Ratchet and Clank: Wrath and Ruin

by saintandreas0612

Set months after the Dimensional Cataclysm, Ratchet and his friends are sent barrelling forth to a new and dangerous adventure. With the Dimensionator taken away, they must take unpleasant help in order to navigate a hazardous world where their new way forward can be found. Will they be able to overcome the quickly stacking obstacles and grim new enemies?

4. Of Maps and Mazes

Chapter 4: Of Maps and Mazes

Clank explored the living room of Segen's home while the technician and Ratchet had a yelling match in another room.

"It seems this will be our base of operations for the time being," The robot heard Kit say. "It appears to be adequate, and spacious, at the very least."

"I am more concerned with the tenants than the living space," Clank commented, sparing a glance to his left. "We might have quite a predicament on our hands if we can't get them to get along."

Clank saw Ratchet holding a large plastic rag of some kind while heading toward the balcony, Segen following him.

"Can I at least have my body bag back?" The technician asked, right before Ratchet tossed the item over his shoulder, causing it to smack Segen in the face and make him emit a muffled yelp.

Clank then saw Ratchet make his way to the roof of the building, leaving Segen alone with Rivet. The technician then turned toward the white lombax and extended the body bag to her, humming as if to incentivize her. To Clank's surprise, she actually took the bag, only to follow in Ratchet's steps and hop onto the roof.

Segen stood there and clapped his hands together, before turning around and walking over to one of the seats near his table. "Well, I guess some alone time would do the couple well, huh?" Segen chuckled, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

Clank narrowed his eyes at the technician. "I believe you have a very misconstrued assessment of Ratchet and Rivet's relationship."

"Really now?" Segen asked in disbelief, tilting his head at Clank. "Well then, enlighten me please. Wouldn't want to make things awkward later on." He said, a bit too mischievously for Clank's taste.

"Ratchet and Rivet are merely good friends." The silver bot answered.

"Heh, that's not saying much." Segen said, his optics angled in such a way Clank felt he was smirking deviously under his mask.

Clank narrowed his eyes further at the expression. "They have fought side by side, share several interests and trust one another, but neither has expressed romantic interest in the other. In fact, neither has expressed a desire to pursue a relationship in general." He clarified simply and calmly, speaking with no room for misinterpretation.

Segen raised a mechanized brow at that. "That's quite the bond there. I've seen people fall in love for less. Does one of them have a partner already or something?"

Clank flinched at the question. That was a sensitive issue at the time.

The silver robot surmised that Segen likely wanted some gossip at best, and ammunition for unsavory comments against his friends at worst. Either way, he was not keen to give him either.

It was at this moment that Kit entered the conversation. "Ratchet and Rivet's love lives are not your concern. We would appreciate you not meddling with them." She said, sounding surprisingly more firm than usual.

Segen looked taken aback by that, putting his hands up in defense. "Alright, alright, I won't meddle," He promised. "I wouldn't want to piss you off, I actually like you guys. You seem like calm, reasonable people. Unlike those two." He finished with disdain, rolling his eyes at the roof.

Clank tilted his head. Segen had previously expressed a great fascination towards robots, but to outwardly admit enjoying his and Kit's company specifically was a different matter.

"Well Segen, while I appreciate your respect," Clank began. "I believe you should try to improve your relation to Ratchet and Rivet. They are an integral part of the success of this mission and we will all need to cooperate in order to succeed."

"And, if you want to be our friend," Kit interjected, drawing Segen's attention. "You should become friends with them as well. We won't tolerate you mocking them."

Segen grumbled something under his breath, planting his forehead on his table with a low bang. "Yeah, alright, I'll try to be nicer," He said with a muffled voice. "But they have to stop being such contrarians with me!" He whipped his head up, pointing at Clank.

The bot chuckled. "We will try to be intermediaries between you three," He stated, gesturing at Kit. "If there are any trespasses from any party, Kit and I will make sure to get due amendments underway."

Segen scoffed, but seemed to accept the arrangement. "Well, I'm tapping out for the day. Don't wander, I mean it." Segen warned.

"We won't." Clank reassured the technician as he watched him shut the door to his room behind him.

Now alone, Clank turned to Kit, who was looking out the balcony, captivated by the sight of the Ruined city. The silver bot joined her, looking out to the vast cityscape, the peculiar purple sky, and the gargantuan pyramid that traversed both.

"It is beautiful," He heard Kit say. "In a ghoulish kind of way."

"Indeed." Clank agreed. "Yet my adventures with Ratchet have taught me that beautiful places are no less dangerous. And I have no cause to believe this will be any different. Another adventure to add to our ever-growing list."

"That bishop might be cause for concern," Kit said, Clank turned to see her fidget with her hands, eyes low. "He seemed threatening. He seemed… evil."

"We've faced evil before."

"He seemed different," Kit snapped, a little louder than she meant, given how she then avoided looking at Clank's general direction. "The way he talked, the way he…" She paused, though Clank knew full well what she meant. "At least Nefarious was predictable, if irksome. This one seems unhinged yet… disciplined somehow, as if he managed to harness his madness, weaponize it."

"They have beaten stronger foes than him, both of them have." Clank rebutted. "This is far from the greatest challenge any of us has had to face."

Kit hesitated, looking at Clank with wary eyes. However, little by little, she started to brighten up. "Yes, I believe you are right."

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Rivet awoke on Segen's roof and rubbed her eyes. She was disoriented by the fact that the purple and yellow sky above her was just as dark and gloomy as it had been before she dozed off.

She then saw Ratchet get up from his own slumber, yawning and stretching his arms as he did.

"Mornin'." She greeted.

Ratchet took a quick look around him, eyes pausing on the sky. "Are you sure?"

She giggled. "Beats me. At least I feel well rested."

"Yeah, that's about as much as you can ask when sleeping on a roof." Ratchet said, getting up on his feet.

"Oi! You two!" Segen's voice suddenly shouted. "Get down here, you have a Trial to prepare for!"

Rivet felt her mood sour almost immediately. She pursed her lips and exhaled. "Well, you heard Mr Roses."

Ratchet shook his head slowly, but started to descend from the roof. Rivet followed him and returned to the inside of Segen's home.

The technician was waiting for them, their robot buddies sitting across from him on a table.

"Alright, when do we move?" Rivet asked.

"Well, unless you want front row seats to another round of Samson's executions, we should wait a couple of minutes"

Rivet's eyes flickered, her brows knitting. She did not want that image back in her mind.

"That actually lines up with our schedule," Segen continued. "Remember, you're only allowed a single weapon when going into the Maze. You have to pick one out, and leave the rest here." He reminded them.

Thankfully, Rivet didn't have to put much thought into that. "I think I know what I'm taking."

"Same here." Ratchet declared.

"Oh please don't tell me you're going with those oversized hardware tools." Segen said in a frustrated plea.

"You know it." Rivet quipped.

Segen planted his forehead on his table, hands on his nape as he exhaled. "At least hologuise them," He said. "They will probably recognize your weapons, like they would have your arm."

Rivet begrudgingly accepted the fact the technician was right. Fortunately, it would be an easy work around. She and Ratchet already had several custom holguises for their iconic melee weapons, ranging from simple color alterations to full physical makeovers.

Rivet activated this feature on her weapon, morphing its appearance to resemble that of a goon hammer. She juggled her weapon a bit, testing the integrity of the hologuise. Once satisfied, she turned to Ratchet, noticing he had opted to change his weapon into a pirate cutlass.

After this, Segen huffed. "Alright then. I guess you're ready." He said, giving them an odd look. "Time to break some legs."

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Rivet walked down the alley that led to the Altar. The shadowy structure was a lot more crowded than it had been yesterday. She could see Slashers, Fishbowls, Calibers, Scorchers and several other types of Ruined she had never seen before, all heading toward the metal gates at the end, which were already open by the time the rebel and her companions had gotten there.

Rivet could see Ratchet and Segen slowly walking beside her as they were funneled into the Altar chamber along the rest of the Ruined.

Once inside, Rivet saw a towering figure standing atop a stone platform, still wearing his ugly leather hat. "Man, I wanna just knock that stupid thing off his head." She growled under her breath.

"Same." Ratchet whispered beside her.

"Hear, hear." Segen added, much to her surprise.

"My friends," Samson began loudly from his elevated platform. "You are all here today for the same reason. You seek to prove your worth, to earn the chance to pledge yourselves to something much greater than yourselves." He began, extending his arms out as he spoke. "But before you can serve, you must be tested! You must show us that you deserve the purpose we will give you! Broken things need to be fixed, and here, you will be ironed out." He promised grimmly. "So come, my broken things, come and prove yourselves to Kamul himself!"

The bishop's speech riled up the hefty crowd, causing them to throw their arms up and cheer loudly. Rivet's hands shot up to cover her ears, only to have them bump against the glass of her helmet.

When the cheering died down, the Ruined started moving to the door that opened behind Samson after the man had finished talking. The bishop then got down from his platform and had actually started heading in Rivet's direction.

The rebel clenched her jaw as the bishop got closer, glaring at him beneath her tinted helmet.

"Well, you came after all," Samson said, planting his hands on his hips. "I'll be keeping a close eye on you two." He said with a chuckle, gesturing for them to move along with the rest of the recruits.

"Better put on a good show then, huh?" She tried joking as she walked past Samson. Upon hearing another small, rough laugh escape the bishop, she sighed in relief.

After the exchange, the group resumed moving, leaving the bishop behind.

After they got far enough away, Segen spoke in a hushed tone. "Alright, so, a couple of things to remember," He started, putting his arm around Rivet's shoulder, doing the same to Ratchet, getting both lombaxes in flimsy headlocks. "First, no bleeding heart malarkey. Remember that everyone else here is basically auditioning to become a bad guy. So no nonsense about you going off to save another contestant who's in trouble, got it?"

Rivet grumbled in vage agreement, tugging to remove the technician's arm as Segen continued. "Second, do not piss off the Casters. Seriously." He warned. "Just focus on getting to the other end of the maze, don't try to fight them."

"Got it," Rivet said, throwing Segen's arm off her. "No saving the bad guys and no fighting the Caster thinggies."

"Sounds easy enough to remember," Ratchet said casually just as the group arrived at a humongous open space.

The roofless expanse before Rivet stretched out as far as her eyes could see. A flat, featureless plain, colored a pure shade of black, with not so much as a bump all the way to the horizon.

A divide existed between this endless black plain and the polished stone floors that led up to it. It was a clean cut, an almost surgical split between the grayish green rock and the featureless, metallic black.

She noticed that all the Ruined stood behind this divide, not one of them daring to cross into the black plain. All of them had lined up against it's edge, like a group of runners ready for a race.

"So… what are we waiting for?" Rivet asked, turning to Segen.

The technician had not seemed to hear her. His head was tilted up, eyes looking at the sky. He then raised an arm, pointing above and far ahead. "We're waiting for them."

Rivet's eyes followed Segen's finger, and widened when she found what he was pointing at.

Floating ominously high above the ground were dozens of creatures shrouded in hooded golden robes. The robes' long sleeves concealed the creatures' hands, and their shadowy hoods obscured their faces. However, Rivet noticed how at the bottom of these robes, oily black tentacles squirmed languidly, and how from beneath the dark hoods, a multitude of glowing, mismatched green eyes stared down at the Ruined beneath.

These figures floated soundlessly over the black plain, still and unmoving, save for the twitching of their tentacles.

"I take it those are the Casters?" Rivet asked, slightly perturbed by the sight.

"Yep, they are getting ready." Segen replied.

"Ready for what?"

At that moment, Rivet heard a choir of breathy, ghostly voices begin chanting. Her eyes returned to the Casters.

As the hooded creatures chanted unintelligibly, they raised their arms, swayed their bodies and did slow circles with their heads. As they did, a phantasmal green aura slowly manifested around them, making them glow eerily against the dark purple sky.

Then, a powerful rumble shook the floor, making even the sturdiest of the Ruined stagger and nearly lose their balance. Rivet then saw how the black plain began shifting, warping, permeated by the ghostly green light of the Casters.

Enormous walls then erupted from the ground, rising high into the sky and throwing long shadows over all the on-lookers. Some segments of these walls collapsed, creating passageways. Others ended abruptly before turning sharply, only to intersect with other walls, creating dead ends. Rivet even saw some platforms emerge horizontally from the sides of certain walls, creating separate floors to the maze, right before a wall burst from the ground near the divide, blocking off the view.

The featureless black metal took up almost all of Rivet's vision, but she could still see that the Ruined ahead of her looked uneasy, shuffling about in their places, eyes never leaving the dark wall.

Then, she saw how the Casters floated over to the peak of the black barrier, their glowing eyes shifting through all those present.

After a second, the Casters vocalized in such a deeply harmonized and monotonous way, she could have been fooled into thinking only a single one had spoken. "Ner." They said in their ghastly voices.

At this, Rivet saw several segments of the black wall collapse neatly back to floor level, creating multiple entrances into the maze.

There was a moment of silence, where the Ruined ahead didn't move, uncertain about entering the umbral labyrinth.

But then, a shrill scream filled the air. "Rog nii jaar kai!"

Rivet's eyes darted to the sight of a single Fishbowl, screaming and running toward the maze, leaving the countless larger Ruined behind.

After this, out of inspiration or indignation from being upstaged by such a small creature, the rest of the Ruined all roared in deafening unison. "Rog nii jaar kai!" Before charing into the maze.

"Well, off you go!" Segen said, throwing his arms at the maze. "See you on the other side!"

With that, Segen gave the lomaxes a quick shove forward, and Rivet shifted into gear.

Despite having been a considerable distance behind the main group of Ruined, Rivet caught up with the villains and entered the dark maze.

She could hear and feel the rumble of countless steps all around her. She saw how the villains all moved down the main path, with some few splitting off down branching passageways.

The rebel used her size to her advantage and weaved through the gaps between the larger Ruined and started forging ahead. However, Rivet realized she was merely following the herd and couldn't actually see where she was going since her view was blocked by the taller creatures.

So, Rivet came up with an idea. She drew breath and picked up speed, before tensing her legs and grunting, leaping into the air. As the lombax flew above the running crowd, she started measuring her landing. When she felt herself coming down, Rivet put her focus into keeping her balance as she stepped on the head of a moving Slasher.

Upon hearing the villain complain and start crumbling under her weight, Rivet hopped onto another nearby villain, and then another, and then another. She now had a clear view of what was going on.

The main group of Ruined had reached a crossroads, with the maze splitting off in three possible directions to take. Rivet debated internally as to where to go while she kept hopping onto different villains.

She hummed to herself, before reaching a decision. "When in doubt…"

"Head left!" She shouted, her ears perking up inside her helmet upon hearing a familiar voice jinx her.

She turned her head to see Ratchet catching up to her, also head hopping on the Ruined beneath.

With this, both heroes started moving to the left, their stepping stones grunting and groaning as they went. Rivet could see that the maze kept going down the path, which reassured her that she was at least far from a dead end.

That reassurance vanished when she saw a wall shoot up, sending unfortunate Ruined sprawling upwards to the sky. The Ruined all came to a sudden halt, and Rivet was almost knocked off the head of the Caliber she was standing on.

Rivet saw two Casters floating overhead, their hands pointed at the risen wall. She then saw them turn towards the Ruined below them, before each lifting an arm.

A ball of a sizzling, phosphorescent goo materialized on each of the Casters' hands. Once the ball grew about as large as Rivet was tall, the Casters threw their gooey projectiles down upon the Ruined.

Rivet saw the splatter of the glowing projectiles and heard a sound like raw steak being cooked, accompanied by agonized screaming.

"That's them going for flesh wounds!?" Ratchet asked incredulously as the Casters threw more balls of acid into the now retreating crowd.

Rivet turned heel and started heading away from the recently created dead end. This time however, thanks to the way the Ruined had moved since the cross roads, the path ahead was empty, which allowed Rivet to leap forward onto steady ground without having to worry about poor visibility.

Having returned to the now cleared crossroads, Rivet made a quick turn and went down the central path. She could hear the thundering of the Ruined horde behind her, which only pushed her to move faster.

The central path actually had a pair of ramps on the sides of the walls. Eager to get into a likely less traversed path, Rivet opted to ascend the ramp on her right. The steep ramp was more challenging to run than the path that preceded it, but Rivet made it to the top regardless.

Up here, Rivet could see the path below had filled up with Ruined once again, who were barreling down the giant corridor as fast as they could.

Meanwhile, running down the elevated pathway opposite to her, was Ratchet. Rivet found it difficult to tell the yellow lombax apart from the many villains in his current disguise, but the athletic way in which he ran, with tight and efficient movements, was as clear a clue as any.

Rivet then returned focus to the path ahead. She saw how it seemed to converge, creating an elevated catwalk. Once here, Rivet saw how the catwalk led to a series of grind rails. She could feel a thrill-seeking grin appear on her face.

The rebel jumped on the black rail, and heard the sound of her boots grinding against it. Rivet felt herself pick up speed as she slid down the rail, the wind pushing against her body. She wished she could have taken her helmet off and enjoyed the feeling of the cool breeze on her face, ruffling her hair.

Regardless, she was glad to settle with the thrilling sensation of zooming down a good grind rail.

But, as the rail kept going, Rivet saw a green light appear in the distance, a grim beacon in the darkness.

The sight of a Caster lobbing a ball of acid at the rail in front of her made her react. The lombax leaped over the melted gap in the rail, landing steadily but now much more focused in the moment.

She saw that the Caster was flying far ahead, but keeping pace. Something about the way those eldritch green eyes bore into her made Rivet clench her jaw and tense up.

Then the Caster lifted his arms, and the whole grind rail shook. Rivet yelped in surprise as the rail twisted and turned unnaturally, covered in a green glow. She noticed that the metal rail was starting to be twisted upward, making Rivet start ascending higher and higher until she was actually above the maze's walls.

"Don't look down, don't look down," She repeated to herself as the Caster kept lifting the rail higher into the sky.

"Rivet!" She heard someone shout behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, spotting Ratchet on another rail, also covered in green glow, rising just as fast and just as high as she was, being led along by another Caster. "I think we need to jump off!" The hero suggested loudly over the whistling of the wind.

Seeing how the Casters seemed to have no intention of bringing them back down, Rivet came to the same conclusion.

And just when she saw the two Casters charge up their acidic projectiles, she tensed her legs and jumped as hard and fast as she could, grunting as she did. She saw a quick flash of green light, and heard the sounds of metal being dissolved behind her a split second after.

Rivet was now plummeting through the sky, the adrenaline rush making her let out a whoop of joy. She heard a similar excited shout not far away, and saw Ratchet, arms and legs stretched out to slow his fall.

"I can see the end of the maze!" He shouted, pointing behind Rivet.

The rebel maneuvered to reposition herself and was able to see that the edge of the maze was indeed closeby. Then, considering their current situation, an idea formed in her head.

"I have a plan!" She shouted, waving for Ratchet to follow her. "C'mon!"

With that, she straightened out like an arrow and dived. She let out another shout, the thrill-seeker in her pleased beyond words. She measured her fall and her speed, keeping both eyes open and on her target.

Once she was the perfect distance, Rivet spread her limbs out once again, slowing down and repositioning before she activated her Hover Boots. She then landed on the top of the maze's walls, using her boots to rush through the flat stretches of black metal. The sound of whipping wind and her boot's propulsion joined her laughter as she zoomed over the gaps between the walls and got ever closer to the finish line.

But then, she saw a ball of acid splash in front of her. The lombax reacted in the nick of time, jumping and spinning in the air, narrowly avoiding the thick droplets of corrosive liquid and leaping past the sizzling puddle.

After this, Rivet kept speeding through the top of the maze, risking quick glances over her shoulder whenever she cleared a large gap in an effort to keep situational awareness.

She saw her fellow lombax hot on her trail, also in his Hover Boots, using them to leap and weave through the maze's geometry, and the volley of attacks that were being showered on them both.

Because of this onslaught, Rivet nearly got dissolved in acid when two Casters fired their attacks simultaneously, creating a particularly large puddle of goo. The rebel responded by jumping high and Phantom Dashing, reengaging her boots' thrusters the second she landed.

This sudden chain of events led Rivet to realize there were a lot more Casters following her and Ratchet now. She noticed that nearly a dozen of the robed creatures were flying after them, lobbing their acidic proyectiles with an almost resentful fervor.

Looking ahead, she could see the edge of the maze, her finish line, and she knew what she had to do.

After Rivet Phantom Dashed through another volley of attacks, she lunged forward one last time, eyes shut from the phosphorus green light that exploded around her.

A long fall and a quick ignition of her Hover Boots later, Rivet felt herself land upon solid ground.

Her feet hit the floor with a thud, and the rebel released an energized chuckle at the feeling. She felt like she had run a marathon. Her hands were shaking and tiny droplets of sweat trailed down her temples.

"That was surprisingly fun," She heard a familiar voice begin. "Save for, you know, that last part where the Caster guys tried to kill us."

"Heh, that was actually kind of a highlight for me." Rivet joked as she turned to see Ratchet walk up to her, his breaths about as ragged as hers.

The two lombaxes shared a laugh, before getting their breathing under control.

"Well, that was… Impressive." A different voice reached Rivet's ears, and she was more surprised at the fact it was praising her than the fact it had appeared what must have been at least a few miles from the place she last heard it.

Rivet shifted to see none other than Segen, approaching with a hand on his hip, nodding at them in a slow rhythm. "That was really impressive. I think you set a record."

"Really?" She asked genuinely.

"Yep. You were being timed, remember?" Segen said with a little curve of his optics as he pointed to something behind him.

Rivet's eyes followed Segen's finger to what seemed to be a colossal scoreboard. Decorated in golden rims, producing a list of green names and numbers over a pitch-black screen, the scoreboard had a particular section pulsing with decorum, highlighting the two highest spots.

Due to the lombaxes not having submitted any kind of identification, their placement was shown via a pair of pictures of their disguised selves.

"Twelve minutes and fifteen seconds." The rebel muttered as she read off the screen.

"Twelve minutes and sixteen seconds," Ratchet muttered to himself. "Aw man! So close!" He cried in disappointment.

"Hah! Looser!" Rivet boasted, not missing the chance to point and laugh at her friend.

Ratchet swatted her hand away in a playful manner, stifling a chuckle of his own. "Yeah, yeah, you revel in this, 'cus I'm beating you in the next one!" He promised.

"Oh, I'm sure you're gonna try." She said, smearing enough smugness into her voice to make sure Ratchet knew she was grinning at him beneath her helmet.

"Well, well, well," A new voice suddenly interjected, and all joy was drained from the air as it sounded, killed by it's hideous resonance. "That's not bad. Not bad at all."

Rivet turned her head slowly to see Bishop Samson approach, settling a few paces away from the group, arms crossed over his chest and looking down at them. "You actually beat me!" He said, sounding strangely proud.

Rivet's brows furrowed in confusion at his words, until she saw the bishop point over her shoulder with a single finger. When she turned to see the scoreboard, she realized what he meant.

Rivet stood at the top of the chart in first place, with Ratchet right below in second place. And right below them, in third place, was Samson.

"Twelve minutes, seventeen seconds," The bishop read outloud. "Almost 2 whole minutes ahead of everyone else below me. I never thought anyone would beat my record." He stated, before his eyes landed on Rivet. "And yet, here we are."

"Yeah, here we are." Rivet repeated, regretting the gruffness of her voice as she spoke, yet unable to soften her tone as she stared up at the towering bishop with balled up fists.

Samson quirked a brow at her, narrowing his eyes dangerously. Rivet felt like she had poked a bear.

"Hehe, guess they beat ya, huh boss?" Segen said in a tense yet playful tone, as if trying to placate the bishop. "It was a pretty good show, right? How they navigated the top of the maze? I don't think anyone's thought of that before! They are definitely gonna make some excellent recruits, rig- hurk!"

Rivet gasped when she saw Segen's entire head be enveloped by Samson's armored hand. A feeling of dread started boiling in her chest when she saw the bishop slowly start twisting Segen's head in a painful angle, causing the technician to whimper and start shaking.

Samson then leaned down, almost to eye level with Segen, before taking a finger to the very tip of his mask's beak. "Shhhhhhhhh…" The bishop uttered, in a calm, patient tone that clashed with the sinister nature of his actions.

He then released Segen, and the technician stumbled back, falling on his rear. There, Segen scampered further away, using his arms to hide his head.

The sight was more upsetting to Rivet than she had expected, given her relationship with the technician.

Yet, she was unable to think too deeply about it, since Samson was once again speaking to her and Ratchet.

"Where was I? Oh right!" The bishop exclaimed, snapping his fingers at the lombaxes. "I meant to say that your skills are truly worthy of praise! Needless to say, I am now much more interested in your future development. That-" He pointed at the scoreboard. "-Is bishop-level timing after all!"

The armored bishop laughed boisterously as he walked past the duo. "I will be waiting for your performance on the following trials." He declared as he stepped onto a large circular platform. "May Alterra's smile never leave you!"

After that, a bright purple light shone from the platform, consuming Samson and making Rivet squint from the brightness. Once the light died down and her eyes readjusted, she saw that the bishop had disappeared. The rebel came to the conclusion that the platform was a teleporter.

Rivet then heard Segen grunt as he stood up. She turned to see him rubbing his neck and gripping his skull. She figured being grabbed like that must have been quite unpleasant. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," Segen barked, flinching defensively. "Fine, fine, thank you." He added hastily, apologetically.

Rivet noticed that Segen started pacing, clenching and unclenching his hands, likely trying to subdue the still raging tremor Samson had caused in him. Once the technician calmed down, he took a deep breath and faced the lombaxes.

"Okay, one down, two to go," He said, clearly referring to the trials. "Although the next ones are going to be much harder."

"How so?" Ratchet asked.

"Well, because you pissed off the Casters."

"What!?" Rivet demanded, earning another flinch from Segen. "But how!? We didn't attack them or anything, just like you said!"

"Well, first of all, thank you for actually listening to me for once," Segen said, putting his hands together and bowing slightly. "Secondly, I think you did too well on the trial." He said.

"What does that even mean?"

"You know, If someone does really well, really easily on the maze, it kinda reflects poorly on the Casters. Their job is to test people, so if their test is seen as easy, people think they did a bad job. And well, you guys set a record."

"Don't you think we should have known of this weird complex they've got going on?" Rivet inquired angrily.

"Well I didn't think you two would no-clip, out-of-bounds speedrun this thing!" Segen countered. "You beat Samson! A Favored Bishop!" He exclaimed, throwing an arm at the bishop's last location.

"But hey, look on the bright side!" Segen picked up, putting his hands at his sides. "Since they are pissed off already, you don't have to worry about keeping your head down on the next trials. If they start pushing you too hard, you can fight back!"

Rivet actually found that prospect rather tantalizing. She was never a big fan of running away from enemies as opposed to fighting them. And it was a good thing she would be allowed to let loose too. She had a feeling pulling punches was going to get her into trouble.

Rivet lifted her head to look at the very top of the maze. There, floating high above, was the group of Casters that had chased her and Ratchet. Despite the distance, Rivet could feel the rage smoldering beneath those shadowy hoods.

She stood tall, defiant of the robed freaks, even as their heads started twitching unsettlingly and a crisp chattering began emanating from them.

Then, the Casters retreated, returning to resume their torment of the rest of the Ruined still inside the maze.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure you can handle them."

Rivet jolted at the sound of yet another new voice reaching her ears.

She identified the source of this new voice as the old woman who shuffled steadily toward the circular teleporter. She was a large lady, just bearly a head shorter than Samson, but built much more leanly. The armor she wore was significantly lighter than Samson's, but looked to be of a similar model. She also had an odd purple crystal on her chest and had a golden mask. Her's however, resembled a wolf, or a fox, more so than a bird, given how her mask was a lot less tapered and had a bump end. The old lady was clearly a bishop as well, but her disposition was almost outright opposite to Samson's.

After taking in the lady's appearance, Rivet remembered she had been spoken to. "Uh, thanks, I guess?" She fumbled.

"Word of advice," The old lady said in a whisper. "They hate bright lights." Her tone, and the giggle that followed her words, made Rivet get the feeling she had just been given candy by a grama.

Rivet followed the old lady with her eyes as she stepped onto the teleporter. "Segen, dear?" The lady called.

"Um, yes m-" The technician scrambled. "Yes, Bishop Lanari?"

"Play nice with your new friends." She said in a gentle, yet stern warning, before the light of the teleporter swallowed her and took her away.

A strange silence took hold. The stranger, Lanari, became very present in Rivet's thoughts, her kind words and soft manner having left a good impression on the lombax.

"Who was that?" She asked, a fond smile on her face.

"That was Bishop Lanari," Segen said, sounding oddly stiff. "She's not really important right now, don't think about her too much, seriously." He said hastily, desperate to draw attention away from the lady.

"A-ha…" Ratchet uttered slowly, clearly not convinced. "Well, anyway, what's our next move?" He asked out loud, seeing how no one was around to eavesdrop on them.

"We can either go get the map for the Church at the Undercity," Segn began. "Or we can go track down and beat up an Acolyte." He finished, punching the palm of his hand. "Your call."

Rivet looked over her shoulder to Kit. "What do you think? Should we go get the map or beat up the tough bad guy?"

The backpack bot pondered silently. "I believe the map will be the more time-consuming task of the two. We should get that one started first."

"I concur," Clank stated. "However, I am afraid we do not know the location of this Undercity, nor how to reach it."

"That's where I come in." Segen stated proudly. "Step onto that teleporter, and I'll take us to the Undercity. I know a guy there who can help us."

"You seem to know a lot of guys." Rivet said suspiciously.

"I had a life before meeting you, ya know? I have friends." Segen retorted, offended.

Rivet decided to head toward the teleporter instead of bickering with Segen.

She was promptly joined on the circular platform by Ratchet, and later Segen himself after he had fiddled around with a console that stood nearby.

"Close your eyes." The technician warned quickly.

Rivet then saw the world around her be consumed by bright purple light.

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When Rivet opened her eyes, her surroundings were completely different, as expected of being teleported.

What she quickly identified as the Undercity, was a sprawling, cavernous superstructure. A whole cityscape built inside the guts of an enormous cave. The Ruined's love for bioluminescent lighting was in full display, as all the light sources in this place were plants that were hanging from the ceiling of the cavern or spread all over the walls and pillars of the settlement. The brightness and warmth of the bright, yellow lights made her feel like she finally witnessed daytime since arriving in Misericordia.

Rivet stepped off the teleporter, attempting to walk off the slight nag of teleportation sickness. She noticed the thin bridge that led from the teleporter to the main body of the Undercity.

"You know," She heard Kit start. "I keep marveling at how pretty their cities are."

"They definitely have some charm to them." Rivet agreed. "It's always neat seeing new places, especially when you aren't getting shot at."

"Can confirm," Ratchet agreed as he joined her. "Shame we almost always end up getting shot at."

"Alright, follow me," Segen called as he walked past the lombaxes. "I'll take us to my guy."

With that, the group began following Segen into the Undercity. As the group ventured deeper into the underground settlement, Rivet took a moment to appreciate the sights. This city maintained a rather similar aesthetic to the one that came before it. A remarkable difference was that rather than aged metals, this city was made entirely of masterfully worked stone, seemingly carved out of the cavern itself. The lighting, originating from warm yellow flowers that hung overhead and spread over the walls, combined with the more ancient, lived-in look of the place made Rivet feel like she had traveled back in time.

And yet, as she made her way through the stone streets, and passed a colorful bazaar filled with citizens browsing for all kinds of goods, Rivet found the Undercity to be rather undeserving of being called a "Ruined" settlement.

She had found the name questionable ever since she had heard it come from Segen as far back as Megalopolis, and the more of the culture she saw, the more she found it facetious.

Her curiosity was nipping at her thoughts, especially since she had the answer to all her questions only a few paces ahead of her, clad in a raggedy cloth and a hazmat suit.

Yet, likely out of stubbornness, Rivet refused asking Segen for anything. She figured Kit or Clank would eventually be able to piece enough information together, maybe even learn things from Segen directly. Once they did, she would ask them.

"Here he is," Segen said out loud, pulling Rivet from her thoughts.

They had arrived at the entrance of a large building, this one was reinforced with metal bracings, and its scant windows were lined with bars. Its main gate was placed under a stone arch and was made of dark wood, also reinforced with metal.

"Pretty imposing place," The rebel commented offhandedly. "Who are we looking for here?"

"Quartermaster Dal," Segen answered. "He can get us the map to the Church, among other things, should you need them."

"And he's just going to give us a map to a heavily guarded military installation just like that?"

"No of course not," Segen said as if to reassure her, giving her a sideways glance. "He's going to ask us to do a bunch of busy work and then he's gonna give us the map."

Rivet sighed. "Alright then, let's do this."

The rebel walked inside the building, followed by her companions. The room they entered looked like a sort of waiting hall. There were rows of seats lined up against the walls, potted plants on the corners and lines on the floor that mapped out a walking path for a que, leading to a desk shielded behind bars.

Behind this desk, was a single Ruined man. He wore a heavy mask with digital eyes and a simple orange hazmat suit. He was sturdily built, but not so much that Rivet would call him burly. This man was leaning back on his chair, reading a magazine and apparently hadn't seen or heard them heroes come in.

"Hey Dal!" Segen called for the man, who jumped in his seat and hid his magazine.

"Oh! Hey there, Segen," Dal called hurriedly, doing a quick wave. "What are, heh, w-what are you doing here?" He inquired, resting his elbows on his desk, and his chin on his palm.

"I have a favor to ask you," The technician said, clasping his hands together and taking a long step forward.

Dal straightened out at that, his eyes shooting to Rivet and Ratchet, before returning to Segen, suspiciously narrow. "This isn't about your… groundwork, is it?" He asked, Rivet's time as a spy made her take notice of the pronunciation.

Segen simply nodded at Dal, gesturing at the lombaxes with his head.

"Oh boy," Dal uttered, shutting his eyes and putting a palm over his face. Rivet then heard Dal press a button, and a faint whirring sound afterwards. "Alright, cameras and audio are out," Dal sighed. "What is this about?"

"Okay, before you say no," Segen started, hands low at his sides. "This is important. I'm helping these people-" He pointed to the two lombaxes. "-With their own problems. And we need you to lend us a hand."

Dal's eyes shifted between the three people standing before him. Rivet could hear a rapid, rhythmic tapping echo through the room. She noticed Dal had a hand on his desk. "What do you want?" The quartermastes asked, not necessarily agreeing to anything.

"We need a map to the local Church," Rivet said, taking a step forward. "We were told you had one?"

Dal looked at her with wide eyes. "You want a what?" He exclaimed, propping himself up on his desk.

"Dal, listen," Segen said loudly, stepping in front of Rivet, blocking her view of the quartermaster. "They are already taking the Trials to get into the Church, but I need the map and the passwords to help them get what they need." He elaborated. "You have the schematics for that map, so we need your help."

"Oh, Zoni," Dal pleaded desperately. "You really are going to do it. I can't believe it! You're actually going to do it!" He shouted.

"Yes Dal, I'm leaving! Once and for all!" Segen shouted back.

Rivet was a little confused by the situation in front of her. The technician and the quartermaster stared each other down, both tense and confrontational in their stace.

Then, Dal leaned back into his chair, letting a heavy, strained sigh. "Look, I can't give you the schematics for the Church!" He stated, crossing his arms in an "X" shape and then throwing them to his sides. "But! But." He quickly added, pointing at the heroes. "I can send the schematics to a relevant War Caste terminal. And say the facility this terminal is located in gets 'breached'-" He air quoted. "-By 'mysterious enemies' I had nothing to do with-" He continued, leaning forward for emphasis. "Then you should be able to extract them."

"Oh that's great!" Segen exclaimed. "Thank-"

"Eyeyey, wait a minute," Dal interrupted him. "I can't send the whole thing to a single facility, and I can't send it by itself. I don't want to get caught up in this." He said, circling out the group. "I'll need to split the schematics into three chunks, at least, and hide them in a sizable pile of junk mail, cargo manifestos, managerial data, among other things."

"So we'll have to raid three Ruined bases and skim through their spam mail to get the schematics?" Ratchet asked, sounding annoyed already.

"I believe Kit and I can extract the necessary files relatively easily," Clank said suddenly. "As for actually getting to said files, perhaps a stealthy approach would be better?"

"Why is his backpack talking?" Dal asked, pointing at Ratchet.

"Long story," Segen said quickly. "Alright, sounds like a plan. Can you tell us which facilities you're sending the map pieces to?"

"I'll forward them to you," Dal stated as he used what River now knew to be a swivel chair to move over to a computer.

After tapping away at his keyboard, Dal swiveled back to his original position. "There, it's sent."

"Thanks, Dal." Segen said with a little bow.

"Don't thank me yet. I can't send the whole thing, even in split parts. That would raise waaaay too many eyebrows. You'll have to come back here to receive the last piece from from me personally."

"Why can't you give it to us now?" Rivet asked.

"Because if you die and they find that map piece, it's gonna lead back to me. So you'll get it after I know you'll be in relatively safer waters."

"Sounds reasonable."

"In that case-" Dal stood up and pointed at the door. "-Please don't make too big a mess, and please don't get me caught in it."

"We'll do our best." River promised.

Dal grumbled something at that before Rivet left the building and thus, earshot.

Rivet felt there was a little more to the quartermaster that she was able to gather from that conversation. After all, saying it was bizarre for a military charge to so willingly aid what was an obvious slight against their faculty, would be quite an understatement.

Yet this was the second time Segen had such a connection ready, Roy in Veldin having been the first. It made her feel like maybe Segen had been planning this for much longer than she first thought.

After exiting the building, Segen spoke, eyes quickly scanning their surroundings. "Alright, we should go get your weapons from my place." He said with a half-lidded stare. "I have a feeling you guys don't do stealth."

Rivet smirked, looking over to Ratchet. The two nodded. "Not really our style."

"Oh dear." Clank's voice came.

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After returning to Segen's home, the heroes had geared up for the task ahead. Both lombaxes had regained their respective arsenals and returned their melee weapons to their original forms.

They had also switched back to their usual outfits, save for the fact Rivet's arm stayed black due to Segen's discourteous paint job.

Once readied up, the group returned to the Undercity, where the facilities Dal had marked for them were located.

Now hiding behind some natural rocky cover, Rivet scouted the Ruined facility Segen had led them to, the one he claimed was the least defended of the bunch.

Surrounded by the artificial daylight of the Undercity, this facility was lit by contrasting beacons of green light. There was a large outer wall, and a spacious courtyard with treaded paths that led to the main building, a firm structure with a large entrance.

There were plenty of bad guys patrolling the courtyard, as well as guarding the outer wall and the inner entrance to the building.

"So, how do we play this?" Rivet asked.

"There's a comms tower on the ceiling," Segen said, pointing at the lean metallic frame that poked out of the facility's roof. "You should knock that out before charging in guns blazing. Also, the terminals are usually on the first floor, behind some locked doors."

"And what will you be doing while we deal with this?" Ratchet asked the technician.

"Sending positive energy your way." Segen replied in a honnied voice and gave Ratchet a thumbs up.

Rivet smacked her forehead, but didn't indulge the technician further. She instead looked over to Ratchet as she drew her Omnihammer. "Ready for this?" She asked tauntingly.

"After you." He replied with a smirk.

She got a fuzzy little feeling. It was nice being able to actually see his face again, unobscured by a sphere of tinted glass.

After this, the two heroes got on the move. They ran far from the main entrance, bodies low to the ground and sticking to the shadows. Rivet saw Ratchet take the lead and get up close to the outer wall.

He bent his knees and put his hands together, giving her a quick nod. Rivet approached and put a foot on his hold. The hero then boosted her up, landing her on the top of the wall.

Once there, Rivet looked down at Ratchet and held her metal arm out. She saw him use the Swingshot, latching onto her hand in a nifty combo they had come up with. With a grunt, she pulled him up beside her.

Rivet then turned to the comms tower Segen had mentioned. If she was going to blow it up, she'd need something with some pretty decent kick to it. Defaulting to her old reliable, Rivet drew her Warmonger, hoisting it over her shoulder and taking aim.

She heard a low, energized resonance beside her, and saw Ratchet charging a blast of the Negatron Collider, also taking aim for the tower. Then, the sounds of weapons being fired filled the air. Rivet saw a beam of blue energy and a fiery rocket explode against the comms tower, felling it there and then.

As Rivet smiled devilishly at the destruction, she heard the startled screaming of the many Ruined below her. She saw the villains scrambling about, looking everywhere for the source of the attack.

She noticed how a group of Fishbowls, accompanied by three Calibers, seemed to have spotted the heroes, pointing and yelling at them, before drawing their weapons. "Luil!" They shouted. "Ul mer!"

Rivet saw the bad guys start firing, so she jumped into the air towards the courtyard and as she fell, she shot another missile at the gathered villains.

When she landed, she heard the blast of her weapon ring out loudly. However, when she raised her head to see the effects, the expression on her face changed from cockyness to surprise.

Before the Ruined she had targeted, was a bright barrier made green of see-through energy. Creating this barrier, and standing protectively in front of its comrades, was a new type of Ruined Rivet had not seen in battle yet. She had spotted one during the Trail at the maze, but didn't pay much attention to it then.

It was a stocky creature, almost as tall as a Caliber, had a similarly placed head and wore a similar visor mask, sharing the usual black green and gold getup. However, this Ruined was much leaner in comparison, save for his hands, which were large and armored, with single green lights glowing on the back of each. These hands were posed in front of the Ruined in a sort of block, and Rivet assumed they were projecting the shield that had defended the Ruined behind them.

Rivet also noticed this particular Ruined had a bag strapped to his back, a bag filled with long metal rods. It drew two of these rods, taking one in each hand, before slamming them into the ground. They extended, growing taller before a sheen of green energy, identical to the one emitted by the Ruined's own shields, connected the two rods, restoring the protective barrier.

"That one's a Shielder," Rivet heard Segen announce through the radio. "They are real defensive powerhouses, don't leave them alone too long or they'll make a DIY fortress for their buddies."

Just as Segen spoke, Rivet noticed the Shielder draw a large hammer and another rod, before nailing said rod into the ground, extending the green barrier considerably.

"Okay, any suggestions on how to take them out?" Rivet asked as she started dodging the proyectiles of the protected Fishbowls and Calibers, frustration building up inside her at being unable to shoot them back.

"Try lobbing a grenade type weapon over their shields. That always messes them up."

"That makes sense." She muttered, equipping the Shatterbomb and throwing a projectile over the green shield.

The blast took out most of the flimsy Fishbowls, but left the Shielder and the Calibers alive, the latters resuming their fire.

Rivet kept throwing Shatterbombs at the Ruined, thinning them out one blast at a time, jumping and flipping out of the way of any incoming bullets. She thought this was rather straightforward, and noted she had been allowed to pretty much stay put until now.

That's when it clicked. There weren't any Slashers.

Those hyperactive sword loonies were the ones that usually pushed her around. Yet, without them, she was allowed to stay comfy at her position, fighting at her own pace.

When she fired one final explosive that landed right on top of the pesky Shielder, River risked looking around the battlefield. When she did, she saw Ratchet run up to a group of four Slashers encased in ice cubes before unleashing a double blast of Enforcer buckshot on the villains.

She saw him chuckle at this, before turning to face her. "That was easy."

Rivet was about to agree, but was stopped when she heard a heavy door open. She drew her Blackhole Storm and aimed it at the sound. There, she saw a squadron of Ruined emerge from their facility.

She recognized the hunchback figures of the six Scorchers, and was just familiarized with the two Shielders that came along. But among these familiar faces, there was one she didn't recognize.

This Ruined was than all the others so far, save the giant Breaker from Megalopolis. It was also rather round, the spherical shape enhanced due it to having a powerful thruster instead of legs, allowing it to hover above the courtyard. Its arms were short and thick, and its head, concealed behind a crystal dome, seemed to lack a neck. It's bulging frog-like eyes glared at Rivet.

She saw there were several cylinders stuck to the creature's armor plates, reminiscent of batteries. There were also two tesla coils behind the Ruined's pauldrons, creating an arc of electricity over its head. A constant electric buzzing accompanied this Ruined.

"That's a Burster," Segen named once again. "Don't let it charge up."

Before Rivet could question what he meant, the Burster engaged a small targeting computer on its helmet, and a thin laser sight landed on Rivet's chest. When this happened, Rivet heard the Burster's buzzing steadily grow louder, and the golden batteries on its body started to glow increasingly bright.

She had to close her eyes, not because of the Burster's glow, but because the six Scorchers had all started spewing green flames at her and Ratchet.

Rivet dashed backwards, distancing herself from the hellish heat. She then pulled the trigger on her Blackhole Storm and felt the gun spin to life, and a torrent of purple bullets cut through the lake of green fire.

But before the bullets could hit their marks, Rivet saw the two Shielders leap in front of the Scorchers, planting their shield rods when they landed. And so, with the energy barriers having sprung to life, all of Rivet's projectiles were effectively blocked.

And while this took place, Rivet heard a loud beep come from the Burster, who still had her locked on its laser sight. She noticed that the batteries on the floating Ruined's chest were now glowing dangerously bright, while the ones on its arms were still shimmering dully by comparison.

She identified this as the abstract countdown to what she could safely assume was a very dangerous attack.

Thankfully, before she could worry about it, Rivet saw the Burster be hit by a glowing purple projectile that blinked white before slamming back into the round Ruined, again and again.

Rivet realized that this was Ratchet's doing, aiming the Ricochet at the Burster while strafing around the jets of vivrant flames the Scorchers were throwing his way.

However, once the Ricochet hit the Burster one last time and the glowing projectile vanished, the creature remained standing, only to shake its head and focus. It then extended an arm toward the yellow lombax, and a bolt of lighting shot out of it, making Ratchet jump back.

The Burster then re-engaged his targeting computer, this time aiming at Ratchet. But, with the Ricochet still in hand, Ratchet fired off another round at the Burster.

Rivet meanwhile returned focus to her own fight. Seeing how the two Shielders had created a wide barrier between her and the Scorchers who kept harassing Ratchet and restricting their movement, Rivet equipped her Glove of Doom.

She raised her throwing arm and tossed two rounds over the green shields. The agents burst out and quickly got to ravenously chomp at the Ruined.

While she left her agents to handle the enemies behind the barrier, Rivet turned toward the Burster Ratchet was dealing with, who was surprisingly still alive. She then switched over to her Buzz Blades and started peppering the villain.

Between Rivet's contribution and Ratchet's existing efforts, the big Ruined eventually plummeted to the ground, crashing loudly and cracking the floor beneath it.

At the Burster's defeat, Rivet returned her attention to the Ruined she had left to her agents, ready to finish the job with a well-placed Shatterbomb. However, Rivet lowered her weapon upon seeing her agents explode brightly, taking the remaining Ruined along with them.

Shortly after, the green fire died down, and the Shielders' barriers fell, indicating the fight was over.

"Those new guys are going to be a pain." Rivet said, her ears drooping in anticipated irritation.

"Let's hope there aren't too many more kinds of bad guys." Ratchet said.

"Oh no, there's like twenty more different guys you haven't seen yet." Segen's voice came suddenly, only this time, Rivet didn't hear it through the radio.

The technician had made his way to the courtyard, stepping around the fallen bodies of the Ruined. "Good job. This should be pretty easy if you keep that up."

"Yeah, easy for you. You don't have to do anything." Rivet snapped.

"Hey, I'm a technician, not a fight-ician." Segen countered. "Beating up people is your job. It's your contribution to the mission effort."

"And what exactly is your contribution to the mission effort?"

"I look good." He said, putting his hand under his chin and closing his eyes.

After sharing an eye roll at Segen's antics, the lombaxes followed him into the facility. Once they entered, Rivet found herself squinting and blinking rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the horrible lighting of the place. The dark, angular design and the distant green strobe lights overheard made Rivet's eyes hurt.

"Geez, do these guys have night vision in those masks of theirs?"Ratchet complained. "I swear the ship back at Megalopolis was just as dim as this."

"They do, actually." Segen confirmed as he moved ahead, walking over to a locked door. "They can also see through smoke and stuff."

The technician removed a panel off the wall beside it and cut a defined selection of wires in a quick yet deliberate manner. The door slid open immediately after. This allowed them access to another segment of the room. Inside of this segment, were a multitude of computer screens and servers.

A single terminal stood at the end of the room, intricate wiring spread to and from it like snakes, linking to the other machinery.

"That's the terminal where Dal's map piece should be at." Segen said, pointing at the machine.

"Alright, Kit," Rivet began, tilting her body to allow her backpack buddy an easier time getting down. "All yours." She said, feeling Kit's weight leave her shoulders.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Clank hop off Ratchet's back and walk up to the yellow bot, both then walking up to the terminal.

However, when they reached it, Rivet realized they were much too short, barely able to tap the keyboard when they jumped up to reach for it. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"Oh, I got it!" Segen said as he went up to the robots, grabbing them by the scruffs of their necks and lifting them to level with the terminal. "There you go!"

Clank and Kit exchanged a confused look, but shrugged and looked over to Segen. "Thank you, Segen." Clank said as politely as he could. "Oh, Ratchet," He called, turning his head to his friend. "You wouldn't happen to have Glitch with you, would you?"

"Glitch? Sure, here she is!" Ratchet replied, drawing a metal chip from one of his pockets.

The chip then projected a hologram of a familiar robotic spider. Glitch winked and smiled at her friends as Ratchet passed her over to Clank. Rivet saw how Glitch eventually laid eyes on Segen, and instantly frowned at the technician, aiming her little guns at him.

"He is not a threat Glitch," Kit said in reasurance. "He is helping us with an important task." He explained, causing Glitch to simmer down. "We actually need your assistance as well. Would you mind helping us?"

Glitch looked between Kit and Segen, eyes shifting between them a couple of times, before eventually nodding in agreement.

"Then let's get to work." Kit exclaimed with high spirits before putting Glitch into a port on the terminal and putting her hands on the keyboard, along with Clank.

From where she was standing, Rivet managed to see Kit accidentally graze Clank's hand when she reached for the keyboard. This caused the shy bot to yip and retract her arm quickly, earning a chuckle from Clank.

Rivet smiled at the cute little blunder, especially when Kit eventually slowly returned her hand to its original place, right beside Clank's.

"Alright, so," Segen spoke up, leaning over the bots. "I'll translate everything as we go along. I assume your friend there-" He nodded in Glitch's direction. "-Is going to help us along somehow?"

"Yes, meanwhile Kit and I will search for and begin extracting the necessary files."

"Cool. I'll… hold ya steady."

"Thank you, Segen." Clank said with a short laugh.

Rivet folded her arms over her chest, leaned against a server block and watched her friends work.

"We totally got this." She heard Ratchet say beside her. "If we can keep this up, we really don't have anything to worry about."

"I like the optimism." Rivet said, giving him a side-long glance. "Remember what we said; There's nothing they can throw at us that we can't take if we take it on-"

"-Together." He finished for her, making her turn her head to him. "Yeah, I remember." He said with a soft smile.

A smile she returned in kind.

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