Clank: Nebula G34

"Alright," Ratchet commented, pressing several controls on the cockpit, "We're reaching Nebula G…34. Drek's research station should be somewhere in there."

"Ratchet," Summer leaned forward, "How do we intend to get into the station? We've gotten lucky with landing spots before, but I don't think they'll just open the door for us this time."

"The Info-Bot," Clank replied, "Not only contained the coordinates for the Blarg Tactical Research station, but also contained the access codes from Drek's second in command."

Summer nodded, "Well, that solves that problem. Hey, back on Eudora, you said that the Blarg knew where Qwark was."

"Yeah," Ratchet answered, "Drek has been keeping track of where Qwark's been for the past few days, and steering clear of those spots."

"Of course," Clank agreed, "Chairman Drek cannot hope to stand against Captain Qwark. This is why it's imperative that we find him."

"Maybe."

Sure enough, as they approached the station, the automated defenses demanded clearance. Plugging the Info-Bot into their computer, they transmitted the access codes, and were allowed to land.

Exiting their ship, Ratchet quickly went to the Gadgetron store, and the newest available weapon.

"A megaphone?" Summer questioned.

"Yeah, it's called a Taunter."

"Ah, yes," Clank added, "The SE-212 Taunter. Supposedly, it can send your opponents into a rage, forcing them to attack you."

"Well, it sounds like a video game. But," Summer turned around, "I'm not sure how exactly it can force you to attack someone."

"Poor Ratchet," Raven retorted smugly. Summer stopped mid stride.

"Wait, what?!" Yang exclaimed.

"Oh, dear." Oobleck added, "I can see why that weapon might be dangerous."

"So, we all agree that Yang's mom isn't actually there, right?" Ruby pleaded.

"Ruby and Yang. They won't accept him. He couldn't be accepted by his orphaned brothers and sisters. What makes you think that they'd accept the freak who stole their mother?"

Summer clenched her hands, shaking.

Ratchet inspected the Taunter, "Must be broken or something." Unintentionally, he fired it again.

"Hate me if you want, but at least I would've done a better job raising him."

Summer turned, rage on her face. "What did you say to me, you ungrateful-?!"

Ratchet waved his hands in fright, "Whoa, whoa, I didn't say anything!"

Summer blinked, and realized that Ratchet used the Taunter on her. "I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"I take it it worked?" Clank questioned. Summer nodded.

"Really?" Ratchet responded, "Thing didn't make a sound. What did you hear?"

"I heard…my old partner. And she said something that unsettled me. I should've realized it was the Taunter, but…it sounded just like her."

"What, like those AI generated voices?"

Summer shook her head, "No. AI voices usually have a tell, like they can't pronounce a certain syllable. This…it sounded exactly like her. To an unnerving degree."

Clank cupped his chin. "Perhaps the Taunter sends out pulse waves, scanning the intended targets, and using their personal insecurities to force a confrontation."

"Uh…mom, translate."

"Basically, when you fired at me, I heard some of my fears."

"Yikes. I was expecting a Yo Momma joke, so I didn't think it would be that bad."

"Technically, the insult was related to being a mother." Blake countered.

"True." Clank added.

"What did you think on mom's response?" Ruby asked.

"You'll hear in a minute."

"Okay," Ratchet sucked Taunter into Requip, "Keep an eye on where I point this. Clank, any idea which way we should go."

"Hmm, my scanners are picking up three points of interest. One is a Blargian warship, patrolling the area. The nearby shuttle can take us there. Another is behind a locked door, which the Trespasser can break through. However, the item is located outside the station. The third is the most direct path into the station."

"Alright. Mom, I'll hack the door, and you and Clank can find out what's outside. I'll go take on the warship, and we'll enter the facility together. Sound like a plan?"

"Wouldn't it be better if-"

"Sorry, can't hear you!" Ratchet interrupts, hacking the door. Once done, he makes a beeline for the shuttle. Summer merely slumped her shoulders.

"It seems that Ratchet merely wanted someone to wait for me while I explore, so that he can assault the warship."

"Eeeeyup," Summer groaned. Summer brought a hand down her face, "Sorry about that."

"Why should you apologize? Are you not confident in Ratchet's capabilities?"

"No, no! He's wonderful. Hell, I imagine he could've done this entire journey without me. It's just…nevermind."

Clank eyed her with curiosity as the two headed towards the elevator. As they reached the airlock for it, Clank went to a nearby console.

"It will take a moment for the elevator to reach our position. When it does, I'd recommend you evacuate."

Summer nodded, but Clank noticed the slump in her shoulders. Clearly, whatever the Taunter said to her had her rattled. He'd ask about it once he gets back.

Meanwhile, Summer leaned against the wall, thinking on 'Raven's' words. She…never really thought too much on Ruby and Yang. Not that she didn't think about them. They were on her mind everyday for years. But it was mostly about their situation back home.

What will Tai think? Will he crash like he did after Raven left? Will Raven go back to him? Will he find someone else to love?

Will the girls grow up inspired by her 'disappearance', and take the path of Huntresses?

Will…will Ozpin bring them into his circle, specifically Ruby? Gods, I hope not. Ruby never got to know how to use her Silver powers.

"My what?" Ruby cocked her head.

"Summer says that all people born with silver eyes have a unique magical power against the Grimm."

Ruby's eyes narrowed, confused, but slowly widened.

"That sounds ridiculous," Weiss exclaimed, "I can buy aliens, even the entire universe somehow learning the same language, but magic?"

"Miss Schnee, from a certain point of view, magic is simple science not yet understood."

"Yes, but-"

"Weiss," Ruby interrupted slowly, "I think he's telling the truth. The night I met Ozpin, the first thing he said to me was that I had silver eyes."

"Fascinating," Oobleck commented, "Did Summer say what these powers are."

"Indeed. The way to activate them is always the same. It is the desire to protect the ones you love, to protect life itself, while in the presence of Grimm, that activates the power. It can be used to turn Grimm into stone, if not vaporize them."

Ruby leaned forward in excitement. "You mean I can shoot laser beams from my eyes."

Clank chuckled, "No. In its base form, the silver eyes release a flash of energy. However, it can be augmented depending on the Semblance of the wielder. In Summer's case, she could summon the silver light from her eyes, form it into a ball, and hurl it at her targets, forming the equivalent of a flashbang. While it wasn't used during her adventures with Ratchet, she did report to use it a few times during her years on Remnant."

Ruby's shoulders slumped slightly. As awesome as it sounds, she doubts her speed Semblance could upgrade the silver eyes. Clank continued.

"Though, she did emphasize that it should be used sparingly, for three reasons. One, using the silver eyes drains the energy of the user. In quick succession, you could leave yourself vulnerable."

"Got it, don't spam it."

"Two, if you allow the silver eyes to be your go to weapon, you could end up weakening your other abilities."

Oobleck adjusted his glasses, "This is true. Despite now having a potent weapon, Miss Rose, do not allow your skills with your first weapon go to waste."

Ruby nodded vigorously.

"Three, and this is the most important, you don't want to advertise that you're a silver warrior."

"Why? If me and mom can use such butt-kicking eyes, why aren't they talked about?"

"...Why do you think there are so few silver warriors? It's as you said, if they are such a power group to fight the Grimm, shouldn't there be many more? Even if it's a rare trait, sure, at worst, your kingdoms would be doing their best to populate the world with as many silver warriors as possible. So, why are you and Summer the only people with silver eyes?"

"Salem." Blake slowly said, catching everyone's attention.

"Precisely. Salem has systematically hunted down every silver warrior across Remnant's history. According to Summer, her father was the only silver warrior she ever met…before she had you, Ruby Rose."

Ruby gulped. Talk about a double edged sword. She had possibly one of the coolest and greatest weapons to fight the Grimm, and be the hero she always wanted to be. But she also had a target on her back, with the most dangerous woman in Remnant's history looking to collect.

"I…I guess I know a little bit on why mom went to face her. It wasn't just about killing the Grimm Queen. As long as Salem lives, I'm in danger…Oh, GODS!"

"Ruby?" Yang questioned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Girls…I know you might not like it, but I'm thinking of dropping our team out of the Vytal Festival."

"What?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Ruby, it's the biggest competition in Remnant!"

"That's very wise, Miss Rose."

At Oobleck's words, all heads turned, so he continued.

"The Vytal Festival is the most televised event in all of Remnant. For now, you might've been able to stay under the radar. But, if there's even a chance that Salem is watching the festival, she'll know you exist, should your team do well in the tournament. Which means that, if Salem didn't know about you before, she most certainly would after the festival."

Ruby nodded, "I know it seems selfish, but I don't want Salem coming after me, because I know that you would all try to protect me. And, against someone like the Grimm Queen…It's like you said, Weiss. We're students."

Weiss flinched. Those words were for when Blake was running herself dry trying to deal with Torchwick and the White Fang. In this context, it's not just much worse, but much more applicable. If they weren't ready to face the White Fang, then they'd have no chance at facing Salem.

"May I continue my story?"

"Please do, Mr. Clank."

Not once did Summer consider how Ruby and Yang would feel about…Ratchet. Sure, she told him that they'd love having a brother, but…

Summer spent over a decade, away from her daughters, to raise a complete stranger.

Sure, it's far more complicated than that, but, from an outside perspective, it wouldn't be hard to imagine it.

Would they…resent him?

"That's ridiculous!" Yang cries out, "We'd never-"

"Hold it, I'll be getting to it eventually."

Eventually, Summer heard the elevator coming back up. A moment later, the airlock opened, with Clank walking out.

"Find anything?"

"Yes, a Hydrodisplacer. A Gadgetron agricultural device meant for the transportation of large quantities of water."

"Well, if we need to clear a flooded hallway, that won't be too bad. How much can it hold?"

"Using quantum compression, upwards to 50000 liters."

"Holy-!"

"-Crap!" Yang cried out.

"Indeed. How is your son?"

"Well, he hasn't come back, and, without the shuttle, we can't follow him."

"Unfortunate. However, allow me to rephrase it. Do you and Ratchet get along?"

Summer did a double take. "Of course. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Merely a concern. Whatever the Taunter said, it clearly unnerved you."

Summer sighed. "Promise not to tell him?"

"Of course. Personal insecurities should always remain confidential, unless the patient allows them to be revealed."

"You almost sound like a therapist," Summer looked to the ceiling, "Do you know why Ratchet was so eager to help?"

"Because he sees the harm that Drek would cause?"

"Not exactly. Sure, he'd gladly help, but he wouldn't want to abandon Veldin so quickly. What if Drek decided to come visit?"

"An apt assumption."

"Well, the real reason why he decided to help…was me."

"I'm…not sure I understand."

"I wasn't born on Veldin. I come from a world called Remnant, which isn't on any Gadgetron star charts. At least, not the ones I rented when we had the money to do that. It's likely that it isn't even in the Solana galaxy. I was ripped from my world, and deposited on Veldin."

"Hmm, so you are lost?"

"Pretty much. On Veldin, I found an orphanage, where Ratchet was staying."

"So you adopted him?"

Summer smiled. "Yeah. He's a good kid. But I don't think he ever let the idea that he owes me leave his mind. That ship you found us working on. That was the sixth attempt for him to build one. All so that he could help me find my home. That's one reason why he's so adamant on finding Remnant."

"And the other?"

"...I have two daughters."

Clank flinched. "Oh."

"Yeah. I haven't been on Remnant in over a decade. My girls will be teenagers now. Ten years of their lives, what should be the most important years of their lives, and I'm. Not. There. All because I thought I could face Salem."

"Who?"

"And, worse of-" Summer stopped. After a moment, she scowled, "Shit. She's…someone I shouldn't be talking about."

"Hmm, history repeats itself." Blake commented.

"Yes," Clank drawled, "The humor isn't lost on me."

"One day I may tell you. However, my biggest concern would be Ruby and Yang, my daughters. Even if I somehow make it back home…I've already accepted that they may not want me in their lives anymore. It's a small chance, but I've accepted the possibility. What the Taunter did made me realize something I never considered. Or, rather, I subconsciously did. It was the voice of my old partner, Raven. She taunted me, saying how my children would hate Ratchet. And…I can't find fault in her-it's logic. I mean, from their perspective, I left home, then came back, ten years later, with another child."

"I do believe I understand where this is going. You believe that your children will assume that the reason you didn't come home was because you were raising Ratchet."

Summer looked to the ground, nodding.

"While familial bonds aren't my specialty, I highly doubt that this is the case. If Ratchet is anything like your daughters, then they'd gladly accept him. He's arrogant, but I do see kindness in him, indicative of your nurturing nature."

"Yes, and that's the problem!"

Clank took a step back from her outburst.

"My girls were only five and seven when I left. Childhood is the most important time for them. It's how they develop their personalities. And I missed ALL of it! For all I know, they could've become spoiled, arrogant, brats, who think they're superior to everyone. Or broody, anti-social outcasts, who refuse to trust anyone!"

"Are you really telling us what happened?" Weiss skeptically said.

"Of course. I see no reason to withhold information about Summer from her children. Why?"

Yang and Ruby smirked, while Weiss and Blake scowled.

"Nothing," Weiss grimaced, "Forget I said anything."

Summer slid down the fall. "I just…I don't regret choosing to raise him. It's just what it may have cost me."

Clank's eyes lowered in sadness. "I don't know these girls. I cannot speak to what they might be thinking. However, I do know that, once Drek is defeated, if I'm still needed, I will help you find your world, as payment for you helping me."

"You don't need to buy us off, Clank. Stopping Drek is the right thing to do. I'm just fearing…If I'm good enough. For both Ratchet, and against Drek."

"I understand your fears. Captain Qwark will be invaluable in our fight against Drek. And, if you could give him this Aura, he'd be even stronger against Drek. Not only that, but, giving Qwark Aura would ensure that future threats could be handled with ease, allowing you to continue your search without worry, and reaching your daughters much more quickly."

Summer looked away. "It's…not a bad idea. I just don't like the idea of-" Summer's eyes turned to space. "Uh, Ratchet hasn't come back, right?"

"Yes?"

"And he took the shuttle to the warship, right?"

"Yesss?"

"The warship that's currently EXPLODING!?"

"What?!"

Clank turned, and, sure enough, the Blargian warship was tearing itself apart, with explosions all over the place.

"Clank, we have to get there!"

"But that was the only shuttle."

"Then find another one, further in!"

"By the time we get there, it might be too-"

A flash of light briefly blinded them. When it cleared-

"RATCHET!" Summer screamed, the remains of the warship scattering across the station. Clank ran up, and his eyes began scanning.

"I can't find any remains of the shuttle. Given the intensity of it-"

"Do NOT say it's been vaporized!"

"That was not my intention. An explosion of that caliber wouldn't disintegrate the shuttle, anyway. As there are no parts, it must still be whole, which means Ratchet could…Ah, there it is!"

Summer saw the shuttle, the side of it scorched black, flying through the wreckage, and returning to the landing bay. Summer had sprinted to the docking port, with Clank slowly catching up, due to his much shorter stature. When the door opened, a black faced Ratchet wobbled through, a dark blue shimmer appearing over him before shattering.

"Ratchet?!" Summer pleaded, getting on one knee and checking him. Ratchet, in response, puffed black smoke.

"Well," Ratchet groaned, "That was a bit close."

Summer then pulled him into a tight, which Ratchet fondly smiled at.

"Ratchet," Clank exclaimed, "What happened?"

"So, I boarded the ship, fought through Blargs and their experiments, no big deal. Reached the ship, and found an Info-Bot trapped in a containment unit," as he continued, said Info-Bot peeked its head out of the shuttle, "The cage was connected to a big button on the bridge, so, naturally, I pressed it. However, for WHATEVER reason, that button was also connected to the self-destruct sequence! So I had to run like hell for the shuttle," Ratchet chuckled, "Maybe could've used the extra speed from the Heli-Pack, right, Clank? I made it just as the ship exploded, hence my face."

"So…You're alright?"

"More or less. The explosion launched me into the shuttle, but my Aura took the hit. I still had my Nanotech, so I focused on getting away from the explosion."

Summer broke the hug, tears in her eyes, "I'm just…" She pulled him back in, "I'm glad you're okay."

"Hey, you trained me. I wasn't going to let an explosion stop me. But, if you don't mind, I'd like to get this soot and whatnot off my face. As will you, I suspect.

Summer blinked, and quickly stood up. Sure enough, there was soot on her now. Ratchet chuckled as he began rubbing his face, getting the soot off of him, while Summer tried to do the same for her arms, cheeks, and shirt.

"So, all that's left is going into the facility itself. Pretty sure after that, you don't want me out of your sight."

Summer sighed happily, "Very much so."

"What about the Info-Bot?" Clank questioned.

Ratchet grabbed it, and tossed it into their ship. "I want to make sure we pick this place clean. I don't want whatever's on the bot to make us leave early."

"That…is a fair assumption."

Clank got onto Ratchet's back, and the three went to a laser barrier, preventing entry. Luckily, the power source was on their side of the field.

"That's…concerning."

"In what way, mom?"

"Ratchet, this is a research facility, making weapons for the Blarg."

"Yeah."

"And we saw that some of those weapons were biological."

"...Ooooouh."

"I fail to understand the meaning."

"Clank, mom's saying the forcefield isn't meant to keep us out. It's meant to keep their tests inside."

"Oh…oh, dear."

"Yeah," Ratchet swung at the power source, turning off the field, before pulling out his blaster, "Clank, I'm going to warn you, if I see anything resembling a spider, I'm chucking you at it. I'll have no chestbursters on this trip."

Clank narrowed his eyes, unamused.

The group went down the hallway, where vents were blowing poisonous fumes into the room. Luckily, other vents were siphoning the air, so the only concern would be if you were dumb enough to stand in the path of the poison vents. As the door opened, the hallway was quiet.

"Yeah, nope!" Ratchet went to Requip his Taunter…only to find the black hole didn't show up. "Wh-Right, my Aura's broken. Well, let's hope a gunshot gets their attention."

Doing just that, Ratchet fired down the hallway. Immediately, two vents on the ceiling down opened, and red eyed, frog-like creatures began dropping, as well as dozens more at the end of the hallway.

"Hooo, that's a LOT of frogs."

"Better than Horny Toads."

"As funny as that sounds, get shooting, mom!"

As they cleared the hallway, they encountered another laser grid, which was easily dispatched. After fighting through another hallway, they came across a circular room.

"Hey, Ratchet, watch this."

Summer threw her ax high up, teleported to it, then swingshotted across the room. Ratchet shook his head in amusement.

"And you said I show off."

"Where do you think you get it from? Now, get up here."

As Ratchet began to climb, Summer charged at the Blarg security soldier. It fired a flaming weapon at the ground, sending a small wave of fire at her. Using her ax, she teleported behind the Blarg, then shot him dead. With Ratchet having caught up, the two entered the next room. Another laser grid blocked their path, with the two charges on opposite sides of the room…and two sleeping tests subjects. Their bodies resembled turtles, but with elongated neck, and talons for feet.

"My scanners show that the force field is connected to their containers."

"Makes sense," Summer commented, "If the facility is in lockdown, then keeping the rest quiet would be the smart move," Summer cupped her chin, "Maybe…Ratchet, is your Aura up?"

"For a few Requips."

"Good, toss me that bomb glove of yours, and bring out the robot glove."

"I think I know what you have in mind."

Ratchet Requiped his bomb glove, tossing it to Summer, then Requiped his Gloves of Doom. Summer pointed at the entrance they came from, and she ran to the exit where the laser grid was. When Ratchet took cover, she nodded, and the two took out the power sources with their signature melee weapons. The grid went down, and the two creatures woke up, instantly breaking out of their containment units…

Only for one to get immediately blown up, and the other to be swarmed by small robots.

Summer giggled, "Man, that wasn't even fair."

Tossing the glove back to Ratchet, he sent the gloves back into his storage, and the three continued further in. As they reached another group of frog experiments, Ratchet Requipped the Pyrocitor, and began mowing down the horde. At the end of the hallway, after killing another Blarg guard, they reached a large, circular room, devoid of life.

"I don't like this." Ratchet muttered.

"Seconded. Move ahead, slowly."

As they headed in, it almost seemed like the room was closing in on them. When they reached the center, the lights in the room turned red, and dozens of doors opened, revealing multiple test subjects.

"Back to back!"

At her son's command, the two stood against each other, and opened fire. As they took enemies out, one frog jumped at her. Ducking under, Ratchet shot it when it landed. This process repeated until all of them were killed.

"Can't tell if that was an intentional trap or not."

"Do you really want to know?"

"No, because both answers terrify me."

Entering the next room, there were suspended platforms, separated by laser grids again. Each one had experiments and Blarg soldiers, all fighting each other. An easy challenge for the trio. After clearing the room of enemies and lasers, they opened the next door.

And into a large, circular room, bathed in an eerie green light.

"Clank…is this the only way?"

"There are no other paths, Ratchet."

Ratchet groaned. "Welp, time to face the queen."

"Queen of what?"

"Of whatever these experiments are. See the undergrowth? This is clearly a nest of sorts. My comment about spiders remains, by the way."

The trio entered slowly, weapons drawn and scanning the surroundings. Ratchet swiveled his Pyrocitor, ready for anything. He heard movement, swinging to Summer, who also turned and looked at the wall.

"I don't see anything."

Summer narrowed her eyes. The texture of the wall…looks more hardened than the rest of it. Raising her ax, she fired a single shot. In an instant, two giant eyes opened, and the 'texture' jumped at them, revealing a giant version of the long neck turtle experiments.

"Oh, she's big!"

The two opened fire, staying out of range of her bite attacks. Eventually, she sent out a scream, and frog experiments began raining. Ratchet easily dispatched them with a Requipped Pyrocitor, before switching back to his Blaster.

Continuing their assault on the queen, she eventually roared again, this time two smaller versions of her, the ones they've fought before, dropped from above. This time, however, things took a turn for the worse.

One of the biters grabbed onto Sundered Rose, pulling Summer forward.

"Let go, you stupid brute!"

When kicking it didn't work, Summer got an idea. She let go of the ax, and backed up several feet. The biter looked at her, ready to move away when she tried to grab the ax. Instead, she teleported the ax out of it's mouth, and back into her hand.

"Yeah, that's what I-"

"MOM!"

Summer barely had time to turn her head, to see the queen right behind her, before it comped at her, with her lower half sticking out of her mouth. The queen slammed Summer on the ground several times, before throwing her against the wall. Summer's body glowed white before shattering, her Aura broken.

Ratchet snarled with rage, as he charged, killing the last biter before taking his anger out on the queen. Rapidly switching from one weapon to the other, he unleashed a barrage so fast that the queen didn't even realize what was happening until she was nothing more than a corpse.

Ratchet's own Aura broke again, the constant Requipping taking a toll on him. But that didn't matter.

"Mom?!"

"Mrs. Rose, are you alright?"

Summer stood up, cracking her neck. "Yeah, besides the soreness, I think so." She took a step, then felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. "Ack, maybe not."

"Hmm, my scanners show your shoulder is dislocated."

"Damn. How much further, Clank?"

"The next room is the only location left."

"Alright. Let's check it out, then get out. We can deal with my shoulder on the ship."

"Mom, are you sure?"

"Yes, Ratchet. I'll be fine until then."

Ratchet nodded, but kept an eye on Summer. Entering the next room, they found a scientist cowering on a platform, with four frogs trying to bite him. Ratchet wasn't in the mood, so he simply smashed them with his wrench.

"Whew," the scientist exclaimed, "I thought I was a goner this time. Some nano-wit in genetics must have left the cages open again."

"Again? As in, this isn't the first time this has happened?"

"About once every two weeks. Honestly, a Gadget Engineer deserves a bit more respect if you ask me."

Coming off Ratchet's back, Clank questioned, "So, you are an inventor?"

"Gadget Engineer," he clarified, "I create revolutionary devices for Executive Chairman Drek. For instance," he pulled out a crate, containing two sets of boots, "Viola! My soon-to-be-patented GRINDBOOTS. They'll be able to let you slide across almost any narrow, railed surface."

Ratchet rubbed his chin. 'Something like that would really help with moving around.'

"Look, I need to get out of here so I can find a new job. How about I sell you these…at cost."

Ratchet did a double take, "Sell!? After all we went through, cleaning up your mess, saving your scrawny butt! I'd say we're owed something."

"Ratchet…" Summer muttered. Ratchet crossed his arms.

"Okay, okay. I can give you one pair for free, and I'll give you the employee discount for the second one. Merely 2000 bolts."

Ratchet grumbled, but he made the purchase.

"Thanks," the scientist tossed Ratchet the box, "I'm gonna get outta here while I still can."

Ratchet inspected the Grindboots.

"WIll they fit us?" Summer questioned.

"They seem to have a built-in adjustment function, to cater to any size."

"So…how exactly do they work?"

Ratchet smirked. "Only one way to find out."

Putting on the boots, they seemed to shrink, fitting his feet perfectly. He then jumped onto the nearby rail, sending him flying forward.

Clank's eyes narrowed, as did Summer's.

"Did Ratchet even know where that went?"

"No, he did not. Luckily, my scanners indicate that it leads back to our ship."

"Lucky indeed. Need a ride?"

"That would be much appreciated."

Summer herself also had the electronic magnet that Ratchet used to keep Clank on his back. Only issue was that, now Clank couldn't see anything because of her cloak.

"Don't worry, it's only for a moment." Summer put on the boots, and they shifted nicely onto her own. It did sound weird to have essentially two shoes on, but they shrunk so nicely, that she barely noticed the difference."

"Well…this should be interesting. I never skated before, so…if I end up crushing you, I'm sorry."

"Do not worry. I fully understand."

Summer jumped on, and, had the boots not magnetized, she would've immediately fallen off due to the sudden lurch forward. Coming out at the landing pad, she saw Ratchet, smirking next to their ship. Summer rubbed her shoulder as Clank got off.

"You know, Ratchet, it seems very concerning that you would run off so easily, when your mother was injured."

Ratchet went to counter, but found himself spluttering, "But-but mom said she was fine!"

"How many people have died because they said 'they were fine'?"

"But it's mom! She's…"

"Ratchet, he's messing with you."

"He is?"

"I am?"

Summer smacked the handle of her ax subtly against Clank.

"Oh, yes, I am. I know of Summer's skills, merely admonishing you for how casual you are taking this."

"Rrrright." Ratchet responded, suspicious. He then opened the cockpit, "Let's see what this Info-Bot has to say."

The Info-Bot flew out, then played the message, revealing the news reporter Darla Gratch at Blackwater city, where Captain Qwark would be staying to present the grand prize for the Hoverboard championship trophy. In other news, Ameboids have infested the city, but, despite one slowly approaching her from behind, Darla says that the situation is under control. The video ended when the creature attacked Darla.

"Oh, dear," Clank exclaimed, "I do hope that reporter is alright."

"She'll be fine," Ratchet retorted, "I hope. Amoeboids can't digest metal."

"But if they tear her apart…"

"Well, they aren't normally that smart, but a big one like that…The good news is that, not only can we go there to check it out, but Captain Qwark will be there. And we know why he's there. Though, it's a bit…concerning."

"You mean the fact that, despite the Blarg ripping apart planets, Qwark is presenting sports trophies instead of fighting Drek."

"Yeah. It's…not a good sign for Qwark."

"Perhaps he is unaware of the threat," Clank reasoned, "Afterall, the Blarg are avoiding any planets Qwark has been to."

"That can't be," Summer retorted, "His trainer back at Metropolis said that Qwark knows about us, and we've been fighting nonstop against the Blarg."

Clank winced, "That's…true. But there must be a reason."

"Let's hope so, Clank. Something doesn't feel right. It's like there's…"

Unseen from the trio, a camera was watching them.

"...I don't know," Summer exclaimed, "Something we're missing. And we won't know until it's too late."

The figure watching reversed the footage, playing back to much earlier, when they first arrived.

"I'm just fearing…If I'm good enough."

The figure smirked.

"Well, that's not ominous." Blake sarcastically commented.

"Yes, we hadn't considered the possibility that we were being watched. And Summer's fears…did come back to bite us."

"Um, Mr. Clank."

"Yes, Miss Rose?"

"Would it be alright if we took a break? I…kinda want to process a few things."

Clank chuckled, "Yes, you've had quite the ordeal, with several world shattering revelations. We can take a break. Just come to me when you're ready."

Author's Notes: I felt like changing up the Taunter, as it seems kinda lame that an enemy would willing run into danger because of a whistle or a honk.

And we start to see some of the doubt that Summer has, in regards to Ratchet. I wonder if those fears might intensify when they meet a certain Captain.

Next chapter will be the first REMNANT chapter. These will be short breaks in the story, allowing people to interact with the knowledge they know. Because, let's be honest, there's no way you're recapping the entire story of almost nine games in a single night.

As always, leave a review, fav/follow, and I'll see you all next time.