Digital Nexus Book 2: CPU in Lombax Space

by joeyblast

Fresh from their adventure in Gamindustri, Xoruxshy and her new Sister IF travel to the time-space rip created by Neptune. Upon getting there, however, they are sucked through and are promptly shot down by one of Drek's henchmen Gummi Ship Heartless. Xoruxshy is forced to regenerate, and more shit will happen, as is the case with the CPU of Mobius.

6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Blarg Station

Upon reaching the Blarg Tactical Research Station, they decided on a plan of action: Step 1, Explore the Blarg Warship; Step 2, Find any plans on Drek's usage of the Heartless; Step 3, Destroy the Warship; Step 4, well… they hadn't gotten that far yet. Upon boarding the decommissioned Blarg Warship, they are stuck with one path. On that path, they find a Dread Commander, their first Heartless enemy. Once a Blarg Space Commando, it takes on a new color scheme. Its armor now takes on an almost rusted appearance with a deep, gunmetal gray as the dominant color, and its skin, previously a pinkish hue, is transformed into a sickly pale green, with the Heartless Emblem emblazoned on its chest armor. Finally, the blaster rifle it uses now shoots a wave of darkness. Xoruxshy decides to use her newly upgraded Flareheart Blaster to take out the Heartless from a distance, causing it to explode into a cloud of darkness and flames. Upon the Heartless's demise, the doors behind them open, revealing a bunch of Night Swarmers down either path. A far cry from the toad-like forms of the original Swarmer, they are now miniature dark clouds with multiple glowing red pinpricks for eyes, and jagged streaks of dark purple energy, crackling with a malevolent glow. Ratchet decides to use his Pyrocitor to wipe out the Swarmers down both paths, allowing the group to move on. However, in the next room, there are two Dread Commanders waiting for them. In a great display of agility, IF backflips over the waves of darkness produced from the Dread Commanders' blasters and them both out, leaving piles of ash in her wake. "Showoff," Xoruxshy comments. IF smiles back and says with a smartass remark, "Hey, I learned from the best!" Xoruxshy returns the smile, and says, "Yes. Yes, you did." Upon entering the final room on the Blarg Warship, they find a trio of Dreadgappers. Once normal Alien Snappers, their carapace is now a dark, almost inky purple with the Heartless emblem on their backs, with a sickly greenish-yellow underbelly. Its claws are now a deep crimson, almost glowing with a malevolent energy, and its eyes are now hollow sockets with a yellow orb peeking out from one eye, and switching to the other, as if there is a Heartless on the inside using the body as a host. Not wanting to get too close to these enemies, Xoruxshy uses the Flareheart Blaster to turn the enemies to ash and hardened green goo. Upon reaching the front end of the ship, they discover plans to invade Gamindustri and Mobius through something called a "Keyhole Manipulation Warp Drive."

Xoruxshy: We can't let Drek use these plans. Just let me… ahah! Copied the plans into my Miles Electric, while simultaneously setting a virus to erase all known copies of the plans, as well as any unknown copies. That's sure to piss Drek off.

IF: That's very well thought out.

Ratchet: I'm liking how you're thinking.

Blarg Warship AI: Alert! This warship will self-destruct in 45 seconds. Please remove all personal belongings. Otherwise you are out of luck. Thank you so much, you piece-a shit!

Xoruxshy and IF: God damn it, Mario!

The group ignores the Heartless on the way back, instead running back to the shuttle they came in on, with Ratchet and Clank holding on to Xoruxshy's arm for dear life. Once the ship blew up, they saw out of the shuttle window that some strands of Darkness were holding the warship's remains in place.

Xoruxshy: Well, that's not good. Guess we know where the Keyhole is now. Only problem is it's being kept from forming by something.

Ratchet: Guess we should go take care of it, then!

IF: First, let's see what this infobot that I grabbed on the way out has to tell us.

Infobot

SPECIAL REPORT

Darla: This is Darla Gratch reporting live from Blackwater City. We've just learned that Captain Qwark will be presenting the grand prize at the Intergalactic Hoverboard Championship which will be held here over the next few days. (An exterminator walks on scene and waves at the camera, only for an Amoeboid to swallow him whole, as Darla watches) In related news, this planet has recently been suffering from an infestation of strange amoeboid creatures with an even stranger insignia on their stomachs. The city's administration has assured this reporter that every step has been taken to eradicate these nuisances. Darla Gratch, Channel 2 news. (The report cuts out as the Amoeboid is about to eat her)

Ratchet: Did you see that?

Clank: Yes, I hope that poor woman is alright.

Xoruxshy: Plus, they're dealing with a Heartless infestation.

Ratchet: Ah, she's fine…I think. I was talking about the hoverboard races.

Xoruxshy: We can worry about that later. Right now, we've got a Keyhole to seal. Clank, I saw an airlock when we landed. Do you think you can go outside and bring back whatever you find out there?

Clank: Certainly.

Xoruxshy: Also, before you go out there, Verity and Tails collaborated and made this mod that will make it so that your combat abilities are boosted by Grass and Poison-type Energy generated by Bulbasaur. Just let me install it… there you go!

Clank: (Activates the modification chip, causing his hands to glow green and purple respectively) Thank you!

Xoruxshy: I'll be expecting you to file a report on how it works out for you, since it is just a prototype.

Upon separating from the rest of the group, Clank ventures out into the vacuum of space and crosses a narrow path on top of a tube to a shuttle with a single Night Swarmer. Activating his new combat modification, clank punches the Night Swarmer with his Grass Energy-infused right hand, causing it to turn into a topiary before exploding into goo. Exiting the back of the shuttle onto a storage platform, Clank meets more Night Swarmers. This time, Clank uses his Poison Energy-infused left hand to punch the first Night Swarmer, melting it into nothingness. He dispatches the other two Night Swarmers with ease. Crossing another narrow path, he enters into another part of the station where a Dreadgapper is waiting. Turning the corner, he finds a group of Gadge-bots. He activates them, commanding them to attack the Dreadgapper and the Night Swarmer beyond it. Then, blocked by a gate, he commands them to enter the Gadge-bot lock, unlocking it. Finding a Hydrodisplacer in the room beyond, he collects it and continues onward before making a muscle man pose and chuckling to himself. He then returns to Xoruxshy, Ratchet, and IF.

Clank: I'm back.

Ratchet: So you are.

Clank: And…I found… (Brings out the Hydrodisplacer, tossing it to Ratchet)

Ratchet: Hey cool! It's a…a…What is it?

Clank: A Hydrodisplacer.

Ratchet: Great! I always wanted one of those. I guess.

Xoruxshy: Well, we've got one thing left to do. Finish exploring the ship and seal the Keyhole.

Clank: About that. When I was returning after grabbing the Hydrodisplacer, I noticed that some stars in the sky had shifted to form part of the Keyhole behind the wreckage of the Blargian Warship.

Xoruxshy: Interesting… It seems that with every task we complete, a new part of the Keyhole is revealed. Let's continue.

Smashing the power cell blocking the rest of the ship off, Xoruxshy, Ratchet, and IF head down the path, jumping over the steam vents emitting some sort of gas. Following a Night Swarmer to its lair, they are surprised to find that it was a trap, and that the Night Swarmers are waiting for them in the vents. Ratchet quickly reacts by using his Bomb Glove to take out the enemies. A Dread Commander is waiting just beyond this, and Xoruxshy dispatches it with her Flareheart Blaster. Beyond the next barrier powered by two power cells is another Dread Commander, taking advantage of the space between them. Xoruxshy quickly smashes the power cells, and IF uses her backflipping and Qatar strikes to slice the Heartless in twain, before forming two ash piles. Beyond this are more Night Swarmers that pop out of the next set of vents. Using the same strategy that he did with the last set of Night Swarmers, Ratchet easily blows up the Heartless. Seeing an Invinco-Lock, Xoruxshy unlocks it, revealing a huge supply cache, as well as a journal detailing how Drek met Xehanort, or at least one of his aspects. Drek reveals in his journal that Xehanort provided him with the means to save his species (or at least that's what he thinks). Storing this data log for later, the group returns to the main path, and into what they assume to be the engine room. Upon using the nearby Versa-Target, after avoiding the steam vents, they come across another Dread Soldier, close enough for Xoruxshy to use a skill provided by her Keyblades, the Mirage Bomb, after entering close enough range for it to be effective. This also revealed five Night Swarmers hiding inside crates, which also died to the Mirage Bomb, leveling the skill up to Level 2, Mirage Bombra. Entering into the next room, they are jumped by a pair of Dreadgappers that break through their cages upon seeing the group smashing the power cells that power the barrier and their cages. With Ratchet on low health, and no nanotech nearby, Xoruxshy continues the lead, using Mirage Bombra on the 12 waiting Night Swarmers, leveling up her skill to Level 3, Mirage Bombga, and after dealing with 13 more Night Swarmers, getting it up to its final level, Mirage Mini-Nuke, and seeing another Dread Commander on the upper cave platform beyond this tunnel, switches back to her blaster to turn it to ashes. Finally finding some nanotech, Ratchet takes the lead once more, before heading into an arena-like room with a bunch of Night Swarmers and Dreadgappers. Noticing a cave in one of the cages in this room, IF enters and slices through all of the Night Swarmers inside, before coming back with a Gold Bolt. Seeing a Gadgetron Vendor, Ratchet decides to restock on ammo, before they carry on after smashing the power cells powering the next barrier. Taking out the nearby Dreadgappers from a distance with the Blaster, Ratchet then hands the Taunter he just bought to Xoruxshy, due to Xoruxshy wanting to have a little fun with it.

Xoruxshy: (at a pair of Dreadgappers) Yo, ugly! (Said Dreadgappers run right into the electric barrier, killing themselves) (points the Taunter at another group of Dreadgappers) Yo mama! (Same result, minimal effort) (jumps the gap after smashing a power cell and points the Taunter at a Dread Commander) Your father was a goat and your mother smells of elderberries! (Same result, snickering is heard from IF, and Ratchet and Clank are outright laughing)

After calming down and taking out the rest of the Power Cells, they enter the final chamber, and they see the strands of darkness that are holding the Blargian Warship wreckage in place, connected to a huge Heartless. This Heartless appears to be the mother of the Dreadgappers. As such, it is known as the Oblivion Empress.

Xoruxshy: Ratchet, you ready to see our Goddess Forms? Hard Drive Divinity, activate!

(Cue Persona 5 Awakening Music)

Infinite: So, it's time to unleash your full power once more… (Xoruxshy's eyes flash yellow before she grips her head with a manic smile) The pact is sealed. I am thou… Thou art I… Though you are strong, many think you are weak. Show them this is not the case, and that your power is INFINITE! (The mask appears on her face, before she instantly rips it off, causing a violent whirlwind to obscure her, before she is revealed in her nineteen year old body with her Phantom Thief HDD Outfit on)

Ratchet: (nosebleed) Hubba hubba…

IF: Hard Drive Divinity, activate! (Her Hard Drive Divinity form is more like that of a Hidden One, and she has nine tails instead of two. Her Qatars are now twin Keyblades called Pieces of Eden)

From there, the fight goes like this: Xoruxshy uses her Eudora Mirage Neo Keyblade to trap the Oblivion Empress in an illusion of Eudora where it is attacked by the enemies encountered there. Next, she uses the Charmeleon's Edge Keyblade to sever the Oblivion Empress's leg off, causing it to screech in pain and summon a horde of Night Swarmers. After defeating the first horde, a second horde drops down. Xoruxshy swiftly defeats this horde as well, then switches out with IF. IF uses her Keyblades similar to how she would normally fight with her Qatars, and attacks with Demon Flames. Due to her Qatars in her base form being Fire-Element Type, this turns Demon Flames into Demon Inferno, reducing another third of the health that the Oblivion Empress has. The Oblivion Empress then summons two of her Dreadgappers, which IF quickly turns into ashes, before switching out with Ratchet. Ratchet uses a combination of Bombs from his Glove Bomb weapon and his Blaster to take out the Oblivion Empress for good. This causes the Heartless to dissipate and for the dark tendrils keeping the wreckage from forming the Keyhole to disappear, causing the wreckage to instantly form the second part of the Keyhole. Going into the next section of the station, they see a scientist being harassed by Night Swarmers. Ratchet immediately dispatches them with his wrench.

Gadget Engineer: Whew, I thought I was a goner this time. Some nano-wit in genetics must have left the cages open again.

Ratchet: You can come down now.

Gadget Engineer: Honestly, a Gadget Engineer deserves a bit more respect if you ask me.

Clank: So, you are an inventor!

Gadget Engineer: Gadget Engineer. I create revolutionary devices for Executive Chairman Drek. For instance, voila! My soon-to-be-patented Grindboots. Look, I need to get out of here so I can find a new job. How about I sell you these…at cost.

Ratchet: Sell?! After we just saved your scrawny butt?!

Gadget Engineer: Alright, alright. I'll give you the employee discount too. That makes it 2,000 bolts.

Xoruxshy: Okay, I'll transfer the bolts to your bank account. And if you're looking for a job doing what you are here, only with better work standards, I'll give you a card that will let you into the Nexus Basilicom free of charge. Talk to my Aunt Sally about applying for a job there.

Gadget Engineer: Well, thanks. I'm gonna get outta here while I still can.

After the engineer leaves, Ratchet, Xoruxshy, and IF use the nearby grind rail to return to the ships. Upon doing so, Xoruxshy stands in front of the viewing platform and sees the Keyhole perfectly formed at the right angle. Pointing the Keyblade at the Keyhole, the stars connect to the wreckage like a connect-the-dots puzzle, revealing the Keyhole, which automatically locks as soon as the beam of light shoots at it. This causes the wreckage to disappear into stardust, and for the stars that formed the Keyhole to return to their proper place.

Ratchet: So, ladies, are you going to detransform?

Xoruxshy: Alright, but don't think I didn't catch you sneaking a peek at my breasts and ass. I may look 19 right now, but I am still 9. I do not think you want to be arrested for sexual harassment of a minor.

Ratchet: (gulps)

(The girls detransform and the two groups separate into their different ships, heading for Blackwater City)

Quests Completed!

Explore the Blarg Warship! Reward: Bulbasaur DNA Scan for Omnitrix

Destroy the Warship! Reward: Charmander DNA Scan for Omnitrix

Journey Outside the Airlock! Reward: Squirtle DNA Squirtle DNA Scan for Omnitrix

Explore the Space Station! Reward: Evolutionary Function for Omnitrix + Nebula G34 Mirage (Keyblade)

Flareheart Blaster upgraded to Infernoheart Blaster!

Charmeleon Qatars upgraded to Charizard Qatars!