After the light from Nova's shot begins to fade, the sun's rays seem to reflect against pieces of green glass that fall like rain into the sand.
She doesn't stir at first. "Nova!" At Saros' call she turns to face him, and the shock of it all still hasn't left her face. "That was amazing! You did it!"
"We did it!" Throwing herself into his arms, he spins her around as they laugh, taking in the victory as the others approach.
"That was extraordinary, Nova!" Beaming brightly at the both of them, Clank gives his praises. "You both did exceptionally well!"
Qwark is next to speak, happily agreeing with the warbot at his ankles. As he excitedly gestures to her new appearance. "I'll say! And look at your armor! And that weapon!"
Only now does she take the moment to reflect on the changes completely; a phrase comes to mind, and she shares her thoughts with a smile. "Chronoflux," she names it. "A gift from the Zoni."
"Well, I think it's a perfect combo for the Starlight Witch!"
Dumbfounded, Nova simply blinks. "Uh..what?"
"Your new hero name! Cause, you know, you did it!"
"You know what, Qwark? I like that. Nova Albedo, the Starlight Witch."
The last of the Zoni's light fades from Saros' body, and his timer begins to tick once more. "Suits you, I think," he offers, holding the broken arm in place once more.
She smiles, but the sound of a cheesy soap opera then pricks her ears like a whisper in the wind, and she could almost sense that Ratchet's spirit hears it too.
Clank notices that she stiffens like a board, very suddenly, a green flash filling her eyes and the slight echo of Ratchet's ear over her own. Then she speeds off without a word.
Grinding her teeth together, the young woman stops at the sight of Nefarious in the dirt, his cranial circuitry exposed. "O-oh Lan-," his radio attempts to play, but the rest turns to jumbled static that skips around like a broken record.
There's a part of him that still lives.
"-elp me," Janice begs from his speakers, and Nova's first reaction is fury.
Pure, unfiltered fury for everything he's done boils her blood, and something terrifyingly akin to joy that she can end this right here and now, for good, fills her heart. Faster than she would like, her weapon materializes in her hands.
Her fingertips wrap tightly around another arrow of light, aimed right for his face, and her weapon shakes.
As Clank catches up, watching as Nova's eyes lock onto the doctor's empty optics, something in her face softens. It's faint, and only there for a nanosecond, but he recognizes that flash of realization. Then it's replaced with something else; pity.
She sighs, putting away the weapon and dropping to her knees, bringing herself closer to the villain's exposed cranial wiring and machinery. Muttering to herself, she looks at her left hand, and back to the inactive robot. "I'm…I'm going to regret this...aren't I?"
The caretaker watches as Nova's hand takes on a softer, less harsh set of sparks, and gently touches Nefarious' face. There's a clicking noise, and the hum of his internal mechanisms start firing once more.
She looks at Clank with an exhausted smile, and offers her hand. Taking the hint, he snaps himself back onto his perch at her back.
Nova then calls out into the distance, to something she can't see but knows must be there. "Lawrence! Wherever you are, take him and keep him out of trouble. An olive branch for an olive branch. May the Zoni light you and your family's path." With that, she turns away from the doctor without another word.
The others have followed, and she's quick to notice that Saros' optics have begun to flicker from a lack of power. "Whoa, hey, easy now," she says, quickly scooping him into her arms before gently laying him down. "What can I do to buy you time?"
"I-n m-my gut-t."
"You're not going anywhere, not if I can help it," she assures him, quickly lowering herself to remove the paneling and assess the damage. At the very least, it makes sense to match the wire colors—but the rest might as well be in a different language entirely. "Clank, I need you to help me through this."
"Understood," the warbot nods, and Saros watches the two of them get to work as his consiousness fades in and out.
…
Saros awakens to find himself on the garage's couch, and the Starlight Witch is hard at work repairing what she can. "Nova?"
"Yeah, it's me, ya walnut," she chuckles, but keeps her eyes glued to the task at hand. "It's good to hear your voice again."
He smiles at her warm tone, allowing his head to lean back and allow himself a moment to simply rest. Despite the exhaustion, he soon notices the bags under his friend's eyes. "You should take a break, you've earned one," the metal markazian suggests. "Doing a system check, nothing's in real danger anymore," he reports.
"I will," she yawns, before a short burst of sparks jumps from his body. "Just as soon as I get to a...good stopping point."
Upon noticing a look the other gives him, he turns to Nova. "If you are not well rested, you will be more likely to make critical mistakes, ones that could potentially damage Saros further. Thirty minutes, better yet, at least an hour. I promise that I will wake you immediately if anything major changes."
"Okay," she yawns once more, putting down the pliers in her hand. "You're both right. I need to rest...everything…drained a lot out of me," she admits, before slowly getting up and hobbling off to bed. "Night, guys."
Once there's the obvious thump of Nova flopping onto the bed and the silence of her passing out almost immediately, Saros can't help but bring up a lingering question on his mind. "Hey, uh, Clank? Can I ask you something?"
Intrigued by the question, and curious what that unspoken 'There's something important I need to ask you specifically' from before was for, he turns to face the metal markazian. "What is on your mind?"
"Something's been bugging me, since we fought the Ratchet robot. Something Nova said to me stuck, but I'm still not really sure what she meant. Figured you would."
"What was it?"
"She said that I was 'her Clank', but I'm not really sure what that's supposed to mean exactly. If there's anyone who could translate that best, it's you."
Clank's optics harden, focusing on the phrase and referring back to his own memory banks to cross-reference it. A pattern emerges, and his expression widens as it clicks. Then his focus draws inward, wondering to himself if he should share it with what's essentially a stranger. But if he's right…
He decides to share it, to trust in Nova's judgment. "Ratchet never liked to admit it, and has always regretted it, but he and I were not always on the best of terms. There was a time, when we had first met, that we nearly became enemies, or worse. We said cruel things to each other, and at one point he threatened to sell me for scrap."
"What? But you guys were best friends!"
"Yes, we were, although at first we were simply a means to an end for each other. He protected me, for I carried knowledge of Chairman Drek's plan for Solana and fully intended to seek a hero to deal with it. I was, more or less, his car keys; a robotic ignition system that was the last piece he needed to escape Veldin and explore the universe. Over time Ratchet and I grew close, and went on many adventures; the time we spent together, happy and tragic and everything in between, have been the most precious memories of my life. We were not lovers, but I loved Ratchet with everything I had. I still do, even now of course. And if I have learned anything from markazians, it is that they are the most passionate creatures I have ever known. When they find a person or a cause that matters to them, they pour their entire selves into it. If something comes that threatens that cherished thing, they put everything they have into protecting it, regardless of the risk or cost."
The once organic Saros remains stunned at his words, at just how eerily accurate that last bit is, and so he continues. "To equate that status of a potential connection is no light statement. It is the potential for a powerful bond that she sees in you; an unbreakable belief that despite everything that has come between you, deep down, you have always been a person worth protecting with everything she has."
The metal markazian stares into the bedroom door, imagining that moment and everything it means. He recalls every word Clank had played for him on the Clock, and recalls Nova's constant belief in him. In them, and what they could become together.
'You're my Clank,' he recalls, and now, he fully understands what that means. "I promise, to both of you, that I can be that for her."
"Thank you," the warbot responds, and he gives the young man a nod in return.
…
Nova's eyes open to the garage's bedroom, and she simply takes a moment to remain entirely still. It's over. 'For now. And that's my fault, I guess. But still…'
Clank's gentle knock at the door interrupts the thought, and he carries a bowl of soup for his organic partner. "I thought you would be hungry," he offers. "You have been asleep for hours."
"Not hungry right now," she answers, her appetite completely shot. "Maybe later, thanks."
The bowl is left on her nightstand. "Very well. I will leave it here in case you change your mind, but if it needs to be reheated later I can do so for you." For a moment he considers leaving her, both to allow her to rest and uncertain what boundaries are still in place after her capture. But then he notices a peculiar, hardened expression on her face as she looks at him.
The memory of her last encounter with Nefarious plays once more in Clank's mind, and he still can't make any sense of it; that look tells him that she's thinking about it just as hard. "A bolt for your thoughts?"
His voice seems to break her out of her trance for a moment. "Huh?"
"It is an expression; what is on your mind?"
"It's...complicated. I just...part of me, I'm not sure I did the right thing today. But I don't regret it. It was the right thing to do, but I don't know if I should have done it. It's hard to explain," she mutters, shoving her hands into her lap and tapping her fingers together.
"I must admit I am confused as well. Nefarious has hurt you in many ways, and you were well within your rights to end it for good. I would not have blamed you if you had left him there to die, or destroyed him completely."
"That's the thing," Nova whispers, pausing her stimming for a moment with fear in her eyes. "I...I wanted to. Gods, I really, really wanted to, and that kind of anger, it was horrifying. But I couldn't do it."
"Mercy is not a sign of weakness. You mentioned that you do not regret it, as well; Is there a reason for that?"
She simply looks down into her hands, picking at the space next to her nails. "He was already down. To kill him there, it wouldn't be right. I just looked at him and...I didn't see the monster that did all of those horrible things."
"What did you see?"
The markazian sighs, turning to face her robotic companion. Soft green light fills her soul with a warmth that both comforts her, and frightens her deeply with memories of it's absence. "You."
Clank blinks, and suddenly he understands what she meant by that. If any of the Goons, or Saros, had managed to hurt him, or worse, while he was out from the EMP... he couldn't defend himself. He never would have even known he was in danger at all to begin with, had she not explained what happened after the fact with an obvious tremble to her voice.
"I just looked at him and I...I couldn't do it. Does that..." She locks eyes with the floor, twisting her palms together. "Does that make me a coward? For dooming the universe to whatever he does next?"
Clank simply places a hand on hers to reassure her. "I believe that it makes you braver than most."
The assurance doesn't seem to stick, not fully, and a shameful sigh slumps her posture once more. "Ratchet gave me his birth name, Clank. He gave me his birth name and in return I spared Nefarious' life."
"He told you his birth name?" To this, she nods without a word. "That is a great deal of trust he has placed in you. Talwyn and I were the only people he ever shared that information with."
"I wasted that trust by not taking Nefarious out, even after everything he's done to all of us."
"You looked at a hated enemy and chose to rise above that hatred, in compassion for the past circumstances of another. I believe that is something that even he would not have been able to do at your age."