"So… The Warden's Office." Ratchet says, reading off a sign put above a large set of doors as he stops before them, placing his hands on his hips. "How much of a fight are we expecting, do you think?"

"Given the resistance we have faced from the guards thus far, I would say it is safe to assume their leader is much worse." Clank answers cautiously. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Pssh, what's a little Warden compared to half of the stuff we've fought?" Ratchet replies with a roll of his eyes, reaching to unholster his trusty OmniWrench. "We've got this."

"And if we do not?"

"Why are you always such a buzzkill, huh?" He asks, deflating a bit while looking over his shoulder.

"I am merely trying to prepare for the worst—which is exactly what has been happening throughout the entirety of this 'little trip' turned adventure." He replies pointedly.

Ratchet raises his finger to counter Clank as usual before aptly realizing that he was actually very much correct in that statement.

"…Alright, good point." He mutters, making Clank smile in satisfaction before Ratchet straightens up again. "But, if we don't got this, then we just fall back to Rivet for some backup. And if that doesn't work, we fall back even more to the pirates, then even more to the Resistance, and so on and so forth. Happy?"

"Yes, yes, very well." Clank replies with a roll of his optics. "I am just happy it is this instance you have a backup plan."

"You've known me your entire life, and you still don't give me enough credit." Ratchet says with a scoff before readying himself into a battle stance, rolling his neck and shoulders. "But with your usual smartassery out of the way… Let's kick some ass."

Readying his Wrench, he walks up to the doors, already mentally preparing himself to be face-to-face with a robot as big (if not bigger) than those Juggernauts he's seen around, because surely the most secure prison in the galaxy would have a beefcake of a Warden to oversee it.

And as mental tactics and maneuvers as to how to take down yet another enemy thrice his size is cemented in his brain, Ratchet raises his Wrench to smash open the doors for his grand entrance before leaping in.

"Alright, Warden!" He cries out, pointing in front of him. "You and me, let's da—wait, what?"

"GAH!" A familiar robot cries out in startled fear, being much, much smaller than what Ratchet was expecting, causing him to tilt his head in bewilderment.

"Wait, you're the Warden here? The Emperor's Assistant?" He asks, looking upon F-44 as she cowers behind her desk before he places a hand on his chin. "Actually, that kind of makes sense, if I'm being honest. I mean, Vartax's warden was just some suit that was a suckup to Zogg, so—"

"Don't hurt me!" The Assistant cowers, suddenly rushing over to the other side of the room, to which an orange dome appears over her. "I'm just following the Emperor's orders!"

"I…"

Ratchet and Clank exchange a questioning glance, but Ratchet hesitantly relaxes his stance before lowering his wrench, raising an eyebrow.

"You seem pretty into whatever the Emperor does, from what I've seen of you." He says, walking into the room. "You suck up to him every chance you get!"

"That is because any dissent is punishable by imprisonment or death!" She replies, still cowering beneath her protective forcefield. "I cannot do anything but obey and encourage his every whim!"

"Even when I literally saw you sitting in his chair in his office talking about 'how great it'd be if you were Empress'?" He counters, crossing his arms.

She freezes for a moment as Clank gives Ratchet a concerned glance at that comment, but the Assistant quickly shakes her head.

"Th-That was because I wish to make a more peaceful, friendly Empire than Nefarious'!" She quickly explains. "I want to make the galaxy a better place, unlike him!"

"…Well, look, just get out the way while we finish taking your prison, okay?" Ratchet says with a sigh and roll of his eyes as he walks over to the center console of the room, noting how it overlooked a large panopticon of cells.

But as the Assistant just silently stares at him as he scans over the keyboard, Clank looks over Ratchet's shoulder at the security monitors attached to the console, and smiles as he points one out.

"Ratchet! There! Kaden and Kit!"

Ratchet instantly looks up at the mention of their names, and upon seeing his father and their new friend sitting in a cell alone together, a smile crosses his face as a wave of relief washes over him.

"Oh, thank the stars they're safe!" He says gratefully before looking over to the Assistant, pointing at her. "You're lucky they are, or else I'd be ready to break into that panic bubble of yours to teach you a lesson."

The Assistant gives no reply, instead still just staring at Ratchet, but he pays no mind as he now focuses on freeing them as soon as possible.

"Alright, now… How do I do any of this?" He mutters, looking at all the buttons. "Hmm… It's the big red one, right? It's always the big red one."

He presses the large red button on the console, but he is only met with the lights of the office turning off, causing him to look up, expecting some sort of announcement like 'PRISON POWER DEACTIVATED', but no such message comes.

"…I believe you just flipped a light switch, Ratchet." Clank says as the Assistant gives a quiet, condescending snicker.

"Why is the button for it so big, then?!" He asks indignantly, turning them back on. "So… Maybe the other big red button?"

He presses it, and while the lights don't suddenly turn off, they hear a whirring sound emanate nearby, making Ratchet turn to expect some kind of main switch to open all the cells and—

He is met with the sight of a coffee maker dispensing steaming, aromatic beverage into a cheap disposable cup from the wall, topped with a 'Ding!' as soon as it's finished pouring.

"Why do robots need coffee?!" He asks, throwing his hand over to it before snapping back to the console with a frustrated scowl. "Alright, this button, then!"

Click.

"Now playing from personal playlist: 'Yolak's Fifth Concerto, Second Movement: A Dance Through the Ever-Metal Glades'." A voice plays from the console right before classical music begins to play.

"OH, COME ON!"

"Tasteful choice of music, I must say, though." Clank says pleasantly, listening to it. "I enjoy it."

"Thank you." The Assistant says proudly.

"How do we free everyone?!" Ratchet asks, taking out his wrench to point it at her through the forcefield, startling her as she raises her hands.

"What?! I-I don't—"

"If you really hate the Emperor and you're actually a nice person like you're saying right now, then you're going to help us." He says, staring at her. "Or, I just slam every button on this console until I find the one to shut off that little forcefield of yours so I can practice what I'm going to do to Nefarious on you. So, what's your choice?"

The Assistant looks at him with slight fear and hesitation, glancing between him and the console several times, remaining silent for a few seconds as she mulls over his 'proposal'.

But before Ratchet can ask again, she gives a long sigh.

"Alright, fine." She says with resignation. "It's the top right button, the green one."

"Thank you." Ratchet says with a smile and a nod, putting his wrench away as he turns back to the console. "Maybe after this is all said and done, maybe you can actually help make this a better place after—"

"ALERT!" The PA system announces as soon as he presses the button. "WARDEN'S OFFICE BREACHED, ALL AVAILABLE PERSONNEL TO THE OFFICE IMMEDIATELY TO TERMINATE ANY AND ALL INTRUDERS WITH MAXIMUM AND EXTREMELY PAINFUL PREJUDICE! ALERT!"

"What the—"

"HA HA!" The Assistant gleefully laughs, making Ratchet and Clank look to her with surprise to find her pointing at them. "YOU FOOLS! YOU IDIOTS! YOU THINK THAT I WOULD BETRAY OUR GLORIOUS EMPEROR FOR THE LIKES OF SPACE RATS LIKE YOU?! YOU DESERVE TO PERISH LIKE ALL INFERIOR SQUISHIES! SOON HE WILL CONQUER THIS GALAXY, AND THEN YOUR ENTIRE DIMENSION, AND ALL OF TIME AND SPACE! ALL HAIL NEFARIOUS, OUR MOST MAJESTIC—"

"ALERT!" The PA system suddenly pings once again. "ALL REINFORCEMENT RESERVES DEPLETED! PRISONER CONTROL OF PRISON UP TO EIGHTY-ONE POINT THREE PERCENT AND RISING! ALL REMAINING VIP PERSONNEL EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! ALL NON-VIP PERSONNEL REMAIN TO DIE FOR OUR GLORIOUS EMPEROR! HAVE A GOOD DAY!"

And as the PA system clicks off once again, Ratchet and Clank's shocked and angered expressions shift to smiles and smugness as they look back at the Assistant, remaining frozen in the middle of her rant as she continues staring at the speaker in disbelief.

But then, she finally tears her gaze away from it to lock eyes with Ratchet, who crosses his arms with a smile.

"So… What was that you were saying about space rats?" He asks casually.

"…Uh…"

In a flash, the forcefield protecting her suddenly fizzles away, and before Ratchet could react, she whizzes right past him and through the open doors of the office, leaving the duo behind at the console as they look at each other curiously.

"Where do you think she has gone?" Clank asks.

"I dunno, probably the hell away from here like that announcement said, it's clear she's not a fighter." Ratchet replies with a shrug before looking over the keyboard again. "But now that she's gone, how the hell do we even use this thing?!"

"Perhaps just try to press every button before it works?" Clank suggests with a shrug.

"The fact that there's a button to sic the entire prison on us right here tells me that there's probably a self-destruct button here that I don't wanna press." Ratchet replies, placing a hand on his chin. "But… I don't really see any other choice, so… Let's hope we're lucky?"

"Luck has not been in our favor today."

"Again with the jinxing, Clank." Ratchet says with a groan, hanging his head back. "If we blow up by accidental self-destruct from that, then just know that my last thought is that I'm gonna completely blame you for—"

"Calm down, no one's blowing themselves up." A voice suddenly cuts in from the door.

Ratchet and Clank snap their attention over to it, and find Rivet walking toward them with a stiff, determined expression—in contrast to Ratchet's, whose face lights up with relief.

"Oh, Rivet! Do you know how to use this to—"

"I do." She says as Ratchet steps back to allow her to begin typing away on the console. "Not my first rodeo with these systems, after all. Let's just get everyone freed so we can finally get out of here."

"Oh, uh… Cool. Thanks." Ratchet says with a small smile, but still a little put off from Rivet's cold aloofness that's become the hallmark of her attitude for this mission—to the point of snapping at the Morts just before he made his exit from that situation.

He knew that Rivet had a very just cause for all of this emotional distress at finding out her friend and partner was also the one who ruined her life years ago, but even then, it was just so jarring to see her act like this when she's been nothing but smiles and laughs for all the time he's gotten to know her today. Hell, even the Morts looked shocked to see her snap at them, and they're the ones who raised her!

But most of all, he just felt terrible for her. He wanted to say something or do anything to possibly help this turmoil she's going through, but he knew that he's said and done all he could in that pocket dimension they were thrown into, and even that didn't seem to help.

All he could do was just sit on the sidelines like a spectator for a horrible game where losing means witnessing the end of a blooming friendship he's helped create between Rivet and Kit, and Ratchet had no choice but to watch with bated breath and hope that some way, somehow, things would work out.

But as he stared at Rivet with a concerned frown, watching her eyes flick between the keyboard and the flurry of lines on the monitor with an intense focus, he suddenly noticed how the fur around her eyes seemed a little damp.

Was she crying right after he left? After yelling at the Morts over whatever was going through her mind with Kit? Even though it was clear she's been trying to shove it all down to just focus on this mission?

Those obvious tearstains in her fur seemed to tell him yes on all fronts. And to see that this was breaking her down to the point of tears in spite of her incredibly tough fortitude and optimism she's demonstrated to him time and time again today sent a deep pang through him, telling him that he needed to do something, at least.

Not sure if it was the correct move to make, his heart just told him that it felt like the right move to make as Ratchet reaches over, placing his hand on her shoulder with a comforting grip, making her stop her typing as she looks back to him in surprise, furrowing her brows.

"I think you're a really strong person, and you're doing a good job." He says softly, looking into her eyes with a very small yet earnest smile. "Even though everything sucks right now, I really think you'll be able to pull through it. I just wanted to say that."

He retracts his hand from her shoulder, and while Rivet just looks at him in stunned silence, Ratchet is unable to read her face, uncertain of whether or not he just made things better or worse.

But as the seconds tick by with still no response, he begins to brace himself for the latter, internally preparing for Rivet to yell at him again that he doesn't know a damn thing about what she feels, and that he's in no position to tell her about what she should or shouldn't do, because he wasn't the one who was betrayed and lost an arm, and that he didn't have any say for—

"Thank you, Ratchet." She says softly, shattering his train of thought. "I… Needed to hear that. Thanks. Really."

And for the first time in what felt like a long while, Ratchet watches a smile cross her lips as her sapphire eyes stared into his, displaying not cold bitterness and hostility as they have throughout this whole breakout, but instead an inviting warmth and gratefulness that made him feel warm in a strange way, too, unable to help but make him return the smile.

"No problem, Rivet." He returns with a nod. "I'm always happy to help."

But as they look into each other's eyes for a few seconds more, they suddenly hear Clank clearing his throat with a subtle 'ahem'.

"How goes the cell release?" He asks innocently from Ratchet's back.

"O-Oh, uh, right!" Rivet says, quickly shaking her head as she snaps her focus back to the console, hammering away at it once more as Ratchet awkwardly clears his own throat as well, looking away. "Just a few more lines here, and… Done!"

With a final tap of a key, they hear another announcement from the PA.

"ALERT! ALL PRISONERS RELEASED! ALL PERSONNEL, PLEASE FOLLOW APPROPRIATE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: PANICKING, MAKING A LAST STAND, AND/OR MAKING PEACE WITH YOUR GOD THAT IS OUR GLORIOUS RULER, EMPEROR NEFARIOUS. HAVE A GREAT DAY!"

They look up, and through the window, they see all the doors to the cells in the panopticon shut off, freeing everyone, letting them all scatter and run as guards panic, quickly becoming overwhelmed by the pirates, Resistance members, or just plain-old disgruntled prisoners as others escape.

And glancing to the security monitor, they see Kaden and Kit's cell suddenly lurch, making them both look around in surprise as it starts moving.

"Look!" Ratchet says, pointing to it. "They're moving! But… Where are they going, though?"

"That's a VIP cell." Rivet answers. "It's where Nefarious sticks his most dangerous prisoners, and they dangle over the ocean on rails. But since we activated the cell release, it's getting recalled back to the VIP section."

"Well, where is it?" Ratchet asks, turning back to her.

"Not far from here. The Warden likes to keep a close eye on the VIPs. Mostly to brag and pretend like she's the Empress of her own little empire here." Rivet says with a roll of her eyes, holding a hand up before looking at the monitor again, staring at it for a few moments.

She sighs, closing her eyes while leaning on the console, Ratchet and Clank watching her with some confusion before she speaks up after a couple of seconds.

"So… Let's go get them, I guess." She says with little enthusiasm, opening her eyes and turning away from the console, walking towards the door. "They'll be waiting for us when we get there. Come on."

"Erm… Y-Yeah, right behind you." Ratchet replies, quickly moving to follow her.

Rivet barely hears him, however, nor the PA system that was now taken over by the prisoners saying that Zordoom was theirs, and that everyone needs to get off-planet ASAP before Imperial reinforcements arrive to reclaim it again.

All she could think about was that she was about to have the conversation she both waited and dreaded for many years since it happened; becoming face to face with the robot that stole her arm for her.

If only the robot was just that; a robot. A nameless hunk of metal whose only purpose was to kill and destroy in the name of its Emperor, and a bucket of bolts that Rivet would have no qualms decommissioning after screaming all her pent-up anger and insults she's felt toward it for all this time.

But this robot wasn't just a robot. It was Kit. Someone that Rivet had come to grow to trust over the course of today, from an ally, to a partner… To a friend.

And she's had plenty of experience to know that being angry at a friend is a lot harder to do than being angry at a tin can that flew Nefarious' flag. A lot harder.

But unfortunately, she's never had the experience of meeting someone who was both of those things at once, and that worried her, because to be honest… She had no idea what was going to happen when she finally talks to Kit.

And whether she liked it or not… She was about to find out.

It was rainy outside.

Rivet had no idea why she had to think that, since she knew Viceron was much like Nefarious City in that there always seemed to be a perpetual thunderstorm on this planet, but it was a strange detail that her mind latched onto as she and Ratchet stood in the VIP section, waiting for the cell to come.

It made her fur uncomfortably damp, and she wished she had some sort of armor to help shield her from it better than her typical sleeveless garb. At least she was wearing her scarf like always, but it didn't do much. At least her neck was dry, she supposed. She liked her scarf. It was a gift from Mort when she was little, around eight or so. It was comfortable, and it was always a nice reminder of her home and of her family, and she honestly felt naked without it, like her goggles. She noticed they kept that little part of her head dry from the rain, too. She couldn't remember if it was another gift from the Morts or something she 'borrowed' from the refinery and never took back. Maybe she should ask Mort to see if he remembered which—

"There they are!" Ratchet says excitedly, shattering her train of thought as he points ahead.

Sure enough, sliding smoothly along the rail was the large, hexagonal VIP cell, its door shining a blue light into it to perfectly illuminate its occupants; Kaden, who was waving to Ratchet with a visibly relieved smile, and in the back, sitting against the wall…

Was her.

Rivet's breath catches in her throat as she spots Kit in the cell, and for a brief moment, they make eye contact as the cell moves closer, lasting no more than a second before Kit breaks it, hanging her head down as her knees are pulled up to her chest in a crestfallen manner.

Rivet didn't know what she was going expecting to feel in seeing Kit again after knowing the truth, but she definitely didn't anticipate what she felt just now, which was… Strangely… Not much.

There wasn't some overwhelming surge of emotions that would devolve her to an overloaded mess and make her run away.

There wasn't righteous fury and anger at seeing the robot that stole her chance at a normal life that'd make her take out a blaster to put her down at the first instant that shield goes down.

There wasn't even the intense internal conflict to spark yet another mental argument that she's been constantly having throughout this entire breakout, either.

She looked at Kit and just… Saw Kit. She felt mild anger at knowing what she did, and mild pity and sadness at seeing how miserable Kit looked sitting in the cell like that, yes, but… She didn't feel much. She didn't even know if that was better or worse than feeling anything else.

But as she stares at Kit, Rivet feels a hand on her shoulder, making her rip her gaze away from her to find Ratchet looking back at her with a small, sympathetic smile. And instead of saying anything, he just gives her a nod.

He didn't say anything… But she felt like it was what she needed to hear right now, even if it helped her only a little.

Although she didn't quite have it in her to return a smile, she at least returns the nod, prompting Ratchet to remove his hand from her shoulder as they both look back to the cell, seeing it dock before them with a solid 'KER-CHUNK' of all that mass stopping, shortly before the forcefield pitifully fizzles away.

And as it does, Kaden wastes no time hopping out of it to rush up to Ratchet, wrapping him into a hug.

"Oh, thank the stars you're alright, Kip!" He says gratefully.

"Ah, l-let up a bit, would you?!" Ratchet says, finding his hug a little suffocating, making him try to break away from it. "And yeah, don't worry, I'm fine! You know I've been through worse than this before!"

"Yeah, well, the last time I got separated from my son by falling through a portal while fighting a galactic emperor, things didn't turn out so well, so excuse me for being so worried." Kaden says with a roll of his eyes as he begrudgingly lets go of him. "Especially when I had no idea where the hell you went after we landed… Here." He says, gesturing all around them.

"Oh, yeah, we just landed in a pocket dimension, I think Nefarious expected us to like, starve to death in there or something, I don't know." Ratchet says, waving a hand. "Which, by the way, did you know Gary and the Monks can open portals without a Dimensionator?"

"Wait, they what?" Kaden asks blankly.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Ratchet responds amusedly with a smile.

He opens his mouth to continue, but he then glances over, realizing that Rivet was still standing right next to them. But instead of observing their conversation, she was just staring ahead with furrowed brows, looking right at Kit, still sitting silently in the cell before them.

Ratchet glances between the two for a moment before looking back at his father, also glancing over to Rivet before looking back at Ratchet, who thumbs behind him.

"Which, um, me and Clank can explain while we go find a ship for us to get out of here." He says, nodding his head back. "Have you seen any around out here while you were locked up?"

"I… Think I have, yeah." Kaden replies with a nod, picking up on Ratchet's signal. "I think I saw some coming and going from over there."

"Alright, sweet." Ratchet replies as Kaden starts walking away.

But as Ratchet turns to join him, he looks back over to Rivet.

"We'll be waiting for you." He says softly—very quickly catching himself from saying 'you two'. "Take as long as you need."

Rivet regards him with no more than a quick glance and tiny nod, prompting Ratchet to nod back before walking away as well, leaving her alone.

With Kit. Just… Sitting right there, in front of her, not saying a word.

The rain was pretty loud, the raindrops hitting the metal ground around them. The ocean waves hitting the cliffs and supports of the prison didn't help either, neither did the occasional thunderclap, obviously.

And yet… It was just so quiet.

Too quiet. It was making her antsy, and uncomfortable, and tense as the silence between them drags on for what feels like forever. She's spent the last hour thinking about this whole conversation, and yet, here they were, unable to say anything to each other.

But soon, the silence grows too much for her, making her close her eyes as she takes a deep breath, crossing her arms—being very acutely aware of the cold metal of her prosthetic.

"So…" She begins, opening her eyes while looking off. "Here we are. I guess."

"…I suppose so." Kit meekly responds.

What a great opener, Rivet, she thinks to herself before she sighs.

"…I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to say." She admits with a frown. "I've been thinking about this stupid conversation nonstop, and yet, I can't even say a damn word."

"…I do not believe there is much to be said, Rivet." Kit says miserably, clutching tighter onto her knees. "We both know what I did. How inexcusable my actions are. And for that… You hate me. With every fiber of your being, as you rightly should. Just say so and leave if you cannot find the words yourself. I am sure you will be happier to be relieved of my presence as quickly as possible."

"Wait, what?" Rivet asks, suddenly snapping back towards her with furrowed brows and mild anger. "Kit, no, that's not true at all!"

Kit looks back up to Rivet with shocked surprise at her response.

"What? Are… Are you saying you do not hate me?" She asks in confusion.

Rivet blinks, not even seeming to register what she said until now.

"No, I do hate you! Of course I hate you! You were the one who shot me and took my goddamn ARM, Kit!" She says, raising up her prosthetic as Kit flinches back. "Why the hell wouldn't I hate you for doing that to me? For putting me through all of that SUFFERING?"

But as Kit's face washes with even more guilt, Rivet drops her hand as she starts pacing before the cell, looking down while holding her hands up.

"But—At the same time, I don't hate you, too! Because you were my friend, Kit! My partner!" Rivet continues, her voice still holding just as much of a frustrated tone. "I don't know what it was, but you and I just… Clicked today! I-I let you into my home, we both love plants, we both hate Nefarious with our guts, and you've had my back in our fights today! Literally! You're the first robot who I've started to actually trust!"

Rivet stops pacing, and looks back into the cell, anguish still written across her features—but now tinged with sadness as well while she points at Kit.

"But then you broke that! It was one thing to find out you used to work with Nefarious, sure, but it's another to know that you were a warbot! Let alone the one that took my ARM! And you knew you did, too, because Clank told me so!"

"W-Wait, he did?" Kit asks timidly.

"Yes, Kit, he did!" Rivet says sternly, crossing her arms again with a scowl. "He told me all about how you asked him for advice back in those Archives or whatever, and Ratchet told me about the stuff you told him about you being a warbot, too! And it's just… Just… Argh!"

She turns around, putting her back to Kit as she looks down.

"I just… I just hate all of this! I hate you, but I don't! I wish you would've told me the truth instead of lying about who you really were, but at the same time, I understand why you did it! And as much as I want to put one between your eyes for what you did to me, I still want to keep you as my friend! Just… Why does all of this have to be so complicated?!"

Rivet huffs an angry breath, burying her face into her natural hand, trying to calm herself down and try to get her mind back into some form of rational thinking so that she might—might have some semblance of an idea for what to do.

But as she tries and fail to do so after several seconds of deep breathing, Kit speaks up once more.

"I… I am not sure if this helps at all, but I feel similarly to you." She says quietly.

Rivet doesn't turn around, not making any indication she registered what Kit said, but that doesn't stop her from continuing.

"If you have spoken with Ratchet and Clank about this, then you know I've expressed to them how much I hate myself for what I did to you. To everyone I've hurt. If I had the choice to go back in time and prevent my existence as the weapon Nefarious designed me to beat, I would not hesitate for a second to take that opportunity." She says with clear disgust in her tone at referring to herself as a weapon.

"I know I hurt you in a way that no words can properly express, and that I would be lying if I said I knew anything about what you have had to suffer through because of me, because I do not. And as much as I say how much I hate myself for being who I am and what I have done, I know that you do not believe me, and only see me as the monster I was when you first met me. And for that reason, I know that the best place for me would be back on Savali, where I will be unable to hurt anyone else like I have you ever again.

Rivet turns to face Kit with surprise and anger at that statement, finding the idea of Kit just running away maddening to her for some strange reason, even though a part of her wanted nothing more than that.

But before she could voice any such protest, she sees Kit look back into her eyes as she continues.

"But… At the same time… I cannot help but want to be your friend, still. Your partner. Even though I know I have hurt you beyond repair." Kit says. "For years, the only other beings I've ever spoken to were Gary and the Monks on Savali, and even then… You have made as much of an impact on me as them in a single day. I was convinced that I am bad for people, that my mere presence brings nothing but danger and harm, and that I am better off being alone for the rest of my life to prevent hurting anyone else ever again.

"But… After I met Ratchet—after I met you… I was the happiest I've been in years." She says with a small smile. "I went on an adventure. I had someone actually enjoy my presence knowing that I used to work for the Empire. I was able to help you fight them. You were just as interested in horticulture as I was, and you also felt like you were best off being alone for the rest of your life as well, and yet, you helped convince me otherwise. I helped convince you otherwise. You were my friend… And I loved it."

Rivet simply stares back at Kit in stunned silence, unable to think of anything to say, but at the same time, Kit's smile slowly falls with a sigh as she clutches her knees to her chest once more, hanging her head.

"But… That was before you knew the truth. Of who I really was back then. Of what I did to you." She says sadly. "And… That changes everything about our partnership. So much so that I perfectly understand how and why it would not be able to go on. Good partners do not maim their partners, and those who maim others do not always deserve forgiveness.

"So…" Kit gives a sad sigh. "I am being redundant, but I truly, truly regret what I did to you that night, Rivet. With every fiber of my being. And while I loved our friendship together, I understand why it should end. I expect it to. But even if it does… I cherished every moment of our time together, and you have changed my life for the better for it. That is all."

Another silence befalls the duo as Kit sits in the cell with Rivet standing before her, broken only by the rain, thunder, and crashing waves of the Viceron ocean. It drags on for a few moments, then a few seconds, and even longer until almost a full minute as Rivet mulls over Kit's words.

Soon, though, she breaks the tension with a long, deep breath.

"So… We're at an impasse, I guess." She says, shrugging while rolling her eyes. "We want nothing more than to be as far away from each other as possible, but at the same time, we both want this to work out in spite of it somehow."

"…I suppose those are the circumstances, yes." Kit replies with a small nod.

"Yep…" Rivet says with a small, tired sigh.

Raindrops. Thunder. Lightning. Crashing waves. Silence.

"…Ratchet and Clank gave me a long rant about how I should forgive you before we came here." Rivet speaks up. "I mean, I yelled at them for it, because it was literally five minutes after I saw you transform, but…"

Kit looks back up to Rivet expectantly, seeing conflict on Rivet's face.

"…Do… Do you forgive me?" Kit asks—not in eagerness or relief, but strictly in mildly confused curiosity.

"…I still don't know." Rivet replies, shaking her head with another shrug. "But… All I know is that it's a lot harder to say no to that now than it was an hour ago, so…"

"…So…?"

Rivet sighs, but then picks her head up to look at Kit straight in the eye.

"Look… Honestly, all I know is that we're about to have the fight of our lives in trying to stop Nefarious once and for all before he tries invading other dimensions." Rivet says, crossing her arms. "And you know better than anyone how hard that's going to be, so we need everyone on hand. The Resistance, the Pirates, the Morts, everyone… And like we both said, we made damn good partners today helping each other fight."

Kit blinks in surprise.

"Are… Are you saying you wish for me to join you still on this upcoming battle?"

"I guess so." Rivet replies with a shrug. "Especially knowing what you are… We could use that firepower. Even if it was hard to stomach seeing… That." She adds, muttering while looking aside.

"…But you still don't forgive me." Kit clarifies, narrowing her optics. "Then… Why bring me? After everything? Why… Trust me like this?"

"Because…" Another sigh. "The thing is that even after all the shit you've done to me, Kit… After hearing what you, Ratchet, Clank, and everyone else had to say… I at least trust you enough to have my back in this fight." She answers. "I… I still hate what you did to me, but… I at least trust you enough that I feel assured nothing like that will never happen again."

"I—Of course not!" Kit says fervently, shaking her head, suddenly sitting up. "Rivet, I would never, EVER do anything like that to you! Ever! I swear to the stars!"

"I know, I know, which… Is enough to make me say that I…"

Rivet takes a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them back up and extending out a hand.

"I want you to be my partner, Kit." She says. "At least for this fight. I'm still not sure how I feel about it being long-term, but… We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Assuming we actually win against Nefarious, I guess."

Kit stares at Rivet in shock, seeing her stare back patiently, and failing to see any malice or hostility in Rivet's eyes. She glances down to her extended hand, still slightly in disbelief that this was happening, then back up to Rivet's face.

It felt like a long while to Rivet as she waited for Kit's answer, honestly expecting a 'no' based on what Kit said about hating herself and thinking she was a terrible person.

But after a tense several seconds, she sees a small smile on Kit's face as she hesitantly reaches out to take Rivet's hand.

"I am confident we will." Kit replies. "If there is one thing we can agree on in spite of everything that has happened between us, I believe it is the fact that we both hate Emperor Nefarious more than anything we feel about each other."

For the first time, Rivet can't help but crack a smile as she nods with a small chuckle.

"I think we can agree on that, yeah." She says, shaking Kit's hand. "Even if losing this fight means possibly dying as he takes over the multiverse, the idea of getting to punch that son of a bitch in that stupid mouth of his makes it more than worth it."

"And if me being your partner helps facilitate that happening to him, then I will do my best." Kit replies, still holding a smile. "So… Should we head off, then?"

"I'd say so. This place is about to be crawling with reinforcements if we don't leave now." Rivet says, looking around at the prison and all its prisoners flying off in ships found all around the prison before returning her attention to Kit. "Come on, Ratchet and Kaden are waiting for us."

She yanks on Kit's arm while turning around, and while surprised by the movement, Kit also maneuvers herself so that she may be mounted onto Rivet's back before she starts to run off towards the direction Kaden and Ratchet headed off to.

But as Rivet runs through the rain, Kit looks over her shoulder, still in disbelief that she was returned yet again to Rivet's back after what happened at the Archives.

"Rivet?" Kit asks.

"Yeah?" Rivet responds, still running.

"Thank you. Truly." She says quietly. "I know this may be temporary, but… I just wanted to say that."

Rivet looks over her shoulder as she runs, and gives a small smile in return.

"No problem, Kit." She says earnestly.

And with that, she looks back ahead as Kit sits contentedly upon her back, wondering what she possibly could have done to deserve a second chance such as this in spite of everything she had done to hurt Rivet.

Soon, however, Rivet runs to find a landing area for various shipcraft of the prison, and while it was mostly empty now with the last few ships being boarded by prisoners, there was one ship she saw with Ratchet, Kaden, and Clank sitting inside, talking with each other.

And as Rivet nears it, slowing down to a walk, Ratchet glances over to her before lighting up with a smile.

"Hey, there's Rivet!" He says excitedly.

"And Kit." Kaden points out, rolling his eyes before giving Ratchet a peculiar smirk, making Clank chuckle. "In case you didn't notice anything else."

"Hey, I was just about to say that, too!" Ratchet says, pouting while crossing his arms as he returns a frown.

"Eh, pretty sure you weren't." Kaden says with shrug as he shifts to move from the passenger seat to the back with Clank to make room for Rivet.

"Uh… Should I ask?" She questions as she walks up to the open cockpit.

"No. He's just being an idiot." Ratchet scoffs with a roll of his eyes, thumbing back to Kaden.

"Sure, I'm the idiot." Kaden says smugly, staring at Ratchet with crossed arms.

"You are. Now shut up."

"…Okay?" Rivet says, exchanging a confused glance with Kit before she takes her off her back to allow her to climb into the passenger seat with Kit on her lap. "Well, whatever. Let's get to Zurkie's before the Empire shows up. We've got a hell of a fight coming up."

"And to think we came here to pick up dusty books and stuff." Ratchet mutters, the cockpit hissing shut as he activates the ship. "Remember when you and Mags said this was 'going to be a quick trip where we won't even need a gun' and not some crazy, life-threatening adventure like what Julie recommended instead?"

"I've been shot at, kidnapped three times, and I failed my duty as a Keeper by letting a psychopathic Emperor get the Dimensionator, Ratchet." Kaden says dryly from the backseat. "I've suffered enough for the irony without you being a smartass."

"Well, actually, you have not failed as a Keeper yet!" Clank helpfully chimes in as the ship takes off into the stormy sky. "You will only have failed if we fail to recover it from Nefarious during our fight."

"Let's hope you're right about that."

"But what doesn't change is the fact that you got shot at and kidnapped, so… Sucks for you on that front." Ratchet says with a shrug as exit the Viceron atmosphere, the dark crimson sky being traded for sparkling stars.

"Shut up."

"Nah."

While Kaden scoffs as Ratchet snickers, Rivet meanwhile leans back into her seat with a small breath, Kit still sitting in her lap.

To say she was feeling a whirlwind of exhausting emotions was an understatement.

There was the big fact that she was about to go on one last fight with Nefarious to decide everything—whether he wins, they die, and he graduates from Intergalactic Emperor to Interdimensional Emperor, or they win and Nefarious is gone. Both were scary in their own way.

Then, of course, was the fact that if they did win, she was about to meet the Lombaxes. Her real family. Both of which she thought were dead and/or gone with the idea of meeting them being a fever dream at best. And yet, here she was, on the cusp of coming face to face with even more of them after meeting two of them right here.

Of whom, by the way, she still couldn't really get over—especially Ratchet. Someone that literally fell here from another dimension, someone that has so much in common with her, and in the span of only a day, has already radically changed her life by precipitating all of this. If she hadn't met Ratchet, she wouldn't be on the verge of ending the Empire, nor find out just how great it feels to not be alone, and most of all, instilling this weird and alien sense that she's a hero. Just like him.

She takes another breath, closing her eyes for a few moments before opening them, looking down at Kit in her lap.

And then there was her.

The very being that ripped her arm off to cause so, so much suffering for so many years, just sitting here in her lap.

The very idea of such a statement would've surely sent her into some kind of frenzy if it was said to her years ago, but now… Now it's different.

She recalled everything she's thought and been told throughout this entire breakout, with Ratchet and Clank telling her about how much Kit has changed since those days. Quantum rising up to the task after a third chance to maybe become a hero like this Qwark guy Ratchet knows—a chance that she's taking with Kit right now. The Morts reminding her that if she had the strength to dig herself out of her hole she fell in after the incident, then she'll surely have the strength to make this work out if she wanted. And, most of all, Kit herself saying that as much as she never wants to see Rivet again either… That she wants to make it work somehow, too, in spite of everything.

And upon thinking of that last bit, and thinking of all the time they've spent together today…

A very small smile crosses Rivet's lips as she rests her head against the seat, looking out of the window, enjoying this last moment of quiet respite on the eve of what's probably going to the biggest battle of her entire life.

While everything about this fight was making her incredibly anxious, confused, and worried…

At least she had a partner to have her back through this ordeal, however it turns out.

Good news: I got this chapter out quickly after all!

Bad news: Did you know college gives you less and less free time every semester? Because college gives you less and less free time every semester. I barely found enough to write this all out even though I had it all planned in my head, lol.

So, just another preliminary warning that updates may get infrequent again, but that I am not dead and simply busy!

Although dropping dead from being so busy is always a likely scenario, but… Hopefully not dead!

Until next time!