I've been having a rough time lately...hopefully this chapter isn't too bad and it meets your expectations. It didn't really meet mine, but I tried my hardest to finish this.

This chapter consists of Nova's POV with a *bit* of Clank sprinkled in, but not much. Ratchet is in next chapter because I got too carried away.

Anyways, enjoy! ❤

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Clank]

*Beep*Beep*Beep*

Clank grunted, sitting up straight in the pilot seat as he looked at what was going on. The loud beeping from the communication pad must have woken him up. He quickly turned around,

Good thing Ashby was a heavy sleeper...

Without a second thought, he answered the transmission, rubbing at his unfocused optics,

Static.."State...Unautho-" more static.. "-ship"

Clank paused, trying to decipher the message as best as he could, furrowing his brows as more static came through. Perhaps there was someone that needed help? But it sounded like they were trying to say-

*Message incoming* The intercom stated, making Clank pause and wait for the message. His back stiffened as a voice (similar to his, in a way...) spoke over the line, voice dark and monotonous, "Unauthorized ship. State your purpose or my ship will not hesitate to eradicate you." Clank startled, hand going to grip the steering wheel, "Unless, you wish to cooperate and I can kill you face to face. State your business."

"What!?" Clank responded, "Why would you-"

"There are no ships allowed in this vicinity. I wonder how your ship was able to launch off my planet at all." the voice chuckled, "Simply allow us to take you in and there will be no further issue."

Clank raised a brow, "But you just said you wanted to kill me face to face. Or blow up my ship..."

The person at the other end of the line was silent for a minute. Clank was about to cut off the communications, but then the voice started up again,

"Well, I admit. That would be enjoyable for me. But you know what intrigues me?" They quipped, "How you, a worthless being, was able to get past my barricades and send a transmission to my planet. Which, for your information, is against my law."

Clank's fingers tightened on the wheel, flicking some switches, preparing to go into hyperdrive and get out of here. He covered the mic, muting his side of the transmission, turning his head to the back,

"Ashby! Wake up!" he saw the boy stir, "Get into the pilot's seat. Now. And buckle up.

He heard the kid get up groggily, thinking nothing of it as he lazily walked towards the seat and started securing himself slowly. Clank uncovered the mic,

"My transmission?"

The voice on the other side of the line practically growled in frustration, voice becoming threatening as they addressed him, "YES! Your transmission. Do not act clueless. I will have you know that I know everything that goes on and off the planet. You are lucky that my ship didn't shoot you down first."

"You are lucky that I want you alive."

Clank stayed silent, making sure that Ashby was buckled up. And at this point, the boy was looking up at him in fear. He whispered out, "W-What's happening, Clank?"

He didn't respond, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he replied, "Oh? And why is that?"

"Not just anyone can get past my systems. Definitely not a living being." the voice spat, "So, I have come to the conclusion that you must be a robot like us. A traitor, however. I do not like traitors." Clank rolled his eyes, this was getting nowhere, "So, I will give you some options. Let us take you in and terminate your systems. Let us blast your excuse of a ship. Or try and run. But be warned, we will catch you."

Clank glared, ready to blast off, "But, with every decision comes a consequence. If you choose to run, I will have no choice but to take more extreme measures."

Clank raised a brow, smirking. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Well, you are aware of the former city Metropolis, correct?" Clank's eyes widened, "Let's just say that, if you fail to comply, I will have no choice but to take it out on those other little, unruly living beings that plague my planet." They threatened, "So, sacrifice yourself, or kill thousands of others?"

Clank clenched his jaw, teeth grinding together as he pursed his lips. He looked out the window to the space before him. Then he looked at his tight grip on the wheel. And then...he looked towards his small companion, who looked up at him in shock.

"H-He'll kill them!?" Ashby asked fearfully, "B-But I don't want to die! And I don't want them to die!" He started crying, and Clank felt conflicted.

Idly, he wondered what Ratchet would do in this situation.

That's simple. Ratchet would have a plan for each of those options. If he agreed to be taken in, he would try and find a way out. If he decided that he would want to die for thousands of others, he definitely would. But no matter what...

Ratchet would never run.

So....what would he do? He was a hero, and he was pretty sure that he could find a way out of this if he was taken in and allowed to live...

....

He came to the realization then. Gripping the wheel tightly, thumb ready to press the hyperspeed button.

"Keep your head back, Ashby."

The boy looked at him, conflicted and upset, "No! They'll all-"

Without another word, Clank blasted off and away from the threat. Unable to risk the chance of fixing things and reuniting with his friend.

....

He wasn't like Ratchet...

....

He was a coward.

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[Nova]

It has been a while.

Louie and themselves are almost finished with the device that could let them see that was on the memory chip Nova scavenged.

But...during the night, Nova continuously went through their memory banks. Going over the information over and over and over again...

Clank's message...

Coordinates...a place to meet up...

In all honesty, they didn't know what to do. They were stuck here on this blasted planet with no way off of it and nowhere to go. They couldn't just up and leave whenever they wanted to. Heck, if the stories were true they would probably get caught in 20 seconds and get killed.

Yes, that is what would happen...

And that would suck...

So it looks like they would have to play the waiting game and see if they could send some sort of reply back. It was

Nova startled a bit when they heard someone knock on the door. They checked their internal clock,

It was 4 in the morning!? Who the hell was up at this time?

They heard someone knock on their door again. They sighed, grumbling a bit as they got up to flick on the light and open the door,

Yeah...they were sitting in the dark before, who cares?

They opened their door, only to be met with none other than-

"Louie!?" They whispered out in shock, sticking their head out into the hall and looking to see if anyone else was out and about. "What the hell are you doing here!? It 4 in the fucking-"

"Yeah yeah, shut the hell up and come with me! I finished it! I finished it!"

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Louie led them over to the computer, where the new memory card reader was connected. Nova watched in fascination as the man took the memory chip out of his desk drawer and inserted it into the reader, drumming his fingers against the desk in excitement. He looked over to the Lombax, "It will take a few minutes, so make yourself comfortable." he chimed, "I can't believe we're about to see what's on the memory chip! I'm excited, are you? It's-"

And the man kept going on and on, Nova tuning them out to walk over to the lab table and get a chair so they could sit next to Louie at his desk. As they were lifting the chair, the man finally stopped, leaning back and watching the screen

Louie looked at his computer screen incredulously, then up to Nova, then to the screen again...then up to Nova

Nova raised a brow, "Something wrong?"

Louie's smile has long since dropped, replaced with a look of despair...and fear.

"Tell me it's a joke." He asked Nova, "Tell me what I just saw is a joke."

Nova's brows furrowed, staring at the man in question, "What do you mean, Louie? What did you see on-" and Louie cut them off, rotating the screen so it faced them, "You fucking tell me!" he growled. Nova, ignoring the man's growing ferocity, leaned forward to watch the screen.

They pressed play, watching the scene play out. It was Nova coming in to save Nolen, getting the crap beaten out of them and then...when Nova landed the killing blow and shoved the pole threw the guard bot....

It scanned them...

Nova froze, watching the bot's last moments play out on the screen, Nolen firing his pistol and the pole being shoved in its stomach by Nova from the back. The screen flicked, errors and codes flickering across the screen.

Nova's scans popped up, a bunch of mixed messages along with a shut-down timer flashed on the screen, the guard bot's last words echoing out, "Why....do this..to..."

And the playback stopped there, the guard bot meeting its demise. Nova stood there, silently staring at the screen, hopeless.

They were caught.

Louie banged their fist on the desk, "Nova...tell me that this isn't true! It can't be!" he practically begged, "You can't-"

"It's true." Nova admitted regretfully, "It's all true.

They could practically feel the air around them be filled with anger and resentment. Louie's face turned sour and his nose scrunched up in disgust. He looked down to the top of the desk, fists clenching and nails biting through the skin,

They did a quick scan of the man. Louie's hands were starting to shake, and his blood pressure rose dramatically. Nova winced, stepping forward to hold a hand out and check to man-

Suddenly Louie stood up, charging forward to-

Punch Nova right in the face, right faceplate sparking at the force and making them drop to the floor. They looked up, shielding themselves with an arm to prepare for any other attack.

Peeking through their fingers, they caught a glimpse of Louie's enraged face,

"You! You're a fucking-" he looked away, as if he couldn't believe what was right in front of him. He made sure to keep his voice low, but the venom in his voice spoke volumes as he continued, "You're a fucking bot...a bot! How is that-" he laughed bitterly, "I can't believe it! Right under our noses and yet...and yet none of us could tell!"

He looked back to the startled bot on the ground, who lowered their arm just a bit. He stepped forward threateningly, "What are you? A spy!? You want to kill us all!? You want to reveal our location!?"

"N-No! I don't! I promise I can explain and-"

"Explain!? There's nothing to explain! You're a bot, and that's it! Bots kill us humans. And that's it! There's no other reason as to why you are here!"

Nova winced as the man stepped forward again, arm reeling back, "N-No! I swear!" He held up an arm, "I-If I really wanted to, I-I could've killed you all already!"

"Not if you are a spy! Your whole reason is to lay low. Waiting for the perfect fucking moment!" He hissed, "To think, I let myself get close to you and now...now I have to realize that I was conspiring with a bot this whole time!? Fuck that!"

Nova crawled back as Louie kept stepping forward, the man's rage evident in the way he looked down at them...

Like they were the lowest of the low....the scum of the planet. The dirt beneath his feet.

And in the back of their head, Nova faintly recalled the tiny cleaning bot being crushed underneath Nolen's foot like a tin can....

Was that what was gonna happen to them!?

"And Nolen? Oh, Nolen is gonna be so fucking pissed. He's gotten close to ya' kid, I gotta admit. You're gonna break his heart when he finds out his favorite scouting kid was nothing other than a bot!"

"Nolen...he already hates me for what I did..." Nova added unhelpfully....

Damn, why do I just have to add fuel to the fire!? They asked themselves.

Louie was perplexed for a moment, before a look of recognition dawned upon his face, "Ohhhh....Now it all makes sense!" He sounded hysterical at this point, "He told me all about it! It makes sense now! It does! You took pity on your own, disgusting kind!" He sneered, "I-I can't believe this..."

Nova watched as the man pointed at him from above, "You dare to come into our territory. Threaten our people like it's *nothing*...All you bots do is take and take and take! You killed families! Children! Everything, just....just what more do you want!?

"I don't w-want anything!" Nova replied shakily, processors on overdrive, "I...I just wanted to help!"

"Help? Help!? What a fucking joke!" Louie spat, "There's no such thing as robots helping humans anymore!" Louie yelled back, "Do you know what has been going on outside!? Have you watched people die like I had to!? No. No you fucking didn't."

"You didn't have to suffer like I did. Like everyone here did!"

Nova tried to back up more, but they failed to realize that they were already against the cold, stone wall...

They had nowhere else to run to now. They had to face the man's wrath head-on. Unfortunately, it looked like their road stopped here. Because as Louie looked down at them, stepping forward again, eyes alight with rage, Nova was sure that they were about to meet their fate here.

Louie looked down at them in despair,

"Like...Like you didn't even care about any of us and...and you talked with me and helped me and everything and I just don't understand!"

The man seemed enraged when he got no response

"Hey!? Are you gonna say something!? Anything!?"

"N-No..." Nova stuttered out, "I'm not..."

"Oh? And why not? Too much of a coward because someone blew your cover!?"

Nova snapped out of it, finally looking up at the man in anger,

"No! Because what can I say to you right now!? N-No matter what I say you're just gonna keep going on and on and on!" They snapped, "Just get to the fucking point! Kill me, dismantle me! Do whatever because I'm not gonna fight with someone who can't be reasoned with!" And then they whispered their last words out, making sure to make eye contact with the man above,

"I-I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." Nova pleaded.

And it was the truth.

As if testing them, Louie brought his fist down, a threat. On reflex, Nova brought up their right arm. The fist made contact and Louie jumped back a bit, shaking his hand off, rubbing the knuckles, "Fuck...that hurt...." he hissed, mentally cursing himself for doing something so stupid....

Nova was made of steel, he wouldn't make a real dent....

But...when he looked down again, to the frightened face along with the slightly damaged right facial plate.

"You're afraid of me!?" He asked hysterically, before calming down, and coming to a realization, "You're afraid of me....?"

Nova looked down at that point, not offering the man a response as the room went quiet, dissolving from a boiling ferociousness to a still, uncomfortable silence.

The man was silent for a moment, as if processing the information, before turning his back to Nova, growling in frustration "Get out."

Nova looked up, confused, "W-What...?"

"I said...Get out!" Louie seethed, "If I see you in my lab again...so help me! I'll bash your face in."

Nova was frozen in place for just a moment, making sure that they heard the man right. Once Louie made no other move, they got up quickly and exited the lab as quietly as possible. They then started walking down the hall to get to their room,

They needed to leave.

Once Louie told everyone, they would surely die here. They could take a punch, yeah. But would cave under so many people trying to hurt them.

The thought made them shiver....but for some odd reason, it also made them angry.

How dare they cower before those that dared to hurt them? How dare they cave under the pressure of being found out? How dare they give up in the presence of those that they could easily break like toothpicks if they wanted to!?

They turned the knob of their door angrily, shutting it behind them and glaring around the empty room.

Then what were they still doing here...?

They had nothing to bring with them....

They didn't own anything here. Everything that is in this room was given to him by Nolen or Louie. Everything else they found by themselves in the storage room.

Then they grew uncomfortably hot, practically boiling with rage and...and sadness that they felt like they couldn't handle it. Their processors working overtime to deal with the stress of the moment.

It was funny, here they thought they could help people, but this is the thanks they get? This is thanks from the universe that they receive for trying to be considerate!? Did the universe really believe that their kind was nothing but monsters!?

Is...is this what Clank meant when he warned them not to go outside? Was this why?

Was the world just too cruel for them?

....

No. No, they had to snap out of it. At the beginning of their existence, they continuously fought to get what they wanted. They wanted to be free. They wanted to be their own person. And they were not going to let their creator, Clank, stop them.

So why would they let these single-minded people stop them?

Their one true goal was to get off this planet, so that is what they were gonna do. They would find a way off, and...and maybe find Clank.

But for what? What was the point?

Yeah, this stupid war was going on. But from all this talk and all this paranoia, they haven't seen this "Creator" once. Never. Not even a glimpse.

They didn't see what there was to worry about.

To them, it seemed like "The Creator" was nothing more than a corrupt figurehead that was just ruling by using fear and nothing else.

Even so, from what they knew, living beings on this planet (combined with others on other planets) could easily outnumber those bots here yet...were they too afraid to? Was there something that they didn't know about humans and the war?

....

Oh well, not like they cared. It wasn't their problem. They were just gonna go off and find their own place in the universe away from this whole situation anyway. They didn't need to dwell on what would happen if they were not going to be here for it, after all. They could just-

*Knock*Knock* Someone knocked on the door again, much to their dismay.

They hissed under their breath, clenching their fists tightly as they debated whether or not they should answer.

*Knock*Knock* Again, the person on the other side really wanted them to answer...

They grunted, turning toward the door and practically stomping over to it. They plastered a calm, nonchalant smile on their face for whoever it was.

But when they opened the door, that smile was replaced with a cold glare,

"What is it, Nolen?"

The man looked down at them, as if lost in thought. It was then that Nova noticed the faint scent of alcohol on the man. They grimaced, but a quick scan showed that the man wasn't drunk....not now at least.

Still, they stared at each other for a minute, Nova waiting for the man to speak up.

Finally, he responded,

"Look, kid. I...I realized something." he said, voice low so he wouldn't disturb anyone else that was asleep, "I...I shouldn't have said what I said a few days ago. I was wrong."

Nova rolled their eyes, "Well, you said it anyway. What is your point?"

The man huffed in exasperation, "Kid, I know I'm an asshole sometimes but I'm trying to apologize here. Just listen, alright?"

Nova stayed silent, giving Nolen a chance to speak.

"I had no right yelling at you. O-Or keeping you locked up in here with these assholes." He gestured to the rooms down the corridor, which held the scouts, "I...I don't understand why you were holding that bot. Maybe it was because The Creator erased your memories and you didn't know the threat? I don't know. But whatever it is, you don't deserve to be confined like this."

"You just made me so worried. I turned around and you were just gone! I didn't know where you were." he continued, "I look after all my people here, and that includes you. And as the one in charge, your life is in my hands. I don't want to see you hurt, got it?"

Nova raised a brow, as if they were questioning the man's words. "I-I see." they replied hesitantly as they detected no lie in the man's words, "I guess...I guess I accept your apology."

Nolen smiled fondly, "Thanks for accepting it. I didn't know if I deserved forgiveness yet but...I'll take it." Nova smiled back at the man, tilting their head as the man shifted, hand in his pocket, "Anyways, I have something to give you. Consider it an apology gift." he looked down the corridor, before beckoning Nova out of their room, "Follow me."

Curious, Nova stepped forward, shutting the door to their room silently as they went to catch up with Nolen. As they got close, Nolen suddenly stopped when another door opened...

The door to Louie's lab...

Fuck.

Louie stepped out, face black as he came face to face with Nolen. He was about to say something before he noticed Nova right behind Nolen. He paused for just a second, before finally composing himself. "O-Oh, hey Nolen! Where are you two headed?"

Nolen, oblivious to Louie's unease, just smiled "It's a surprise for them, so I can't tell you.". He raised a brow, "What are you still doing awake?"

Louie looked towards Nova again, who was staring back at him, fidgeting in nervousness.

"A-Ah, you know! Just...Just working on another one of my experiments!"

Nova looked at Louie, surprised. They thought that the man would tell someone the first chance he got. So...why didn't he? Why did he just lie to Nolen like that?

They were confused...

Nolen just chuckled, patting Louie's shoulder as he passed Louie, beginning to walk down the corridor again, "That's the Louie I know! Just don't blow up the place, alright?"

"G-Got it, Chief!"

Nova stood in place for a moment, just staring at Louie in bewilderment. Louie stared right back, and once Nova realized the man wasn't going to talk, they started to follow after Nolen.

Until Louie grabbed their arm as they passed. He leaned forward, whispering darkly into Louie's ear, "Don't you dare make me regret this. Got it?"

Nova nodded quickly, turning to the man, "I-I promise! I won't!"

At that, the man seemed satisfied, but the glare on his face was still aimed at the bot.

Without another word, Nova continued down the corridor, not looking back.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

They arrived in a cold, dimly lit room with nothing but a few empty cans and paper scattered about. Some tables and chairs were set up along the far wall, and Nova was pretty sure that they saw a grimy rat bolt across the floor. They stared at the room in apprehension, glancing at Nolen who stood a bit ahead of them, before turning around.

"Yeah...it's not the best room but it serves a good purpose." He walked closer to them, smiling softly, "I got you something when we went out the other day. And...and after all that happened I forgot to give it to you, so here it is." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a simple blaster pistol and handing it to them. Nova's eyes lit up as they took it.

The handle fits just right in their hand. Much like their wrench did all that time ago.

They looked up to Nolen, "Really, for me?"

Nolen nodded, "Yeah...All the scouts have their weapons and you have nothing. I figured that if you are ever scouting alone or find yourself in a bind and no one is there to help you, you have something to protect you when all else fails."

"Thank you, Nolen!" Nova replied, "But...what are we doing in this room?"

Nolen brightened up, "Well, to practice shooting, of course." he started going around the room, picking up the cans and setting them up. "Just shooting at some cans, nothing big." He set up the last one, before turning and walking back over. "But doesn't practice make perfect? I'm not gonna kill a bot by learning to shoot at cans..."

Nolen scoffed, "This is practice." he said, "And we're human, you don't have perfect aim. So you need to just keep training and hopefully you won't miss a shot when you come face to face with a bot."

Nova nodded in understanding, turning around and staring at each of the cans. They held the pistol in a way that felt...distinctly familiar. Nolen seemed impressed, "Well look at you, almost a natural. Holding it...at least" he stepped forward a bit, correcting their placement. Okay...just aim and try to hit one of them."

Nova, smirking to themselves, aimed the blaster pistol straight ahead, pulling the trigger and...

Missing!?

Nolen chuckled. "Don't look sad, kid. Try again."

Nova huffed, firing two shots, one only hitting the can. They grunted, hearing their processors "ring" inside. "Shouldn't we be wearing something to cover our ears?"

Nolen just shrugged, "Don't have any, you'll get used to it. And I would rather have a bit of hearing loss rather than be dead."

Nova turned back, aiming the pistol once more before being startled by a metal door slam open,

"Chief! We have an emergency!"

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

They ran behind Nolen, following the man to the main entrance of the hideout, and what they saw there...well....it made them want to turn away.

There were about a dozen wounded scouts that were dragged back to the hideout. Their comrades were busy trying to patch them up and get the wounded to the medbay as soon as possible.

But Nova looked away, their scans already showing that most of the scouts that were wounded were dead or on their way to passing. It made them feel...sick.

Nolen was also in an equal state of shock, before composing himself, "What happened out there!?"

One of the members looked up at their chief, breath shaky and voice rushed, "T-The Creator has launched another attack on us! T-The bots are tearing down e-everything and...and they're killing everyone!"

Nolen cried to calm them down, trying to keep a level head as everyone started to panic, "O-Okay. Alright, get all the injured to the medbay. We're gonna lock up here and stay hidden for the night and-"

Nova's ears stood up at that, looking at the man in utter shock at the words, "W-What?" they stuttered out, "We're not going to go out and help?"

Nolen turned to them and glared, "No. We're not."

"But why not!?" Nova replied frantically, "I thought that we-"

"Our number one job is to keep our people safe!"

"But people are dying out there! Aren't they one of us?"

"Well if we all die here, there would be no one left to save us!"

Nova bared their teeth. It's funny, just a while ago they were thinking about how humans have wronged them. How Louie's words and others hurt them. They were even thinking about leaving...

So why did they care?

They didn't know. But what they did know, was that Nolen was pissing them off. Why was the man acting so selfish now? They thought that the man would do anything to save other people, no matter the cause/

"Those other people were hiding just like us! You want to just sit and wait here for our deaths!?"

"We have never been found, those people were just reckless."

"But they're still people! They are just trying to survive and we're not gonna help them!? We are supposed to-"

Nolen stepped forward angrily, Nova stepping back, intimidated.

"And what are we going to do about it?" The man growled, "Go and get ourselves killed? Waste lives when the ones out there are fated to die?" Nova winced at the words, staying silent under the man's threatening gaze, "Humans like us can only hold off for so long. We try to weaken them. We try to keep our people alive. And, to be honest-" he sneered, "This war is hopeless for us. It's pitiful, really. But all I can do is try. I am not going to let any more people die here today. So no, we are not going out to save them."

"We are going to stay here. You are going to stay here. That is an order, understand?"

Nova looked up hesitantly, processing the man's cold words.

"Understood." they whispered out.

Satisfied, Nolen backed down, stepping away from Nova, who let out a breath of relief, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I am going to check on the injured scouts. And...and then bury the bodies...somewhere."

The man left, leaving Nova standing in the middle of the room, next to the pools of blood left by the wounded. The other scouts have dragged away from the dead already.

They turned their head when they heard someone else enter the room,

"Louie." They acknowledged the man's presence, "You...heard it all?"

"Of course I did." He spat, "Did you do this? Did you call the bots here?"

"No. I didn't." Nova said truthfully, "If I did, I wouldn't be leaving right now to try and save people out there."

Louie looked surprised, mouth agape, "W-What?" he stammered, "Y-You're going out there? That's suicide!"

"But, like Nolen said, you humans aren't able to hold off against the bots for long. I can." they said confidently. But...then they frowned, "I can try, at least."

"B-But The Creator could-"

"I don't give a shit. At least I'd die knowing I actually did something!" they turned their back to the man, "And I don't see why you care."

They didn't say anything else, quietly edging towards the exit.

Louie said nothing as they disappeared from sight.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

It was chaos.

The alleyway in which the hideout resided was fine, just a few burning embers littering the air, but once they turned the corner into the main street...

Decimation.

Numerous buildings have collapsed, and many old homes were set on fire or partially destroyed. The screams and cries of those running away assaulted their ears as they watched the scene in horror.

In the distance, they could see a good amount of warbots and guard bots alike shooting and blasting fire, legs stomping on the ground and creating violent vibration underneath their feet. They could hear a voice call out, sickeningly sweet, "Surrender and you might just live."

But Nova watched as the leg of the speaker stomped down on an unfortunate victim that fell to their knees. It was a trick.

Determined, they stood as close to the sidewalks as possible, trying to avoid being seen and looking for possible survivors.

But looking at the bodies that littered the ground...they may have been too late.

They yelped when they were caught from behind, a metal claw clutching them around the waist. They stared at the one red eye, horrified as it practically blinded them for a few seconds. The cold, robotic voice hurt their ears as the other bot spoke, "Rouge, unauthorized prototype. Termination imminent. Please do not fight your demise."

However, before they were done with their sentence, Nova was able to pull their pistol out, shooting it right in the eye, killing it instantly as it pierced the main processors.

The claw loosened, and Nova went plummeting to the ground, not bothering to watch the other bot fall as they bolted away.

The shot alerted others, and they were now exposed.

"Fuck!" they whispered to themselves, angered that they were caught. This made things so much harder.

They might even die.

The vibrations on the ground got more intense, and now they knew that they had to run for their life if they wanted to make it out. They could take on one bot, but not multiple, "There is no point in running." the cold voice called out again, "Surrender now, or suffer."

They ran back down another alleyway, jumping over pieces of concrete that were scattered about from buildings and avoiding bodies on the ground. They turned the corner, only to hear rumbling from overhead,

A building was collapsing just above them...

They made a sharp turn, almost tripping on their own feet as they tried to avoid the pieces of metal and concrete launching through the air from the collapsing building. The smoke and dust from the collapse blinded them terribly.

They tried to clear their optics, only to be hit in the side and practically flying through the air, back hitting a piece of metal and making a little *Ting* sound as their own metal body made contact. They looked up blearily, they must have been hit by a bot in the smoke...

Without a second thought, they looked for cover, eying a decent piece of concrete wall from a building that would cover them

They pressed their back up against the grimy, concrete wall, covering their mouth on pure reflex as if that would silence their rapid breathing while their processors cooled. They watched silently as other people took cover from the onslaught of bullets, in which some penetrated flimsy walls, killing people instantly. They watched, frozen, that those that now littered the ground were lifeless.... and they scanned the bodies just to make sure...only to confirm that they were really, truly dead.

A loud voice boomed over the speakers planted around the city. They cringed as the ear-grating voice spoke out,

"Oh, how I knew this day would come..." the voice started off, "When you despicable creatures decide that you want to fight back against those who have you imprisoned here. It is foolish, really. I did not think of you living beings to be so...idiotic."

The ground started to shake underneath as the oversized war bots walked on. And when they peaked around the corner...

Decimation....as far as they could see.

They pulled back with a gasp, hands shaking as they tried to process what was going on.

It was then that they came to a very startling realization. They knew they were a bot, made up of the strongest materials to date and yet...yet they knew that they weren't built for this. They weren't made to withstand wars and fight battles.

At least, they didn't think they were.

They were a...a replica. They remembered that now. They weren't meant to be here. What the fuck were they doing here!?

They weren't meant to be standing at death's door, just waiting to knock and be let in.... And did bots even have an afterlife...?

...

They should have listened to Nolen...

The voice called out again, bringing Nova's thoughts to an abrupt halt, "It is time that you all learned the consequences of your actions." More shots, more bodies hitting the ground with a sickening thump. "Quite frankly, I did not think I would have to do this again..." the words were said nonchalantly as Nova could hear buildings crumble and a few screams subside, "You are all here, under my rule, under my mercy. And this? This is what happens when I find out about the traitorous, disgusting things that you have all been doing right underneath my feet."

Suddenly, the noise and the vibrations stopped. And Nova sat quietly as he watched a few survivors also take cover across from them, shivering and bleeding.

They watched as one of the survivors, a woman, took a piece of cloth and wrapped it around a man's bleeding arm. The rings on their fingers gleamed faintly. A couple, Nova assumed.

What a terrible situation for those two to be in now....

Their ears shot up when they heard the sound of metal grinding on metal, the vibrations continuing again, "Kill off any creatures you see." the voice ordered, "DO NOT leave any stone, box, ship, ANYTHING unturned. Do I make myself clear!?" the voice ordered, "Check over there."

The vibrations got closer and closer. The sound of something overturning and the horrid screams of people that are about to meet their demise assaulted Nova's ears. They went to clench their hands over their ears, but it had no effect. Their enhanced hearing could still make out every little sound...every scream....everything that was going on just behind them.

If they turned the corner, they would die. If the warbots looked down the alleyway and around the corner, they would die.

There was no way out of this.

Their pale green eyes locked onto two, thin red lasers scanning down and around the alleyway. The couple across from them held each other close. Nova hugged their arms close to their chest. The noise behind them stopped. A small, dark chuckle could be heard.

"Found you..." they whispered, "Come on out."

Nova shut their eyes tightly, arms threatening to bend the steel beneath their fingertips.

"Last Warning."

They kept their eyes shut. Willing the thoughts to go away and ignore their impending doom. Their processors were running on overdrive, body practically burning as they started to shake.

"Fine then."

And the shots were fired.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Well....that got very intense...

I am actually excited to write the next chapter so it might be published a bit early, but no promises.

Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter! I know that Nova and Clank's POV can be a bit of a drag, but they are important to the story and will start to have bigger roles. A Ratchet POV will be next, and maybe some others added in but I'm not sure, I need to brainstorm some ideas for it still. Sorry for any errors here, I tried my best to clean it up!

See you all next chapter!