Alright now things get very interesting,

Having a lot of fun with this story and I do have most of it planned out.

Thanks to all those who are following this story, reviews would be great.

Thanks again to evil Ratchet96 for the reviews and support and Trekker 77 for their review.

Anyways, enjoy

Chapter 9, Complications,

Velocity was a good-sized city. There were hundreds of skyscrapers, all of them linked by monorails in the air. The city had a nice atmosphere; though the group didn't have much of a chance to see it. They were quickly escorted to a large, government building.

The next few hours were a flurry of activity. The group, aided by Atlas and Leo, were sent through a series of tests and interrogations by the lombax overseers. Most questions for Sly and his group were about where they had come from, what they were, and what their intentions were.

As expected they were very curious about the Cooper gang. They split them up but treated them well enough, as well as government officials and interrogators go.

Sly found the process boring and tedious. He hated having to sit in a small room just to be asked the same questions by different lombaxes. He felt like a freak, like a monster being poked and prodded. Instinctively his mind went through various scenarios of how to break out.

There was one question Sly knew he had to be careful with answering. It came during an interrogation with an official that introduced himself as the Chief of Defense. He was a thin lombax with white fur and brown stripes. He was dressed in a nice, dress vest and had a good bearing. "So, Sly Cooper is it? I'm Ryan Decagon, the Chief of Defense. Must say we're all a bit surprised to meet you; heard you've had an interesting few days."

Sly had his arms crossed and was leaning back in his chair. "You could say that, yes. Heck a few days ago I had no idea this world even existed."

"And I want to assist you in getting you back to your world. I assume that's what you want right?"

Sly nodded, "Yeah, that's what me and my friends want."

"I can't guarantee that I can get you back soon, but, with the help of our top scientists, I can assure you we can get you home."

"That's good, but why do I get the feeling you want something?"

Decagon shook his head, "I just have a simple question, what is your involvement with the fugitive known as Rykk?"

Sly sighed, "I've said before, I just met him a couple days ago. He saved me and my friends from Calamity. That fact made him a friend and your army almost let him die." Sly paused for a second, "So what has he done?"

Decagon paused and studied Sly. "For one, he's a murderer."

Ratchet's process was quite different; as he was the first lombax to come from his part of the universe in recent years, many lombaxes wanted to see him.

One of the interviews was notable.

"Hello Ratchet," The lombax greeted as he entered the interrogation room. He had golden yellow fur and brown stripes. "I'm the Chief of Internal Security; I'm here to find out how things are back on Fastoon and to learn who you are."

Ratchet sighed, "Well Tachyon is gone and the Dimensionator is broken. So Polaris is safe from the Cragmites and Drophyds, stupid goldfish." He retorted with distaste. "As for who I am, here's all I have. My father, Kaden, left me on a planet called Veldin in the Solana galaxy, to keep me safe from Tachyon. My friend, Clank, he's one of the robots, went missing. I went looking for him and met another lombax by the name of Alistair Azimuth, know him?"

The CIS nodded, "I knew him, how is he?"

Images of him shooting Ratchet, killing him, the Clock turning back because of Clank, Clank saved him from the crazed lombax. He triggered the Clock to go back too far causing it to breakdown. He then sacrificed himself to save time. "He's dead, sacrificed himself to save... a bunch of people, including me." Ratchet didn't want to go into details. "Apparently, he and my father were good friends. Alistair said my father was eventually killed by Tachyon. So I grew up as an orphan and went by the name of Ratchet. I met Clank when I was a teen and we became heroes after stopping a madman. We went on many adventures before coming here, by accident." Ratchet hid his internal turmoil bringing up his past caused.

The expression on the CIS's face took an examining look before softening. He sighed deeply and lowered his gaze, "I meant to go back and get you after confronting Tachyon…"

Ratchet's mind stopped working for a second, "I, I'm sorry what?"

Tears appeared in the older lombax's eyes as he looked up, "I'm Kaden, your father."

Ratchet was utterly stunned, he couldn't think or speak. He just stared for a few seconds as Kaden tried to explain.

"You see, long before Tachyon attacked, we had discovered a two-way portal to this world and Fastoon. We kept its existence ultra-top secret. Even Tachyon had no idea it existed. We set up an equally secret colony here and became allies with the humans. When Tachyon attacked, which I figured out too late, I managed to send you to Veldin." Kaden's eyes became wet again, "Your mother died at Tachyon's hands. I couldn't lose you too. That's why I hid you. Then I went after Tachyon, who was still on Fastoon, and we fought. But the battle turned sour for me. I tried to get a ship so I could get you and flee here, to Agrona. That plan failed as Tachyon cornered me and I was forced to go through the portal. To keep the lombaxes safe, I encrypted the portal containment device using a genetic lock. That lock could only be deactivated by a lombax. I had hoped that you, Alistair, or both, would find the portal."

"So… you wanted to come back?" Ratchet's emotions began to catch up with him and his eyes became teary.

Kaden nodded solemnly, "More than you could imagine. You see, by activating the security blind I also had disabled us from going back that way."

"Well, there's obviously more portals, just gotta find one back." Ratchet said, "I can't believe you're alive!" He exclaimed before jumping up and hugging his father.

Kaden returned the motion and father and son reunited. "All these years, I had feared you'd been killed as well." Kaden stated with both sadness and relief. Kaden then put his hands on Ratchet's shoulders, "Look at you, you're so much bigger than when I last saw you. Course, you were just a kit then. Come on; let's get you out of here."

Kaden and Ratchet then went by the holding cells and started picking up everyone in the group. First he got Bentley and then next was Talwyn.

Kaden unlocked the door and Ratchet went in.

"Ratchet, what's going on?"

Ratchet was beaming, "Talwyn, I want you to meet someone." He held her hand and helped her to her feet. "Talwyn Apogee, this is my father, Kaden Ellipse."

A very brief flash of concern appeared and disappeared on Kaden's face. It was very quickly replaced by a big warm smile. Only Talwyn noticed but she shrugged it off.

Talwyn was amazed, "Mr. Ellipse, I'm so glad to meet you."

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine and please, call me Kaden. So, are you Ratchet's girlfriend?"

She looked at Ratchet and he smiled.

"Yes,"

Kaden continued to smile, "Well let me get the rest of your friends out of here."

Rykk, the one who saved our lives is a murderer? No, there's got to be more to it than that. Look at this guy; he's trying to play you. I've seen his type before, no matter the world, politicians are the same. If Rykk killed someone there had to be a reason, self-defense? "Who did he kill?" Sly asked.

Decagon leaned back, "He killed my predecessor."

"What do you think was the cause?"

"Rykk's unstable, he claimed that my predecessor tried to kill him and in the process killed one of his friends."

"Was that true?"

"Even if it was he should've stood trial, not been murdered." Decagon said firmly.

That's true, so Rykk's a murderer? That fact made Sly very uneasy, the one that saved them from being tortured to death killed someone. "So, what's going to happen?"

Decagon raised an eyebrow, "To you and your friends or to Rykk?"

"Both,"

"You guys will be free to go soon. Leo North will help you guys get back or do whatever you want. Rykk, once he is healed, will be held for trial and when found guilty, be killed."

"I know I'm new to this place but tell me one thing," Sly stated, "How do you plan to handle Calamity?"

Decagon looked puzzled by the question. "Why are you asking about him?"

"You know why, he tried to kill us, and I get the feeling he wants to finish the job. As far as I've seen Rykk is the only one powerful enough to stand a chance against him."

"We can handle him; Rykk isn't the only powerful one around."

There was a knock on the door and another lombax walked in. Decagon responded to the presence, "Ah Chief Kaden, you're a bit early."

"The interviews are over,"

Decagon looked more than a bit puzzled, "What's come up?"

"That lombax that was with these guys, he's my son. As of now he and his friends are under my protection."

Sly tilted his head slightly, father? So he's not an orphan? Amazing!

"You can't just…" Decagon started.

"Yes I can," Kaden said sharply and with a bit of intensity. "Come on Sly, let's go."

Sly didn't argue, he got up and left.

Outside the room was Ratchet, he had a big smile on his face. "Hey Sly, you ok?"

Does he know about Rykk? "I'm fine, just hate being held up. So I see you're old man is still around eh? Congrats!"

Ratchet smiled even bigger, "Yeah, Sly Cooper this is my father, Kaden Ellipse."

"Nice to meet you sir," Kaden and Sly shook hands. "Thanks for getting me out of there, that guy was grinding my nerves."

Kaden chuckled. "Call me Kaden, and don't be too upset with him, it's his job to be hard."

Sly turned to Ratchet, "So besides meeting your dad, you've found out your real name eh?" Sly grinned as he spoke.

Kaden added, "We had originally named him Chace, but I think Ratchet suits him better."

"So what's the plan?" Sly asked.

"We get your friends and you guys can crash at my place."

"What about Rykk?" Sly asked.

Kaden sighed.

Ratchet asked, "Dad, why did those soldiers want him dead?"

"Rykk is a complicated matter," Kaden responded, "Let's get your friends, I'll explain at home. It isn't far from here."

An hour later and the gang had reached Kaden's house. House was a bit of an understatement, it was a small mansion.

"So you got this place to yourself Mr. Ellipse?" Bentley asked.

Kaden unlocked the door, "Yeah, never got interested in anyone since Fastoon."

As Ratchet stepped foot into his father's house he saw something out of the corner of his eye. In a dark alleyway, he saw a silhouetted figure with curved horns on its head. He was also able to see two, glowing green/yellow eyes peering at him. The same voice from his dream sounded in his mind. It said in a slow, haunting manner, IIIIIII kkknnnnoooow, yyouu, Ratchet froze for a second before the figure vanished in the shadows. He shivered and felt it run down his spine.

"Ratchet, everything ok?" Murray asked as he was behind Ratchet. He looked in the same direction. He saw nothing but an empty sidewalk and alley.

Ratchet stammered, "Y, yeah I'm fine."

Murray was curious and just a bit concerned but decided not to press the issue. "Okay,"

"So you're a Chief huh, how high a position is that?" Bentley asked.

"Kaden es one of te highest rankin' lombaxes en Velocity." Atlas then added, "Oi just wish Leo 'ad let me stay wit him at de Lombax Holdin' Facility. Roikk's a friend ta me to."

"He said he wanted you to watch these guys, y'know, Calamity?" Kaden said. "Speaking of which, why don't I get you guys some dinner and I'll explain as much as I can?"

No one objected to free food and answers.

As they ate Kaden began to explain, all the while sipping some kind of hot drink. "Kids get ready for a bit of exposition, what I'm about to tell you never leaves this room. If Rykk finds out I told you this… well, just don't let him find out. Anyways, here we go. Rykk was a young human and a Dragon like Leo. He and a few friends (a couple of them were also Dragons) including Leo, like you guys, were accidentally taken to this world.

Through the months, the kid was tormented by Calamity, mostly by one of his puppets. You see, Calamity can put a puppet inside a person without him knowing. He does it through physical touch.

Through the puppet, Calamity saw and heard everything the kid did and little by little, changed his personality. The longer a puppet remains in a person, the more control it gains. Eventually, that person will have no control over themselves. Rykk said that it was like watching himself on TV; he couldn't do anything but watch. He watched as Calamity, through him, changed his personality. He made Rykk an angry person and mean.

All the while, Rykk and his friends were working with the Law Men trying to get Calamity. They got a tip one day from Decagon's predecessor, Lionel Arctan, on the location of an Attero assassin who supposedly knew where Calamity was. Turned out, it was a trap. Arctan wanted Rykk and his friends dead because they were a threat. Unbeknownst to us, Arctan was helping the League of Attero in exchange for money. Besides going after Calamity, Rykk and his friends were also hunting the Attero. They had learned the location of one of Arctan's Attero contacts. But they didn't know the person they were after worked for Arctan. So before they went after the guy, Arctan gave them the tip. Calamity took precedence.

The tip didn't lead to the assassin, it led to Calamity. Calamity then tortured and killed Rykk's best friend in front of him (this was before he was fully possessed). Rykk and the rest of his friends managed to escape but it was a few days later when Calamity took full possession of Rykk. His team soon figured Arctan had set them up. Rykk, in rage, went after him. His team tried to stop him but with his anger, and the fact he was possessed, they failed. He killed Arctan. But he didn't resist being captured and he was set to be hanged three days later.

Luckily for him, a human scientist from New Elko by the name of Christine Janice knew what was really going on. She was from Parson; don't ask me how she's still alive. She knew what Calamity could do and found Rykk's friends. She explained what she knew and told them the only way to get rid of the puppet and save their friend from execution was to get a Dark Radiation Core. The problem, the only ones they could get to in that short of time were in Parson.

It was a risky gamble because they had no way of knowing what the Being inside the core was like. It could've been a "good" one or a "bad one like Calamity.

Still it was the only option to save their friend. So, they made the dangerous journey and got back just as they put the noose on Rykk's neck. Once the only one on the stage was Rykk, they threw the Core and it broke at his feet. The Being inside entered the kid, got rid of Calamity's puppet (it flew out of him and proved he was possessed), and in turn, turned the kid into Rykk.

He was then cleared by the temporary fill-in that took Arctan's place. Since then, Calamity and Rykk have been fighting. Both have lost a lot, I can't give you the details but it was and is still a terrible fight. Rykk acts odd, I'm sure you all know that. Don't blame him, the possession by the puppet, his best friend's death, and being turned into a Bonded I'm sure took a toll on him. Plus who knows what else he's seen."

Kaden took a breath and a moment to let the info sink into the group.

"So, he killed Arctan while possessed by Calamity?" Sly asked.

Kaden nodded, "Yeah, you should've seen him transform into Rykk, it was wild, I can still hear the kid's screams."

"What was his name? You know, before it was Rykk?" Talwyn asked.

Bones elected to tell them Rykk's previous name but it really didn't matter.

"So the lombaxes of Velocity, they still hate him?" Clank asked.

Kaden shrugged, "Some do, some don't. I'd say about forty-five percent dislike him in a strong way. I'm not one of them, though I'm not a huge fan either."

"Dad, he saved my life, we were going to help him take Calamity out."

Kaden sighed, "Well, that's going to have to wait. When Rykk is healed, and he will be in about a day, he's going on trial. Us chiefs will vote and the judge will be the Chief of Justice, he's the highest ranking chief, basically just below the Prime Minister."

"But Calamity is out there killing people!" Murray exclaimed, "Don't they know that?"

"They do," Kaden said with a frustrated tone. "I've been trying to make him a priority like New Elko's leaders have but they'd rather go after Rykk, they see him as the bigger threat."

"Good luck trying to contain him," Clank commented.

"Unfortunately for Rykk, our scientists were able to create a restraining device that makes his use of the energy he calls Alter, useless. So he can't go through walls." Kaden looked at everyone; his green eyes were just a bit darker than his son's. "Look guys, it's getting late and you've had a rough day. I have plenty of space so let's call it a night."

Now this has certainly been a revealing chapter now huh? Oh trust me, there's still a good bit of mystery to this.

Remember, things are seldom all they seem.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this story so far and stay tuned for more.