Enjoy!

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Ratchet]

[3 weeks later]

This was a terrible idea...

....

He never should have listened to Alice.

"You're a fucking dumbass." He hissed lowly, "You just got us locked in here!" Alice chuckled nervously,

"How was I supposed to know that the door would close behind us like that?"

"I thought you had a freaking key!?"

"I left it outside!"

Ratchet groaned in frustration, looking around in the pitch black, back room of the library. He pulled out his holo-phone, turning on the flashlight and waving it around. There were shelves and shelves of files and books alike, all caked in dust. And to make things worse, dust was floating around in the air too...he clutched his satchel bag close.

"Has no one cleaned this place in centuries?" he asked no one in particular. Alice coughed, "Sure seems that way..."

He stepped forward, it looked like this room went on forever. The other side of the room was completely pitch black, his flashlight not reaching that far.

"This is like the start of a horror movie..." Alice murmured, "Like a haunted.." she gasped, "Oh my gosh what if this place is haunted!?"

Ratchet rolled his eyes, "I'm pretty sure that-"

*Bang!*

"...-It's not haunted..." he moved his phone back and forth, looking for the source of the noise. He couldn't see anything. Alice was practically shivering behind him. "We shouldn't have done this...now a stupid ghost is gonna follow us home and-"

"It's not a ghost!" Ratchet interjected. Alice stomped her foot, "Then what was that because we are the only ones here! I made sure of it!"

They both glared at each other for a while. Ratchet looked away unamused, "Look, let's just get these books and...find a way out of here I guess." he said bitterly, "This would be way easier if someone remembered to bring the key..."

Alice glared at him, "Yeah, well at least I made sure the cameras were off before I even tried to go by the door." she side-eyed him. Ratchet scoffed, "Not my fault you were taking forever to get the spare key."

"Can you just shut up!?" Alice whispered angrily. Ratchet smiled in amusement, "Oh, I don't know. I'm having enough fun just running my mouth."

The white-furred girl just rolled her eyes, "Of course you are..." she said dryly.

They both split and walked down separate hallways, looking at all the dusty books on the shelves, "They're so dusty...I can't even read them!" Ratchet called out, Alice hummed from across the room, "Yeah, what gives!? This place is a dump. Who would even treat books this way!?" she groaned dramatically. Ratchet sighed, continuing with his search. He looked back down at his phone when it vibrated,

*[New Message!]*

Hunter : Gold spine, black binding, gear engraved on the cover, red wax seal on the front left corner of the cover... Replace it with the fake I made you.

Hunter : Take caution.

Ratchet sighed, mumbling to himself, "Gold spine...black binding...gear on cover.." he scanned over the numerous books, not finding anything remotely similar to what he needed. He-

*Bang!*

He jumped, hearing rapid footsteps coming in his direction, "It's fucking haunted!" Alice, shrieked, running into him. "I swear the books just fell and-"

"It is probably just a draft from the vents or something." Ratchet reasoned, "Or these old ass bookshelves are collapsing. I wouldn't be surprised.". Alice just huffed, looking around in the dark. "I don't know...I might just forget about my book and go-"

"We're locked in here." Ratchet reminded her, "And you're just gonna give up because some imaginary-"

*Swish*

"-ghost..." Ratchet finished.

They both stood there in silence. Alice whispered in fright,

"This is the part in a horror movie where one of us dies and the othe-"

"This isn't a horror movie!"

Alice was silent. Ratchet stood there, saying nothing. They sat in silence for a moment, waiting for a sound. After a while, Ratchet whispered, "Find our books and get outta here?" he asked the girl. Alice looked at him hesitantly, before nodding, "Alright. Let's make this quick."

She walked away slowly, muttering something else about stupid horror films. Ratchet rolled his eyes, before walking further down the hall. It was a mess.

He wiped down many of the books, dust getting stuck in his fur as he wiped them off. No luck.

He huffed in frustration. This was hopeless.

He turned and walked away.

He has to find out another way to learn more about The Council's secrets and where he could have come from. But...who knows what that book could really contain?

He stopped when he came across a different hallway, shining his flashlight down the corridor. Some shelves had pull-out drawers, while others were empty. Tablets and letters stacked up high behind glass cases. He couldn't even see the end of the corridor, which was covered in pitch-black darkness. He smirked to himself. He had a good feeling about this one...

He took silent steps forward, confident that he would find what he was looking for down here. He shined his light along the shelves.

Gold spine...blank binding...gear design engraved into the front cover...red wax seal...

His eyes narrowed in concentration, about to turn and examine the shelf on the other side before-

There it is!

He reached up and slid out the book. It matched the description and everything except...

It has a purple wax seal?

He looked down at it in confusion, before looking up at the shelf again.

There are multiple!?

He put the book back, lifting his light to look at the other ones. Green wax seal...yellow..pink...

Red!

He almost cheered in relief, sliding the book out and turning it over, checking it out. He smiled in victory. He got what he needed. He quickly opened his satchel, sliding the book Hunter gave him out and replacing the real one that he took. Hopefully no one would come in here and look for it....

He placed the real one in his satchel, chuckling at what he had just done. Oh this was so fucking wrong to do but it gave him an adrenaline rush so he didn't mind.

He closed up his bag, and started walking back down the hallway. He wondered what Alice was up-

He paused, shining a light on the bookshelf he just passed, squinting at what he saw. It was a shelf that contained rolled-up pieces of paper, along with books. He could've sworn he saw a familiar name-

Kaden Callisto

He glared at the paper, and by looking to the side of it there was a book...Kaden's name was on it too...what would someone want with Kaden? Why was his name here in the first place?

He looked at the shelf, shocked. This shelf was blocked off by bars, and to anyone else, they wouldn't be able to get in.

But oh, Ratchet wouldn't back down from a challenge...

He put one hand in, grinning as his wrist slid past the bars and successfully grabbed onto the offending paper, pulling it out with ease. He opened his satchel and slid it in right next to the book. He rubbed his wrist,

Time for the book...

He reached in once more, slipping past the bars again with ease. He grabbed onto the book, starting to pull it out. His fingers almost passed the bars until...

It stopped.

What?

....

He's an idiot...

The book was a bit thicker than the paper, and he couldn't clench his hand around the book if he even wanted to...

He sighed in frustration, tugging on his arm. He eventually just let the book go and pulled his hand out. He obviously couldn't get it that easily. He'd have to find a way to get it out somehow. He didn't want Kaden's name on any of these shelves. He didn't know what The Council wanted with the man, but he wasn't gonna let this go.

He reached in, tilting the book onto its spine and carefully sliding it out.

He stopped when he heard an out-of-place noise...

He heard the doorknob rattle...

He immediately reached to turn off his phone's flashlight, setting the book onto the shelf next to it.  Who else was there!? Why were they coming in!? Thankfully he was on the far side of the room but then-

The door opened,

*Creeeek* 

The door opened slowly....but he couldn't see anything from here...

He crouched down low, tilting an ear to try and listen for footsteps. Hopefully Alice heard....or was she the one leaving!?

He quietly moved down the corridor, turning the corner and getting as far away from the door as possible. As long as he stayed out of sight, he should be able to get out and-

He bumped into something...

He jumped back, pushing back whatever he bumped into and- Oh...it was just Alice...

She reeled back as well, until she realized who it was she ran into. She let out a quiet sigh of relief. She clutched at his left arm. Confused and frightened. Ratchet tapped her hand. She looked up at him.

"We need to leave...the door must be open now." He whispered as quietly as he could. Alice nodded, but didn't move as the footsteps moved slowly down the far hall. He pulled at her arm, moving in the opposite direction towards the door. Pausing when the footsteps stopped.

Please don't turn...Please don't turn... He begged internally. Alice's grip on his arm is getting tighter. He listened intently as the footsteps started up again, moving in the same direction they were heading in previously. Ratchet pulled Alice along, getting closer and closer to the door. They were about to turn the corner when-

The footsteps changed course...

....

Fuck

The duo stopped, holding their breath and the footsteps turned down a corridor that was a little too close for comfort. They paused, hearing them walk down the hall beside theirs. Ratchet inched forward as the steps got further down the hall, only pulling Alice around when he saw whoever it looked where they used to be. He held his breath.

They walked in the opposite direction again.

Good.

They got by the door, Ratchet leading Alice in front of him before...

He looked back, seeing the figure's head as they passed, turning down the main corridor...

A hooded figure...it was a member of The Council...

...and he forgot the book that he took out and put on the shelf...

He gasped just as Alice pushed open the door quietly. She tried to tug him forward only to pause as he refused to budge. "Come on! Let's go!" she whispered. But Ratchet just shook his head..."A Council member! I need to see what they are doing!" he replied, tugging his arm out of her grip, gesturing at her to leave. "Wait!" he heard her whisper, he turned towards her, "I-I can't let you go in good conscience. Please, let's go!"

He hesitated, sighing and shaking his head. He pushed Alice's hand away. "Get out of here." he whispered. Unfortunately, she still shook her head, but Ratchet beckoned her to go. He turned and moved away from the door. He didn't look back, so he hoped she left.

Now to go back for that book...

He made sure that he was crouched low enough, and made sure his steps were as quiet as he could be. If he was caught now...he would be in very bad trouble, and most likely would be arrested..

It seemed like this person was going down each and every corridor, looking for something. If this was his stalker, then they were looking for him.

They didn't see him go in there though....so...

He needed to stay undercover, get the book, and get out. Easy.

He went down one of the back corridors. Creeping along the wall, crouching as he went. It was dark  in the room, but with Lombaxian eyesight, it would be easy to distinguish someone's shadow.

Good thing he thought he would wear dark clothing...

He paused when he heard the footsteps come closer, pressing himself up against one of the bookshelves, covering his mouth as they passed. They turned to the left, heading in the opposite direction. That was wayyy too close....

Taking a deep breath, he turned in the opposite direction, getting as far away as possible from The Council member. he felt along the bookcases, looking for the one where he found the book. He needed to retrieve it before someone noticed that it was gone...

He reached the end of the corridor when he almost ran into something. He felt for what was in front of him....a....table?

He looked closer, it seemed to be a table with stacks and stacks of paper on it. He was about to turn away when-

*BANG*

He jumped, heart pounding as he heard the footsteps running to the source of the noise. They were coming nearer...and nearer...and

He darted under the table, holding his breath as the footsteps flew past. What the fuck was that? What was going on?

He peaked out from under the table, turning his head to the right to see the figure stop by the exit to the room, pulling out their flashlight. Shit...

He got out of his hiding spot, turning left and heading to the corridor he wanted. He felt along the shelves once more. If he remembered correctly, this shelf was at the far side of the room, all the way in the middle. And now that his stalker has a flashlight...

He would be caught immediately.

The next shelf he felt...

This one...!

He turned down it, looking to the right and scanning the shelves, looking for the one that was bared up...

*Swish*

A blast of cold air washed over him. He jumped back, stunned for a moment. He looked up, 

So...it was the vents...

He laughed internally, standing up to pick up the book and sliding it into his bag. He looked down the corridor in front of him and-

The flashlight was about to shine down this-

*Bang!*Crash!*

The person ran past his corridor, "Who's there!?" they asked. The voice was muffled, but they sounded frightened. Looks like more than one person believes in ghosts...

Ratchet rolled his eyes. unbelievable.

Even so, these weird noises allowed him to get the hell out of there. So, he wasn't going to waste this chance now...

He sped up and walked passed the main corridor, ignoring The Council member and heading straight to the door, but paused when something flew past him, landing in the hall beside the one he was walking in.

A book!?

Oh hell no!

He quickened his pace. Get to the door. Get to the door. Get to the-

The door opened quickly, someone pulling him out and shutting it. He almost yelped in fright, turning around to see who-

Oh, it was Alice. Who still had a book in her hand...she must have thrown them...

"What the hell are you still doing here?" he hissed lowly as Alice grabbed his arm and pulled him to the back exit door. She chuckled, "Ever heard of a distraction?" she asked, smirking at him, "Who do you think was throwing all those books? A ghost?"

"No..." Ratchet mumbled. Following Alice out the door and watching as she shut and locked it. Realizing something, he glared at her, "Wait, were you the one making all the noise in the beginning?" he asked.

She was silent for a moment, "No." she said,

They both stood in silence, "Let's not talk about it."

"Yep." Ratchet agreed, eyes wide.

"Anyways, I gotta get back." The girl said, holding out her hand, "We did good, partner in crime! But we better leave before they leave the building."

He shook her hand, smiling, "Yeah. Stay safe, Alice."

"You too!" she waved as she ran down the alleyway, turning to the right and vanishing into the night. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Never doing that again." He muttered to himself, clutching his bag strap and leaving the scene.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Now, he just had to get back to Hunter's place, deliver the book, and head back home. They can go over the book's contents in the coming days but for now, leaving it was the best bet. Especially now that he has literally committed a crime and some member from The Council was after him.

He turned down the familiar alleyway, stopping by the back door and knocking three times then pausing, and then knocked once more. It was so Hunter knew it was him.

After a minute, the door opened and he was practically pulled inside. He yelped, before glaring at the one before him, "Really dude? Do you have to do that every single time?"

Hunter just smirked, leading Ratchet into his living room, "Eh, what's the fun in just letting you walk in?" he teased, sitting down on his couch,

He handed Ratchet a small vial, "Here's your dose of the antidote by the way. See it as a reward." he said sarcastically. Ratchet rolled his eyes, taking the vial and sliding it into a small pocket of his bag. "Do you have the book?" Hunter asked.

Ratchet sighed, sitting down and opening his bag, pulling out the book. He handed it to Hunter, who took it, looking over the details, "I hope that's it." Ratchet said, "If not, well I am not going back in there. The place is haunted."

Hunter raised a brow in amusement, "Oh, really?" he said sarcastically. Hunter looked back at him, "Yep, this is the one." he said, throwing it on the other side of the couch, "Good job." he stated, before looking suspiciously at his bag, "You take anything else?"

Ratchet paused, looking the other way, "No I-"

"Yeah, you did." Hunter interrupted, "I swear I told you not to fucking do that and-"

"But I had to! Someone's name was on it and I didn't want it on there! It's someone I care about!" Ratchet growled, "I'm the one that pulled the crime, so I take responsibility for that. But I don't care when it comes to someone I want to protect."

Hunter sighed heavily, "Alright then, but if you get caught you're gonna be screwed, including the person whose name is on it." he drawled. Ratchet looked down at his satchel, "I think I can keep it secret...for now at least. It looks like no one has touched anything in years in the back of the library."

"That's because they have multiple copies." Hunter explained, "I assume you saw more books fitting the description but different colored wax seals?". Ratchet nodded, "Those are all false versions filled with misleading information. The red one is the factual one, and even then, they have a copy of that one in their possession at the headquarters."

Ratchet looked at him, surprised, "How do you know that? I thought you weren't high enough in the system to know that?"

Hunter hummed, "Well, I've heard my father talking about it with another advisor. Being an assistant certainly helps when you want to know something." he smirked, "While I barely talk to the man outside of my duties, it's nice to eavesdrop sometimes..."

They were silent for a moment. Ratchet sighed, and laid back on the couch as well. "That reminds me, aren't you technically considered a kid? Why do you live on your own?"

"I'd rather keep that to myself."

Ratchet sat up at this, pouting, "Well, you're the one putting yourself on the line for me. I think I have the right to know about my-" he chuckled loudly, "-hero, to say the least." He smirked when Hunter bolted up, "First, never say that again. Second, I think I have the right to withhold my personal business from you." he said. Ratchet just shook his head, "Well, you seem to know more about me than I do of you." his neutral expression turned into a glare, "Maybe...that's a bit suspicious..." He wondered aloud, smirking at the reaction he got.

Hunter sighed, leaning back and looking at the ceiling, "My mother died during...well, she died years ago. My father was only an assistant at the time but he quickly worked his way up the ranks. As I was growing up I really didn't see him much." he paused for a minute, "When I got older, my father already made sure that The Council held a place for me as an assistant, specifically to my father."

He grimaced, "It's funny...after all these years...the longest I have ever seen him is while being his assistant, even then, he barely talks to me. I had the right to have my own house because of my affiliation with The Council."

Ratchet hummed, "Why didn't you reject the opportunity to be part of The Council then?"

Hunter looked down, somehow saddened by the question "I just wanted my father to see me as a son."

All was silent for a moment, "Helping you was my choice. I had the freedom to choose what I wanted." he explained, "I realized that you and I wanted the same thing, a family."

Ratchet looked at him in sympathy, "Well, first of all, your father is an asshole." Hunter smiled and chuckled after that. Ratchet continued, "And honestly, I wouldn't know what I would do in your situation.."

Hunter raised a brow, "You don't even remember your family. I'd say that's worse."

Ratchet sighed, "Well, if you are helping me and putting yourself at risk...how does this benefit you?"

Hunter was silent, "It doesn't." he stated, "Even if I get caught, this was my choice. Not anyone else's. Not you, not The Council, not even my father can't tell me what to do." he said, "I wanted to help you, and that's enough."

Ratchet stared at him, contemplating his next words, "You telling me all this, and how you're putting yourself at risk yet, you tell me not to tell anyone else about this because it would put them at risk?"

"Do you want them to be at risk?"

Ratchet groaned in frustration, "No, but that includes you too!"

Hunter glared at him, "Well, look who's the hero now. Sometimes people have to put their life on the line for the better, don't you understand that?"

"Doesn't mean that I can't help to prevent that!" Ratchet replied, "No, I don't want to put people at risk. But I will face The Council head-on if it comes to that." he said, "Let them take me, who cares. But take the people I care about? That's crossing the line."

Hunter shook his head in amusement, "Oh? And what would a kid like you do? Shoot em' with a blaster?"

"If it comes out to that, yes." Ratchet said immediately. Hunter's eyes widened in disbelief, "I am determined to find out about my past and make sure that The Council does nothing to those I care about. I am prepared for a fight, because I know they will want one."

Hunter stared at him, contemplating, "Well, maybe it won't come to that. Maybe it's just a stupid reason as to why-"

"They have my memories." Ratchet interjected, "I know they do. They have to. Otherwise they wouldn't go to such lengths for me." He reasoned, "There has to be something that is causing them to go on high alert. Something..." he stared off in thought, "If I find out what it is before my time is up, then we will know what to expect."

Hunter smiled for a moment, before he smiled, "Look like we will have to work harder at getting back your memories then..." he muttered. Maybe we should hit your head a few times and see if it fixes anything!" He took a pillow off the couch and flung it at the other, laughing as he yelled out in alarm, "Really!? Did you really have to do that!?

He chuckled, but he knew deep down that this wasn't going to last.

Either The Council finds out or Ratchet regains his memories...

He feared that there would be the same outcome for both decisions...

....

Was this all going to be pointless in the end? Maybe...

Not like he cared at the moment...

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Needless to say, everything was fine...for now.

While he and Alice got what they needed, it wasn't without The Council's interference. Whoever was following knew he was in there, or at least, saw him walking around late at night. Or maybe they were checking the place out because they knew he hung out here a lot?

Were they there to guard the book?

Nonetheless, he got what he needed. And that's all that mattered. In the coming days he would go over everything in the book with Hunter and he would privately view what he found for himself...

He didn't open it yet.

It's not that he was afraid to. He was just...hesitant. Like, what if it was some pretty personal stuff that he should have no business knowing about?

Kaden and Phoebe were just his caretakers. Nothing more. Nothing less. It was wrong to pry into their private business...

Then again, he wanted to know why The Council had Kaden's name on the shelf...

He was currently on his way to Oliver's house. It's been a while since they hung out and Oliver said that he wanted to go somewhere. Which was weird. Oliver usually gave a place where he wanted to go...maybe he just wanted to walk around and hang out?

When he got there, Oliver was already standing outside. Leaning against the fence in front of his house. His face was oddly neutral, which set alarm bells off in Ratchet's head. Usually Oliver greeted him with a smile...

"Hey, how have you been?" Oliver asked casually, "Haven't seen you in a while..."

Ratchet grimaced, "Yeah...sorry about that. I've been busy..."

Oliver said nothing for a moment, before standing up straight, "Walk with me.

And Ratchet did, clutching the strap of his bag that he has been carrying around lately. He walked beside his friend, heading in the direction of the library again. Ratchet looked around curiously, why couldn't he have met him there? He side-eyed his friend, who was staring forward at nothing, a frown on his face.

He felt uneasy, "Uh...are you okay?" he asked quietly. Oliver just smiled, but Ratchet could tell it was fake, "Yeah, I'm fine." he said flatly.

Ratchet left it at that, following Oliver the whole way, only stopping when they made it to their booth. If he was honest with himself, he didn't want to be back in this building right now. Like, he just committed a crime here last night and now he was back...odd.

Even so, he sat there for a while in silence, putting his bag on the table and relaxing in the seat. They sat there in silence for a moment, "Oliver? What's up?"

His friend just sighed, "What? I can't just hang out with my friend?"

Ratchet just shook his head, "No you can it's just-"

"Then why have you been avoiding me?"

Ratchet was taken aback, furrowing his brows, "What do you mean?" he asked. Olive just scoffed and shook his head,

"You haven't been texting me, calling me, and whenever we make plans you would wind up canceling." He said bitterly, "Was it something I did?"

"No, you didn't do anything, Ollie." Ratchet reassured him, "I've just been busy. You know that."

His friend just shook his head, saying nothing. Ratchet looked around the room. Damn, this was awkward, "I'm...going to go to the bathroom, wait here." he said, standing up from his seat and walking off. Something was wrong, and he needed to get out of there and collect his thoughts...

He walked in the direction of the restrooms, but didn't go in. Rather, he took a deep breath and stood between the bookshelves. What was up with Oliver? He didn't do anything wrong, did he? He has just been busy figuring things out and hanging out just seemed to slip his mind...was that why Oliver was angry? Or was it something else?

After a couple minutes of standing there collecting his thoughts, he headed back to their table, sitting down across from Oliver like he usually did. Oliver looked pissed, "Hey, you-"

"No, I'm not okay." Oliver growled quietly, glaring at him, "First, you ignore me for two weeks and pretend like it was nothing, and now you won't even tell me anything! What is it?"

Ratchet glared back, "I told you, I was busy!"

"Oh yeah, then what's this that slipped out of your bag?"

Oliver held up the vial containing his antidote, the purple liquid sloshing inside, "What.Is.It." He asked, voice cold, "Drugs? Poison?" he questioned. Ratchet shook his head rapidly, "No! It's not!"

Damn...I thought I left that at home...

Oliver inspected the vial, "Then what is it?"

Ratchet was silent for a moment, hesitant,

"I...I can't tell you..."

Oliver looked over at him, surprised. "Really?" he asked, sounding upset, "All this time and...you can't tell me?" he whispered. Ratchet just scratched the back of his head. "Not only that, but I know what you did with Alice last night. Ratchet glared at him, "How!?"

"Oh, I don't know. She told me."

Ratchet paused,

She wasn't supposed to tell anyone...

"Why would she-"

"So, it was a secret." Oliver concluded, dropping the vial back in Ratchet's bag. "Look at it this way. I haven't seen you in weeks and had no communication with you at all. Next thing I know I are pulling a crime with someone who we barely even know and now you have a suspicious fucking bottle that you won't even tell me about? Come on, Ratch. I thought we were friends?"

"We are!" Ratchet declared, "What I did with Alice was so I could get more information on The Council." he stated, "I didn't mean to ignore you but I've been trying-"

"Trying to get yourself caught? Ratchet, you're not being careful. What if you two were caught?" he asked, "You both were in danger."

Ratchet grimaced, "We both went in there for things that we wanted. What is so wrong with doing something to help my situation?" he whispered lowly, "Maybe you're just jealous."

Oliver looked taken aback, "Jealous? Jealous!? You think I'm jealous over Alice? Is that it? You think I'm jealous because you're doing what is best for you?" he accused, "I'm angry that you don't tell me, and that you put yourself and Alice in danger for a stupid fucking book!"

Ratchet glared, "Alice was the one who made the plan."

"Yeah, well, you went through with it."

"So you're just going to blame me for everything?" Ratchet asked bitterly, "Just because I went along with it? I would never let someone get hurt, Oliver." he said. Oliver was silent. Ratchet looked him over, frustrated, "So you do blame me..." he whispered out, "You blame me for doing what I needed to do, you blame me for the plan, and you blame me for what I did these past weeks without you." he murmured. "I don't think-"

"All I want to know is why you didn't tell me." Oliver stated, "And why you can't tell me anything...do you not trust me? Or is it-"

"I do trust you!" Ratchet interrupted, "I just-"

"Then why don't you ever accept help?" Oliver asked, "I could have helped you if you told me. And whatever is going on with this shit-" he gestured over to Ratchet's bag on the table, "-It seems like you're just doing suspicious shit behind everyone's backs!" he accused.

Ratchet was silent. On one hand, he was angry at his friend for accusing him of such things. And on the other hand, he was upset that things turned out this way.

"I am not." he stated calmly, "Whatever I am doing is for me. I don't need to get anyone involved in this situation. The Council-"

"So, you don't want help?" Oliver asked quietly, "After everything people have done for you so far? You're just going to ignore it?"

"No! I just...I just don't want anyone to-"

Oliver smacked his hands down on the table. Not loud enough for others to hear, but rough enough to get his point across. 'I'm done with these excuses, Ratchet." he said, "What you are doing is putting yourself and others in danger. You're being reckless." he stated, sliding out of the booth. Ratchet watched him go, drained from what just transpired,

Oliver turned his back, before looking over his shoulder, "You want people to stay away? Fine. You don't want help anymore?" he growled quietly,

"You won't get it from me."

Ratchet watched as his friend left him in the booth. Silently turning back to his bag on the table, staring at it. Was...was he doing the wrong thing? He looked down at the table, breath shaky,

"If you would have just let me finish what I was saying..." he whispered to himself, "I just wanted to protect you..."

But the silence only answered him. His voice was unheard.

Feet away from him, a girl with white hair peeked over the bookshelf, sighing when she saw Ratchet at the table. She turned back to the book cart she used to stock books. She grimaced to herself.

"I'm sorry...Ratchet."

And she walked away.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Meanwhile, down the street...

Oliver walked home angrily, almost stomping his feet as he weaved between people to get home quicker.

It had to be done. He had to say what he said to get his point across. He was angry, rightfully so. Ratchet just ups and disappears on him and can't even tell him why? And then he found some suspicious substance in his bag and he still got no answer? Please, it was all just excuses...

But suddenly he paused, thinking back to a couple of weeks ago, after Ratchet got out of the MedCenter...he was acting odd then. He was jittery, quiet, tired. Daresay, he even acted sick...and from what he remembered, no one knew how Ratchet got to the Medcenter in the first place...

Ratchet was probably scared at that moment. Stuck between a rock and a hard place with nothing to do or nothing to go off of. Yes, he gave Ratchet his research, but was it useful at that moment? Probably not.

The Council was after Ratchet, and Ratchet was against The Council. Even then, Ratchet had to find out his memories on top of that...

Oliver turned back from where he came, seeing the library building from afar. He started walking back.

Who was he kidding? Ratchet was his friend! He should've supported him! Encouraged him even, and slowly but surely find out what was wrong and if he still couldn't tell him then he could have just kept an eye on him!

So why did he say the things he said? Was he jealous? Worried? Angry? Maybe it was a mixture of all...

He ran up the steps to the building, opening the door and taking the familiar route to the back.

"Hey Ratch, I should-" he stopped, looking around sadly

....

Ratchet was nowhere to be found

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

He had enough.

He threw his bag down on the bedroom floor, not caring about the vial inside. He didn't care about that anymore. It was clear that he only had one goal now,

Retrieve his memories. Leave.

He really had no one connected to him anymore. Kaden, phoebe, and Alister had nothing to do with what he was doing. Alice just wanted what she wanted and he hasn't had any contact with her since. And Oliver made it pretty clear that he didn't want to help anymore, all for good reason.

The only one that was left was Hunter.

Hunter was putting his life on the line for him. Hunter was the one that was telling him what to do in order to stay out of trouble. And if he was caught...

They were both prepared for the consequences.

He sighed, going over to his closet and pulling out the papers that he hid from the night before, the ones with Kaden's name on them. He sat back against the wall, slowly unfurling the rolled-up paper...

The...Dimensionator?

....

He knew that word

He scanned over the paper, reading everything that he could. Some of it was in Galactic, the other half was in Lombaxian. He sighed...it looked like a pretty complicated device. Right now this information was useless to him. The name was familiar, but not the knowledge.

He then picked up the book he grabbed as well. It was in pristine condition, and had a smooth leather binding. He took a deep breath, opening to the first page, reading the top of the page

3 15 14 6 9 4 5 14 20 9 1 12 0 9 14 6 15 18 13 1 20 9 15 14

He read it, raising a brow. He turned to the next page, titled :

20 8 5 0 7 18 5 1 20 0 3 12 15 3 11

15 18 9 7 9 14 0 21 14 11 14 15 23 14

He sighed in frustration. Well, turns out this whole thing was pointless. There was literally no reason as to why he took it off the shelf now....

What was the point if he couldn't even read it?

He flipped through the pages once more, until...

There were files shoved within the pages?

He looked at them, they all looked fairly new. He sighed, pulling out the cleanest looking one. It was sealed with black wax, The Council's logo on it. He opened the small file, and unfolded the paper :

2;15;12;15;4;0;13;3;1;20;8;0;19;16;12;1;13;5;0;18;12;20;21;19;5;19;0

19;10;2;5;3;21;20;0;18;20;3;1;8;5;20;0;13;3;1;20;8;0;23;20;9;8;0;11;5;1;4;14;0;1;14;4;0;16;15;2;5;8;5;0;

;3;12;19;9;1;20;12;15;

He growled lowly, nothing.

He shoved the file back in and slammed the book shut in frustration. He hid the book in the corner of the closet underneath his clothing. He will eventually have to go back and return the things he took. They were simply no use to him and he had to do it before anyone else goes back and finds them missing...

He didn't care right now, however. Now, he just flopped onto his bed and sighed out heavily. He could only wait and see what he proposed. Maybe text Hunter later and show him what he found. Until then, he was tired and drained from the argument he had with Oliver...

Did he just lose a friend?

....

It sure felt like it.

He turned over onto his back, staring at the ceiling. In a few days he will only have 5 months left to figure out his situation. If he succeeded, what would happen then? The Council would probably want him and he had no way to get off the planet. And if he did, that means he would have to fly a ship or something. And he didn't kn-

*knock* *knock*

His body tensed, someone just knocked on the front door. He was about to get up and look out his window when he heard-

"Ratchet? Are you home?"

It was Oliver

He listened from his window, which was cracked open just a tiny bit, he made sure to keep his head down.

"Ratchet...?" he called again, voice weaker, almost silent. Ratchet heard the shuffling of feet. "I...guess you're not here.." He heard Oliver mumble to himself. Hearing the footsteps fade away slowly. He peeked back over.

Oliver was gone.

He sighed. Deep down...he was angry. He felt almost betrayed but at the same time, Oliver was right. But...

He couldn't let Oliver get hurt while he was around. Not on his watch. He would never let that happen. He felt his eyes become teary...

So if that means that he has to watch from the sidelines, he would do so with no argument. If he had to cut ties with most and hold them at an arm's length, so be it. He could figure this out. He could do this. He refused to drag more people along with him.

...

Even if it hurts.

....

He was about to close his eyes when he felt his phone ping with a new message. He was surprised when it was from Hunter,

*[New message!]*

Hunter - It's about the book.

Hunter - You should see this.

Ratchet sighed heavily. Looks like there was no time to rest now.

He had some answers to find.

....

So, he wiped his eyes, and packed his bag for the long night ahead.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Hehe...those last two codes are tricky...wonder if any of you can get it? Hint : I scrambled it :) Good luck and tell me if you could find it out! Maybe I will be generous and leave a hint in the comments... :)

Want some scenery pics? Check out the scenery book I posted :) if not, that's okay too! and sorry for any spelling or grammar errors!

Anyways, there's nothing much to say here, really. Just thank you all for being so supportive! Your support fuels my writing and keeps my passion going! ❤

See you next chapter!