw done the heavy link and it barely dangled above Faas's head.

"I don't know if I can climb this!" he called out grabbing the chain with his only working arm.

"You have to try!" Gallo said back.

Ratchet looked at Faas and then back up. The climb was about twenty feet or so. His eyes glanced back at the injured man.

"If you can hang onto me I'll climb us both back up."

The Remilien wasn't too sure of the plan but it was all they really had.

"I won't be too heavy for you?"

"I've carried a lot of interesting things in my life. It won't be that difficult."

Ratchet reached for the chain and held onto it with both of his hands. He was already standing on the tips of his toes and he looked at Faas letting him he was ready. The red alien wrapped his arm around Ratchet's neck and his legs then wrapped around his waist. The sight alone was embarrassing enough. The Lombax grunted trying to pull himself upward as his arms shook form the weight he now carried. His hand inched up the chain until his feet were finally off of the ground. His head was pounding and his teeth were clamped as he continued pulling him and Faas up the chain. Finally his feet reached the end of the metal link and his shoes attempted to clasp onto the loops to help push him upward. His head looked upward at the two women that stood on the small shaft.

"Pull up the chin!"

Immediately the two got to work pulling on the metal rope. Femka stood behind Gallo as they both grabbed at it pulling the excess chain behind them. Ratchet clung as best as he could as the rope began to sway more and more as the two pulled up. There was about a five minute struggle until finally Ratchet grabbed onto the lift and dragged himself against his stomach on the metal floor and Faas slid off standing to his own two feet and helping the mechanic up soon after. Gallo was instantly in an embrace with Faas. It had been a long time since something like that had happened. She couldn't believe he was there standing before her. And he was alive. She finally had him again. She stared up at him through the holes of her mask. Even Faas could see the tears gathering around her eyes as the light hit them. He hugged her again tightly as he could and closed his eyes. Femka smiled at the two. She was just as glad as they were that finally they could meet again. Her glance turned over to Ratchet who seemed to be starting to climb back down the rope. She went over to the edge quickly and grabbed onto his arm.

"What're you doing?"

"I need to find Clank. I'm not going anywhere without him."

"Ratchet, you're hurt…"

"It's not that bad. I'll be alright. I won't take long. I promise."

"You make a lot of promises."

"Femka…"

"Just be careful…" She let go of his arm and stepped back.

Ratchet stared at her for a moment but proceeded down the chain. He landed on the ground with a small thud and his eyes caught a glimpse of the items that were left behind on the ground. He gathered up his hat and helmet and also Femka's backpack. He looked back up Femka after putting on his aviator hat but the woman looked at her feet. He frowned turning around and started into a sprint down the dark tunnel.

"Clank?" he called out only hearing his echo travel and fade. "Clank!"

Ratchet continued to call out his name and run down the dark corridor. He looked at his comm-link hoping that he could catch a signal or something but there was no reception. After running for about ten or so minutes he finally reached the fork that Clank had first encountered. He stopped and looked back and forth between the two passageways.

"Clank!" he called out again as loud as he could.

Up ahead the robot tilted his big, metal cranium and he ceased walking with the old man that accompanied him. Arlis may have been elderly but his ears still could pick up the sound of someone yelling. He stared down at the robot and then back at the tunnel and called out to Ratchet.

"Hello!"

The Lombax twitched his ears high upon hearing some voice call back. It was faint but it didn't sound like Clank. It was still hard to determine which passageway it was coming from.

"Clank!" he called out again.

The small robot recognized the voice and looked up at Arlis.

"I do not mean to rush you, Mister Marlow, but I believe that the voice which is calling us is my friend, Ratchet. Perhaps we should hurry?"

"Alright but I'm not that fast on my feet. Time has been pretty cruel to me…"

Despite what the old man said he hurried as quickly as he could alongside Clank. The two continued to yell out to Ratchet who waited by the fork. The voices were clearer and the mechanic could tell which way they were coming from. His ears perked when he heard Clank's voice. Up ahead he could see a light. It was flickering. Arlis was carrying a small lantern in his hand and his quickened pace was moving the flame about.

"Clank, is that you?" he called out running towards the light.

He could see his friend up ahead walking with some other man and he stopped several feet away from them when he finally could see them both clearly. Clank proceeded forward and the robot smiled up to his friend when he stood in front of him. Ratchet looked down and then back to the man who was still a few feet away.

"Who's that?"

"Why, this is Mister Marlow, Ratchet. He is the man whom of which we were searching for."

One of Ratchet's eyes squinted and his head tilted confused.

"He's alive?"

"Clearly, as he stands behind me. Where is Faas?"

"He's back on Gallo's ship. They found us." Ratchet smiled lightly.

Arlis's eyes widened at the sound of the names that came from Ratchet's mouth. He could swear that his ears were deceiving him.

"What… did you just say…?" His words were slow and quiet.

Clank turned around.

"That is why I wanted you to come with me, Mister Marlow. They are waiting for us."

"Faas and Gallo?" His hand reached up to his chest and his fingers grabbed and bundled the cloth tightly. "I… I don't know… I could never let my nephew see me… not after all that I put him through."

"Please, Arlis, you have to come with us. It's important." Ratchet pleaded. His hand sifted through his clothing and pulled out the necklace Femka had let him borrow and let it dangle under his hand as it still stayed secure around his neck. "Look."

Arlis saw the glimmer of the stone and recognized it instantly.

"Yeah. It belongs to a friend of mine. She needs your help. The story's long but because of this thing she can't get home. We thought that you'd be the only one who would know how to help her. I guarantee I'll tell you everything if you please come with us."

He sighed looking beyond Ratchet and down the tunnel of the dimly lit cave. His expression was somewhat blank and worried. Arlis shut his eyes and sighed again with a cough that gave away his old age.

"I'll hear you out, Ratchet. It's no life living in a cave," he shrugged.

"Thanks."

The mechanic turned around and started hurrying in the direction he came from as Clank and Arlis followed closely behind. Gallo was inside the ship tending to Faas's broken arm and Femka waited on the shaft alone for Ratchet to return. Finally, she could him emerge. Clank was right behind him and some other guy? Her eyes squinted to see who it was but she had no idea. Her eyes widened thinking of the possibility and she quickly threw down the chain. Clank was the first to surface up to the ship by means of his helipack and landed beside Femka who could only great him a hug and smile. The elderly man looked up at the long climb above him.

"Can you make it up?" Ratchet asked looking at the man.

"I don't know but I'll try…"

"I'll be right behind you."

The alien dropped his cane and put down the rickety lantern and grabbed a hold of the chain that dangled in front of him. He attempted to pull himself up but fumbled at first. After a second attempt he was able to lift himself up at his own pace. When the chain was longer than his body Ratchet began to climb as well. Femka watched from above and helped pull the old timer up onto the platform and Ratchet climbed on a moment later. Arlis breathed deeply and looked at the young lady with gratitude.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine. I'm fine…"

"Are you ready?" Ratchet asked Arlis manning the lift's controls.

"There's only one way to find out."

The mechanic pressed a button on the control panel and the shaft slowly ascended into the ship that lingered above. Faas's arm was in a sling and his injuries were re-patched with better material that was aboard Gallo's ship. The Remilien turned his head over to the crew that was entering the ship. His eyes fixated on the tattered man that stood in the middle of the lift. As he stared so did Arlis. He knew his own kin and quickly established that his nephew really was there. Thousands upon thousands of thoughts traveled through his brain all at once. He couldn't speak. It amazed him to see that Faas was really standing there. He wasn't in jail, he was right there. Gallo knew who the man was already. She stayed in her seat and turned away clutching the controls of the ship tightly. Arlis stepped out of the lift as did the other three. But there was still the awkward silence that flooded the small room. Faas's lips parted and a small voice spoke out.

"You're… It's you… You're alive…" He continued to stare.

Arlis stared at his flesh and blood but couldn't look him in the eyes. The overwhelming guilt and shame seized him where he stood. Ratchet looked back and forth between the two having taken a seat with Femka and noticed Gallo preparing the ship for takeoff. He remembered the story Faas told him hours ago. Even though he couldn't see her face he knew the angst that she harbored for Arlis must have manifested greatly over the years. It was no surprise why she didn't look back.

"I suggest everyone sits down and holds on," Gallo said breaking Faas away from his uncle. "I know a planet that's good for getting away. Hang on."

Her voice was monotone and low. Faas took wise to her words and sat down in his chair. Arlis sat across from him with Femka and the others. It was hard to speak to anyone. Gallo was flying the ship fast so suddenly and the tension was nearly explosive between them in such a small space. Femka clung for dear life to her friend who felt her fear and let her grasp onto him as the ship winded upward and spat fast through the dark clouds in the sky. Ratchet looked over at Gallo and stood up from his seat. Femka watched him having no choice but to let him go and he gave her a gesture with his index finger to say, "one minute". He scuttled his way to the front of the ship and sat beside Gallo.

"Hi. So, what's your plan?"

"Hurry past these stupid metal things and fly to the getaway planet. Do you have a problem?"

"Well, I was just wondering what exactly's going to happen when we fly past these satellites?"

"They'll probably alert whoever's in charge of monitoring them. Someone from our Galactic Federation. I don't know."

Ratchet sighed looking ahead through the window. Now would be a perfect time to use his cloaking device. Unfortunately, his nice ship was consumed by a greedy, vicious plant. The mechanic left the seat and went back over to Femka and Clank. The young translator shifted her glasses and looked at the Lombax.

"Are we going to be chased again?" she said quietly.

"Probably. Except by more aggressive authority."

Femka groaned holding her stomach as the ship flew upward. What was more aggressive than the authority that chased Ratchet earlier? She shuddered to think. None of the metal plates happened to be orbiting around their path. The masked woman took the opportunity and charged the small vessel directly through the atmosphere as fast as she could. Arlis watched as he could see space for the first time in years. It was bliss and hypnotizing at the same time. He never thought this would happen—but it was. Although Gallo's flying was questionable, Faas was still blankly staring at his uncle. The whole mood of the ship was a mess of feelings. Despite all the mental chaos, the ship was free from the planet, which surprised Ratchet immensely. He was expecting something. But they were just flying. That was it. Femka was waiting for it, too, as well was Clank. The only thing that happened was that Gallo's computer was scrambled for a moment. The further they flew from the planet the more regular her computer became until nothing was wrong. Gallo was relieved herself but she didn't keep her guard down. Her fingers frantically pressed several keys on her terminal as she spoke to her computer.

"Computer, hide your serial number and substitute for a fake identification number."

The ship's computer acknowledged the request and cloaked her ship's ID. She was paranoid but had every reason to be. Her life was a constant battle with the law. She wanted to remain hidden as well as she possibly could. She only had a feeling that someone was already informed of the ship that left Fortum. She was correct. When they left it was immediately captured via the satellite's camera. There were stations that monitored the planet's activity on surrounding moons or dwarf planets in the sector. These places were all under watch by Reiggel's Galactic Federation. It was a loose job since not many ever entered the planet and none really left it. A few federation ships were dispatched to retrieve the vessel that left the planet assuming that it was smuggling. To Gallo's dismay, they would be arriving shortly. Her computer alerted her with a message a couple minutes later. Someone was trying to hail her ship. The digital display of the map showed three ships following her.

"Damn it," she cursed under her breath.

"Don't answer the transmission yet. I have an idea," Ratchet said standing up again.

Gallo looked back him with a confused face hidden behind her mask.

"Your ship wasn't recognized earlier, was it? I mean before we crashed on Fortum."

"No. I wasn't spotted."

"Good. When I was on Balva they didn't catch my identity, at least that's what I think."

"Get to your plan."

"Let me answer for you and act as the pilot of this ship. We can hide Arlis and Faas somewhere. If you have two extra suits on here we can hide them underneath the ship if the guys in the federation vessels want to step aboard. I don't think they saw Clank earlier either. Also," he stopped and looked at his clothing, "if they were informed about my identity then I'll need to wear something else. But I was pretty hidden at the prison. If anything, they'd only recognize my clothes and hopefully not my ears or tail…"

"I've got an extra suit but only one. I know where they can hide. It'll be cramped though." Gallo stood up from her seat and walked towards the others in the back. "You," she said looking at Femka, "answer the call for now so they don't get suspicious. I'll take care of the others in the meantime. Ratchet, come back with me and change into the spare suit."

Ratchet followed further into the back of the ship with Gallo. Arlis and Faas followed as well. She opened a door that led them to a small room like on the mechanic's old ship. It was bedroom with a small bathroom to the side. Femka watched them enter and the door closed behind them. She got up from her place and went to the controls. Clank joined her regardless helped her open a channel between them and the requesting ship. The small robot sat beside her as the screen opened to view an older Remilien in formal clothing. He wore a hat with a silver emblem on the front and his collar was folded nicely against his neck. The man spoke firm after clearing his throat.

"It has been brought to our attention that your vessel was seen leaving planet Fortum. What business did you have there?"

"Well, we were leaving because our ship had a problem earlier. You see, we nearly crashed down there but we managed to keep stability, so we had no choice but to land for a little while until we could get our ship working properly again."

"Who is aboard your vessel?"

"Just my friends and I, the four of us."

"We would like to investigate the ship, ma'am. Are you the captain?"

"No…"

"Where is the captain of the ship? We would prefer to speak with him or her."

"Um, just a minute."

Femka panicked looking to Clank who remained off screen in the passenger's seat. The robot quickly put the transmission of hold and Femka hurried out of her seat and ran to the back knocking on the door.

"Ratchet, hurry, they want to speak to you!" she whispered acting as though the officials could still hear her.

The door opened and the mechanic stepped out with his attire changed. The bandages around his head were redone and his simple hat was placed over his head. He quickly ran over to the terminal up front making a clicking noise every time his boots touched the metal floor and pressed the button that returned the transmission to normal. The man on the other side of the screen was surprised to see what was before him.

"Can I help you?" Ratchet said with a smile.

All the while in the room in the back, Gallo was busy hiding Arlis and Faas. The woman had a unique but questionable place to put them. The woman was working at removing a panel underneath the bed that was built into the ship. It could guarantee them enough space and a good place to hide for the time being. Gallo was successful in taking the metal sheet apart and she looked underneath the bed.

"Okay, this'll have to do. Get in there for now and I'll cover it back up with the panel. They shouldn't suspect a thing. Just don't make any noise."

Faas looked at her long time friend with a quirky face and almost a smile. Arlis was confused and he still couldn't believe that all of this was going on.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Get in!" she demanded.

The two hurried underneath the bed and tried fitting themselves evenly without feeling cramped or claustrophobic. Those preferences weren't likely. Fass winced in pain as his broken arm was shoved against the floor. Without delay Gallo put the piece of metal back in place and the area under the bed became dark and small. The two lay on their backs feeling exceptionally awkward at the moment. They only listened to Gallo's footsteps as she left the room and joined the other three up front. She saw the man on the screen and swallowed slowly biting down hard with her teeth.

"This better work…"

"Ratchet…?" the man said from the federal ship. "Is this your vessel?"

"Yes, it is."

"Ahem. I was informed your ship was having troubles?"

Femka slyly glanced over at Ratchet with her eyes and gave the smallest nod.

"Oh. Yeah. I think my ship was reacting with those satellites around Fortum. I was probably flying too close."

"I see. Well, Ratchet, we would like to investigate your ship, please. We can never be too sure."

"Sure, sure. Go right ahead."

The transmission closed between them and Ratchet hurried over to the side of the ship and pressed a button on a panel that would open the side door when the ships were linked together. The federal ship that had the gentlemen Femka and Ratchet spoke to docked beside Gallo's vessel. A bridge was extended and soon connected with the side of the ship. Ratchet opened the door as soon as the ship's computer registered the completion of the task. There were four men walking towards him, one of which was the man from before. He greeted the Lombax formally and let his men look about the ship. Femka sat in her seat nervous as ever as a man came over to her just to look around. She watched him carefully as another man inspected the other side of the room and then the third went through the door that led to the bedroom. That was when Faas and Arlis were very still and held their breaths even. They just tuned into to his footsteps and listened carefully as he walked around opening doors and the like.

"What exactly are you doing out here?" the man questioned.

"Just returning a friend back yonder to her home planet."

The man looked to Femka who sat small in her seat.

"It's actually me," Gallo said.

"And where are you from?"

"A galaxy called the Milky Way."

His brow perked at the name having never heard of such a thing.

"Where is this galaxy?"

"Pretty damn far."

The official didn't seem amused by her attitude and stared critical down upon her.

"Sorry about her. She's just a little cranky. It's been a long flight already."

"What's your name, err…," he paused awkwardly trying to confirm Gallo's gender.

"Miss Karina Sosa."

"And you?" he said looking at Femka who was now standing by Ratchet along with Clank.

"Femka Nijhof."

The men gathered together again in one spot as their captain stared at the group of four aliens.

"Sir, we have nothing to report. The ship seems to be in order," one of the men said.

The official nodded his head and looked at Ratchet in question again.

"Are you aware of the prison break on Balva, Ratchet? There were visual captures of a man or woman running to his or her ship. This person had very large ears."

Ratchet's brow rose.

"I don't even know what Balva is." He shrugged his shoulders. "And lots of things have big ears in the universe."

"Mhm…" The stern man turned to his underlings. "You may return to your ships."

"Yes sir," each said in unison as they walked past the man in charge and entered the bridge going back onto their ship.

"Why do you wear that mask, Miss Sosa?" he bothered to ask after staring at her.

"It's personal…"

The man grumbled and sighed through his nose looking back at Ratchet.

"This is just a warning, Ratchet, stay away from Fortum. It's not for you to be meddling in."

"You have my word that I'll stay as far away from that planet as possible." He smiled holding up his right hand.

"Good…"

He turned around slowly and walked through the pathway onto the bridge. The door closed behind him in a shutter-like fashion. Moments later their union was disconnected and the three ships were off. Ratchet exhaled deeply with an audible sigh as did the others. Gallo quickly went to the room and let Arlis and Faas out of their temporary hiding place. She helped her childhood friend up but let the old man to his own business. She still didn't want to look at him. Faas looked at her with a relieved smile but the woman turned around and swiftly left to take back the controls of the ship. He watched her leave and exhaled lightly glancing back at his uncle who struggled to get back to his feet. For the moment, the young Remilien gave him to his feelings and assisted Arlis. The man expressed his gratitude but found it equally hard to look him in the face.

"You can go," he said. "I'll wait in here until we get to where Gallo is taking us. I don't want to cause more tension…"

Faas looked down unable to think of anything to say. He knew that his uncle wasn't a bad guy but still deep down it was difficult to accept him. He was trying but Faas couldn't muster the resolution this soon. He left his uncle in the room without a word and joined the other four up front. The ship was back on course to Gallo's destination planet. The red-skinned alien sat beside her buckling his seatbelt in and staring out to the space in front of him. Clank, Femka and Ratchet sat together near the back but none of them spoke. It was like that for hours. Eventually, Clank powered himself down and Femka fell asleep. Faas was barely awake up front with his friend and Ratchet was still up looking through the small window by his head. He felt the weight of the woman sitting next him as her head leaned into his shoulder. The mechanic smiled gently taking his arm around her letting her rest closer and putting his head on top of hers slowly closing his eyes.