Flashback: Ratchet

September 29, 2040

I can't...find anything. Won't...survive...unless...I find something. Hurts...too bad... Can't...feel my arm. Clank...oh God…Is he dead? I couldn't think clearly. I had just been shot down. Why? The distress call wasn't a warning. Why would they shoot me?

Ten minutes previously…

I hear distress calls and I answer them. It's that simple. I'm a hero, but I'm retired. So I'm an on-caller, I guess. I usually use the Phoenix, but this planet is small enough for me to use Aphelion. I haven't taken her for a trip in a while, so she's kind of rusty, but she still handles well. I had taken Clank as my copilot as I so often do, and I had packed a few weapons; after all, what's the point of having your own arsenal if you don't use it?

"Echo-Alpha-Prep, this is Starship Aphelion. What's going on, over?" I said, trying to make contact with the central leader of the planet. There was no response, only static. I tried again.

"Echo-Alpha-Prep, this is the Starship Aphelion. How can we help you, over?" Still no answer.

"Ratchet," said Clank, "they are under a distress call. Do you really think they will open their doors so easily without first identifying friend from foe?"

"Well, the only way to do that is to make contact, and they're not really doing a good job of it right-" The planet's reply cut me off.

"Starship Aphelion, this is Echo-Alpha-Prep. Identify. I repeat, identify yourself by name and race," came a male voice.

"My name is Ratchet, and I'm a lombax," I replied. "I have a robot accompanying me, and we can help. Requesting permission to enter atmosphere."

"Identify any and all weapons you have with you as well as supplies."

"Supplies?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Roger. Medical supplies, food, anything."

"I was under the impression that you were under attack and needed help retaliating."

"With all due respect, Ratchet, we need all the help we can get. Anything you can provide would be greatly appreciated."

" I can spare some Nanotech. Nothing as far as food."

"We'll take your offer gratefully. Permission granted. Starship Aphelion, you may land on planet Earth."

"Thank you, Echo-Alpha-Prep. I look forward to contact on the surface." I ended the transmission and looked at Clank.

"What part of the planet was it being broadcast from?"

"My sensors indicate that it was coming from the other side of the planet," said Aphelion, the A.I. "You can land there for optimal chances of meeting our mysterious friends as quickly as possible."

"Okay, then I'll land there," I said, turning on the thrusters and zooming around the planet until I reached my destination.

"Clank, you can go grab the Nanotech, and I'll make contact again." I opened up communications again.

"Echo-Alpha-Prep, we're coming in for landing. Are you prepared for our arrival, over?" No reply. "Echo-Alpha-Prep, are you there?" There was static for an answer. Clank returned empty-handed, staring at the communications oddly. I tried again, louder. "Echo-Alpha-" Suddenly, Aphelion shut off. Nothing was working. I couldn't steer Aphelion, I couldn't establish communications with the planet, I couldn't do anything.

"What the hell?" I shouted. "Clank, what the hell happened?" No response. "Clank?' I looked over at my friend. He was rigid, with his hands at his sides and his eyes closed, being tossed around accordingly as the ship spiraled.

"CLANK!" I hollered. I grabbed his body and shook him like I did when we first crashed in our fight against Tachyon. No response. Not even a twitch. "CLAAANK!" My robot friend lay motionless. My vision was blurring, and I had a knot in my stomach. No. Can't lose it now. I have to land, or neither of us will survive!

I threw myself back into the pilot's seat and tried to get a level landing. But I couldn't, because suddenly I was being shot at. I ducked down and tried to protect myself, but a lucky shot hit me in the shoulder.

"AGGGGHHH!" I grabbed my shoulder and a wave of pain burned through my arm. Blood was covering the cockpit, blood from my shoulder. The sight made me feel weak, like I would die here...No. There would be no death tonight. I grit my teeth and tried to land as safely as possible. Unfortunately, it looked like I didn't have a choice. I was going to land. Hard. The ground came closer, and my head pounded harder every second. Closer...closer...Impact.

I was shattered upon impact. I got jerked in my seat and would have been thrown out of Aphelion if I hadn't grabbed on to the controls at the last second. I was knocked against the side of the cockpit, and my vision instantly blurred. I wrestled with the controls, but i was knocked against the side of the cockpit again. Everything started to fade, and then went black.

I woke up on the floor of the cockpit. Sparks were flying from different part of the ship. Everything hurt. I had to get out. Somehow I knew they would be coming for me. Clank was five feet away. I got to him and tried to put him on my back like I normally do. I was too weak, and his metallic body thudded to the floor. I felt tears in my eyes, but I brushed the away quickly. I popped the cockpit, then closed it to cover my tracks. Got...to get moving…

Currently…

My body was on fire. My head pounded. My shoulder seemed like it was going to bleed until it fell off. But I had to keep going. Don't let them find me, or I will die… I kept one foot in front of the other, trying and failing to ignore the burning pain with each step. I panted heavily, and I was stumbling excessively.

I was in an open area full of grass. Fortunately nothing could hide and attack me from here; the grass was far too short. I kept going, pain overwhelming me. I couldn't stop, but I knew that my fate awaited me on this planet. I would die here, no matter what I had said on Aphelion. I would die alone on an alien planet, no allies, nobody I had saved would watch me die. I would fall to the ground, within an inch from death, trying and failing to keep my eyes from rolling back into my head, using my last moments of life to think about everything I had done...and then I would die.

The ground quaked. I was thrown off my feet and landed, painfully, on my shoulder. What's happening? Is it an earthquake? I rose shakily to my feet, hand grasping my bloody shoulder. Something was rising out of the ground, something huge. I looked at it. When it finally stopped rising, when it had reared to its full height, I knew death awaited me here on this plain.

It was a huge automaton. It stood fifteen feet tall and blocked the planet's solitary moon from my view. It was bipedal, similar to a lombax; no ears or tail, though, and very powerful-looking. It looked at me, glowing white-blue eyes staring through my broken form. It opened its mouth and roared. My sensitive ears were shattered by the blast. I covered them and closed my eyes. That was my worst mistake. When I opened my eyes, a claw was swiping towards me. It made contact.

I screamed out in pain, flying through the air like a ragdoll. Fifty feet, seventy-five, I don't know how long I flew. But I landed painfully. I groaned in pain. The familiar blurring of vision was back. I was gasping for air; the thing's fist had at least severely cracked my ribs. The beast was now walking towards me. The ground thudded with every step. I closed my eyes. This is it...

Meanwhile…

I heard a scream. Finally! We had a lead. I looked at the spot I heard the scream, and I almost died. There was a huge automaton at least fifteen feet high standing in a plain that was now uprooted. It was about two hundred feet away. I don't know why we hadn't seen it sooner; probably because we were looking at the blood trail. I yelled out to my dad.

"Get the RPG! GET THE RPG!"

My dad obliged, and grabbed the RPG slung over his shoulder. Wait for my command!" I yelled. But I had to distract the thing in order for an opportunity to present itself. I grabbed a megaphone from Mason and yelled at it. "HEY BITCH! OVER HERE, BITCH!" It turned towards us, and I yelled, "FIRE! FIRE NOW!" My dad aimed and fired, right in the giant's eye. Its eye went out and it howled in pain, falling backwards and not moving. I turned to the rest of the Resistance members that were with me.

"Let's get over there and check out what happened. We might find something useful."

Currently…

I braced myself for whatever the giant might do. Just when I thought I was going to be squeezed to death, I heard yelling. The giant turned around just in time to get an explosive payload right in the eye. It howled as loud as it possibly could, and my ears started to ring. The automaton fell over backwards and lay motionless on the ground. Apparently, there would be two deaths here tonight. I lay there, just waiting for my body to give out. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards me. My vision was blurred intensely, but I could make out three figures standing over me. My ears were ringing, but I knew what these people were saying.

"Holy shit," said a male.

"Is that a real alien, boss?" said another male voice.

"No shit it's real. You seen one of these things at the fucking supermarket?" came a third, older voice.

"Yeah, it's real. And it looks pretty fucked up." One figure started feeling around my body, checking for wounds. The minute he put his hand on my chest, I gave a weak groan of pain. The figure quickly ceased his examination and gave a low whistle. "His ribs are cracked pretty severely, and it looks like he's been shot in the shoulder. I'm going to take a chance. Mason, nonlethal incapacitation."

"You got it, boss," said the second voice. Another figure crouched down, and put his face very closely to mine. "I'm going to give you an anesthetic. It's like a knockout gas, only less painful. I'll put it in your right arm, because that looks like the safest place to administer it." I felt a shooting pain in my right arm, then a wave of black started at the corners of my vision and began to contract into a tunnel. I started to panic. No, no...I can't die...not now…

Then, for the second time in a day, everything went black.