Hiya! Sorry for the long wait! Here it is and oh....look at that interesting chapter title up there...hmmm. I hope you like this chapter! :)

Enjoy!

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Clank]

[Error! <Foreign Object> Is Attempting To Connect!]

Clank was restless....tossing and turning and sitting up to process things all in the span of a few hours. His systems refused to fully start up and it seemed like he was in an endless cycle of nightmares.

[Error! <Foreign Object> Unable To Connect!]

He had 5 months...how many days? Seconds?

...

No...no longer 5 months....how much time did he have?

...

[Error! <Foreign Object> Attempting To Connect!]

The chip...The chip...If removed he could...

It would...

Corrupt his systems.

Kill him.

Change him.

...

He threw the covers off him as he flailed in sleep. His breaths became rapid as the overflow of sensations and emotions assaulted his senses.

Time....how much time!?

How much-

"Clank?"

He paused, watching one of his Memory Bank Files open up. This is something that hasn't happened in a while, let alone on its own accord. He wondered why it was opening but he was soon immersed in the memory...

Ratchet laid against the cold, stone wall...

(Wait...this wasn't a memory....he didn't remember this!)

His head was lolled to the side as he stared at Clank, face void of emotion. Clank felt himself freeze up at the unfamiliar gaze-

"Why did you leave me?"

Clank tilted his head, "W-What do you mean?" he asked, trying to figure out what was going on-

[Error! <Foregin Object> Connecting. . .]

Ratchet coughed, a splatter of red painted his chest but before Clank could even reach forward, he spoke-

"You ran out of time."

*Gasp*

Clank sucked in a deep breath as he sat up, optics finally opening fully as his body released him from his internal prison. He looked around the dark room in fear of what was to come-

[Connected!]

Time Remaining : Pending. . .

He stood up then, grasping his head in both disbelief and pain. The back of his neck twinged in pain at every breath.

Pending....

He felt a sudden wave of horror crash down on him as his body started to shiver. He performed a quick system check to diagnose and figure out the issue that was plaguing him-

Temperature Regulation - Unstable

Processors - Unstable

Air Filtration - Fair

Oil Filtration - Poor

Memory Banks - [R̸e̶d̴a̷c̸t̴e̵d̴]

Emotional Regulation Systems - [R̸e̶d̴a̷c̸t̴e̵d̴]

[Please Seek Assistance]

Clank sat back down on the bed, pulling at the fur on the side of his head. He gasped out in shock when he pulled back, looking down at his hands...

His steel fingertips...uncovered by the permaguise...

He quickly corrected the issue, not wanting to look at what lay underneath the permaguise anymore.

What was going on? Why was this happening to him!? Why now?

[Complete!]

He read the words in slight confusion...

[Time Remaining : 2 months/ 0 days/ 0 hours]

....

2 months?

[Overall System Health : Critical. Perform Repairs.]

R-Repairs!?

He turned off his optics to clear his vision, not wanting to look at any more messages anytime soon. He was stressed enough as it is and now this made things so much worse....

He was running out of time.

They didn't even start making plans yet! They needed to soon or else...o-or else-

Clank wouldn't be there to help them.

...

He was dying.

No matter how things went...even if they saved Ratchet...Clank was dying. His systems were too unstable to hold off any longer than 2 months and The creator's Chip was slowly corrupting everything. It even corrupted his memory banks...

...

He was gonna die.

He sat in silence after that, too consumed in his thoughts...

He supposed...it would be worth it after he gets Ratchet back and saves everyone. Dying...was worth it as long as he got to see Ratchet safe and happy, even if it was only for a few seconds.

Ratchet deserved to be happy. After all their adventures together, the pain, the hardship, and the ever-looming danger over their heads....Ratchet deserved it. He deserved to be with his family. He deserved to try and live out the rest of his kithood as he should. Not a soldier, but a kid.

So...would Ratchet's happiness and safety be worth dying over? Yes. Yes, it would be. It will be.

He checked his internal timer, numb to his emotions by now...

Time...

...

He was running out of time.

He went to lay back down (with no real intentions of falling back to sleep again) and get comfortable within the silence. He could talk to Phoebe tomorrow...or Mags? Kaden? No...Kaden would flip out more than anyone else would. Oliver? Also no...he thinks that Oliver was still angry at him...

He hummed to himself...

Well...he could also...not tell anyone about this....

....

But then again...Ratchet wouldn't go down without a fight, right? Yeah...he wouldn't...

...

So Clank blinked, sending out a quick message to the one person who would be the most willing to hear him out without really freaking out....hopefully.

Now...he just had to wait.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Mags]

*Ping!*

"I'm up!"

Mags suddenly turned over in bed to grab his phone on the nightstand. He turned so quickly that he-

*Crash!*

"Owww..." Mags pushed himself up from the floor and reached up to grab his phone, looking at the screen and wincing at the time.

2 A.M...yikes...Hopefully Kaden wouldn't kick his ass for being tired and sleeping on their blueprints later...

He entered his passcode and looked at the message that he had just received.

...Clank?

He didn't even bother to leave a message. He decided to call back instead and figure out why the boy contacted him so late.

"Hello?" Clank's hushed voice could be heard from the other end, obviously whispering. Mags sat up straight, "Clank! What's up? Why'd you call me at this hour?" he asked, but caught himself before Clank could even begin to respond, "Wait. Did Kaden say anything to you? I promise I'll kick his ass if he did! And I'll let you know that I have an awesome guest bedroom if you need to stay and-"

"-I appreciate the offer, Mags, but Kaden did not do or say anything to me. It is fine."

Mags let out a sigh of relief, "Oh...okay. Cool. So...what did you call me for?"

Mags heard the boy take a deep breath in, composing himself as he replied, "There....is something that I need your help with..."

Mags raised a brow, "Huh? What's that?"

"T-That...I don't really know." Clank answered honestly, "I do not mean to alarm you, but something may be wrong in my systems."

Mags felt as if a puzzle clicked into place, "Oh! Was it from all the files you got from The Council? That must have been very overwhelming for your systems to handle, huh?"

Silence.

Mags was taken aback a bit when he received no response for a while, "Clank? Are you there?"

"O-Oh! Sorry! Yeah...I am!" Clank stuttered out, "Yeah...my systems aren't that good after that."

Mags nodded. Clank sounded truthful, but his gut told him otherwise.

"I...don't require assistance now but when I do....will you help?"

Mags was a bit dumbfounded by that, "Of course! Why wouldn't I?" but then he got down to business, "What's exactly wrong?"

Clank took a while to respond to him, "I...am not sure." he said, "Perhaps...you can check it out sometime?"

Mags, though hesitant, felt a jolt of excitement run up his spine, "Really!? Finally! Can I also do some other tests!? Like...can you have allergies? Illness? Scent or food preferences!? Can you change your appearance!!?"

"U-Uh...sure you can! I don't know about allergies or-"

"Then we can find out!" Mags exclaimed, "Oh! And we can't tell Kaden about this! I'm gonna have to come up with some excuse to invite you over to my place but if he even finds out oh boy...that will be a big mess! I don't know how he would react to me conducting experiments on his kid." the words slipped out before he could pull them back...

"But we'll figure it out!"

Clank sighed in relief on the other end, "Yeah...we can't tell anyone." he agreed. For a second...it sounded like he was a bit too relieved by the fact...

Hmm....odd.

Clank cleared his throat, "Anyways, thank you for talking to me, Mags. Sorry it's so late."

"No problem! Anything for my favorite walking computer!"

"Haha..." Clank laughed sarcastically, "Very amusing..."

Mags belted out a laugh at the tone of his voice, "I know, right? But anyway I'll see you tomorrow, Clank. My favorite USB stick needs sleep!"

"Yeah, yeah I get it..." Clank groaned, "Thank you and goodnight, Magnesium."

And the line went dead...

....

"What..." Mags whispered in horror, looking back down at his phone, "Who the fuck told him!?"

He went to try and call Clank back, but to no avail. He ended up just spamming the boy with text messages. Ohhh when he sees Clank again he's gonna have some nice new nicknames to rub in...maybe he can even find a way to give Clank an allergy since he called Mags by his full. Fucking. Name.

...

How the fuck did he know!?

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Ratchet]

"They are planning on blowing it up!?"

Ratchet looked up at Qwark, eyes wide with shock, "But all those people-"

"It is useless to try and get them now." Aaron piped up next to him, "That place has been locked down for months. For all we know, all the people left there are dead."

Ratchet looked at the man, his tired emerald eyes sending a small glare towards the man, "But we can't just sit back and watch this happen! What if there are survivors? What if there are some salvageable weapons and-" Aaron cut him off, "You'll be killed before you even enter their air space!"

Qwark looked back and forth between the two nervously, pulling at his collar and swallowing thickly. This was....awkward.

"Well, we have to at least try!" Ratchet then looked up at Qwark, "Don't you think so?"

Qwark started rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, averting his gaze, "U-Uhm...I-I think it's a great idea, sidekick! B-But if you look at our comrades..." he jerked his head to the side, obviously referring to their soldiers in the main room, "I...don't think that-"

"IT'S USELESS!" Nefarious suddenly entered the room..." Now, I don't really care about you-" he pointed a clawed finger at Ratchet, "-dumb squishy! If you want to go off and die, BE MY GUEST!"

Aaron glared at the robot, but said nothing as Ratchet stepped forward,

"Shut your damn mouth!" he pointed a finger right back, "I would rather die trying to help rather than sit here and wait as The Creator kills everyone off right in front of us!"

Nefarious scoffed and rolled his eyes, leaning back to stare down at the boy, "You squishes....always so IDIOTIC!" Ratchet continued to glare at him. However before anything more could start, Qwark (surprisingly intervene) "Perhaps our sidekick here is right, Neffy-"

"Don't call me that!" Nefarious piped up, only to be ignored...

"Not only will it be good for us to exercise our power, but it will help with my future ratings!"

Everyone paused at that,

"Hah...dimwit." Nefarious stomped away, "I'm not helping you with this one! You squishies can go and DIE for all I care!"

Ratchet glared at Nefarious' back, deciding to go and take his leave as well. What he didn't notice was Aaron following him, "Kid, you gotta think about this." he panted as he tried to keep up with Ratchet's stride, "It's a suicide mission!"

"I already told you." Ratchet let out a low growl, "I am not gonna sit back and let people die."

"Look-" Aaron stepped in front of him, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders to stop him, "-I know you want to save people because you have some weird hero complex-" Ratchet scoffed, "-but you can't just throw yourself into danger like this! You're being reckless!"

Ratchet just shook the man's hands off and started walking away, passing by several soldiers on the way who looked on in confusion, "Call it what you want, I'm doing what should be done."

Aaron continued to follow him, but said nothing more.

There was no point in arguing with the boy now. He was way too stubborn....

Still, he had this guy feeling that he *should* say something about it instead of staying silent. Call it instinct, but he felt like it was his duty to take Ratchet by the wrist and pull him back to see reason before it was too late.

Before Ratchet could make a dumb, irreversible mistake.

But the boy seemed to be an unstoppable force that wouldn't let anything get in his way. It was as if he had a one-track mind that ignored all the dangers that lay ahead.

The thought didn't settle well within him.

Ratchet's right ear flicked in annoyance, biting the inside of his cheek to refrain from saying anything more. He didn't need Aaron breathing down his neck about his choice. He didn't need the man to do anything besides stay with his son and make sure he is okay.

He didn't need Aaron to care about him.

"Look, I just need to figure out where my-" he was cut off...

"SQUISHY!"

"What the hell is it now, Nefarious!? I'm-"

Aaron backed up as the tall robot came crashing forward, taking his clawed hand and clutching the front of Ratchet's shirt collar, lifting him off the ground and bringing the Lombax up to his eye level...

"How many of YOU are there!?" Nefarious screeched, gears running haywire, "There's only supposed to be ONE here. ONE! GOT IT!? I can't handle more of YOU!"

Ratchet grumbled, taking his arms to loosen Nefarious' grip just a little bit. "Well there's a whole planet full of us so-"

"You. Don't. UNDERSTAND!" Nefarious tightened his grip, "I'm talking about HERE! You absolute dimwit! You-"

"Hey, let him go!"

That voice!

Ratchet let out a little yelp when he was suddenly dropped to the ground, Aaron rushing over to help him as Nefarious stepped away,

"Oh please....I don't want to even LOOK at you right now...." Nefarious drawled, turning his back to the newcomer, "I'm out of here!"

Ratchet finally got to his own two feet, brushing himself off as he thanked Aaron.

Only for the man to be frozen in place as he stared ahead of them...

Oh....right!

Ratchet's head snapped up, smiling as he made eye contact with the owner of that familiar voice.

He found himself launching forward, arms wide-

"Arthur!"

The older Lombax laughed as Ratchet hugged him close. He then wrapped his arms around the other before they finally pulled back, bright smiles on their faces. "I-I can't believe-Wait! How did you get here!?" Arthur pulled back, a bright smile on his face,

"The Morts gave me an idea. And Between you and I-" he leaned forward, voice becoming a whisper..."-This place needs to be more hidden."

Ratchet facepalmed, "Tell me about it..." he groaned, looking away once he heard someone clear their throat...

Oh...yeah. Aaron was still there...

"Who's this?" Aaron asked gruffly, "One of your friends?"

"My name is Arthur." Lombax answered curtly, "Arthur Abletress. Nice to meet you!"

"Call me Aaron." The man replied, eyes scanning the empty room around them, "I wonder what everyone will think to have another one of you running around..." he mused, shaking his head as he thought of the mixed reactions. Ratchet huffed, "Well they are just gonna have to grin and bear it!" he reached up to lay a hand on Arthur's shoulder, "Come with us! You have someone else to meet!"

Arthur looked surprised, "Who? Is it your friend!?"

"No..." Ratchet sounded quite disappointed, but plastered a shaky smile onto his face, "It's someone that would love to meet you though!"

Arthur looked intrigued as he limped beside Ratchet, trying his best to stick to his side.

...all while trying to ignore the gazes of overly curious soldiers and survivors...

Aaron left them behind as they got closer and closer to their destination. While Ratchet dragged him forward, Arthur was left grimacing at the sight of the wounded.

These people were....in such terrible shape.

He looked over to Ratchet who...still didn't have much of a reaction. Was this not new? Were people being hurt like this the norm in this place!? Why wasn't Ratchet saying anything!? Why was-

"Okay! Okay...wait just a second!" Ratchet made him stop abruptly, "Wait until I-"

"Ratchet!" A childish voice asked, "You said you'd read me a story! But you didn't!" Arthur had to stifle a laugh, "I know! But I got something even better to show you!"

"Whoa!" Arthur was pulled right up next to Ratchet, who then pushed him forward just a bit. Arthur lifted his head up to see Aaron standing next to a bed...where a small child sat...

Excitedly...?

"There's another!?"

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

After an hour or so of introductions, Ashby finally fell to sleep while clinging to his father's arm.

Aaron looked up at the two Lombaxes, a warm smile on his face, "You two should head off to bed. Who knows what's going to happen with the news...you never know." He said this while staring at Ratchet, who never broke eye contact with him, "Don't be careless, you hear me?"

"Yeah, whatever you say." Ratchet rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Arthur was looking at Ratchet in confusion. What exactly were they talking about?

Aaron waved them off, "Alright! You two go catch up now. I'll see you tomorrow."

Arthur waved before turning to follow Ratchet. It was kind of odd here. He felt way out of place and everyone was staring at him like he was some sort of circus animal. He tried to follow and act as confident as Ratchet was, but he felt that his slight limp made him appear weak.

Curse his small injury....he needed to appear stronger!

"Are...you okay?" Ratchet asked him suddenly, "You're quiet."

"I'm just thinking." He answered honestly, "I feel so out of place."

"You'll get used to it." Ratchet replied, leading Arthur over to his cot. "I'll find another cot to bring over, if you're willing to wait?"

"I can wait. But first-" he sat down, tapping the spot next to him to get Ratchet to sit next to him, "-I want to know what happened while we were separated."

Ratchet smirked, sitting down next to the other boy, "It's...a long story. King of..."

Arthur chuckled,

"We have all night."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[The Next Morning]

"Are you crazy!?"

Ratchet turned away from his friend, not willing to see the look of distraught on Arthur's face after he told him. "I said what I said. We all need to get out of here, and we need to do it soon. The only way to do so is to-"

"-It's a suicide mission!" Arthur interrupted him, taking him by the shoulders, "Do you know what you're risking here!? You're risking these people! You're risking your life!" He shook Ratchet lightly, "You need to think about this!"

"We don't have time to think!" Ratchet exclaimed, "You said it yourself! This place isn't hidden at all! If we all want to survive and fight until the end, we have to move!"

"That doesn't mean you risk your life going straight to The Creator!"

"He is planning on blowing a whole planet up with survivors still on it! I can't just sit back and watch it happen!"

Arthur pulled back at that, running his hands through his head fur as he hissed in frustration, "I can't believe you right now..."

"Why not!? You can't believe I want to save people!?"

"I can't believe someone could be so reckless!" Arthur spat, "You're not thinking clearly!"

"And you're being selfish!"

"You're being too selfless!" Arthur shot back, "I want to protect you!"

"You don't need to protect me! I can handle myself!"

"Think about your family!"

Ratchet stepped back, letting the words sink in,

"Think about your mother and father! Think about Oliver! Think about everyone you left behind!"

"Everyone I left behind...." Ratchet echoed, "I left Clank behind." he clarified, "I left Clank behind." he echoed

Arthur raised a brow, "Who?"

"Doesn't matter." Ratchet replied, "But if we're not assertive enough then everyone we know will be in danger." he looked up at Arthur, whose expression was a mix of pain yet understanding. In one way, Ratchet was right. In another, he was being stupid and naive to the fact that this whole situation was too dangerous for him to handle.

"We have to stop sooner rather than later."

Arthur looked like he wanted to argue more, but said nothing as the Captain approached.

Captain Qwark....the one that considered Ratchet's dangerous and suicidal plan. Arthur hated the man for even considering the idea but...not like he could change their minds.

"Hello there sidekick!" he saluted towards Arthur, "And my sidekick's sidekick!" Arthur frowned, "I want to go over your miraculous plan so I know what to say to our humbled soldiers!"

Ratchet looked towards Arthur, who just nodded,

"Alright then..." he tapped his chin, "Like I already told you, I say that we take every ship we got and split up into groups. Wounded and survivors stick together. Unwilling fighters in another. Those willing to join me come with me." he said simply, "My crew will try and slow The Creator down and distract him...if he takes the bait. Hopefully....maybe?" he shook his head as Arthur and Qwark started wincing at every uncertainty,

"The rest will go to a designated safe planet and wait there."

"What about after you distract them? Won't he follow you when you leave?"

"Not if we can outmaneuver him." he looked up at Qwark, who perked up under his gaze, "Do our ships have working warp drives?"

Quark grit his teeth, "Uhh...no. No, they do not."

Ratchet hummed, "We have to act fast. We don't know when everything will begin..." he looked back and forth between both of them, "While I figure out the ships, make sure someone creates the groups. We can't let this fail." they both nodded at him, Arthur seeming hesitant to do so.

"I'll...I'll figure out a good candidate for a planet." Arthur said, "I've been to quite a few while working on the cargo ship. Hopefully there's something good...maybe we can even visit The Morts and see what's up. I mean...I saw that they have firepower too. I'm sure they would love to join the fight."

Ratchet nodded at him, "Thank you." he straightened up then, puffing his chest up to appear more confident than he was,

"Let's get ready."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Clank]

"Where are you going?"

Clank looked up after he slipped on his left shoe, looking at Phoebe who seemed quite...worried? He couldn't fathom why...

"I-I was just about to tell you." He assured her. "I decided that it is time to see Oliver again. I have a lot of things to tell him and....I think I must apologize as well."

Phoebe seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "Okay well..." she walked over to the coat rack next to the door, slipping off one of the jackets, "Stay warm and be back by sundown." She handed the jacket to Clank, who was currently looking up the time sundown actually was, "Any later and you're grounded."

Clank refrained from rolling his eyes,

"I understand, Phoebe. I promise to be back by then."

The woman waved him goodbye as he stepped out the door. With a smile, he shut the door behind him and turned away from the house. After a few seconds, he took in a deep breath as he realized what he was about to do.

...

He took a step, and then another, slowly following his mental map to Oliver's house, hoping that the other boy was there to listen to him. If not....

Well, then he would have to wait another day....

[Error! <Foreign Object> Requesting Access!]

[Permit?]

He shook his head, banishing the text from his vision as he continued to walk.

He has to stop wasting time.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Oliver]

*Knock*Knock*

He slid his headphones off his ears, tilting an ear up to see if he heard correctly....

*Knock*Knock*

He frowned to himself as he (regretfully) paused his game. He then got to his feet, brushing his hoodie off as he made his way out of his room and down the stairs. He really hoped that it was just a delivery for his parents because he didn't feel like-

*Knock!*

"I'm coming!" he called out, annoyed.

He unlocked the door, swinging it open and seeing-

"Clank?"

The robot already had his fist raised for another knock, but it was frozen in midair when Oliver opened the door. He slowly lowered it as Oliver's steely gaze met his eyes. Oliver watched the robot's ears lower as the silence went on.

...until he finally reached his breaking point.

Clank composed himself quickly, "Greetings, Oliver." He started, "M-may I come in?"

Oliver thought for a moment, shifting a bit as he thought about the situation now....

"Sure."

Clank walked in hesitantly, immediately busying himself with taking off his shoes by the door. He looked around the place, "Are your parents-"

"-They aren't home." Oliver cut him off, "They never are."

Clank was taken aback at the tone, but said nothing. He gave Oliver a sympathetic look,

"You don't have to pity me." He growled, "I'm used to it by now. Ever since...the news came out about Arthur, they haven't been home..." and Oliver didn't know why he was telling all this to Clank right now but...it was bothering him.

And Clank was the only one that could listen now. Even if he was pissed off at the robot for-

"That is actually what I have come to talk to you about." Clank cut off his thoughts, "And to...apologize."

...

What?

"A-Apologize?"

"Correct." Clank replied, "I admit when I was revealing the information I was holding some things back. This...was mostly my memories and feelings of what I read and felt. However, I assure you that it is not any sort of information that we need or...anything that can harm you all. You get the gist..." he shook his head, "But that's not-"

"-You...what did you see?" Oliver felt his heart drop. He didn't know why but...maybe this was guilt?

Clank just shook his head, "It doesn't matter anymore. I came here to tell you about your brother."

Oliver felt a tingle run up his spine at the words, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. What if it was just a confirmation on his missing status or...w-was he dead? Could he be or...

... could he be imprisoned?

"W-What about him?" he asked, "What did it say?"

Clank smiled at the words, making Oliver's hope grow and grow and-

"I found that within the files, The Council did not declare your brother as 'Missing'. While it may not be any better....your brother is currently considered as 'Wanted'." Clank shook his head, "I can only assume that he and Ratchet were successful in their endeavors and have fallen off The Council's radar."

Wanted....The word echoed within Oliver's head.

Wanted...

"Just like Ratchet." Oliver muttered, "Well, at least he wasn't on The Creator's wanted list....right?"

"Correct."

"But why? If they both escaped together then-"

"It is possible that they could have split up." Clank said, "That, or Arthur was not involved with The Resistance's attack at the time."

Oliver nodded his head, "I...guess that makes sense."

But then he remembered something...

"I-I need to let my mom and dad know! They are going to be so-"

Clank stopped him there, holding a hand up to stop him, "They will question as to how you know this information."

Oliver winced, "True...and it's not like they're home anyways..."

Clank bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from saying anything. But it's not like he wanted to keep anything from Oliver....

...or anyone else.

He went to open his mouth and say something-

"Well...I guess it's best if we keep it between us anyways." Oliver said before Clank could speak, "I don't know how my parents would react anyways. Heck, my father works for the guard."

Clank frowned at that, "I see...then perhaps it is best." he looked around the empty house, trying to figure out what to say next, "I think-"

"-Do you...want to hang out?"

Clank paused at that before blinking to check his internal timer. He really wanted to stay for a while but...

"I'm sorry but I have to go. I just came here to give you my apologies." He went back over to put his shoes on, much to Oliver's confusion.

"But...you just got here?"

Clank felt terrible for lying but-

"I...need some time to think about our next course of action." he said, turning back to the other boy, "I think I have come up with some sort of plan. I'll let you and the others know when I have everything so...I'll see you then."

Oliver nodded, but he wasn't entirely convinced.

Chill...Clank isn't hiding anything....right?

"Okay...see you then, Clank."

The robot nodded, "See you, Oliver."

The door shut only a second later, leaving Oliver alone once more. He looked around the room, "Huh...that was odd." he mumbled, "Why would he want to leave so soon?"

Of course, he received no answer.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Clank]

This was the place.

He knocked lightly on the door, hood up to cover his face from any curious passersby. His foot tapped lightly at the ground as he waited for someone to answer the door.

As time went on, he became impatient.

Maybe the address he was given was wrong? Maybe-

*Click*

He perked up, hearing the sound of a lock being turned and opened-

*Click* a pause *Click* two more locks opened...

Clank watched as the door finally cracked open, a familiar blue eye peeking through the crack, "I told you to go around the back." he hissed. Clank rolled his eyes, "It was blocked off!"

Arc rolled his eyes as well and stepped back for the boy to enter. Clank stepped forward and entered the home, looking around the cozy little living room. It was a bit dusty, but besides that it seemed to be a nice, comfortable living space....

That barely looked like it was lived in...

The door closed behind him and he turned to face Arc, who looked quite exhausted. His fur was a mess and his eyes were half-lidded. His body language made it seem like he wanted to forget about the situation and just crawl back into bed.

"You wanted to discuss something?" The man asked, brow raised, "Couldn't you just send a message instead of coming here?"

"Not necessarily." Clank slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. He handed it to the man, who quickly unfolded it. Clank watched as his eyes widened as he read what was on it. "H-How did you get this information!?"

Clank shook his head, "You'll find out....if this plan works."

Arc tilted his head, but said nothing more as Clank looked straight at him, "I can help you save your son. Soon. But I need you to help me first."

Arc's face brightened, "What is it!?"

Clank fidgeted a bit, silently hoping that this would work,

"I need to find a way to establish a connection to receive intel coming from off-planet."

Arc hummed, "I have a bypass code....but why?"

Clank smirked at that, satisfied with what he was about to say...

"I'm going to take the control out of The Council's hands."

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Ratchet]

[3 Days Later]

Ratchet hopped over the flaming debris, stumbling over a fallen soldier in his haste to get to the scene. A merciless guard bot stood over the collapsed forms of-

"GET DOWN!" He shouted to them, only giving a few seconds of warning before opening fire on the enemy. The survivors clutched their heads, hands covering their ears as they all clenched their eyes shut.

Well...most of them did.

One of the men held their friend close, shielding his body as he looked up at the scene. The bot fell with an ear-shattering *THUMP* as the Lombax stood guard before them. It wasn't until a few seconds later that the man found himself capable of uttering a word-

"N-Nova...?"

However, Ratchet didn't pay attention to him (the man was just in shock, right?) and turned around to face the wounded survivors, frowning at the sight of the injured man at his feet. "You all need to go, now!" he charged forward, helping pull one of the survivors up and onto her feet. "There's a-"

"Nova!?" The same man stuttered out again. Ratchet, at his wit's end, just shook his head, "That's not my name!" he said firmly, "Look, you all have to get out of here!" he pointed to the direction of the getaway ship, "It's a straight run from here! They'll help you get one and-"

"B-But what about The Creator!?" a scout staggered up, doing her best to remain stable.

The Lombax looked at her, seemingly noting her injuries, "As I said, get to the ship." he repeated, "You're all running out of time!"

He turned away then, heading to the shifting throne in the distance. Several guard bots were following it and Ratchet could only assume that this was The Creator. He was slightly surprised that there weren't more guards....perhaps The Creator was low on soldiers? Too cocky for his own good? Or-

Suddenly the throne shifted, and a large clawed hand extended from the center. The "fingers" of the hand merged to create one, sharp and pointy sword. Without hesitation, the sword drove right into the ground before pulling back, blood dripping from the end.

Looks like someone just got....

Ratchet didn't want to think about it.

He hid behind a large piece of rubble, staring at the scene. He pulled out his Head Hunter and propped it up, aiming it right at the throne to try and get a clear shot but...

It was blocked...

He huffed as he witched out his weapon with a blaster. Might as well go in guns blazing...

He went to stand up to follow the throne-

"What are you doing here!?"

Ratchet looked to the side but was already too late. A heavy body collided with his own and he was sent flying to the ground. His head smacked against the stone, causing his vision to blur slightly. He lifted himself up quickly, staring at his attacker.

He stood, frozen in shock as the other Lombax did the same.

Blond fur....green eyes...stripes like his own...and-

Was this....his twin?

"Who are you?" he whispered out, unable to mutter another sound as the Lombax shifted in place...pulling something out of their pocket and-

*Whoosh!* a blade appeared. Ratchet turned his head to avoid the first swipe, staggering back, "H-Hey! Wait!" he fumbled with his blaster, deciding whether or not he should shoot or-

"It's YOU!"

Ratchet felt his ears go down at the sheer volume of the words. The voice was filled with such...agony? Resentment? One of the two....

This had to be his twin...right? They seemed like they knew him!

It was gut-wrenching, and Ratchet found himself at a loss of what to say or do.

"Just wait a-"

He was met with a swift kick to the stomach, making him cough as he hit the ground. The stranger proceeded to pounce on him, blade ready to come down and-

"You took everything from me!"

Wait...what!?

Ratchet finally came to his senses and shoved the (remarkably heavy) Lombax off of him, grabbing their wrist to try and disarm them but-

There was another...

The swipe came as a surprise, effectively cutting across Ratchet's face and slicing him from his left cheek to just below his right eye. He grunted in pain, but grabbed both of their wrists in the process. He growled as they tried to pull back,

"You think you're gonna get away with that?"

The words were cold and harsh. It actually made his attacker falter for just a moment.

Which gave him the opportunity to take over.

He ripped the blades out of their hands, throwing them behind him and launching forward, fist smashing into their face.

They cried out in shock, but Ratchet pulled them forward by the collar, "Who are you!?" He asked once more, the faint taste of blood on his tongue, "How do you know me!?"

The Lombax sounded like they were choking, "Y-You took everything from-"

"Who. Are. You!?"

Instead of responding, they took their hands and pried Ratchet's arms away, twisting his right wrist painfully to the point that Ratchet had to retreat.

This was-

They held up their fists in front of them, snarling as they got ready to fight again. The battle and cries around them faded into nothing as they stared at each other, waiting to see who was willing to strike first.

Ratchet, though confused, went forward-

"AGH!"

He fell to his knees, violent tremors wracking his body as his nerves flared up in pain. He whimpered as his hands were now the only things keeping him from fully collapsing to the ground.

The only thing he noticed was the blood dripping from his face and the faint voices around him...

"I-I had him!"

"And I got him." (That voice...!) "Come now, pest. We are leaving."

"B-But..he's still-"

"Keep him alive." the voice replied, "If he manages to make it off this planet alive before it is blown to nothing but ash...I know he is a worthy opponent. One that will be fun to play with." an ominous chuckle, "It's fun to play, isn't it? We can use him for other things too. Don't you want to get back at-"

"Clank...?" Ratchet looked up weakly, body still spasming as the electric current ran through him.

Was he hit by a stun gun? Some other sort of electric current? Hah...how could he be so stupid and let his guard down!?

Small metal bot...steel frame...red eyes....The Creator? But...he looked like Clank and-

No....no this couldn't be!

Clank(?) chuckled, "Not quite." He replied, turning away on his throne, "You have 10 minutes, pest. Keep him alive."

His attacker growled in frustration, looking down at him as he shook in pain. "Pitiful." they mused, "Why can't you just give up?" their voice was so similar to his own yet...also not...

"Fuck off." He spat, "Like I'd go down so easily."

"You're already on your knees." The other Lombax commented, "I could kill you right now."

Ratchet growled, clutching the dirty ground as he pushed away the pain. His body was telling him to "Stay down." "Rest." " Something isn't right." But he ignored it. There was no way in hell that he was going to surrender to....whoever this was.

"I'd like to see you try." He used his forearm to wipe the blood running down his face, "Come at me."

-and like a switch was flipped, his attacker charged forward, eyes alight with rage. Their fists came swinging. Ratchet dodged, "Thought you were a better fighter than this!" they seethed, "No...I know you're better than this!"

Ratchet said nothing as he caught their fist and twisted them around, kicking them straight in the back.

"Oof!"

"If you know me, you should have known I'd do that!" Ratchet called out, smirking at their expression. In one swift motion, he pressed his shoulder and turned his head, speaking into a hidden device, "10 minutes until this place blows. Warm up the thrusters!"

They shook their head, stunned and pissed beyond belief.

Yes...they should have known....

If only they looked closer at the memory files they were given....

If only they worked properly...

[Emotional Regulation Systems : Unstable]

They charged forward...

"Just die already!"

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

The battle seemed to be never-ending.

It was like his twin knew every move he did. They moved the same, hit the same, and went for the same areas. The most noticeable difference was how they were acting. Ratchet was being more calm and calculating while his twin was...

...furious.

He dodged another hasty fist, holding up his forearms to help guard himself. There was nothing much he could do considering they knew every move he made. He knew theirs but...they were so erratic and-

"Come here!"

-so very loud that it was annoying Ratchet at this point.

He pushed them back, "Do I know you!?" he shouted out, "You look like me! You must know me, right!?" he held out a hand to stop them as they went to take a step closer, "Are we like...twins or something? That would be weird if we are because we're like...fighting right now and I don't know if this is normal between us. If it is, let me just say that-"

"We are not related!" they spat, "I never would want to be related to someone like you!"

They reached down to the ground then, finding one of their blades in the dirt. Ratchet internally reprimanded himself for being so stupid for leaving it there in the first place...

He looked around for the other one, but didn't let his gaze linger long once he found it. If he did, he did not doubt that his twin would follow his gaze and get to it before he did since they were closer...

They charged forward, blade ready to strike. But before they could pierce...

Time to try something new!

They gasped when Ratchet pulled them forward by the wrist. He shoved himself back first into their chest, before lifting and flipping them over his back and slamming them to the ground. His twin coughed at the force of it, but he ignored them in favor of getting the blade.

And yes, he could use the blasters but...if this person really knew him...he couldn't just kill them!

That, and he needed to show them that he wasn't back down...

He dived down to snatch the blade, turning onto his back just in time to kick the feet out from underneath his attacker.

He grasped the handle firmly, changing his stance as he watched his twin stumbled to their feet,

"Had enough?" he taunted, "I would've thought that my twin would have held off for a little longer than that...

"Shut up!" They growled, "You aren't my brother!"

They charged, and Ratchet had to deflect their swiped with his blade, refusing to back down-

*Swipe!* he almost nicked their ear, *Swoosh!* they missed his face by a few inches, *Clang!* their blades met with a slight spark, causing them to both grit their teeth. To others it would look like two clones fighting to the death, to some, it would appear that they were hardcore enemies finally getting their first taste of combat.

Both statements were wrong, save a few details, but it's not like anyone was there to watch...

They were probably the only ones left fighting....

They were both running out of time.

"Ow!"

Ratchet smirked, finally striking the underside of their chin. At first, they had no real reaction. That is until a strangely dark substance started to leak down their neck...

That's some... dark looking...blood? Thin too...

Eh...who cared. He needed that blade out of their hand before he could land a final blow. He wanted them alive.

He stepped forward with every swipe of his blade, causing them to step back every time. They looked quite panicked. "What's wrong? Never had someone beat you?"

His question went unanswered.

"Why do you follow The Creator?" He asked, kicking their knee as they came a bit too close for comfort, "He's the enemy!"

"He is the only one that gave me a chance!" They replied, "You wouldn't understand!"

"And why not?" Ratchet smoothly stepped out of the way of their swing, making them stumble forward, "What did I ever do to you!?"

"EVERYTHING!" they screeched, "You caused everything!"

"I caused you to join that sicko!?" Ratchet growled, "Can't you see? He called you a pest, right? Wake up!"

His twin froze in place, glaring daggers at him, but before anything more could be said-

Ratchet felt the ground start to rumble, an ominous, green light glowed brightly above them. He looked up to the sky, seeing a huge, green orb growing just above the highest building. It was sucking in the air around it, getting bigger and brighter by the second. His twin stopped as well, eyes widening in horror.

"Fuck..." they cursed. Ratchet ignored them, turning and bolting away from the scene. He heard them call out behind him, "Hey! Get back here!"

"Not a chance." Ratchet called back, stumbling as the ground started to crack, "You're boss wanted me alive, right? Leave me alone!"

"I can do whatever I want!"

"Really, it doesn't seem like it, pest."

*Bang!*

Ratchet pushed himself off the ground when he fell to his knees. A powerful shockwave caused dust and debris to hit them from behind.

"Ratchet? Ratchet, do you hear me!?" Arthur's voice came through the receiver, "Nefarious told me that you're still on the planet! You need to get going! That thing is going to blow!"

"I know! I know!" *Boom!* "I'm running as fast as I can!"

"Please...you have 5 minutes! I'll try to hold them off as long as I can but-"

"You bring the people to safety! I-Oof!"

He lost his footing, falling into a pile of rubble that shook with every quake. He-

"Watch it!"

He flipped to the side, watching as his twin fell right down next to him. A wave of smoke covered the top of the hole and Ratchet could faintly hear something collapse. He looked over towards the other Lombax, "What the fu-"

They both called out as the ground beneath them cracked and they both fell through. Ratchet managed to grasp onto a rusty pole during his fall. He was left watching his twin fall further down, catching themselves on a crumbling piece of concrete,

"W-What!?" they clawed at the stone, "He-Hel-"

"Ratchet!? What happened!?" he heard Arthur's voice come through once more, "Are you okay!? I swear, if you fucking died I'll-"

"I-I'm fine!" Ratchet stuttered, "Just...hanging around..."

"That's it!" Arthur snapped, "I'm coming after you! Just-"

"No!" Ratchet cut him off, tightening his hold on the pole, "I'll be okay! Just help the survivors!"

*Rumble....*

They both looked up, watching as more debris fell past them. He looked towards his twin, who was slowly slipping,

"Fine! Just...please make it to the rendezvous!"

"Got it..." Ratchet replied, looking down to his left forearm in the process. He then looked towards them,

He hoped he wouldn't regret this....

"Hang on! I'm coming!"

They looked up in shock, grip slipping even more as they stared at Ratchet in confusion. He ignored the look, holding his arm out and disengaging his Swingshot to a steel beam above his twin. He let go and swung down, landing lightly on the same piece of concrete they were clinging to. He held out his hand-

"Grab on!"

They just stared at him in disbelief,

"W-What?" they whispered, "But I-"

"-Cool! I don't care!" Ratchet cut them off, "We need to get out of here! So...come on!" he leaned down as much as he could, praying his Swingshot would hang on just a bit longer...

They kept staring...

"Come on!" Ratchet was practically begging at this point, "I'm giving you a chance!"

They gasped as something seemed to click. They reached up and grasped his hand like a lifeline, allowing themselves to be saved.

"Why would you save me?" they asked. Ratchet grimaced, looking back up to where his Swingshot was connected. "I don't know." he answered honestly, "Maybe I'm too selfless for my own good."

They looked up at him as they started ascending, thinking back to....what was always in the back of their mind...

"Yeah." They agreed, "You are."

He looked down at them in surprise, "What did you-"

*Boom!*

The Swingshot suddenly recoiled and they started to fall back down, heading straight for the ground below. Ratchet looked around desperately for a place to grab on. He clutched at the hand that was still in his grasp, "Keep hold!"

-and he knew that this was the wrong decision, but he had to break their fall...

He reached out and grabbed onto another steel beam, stopping their fall suddenly as the weight of his twin continued to pull him down and-

*Tear!*

"GAH!"

He let go then, only registering the both of them hitting the ground with a loud *Thump*. The air left him and he landed on his back, his injured arm throbbed in pain and it made him curl in on himself.

He couldn't go down like this....

He got onto his stomach to attempt to get up and crawl away. He looked to the side once he heard his twin shift...

"H-Hey..." They placed a hand on his back, "Let's get o-out of here..."

He felt his body shift, closing his eyes at the pain in his back, arm, and now his head...

His head....

...

He let the darkness consume him.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Clank]

[The Next Day]

"Wait...what!?"

Clank stood in front of the group unfazed, looking around at all the shocked expressions. Oliver nearly fell out of his seat. Kaden leaned back in his chair and....well, Clank couldn't really tell what he was feeling. Phoebe leaned her cheek on her fist, obviously worried. And Mags....was just being Mags.

He looked quite excited....

"How...are you going to do that?" Phoebe asked, "It was hard enough getting that information. Now-"

"-And I have something that could help us!" Clank exclaimed, effectively cutting her off, "I got ahold of a bypass code that can help me access-"

"-And where did you get that?" Kaden finally spoke up, "How did you find it?"

At this...Clank turned his head away so he didn't have to look at the man...

"An....outside source." He admitted truthfully, seeing no point in hiding it from everyone. "Someone...came to me for help the other day. They knew-"

"-Was it a member of The Council!? Why didn't you say anything!?" Phoebe exclaimed, "They could have hurt you!!"

Clank winced at her reaction, as well as everyone else's. Kaden was the one to lean forward and coldly ask, "So you went behind our backs? Who was it!?"

Clank stepped back a bit, raising his hands in mock surrender, "D-Do you know Arc Cordero?"

Kaden and Phoebe looked at one another in disbelief. Mags looked intrigued while Oliver's foot started to tap against the floor as he started to nervously bite his nails.

"Why would he talk to you!?" Kaden asked, "That man was the one that imprisoned Ratchet!"

"Incorrect." Clank pointed out, "It was the higher-ups that ordered him to do so. It says this in the files we've gathered." Clank watched as Kaden backed down...just a bit.

"His son is currently in custody as well."

"I know that." Kaden muttered, "He was taken in with Ratchet."

"And he is suffering." Clank added, "Actually...The Council is planning on executing him."

"WHAT!?" They all asked in unison. Phoebe looked the most alarmed with the way that she jumped out of her seat, "E-Execute!? He's just a child!"

"All the more reason to help Mr.Cordero." Clank explained, "He wants to help us take down The Council and save his son. If his son helped Ratchet, then why can't we help him?"

Kaden looked down at the floor then, thinking back to everything that happened back with Ratchet. Arc was...a mysterious individual with an obvious hidden agenda that knew how to get his way. He was ridiculously intelligent....

It sucks that all that intelligence was wasted on pleasing The Council and harming his son...

Well...that's not the point. The point is that Arc couldn't be trusted. But...Clank trusted him and was confident enough to bring this up...

"We'll talk to him later." Kaden half-heartedly agreed, "We need as many people on our side as we can get. And....he gave you his bypass code."

"Correct." Clank answered, "A-And-" Clank's hand shot up to hold his head,

[Error! <Foreign Object> Attempting to connect!]

[Systems : Unstable]

>Seek Assistance<

"Are you okay, Clank?"

The robot looked up at Phoebe, who stepped forward to check on him. He held a hand out to reassure her, "I-I'm fine. Just...running on low-power at the moment." The lie slipped out without a hitch, "Now...my plan."

He ignored the looks of concern from the others as he went on...

"With the bypass code, I am not only able to have contact with the outside world. I will be able to communicate off planet. If possible, I can also override The Council's own personal systems and-"

"Wait! Communicate off planet!?" Oliver butted in, "You mean...we can-"

"-Possibly come into contact with The Resistance? Yes. But we must deal with The Council first."

"So...you're saying you want to manipulate things..." Kaden mused, "Clever, But dangerous. Are you sure-"

"I can handle this." Clank said firmly, "There's more to it but...I'll figure it out for us."

He was adding more burdens onto his shoulders at this point...

No turning back...

[Error! <Foregin Object> Unable To Connect!]

He grit his teeth in pain....

He was so caught up in his head that he didn't notice Kaden approach him. The man placed a hand on his shoulder, "Why don't you get some rest? I'll talk to Arc in the morning if you give me his contact." he said, "I promise...everything will work out. Please remember that you're not on your own with this, okay?"

Clank spoke through the painful throbbing in his head...

"I know...Thank you, Kaden."

Without another word, he turned away from everyone to head upstairs. While Phoebe was ready to bid Oliver goodnight as he left for his own home, Kaden looked towards Mags, who stared right back at him. It looked like they were both thinking the same thing...

...

Something was wrong, and Kaden was going to get to the bottom of it.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Arthur]

[2 Days Later]

He took a sip of his bitter coffee....if you could even call it that.

It burned the back of his throat as he tried to swallow it without gagging violently. He couldn't believe that he would trade this for a whole pitcher of Mort's lemonade right about now. Then again, this was all that they had right now.

It has been two days since Ratchet's plan went off with only a few mishaps. They lost a few survivors and a few handfuls of their own fighters, but the rest got away without a hitch.

...

Except for Ratchet.

Surprisingly, Nefarious was the one to brave the danger and find Ratchet just outside of the rendezvous. Good thing he did, because the place was about blow and take them all with it.

Arthur could swear that he was on the brink of a heart attack at that moment. The ships launched and Ratchet wasn't responding and he saw him enter the ship-

He thought the other boy was dead....

Until he was dragged in by Nefarious himself.

Arthur remembers rushing forward and helping the robot escort Ratchet to a safer, more quiet place on the ship. He remembers taking some scraps of torn fabric and ratty bandages and covering whatever he could. He remembers one of the new medics (who was injured herself) came over to help him.

With a needle and thread in hand, Arthur watched in horror as she stitched up the gash on Ratchet's face. She said something along the lines of "It will heal soon." and "The stitches will come out before you know it!"

Arthur didn't know if she was just sugarcoating things or actually being genuine.

Still, it didn't matter now. Ratchet was alive. He was alive and stable. He was-

Alive...alive. You didn't lose him. He's not dead.

...

I can't let him die.

He set down his mug on the ground, rubbing his hands together.

They haven't found a suitable planet yet, and it would take a while to locate Sargasso again. They also didn't want to put more people in danger...

So now they were just drifting in space, healing the wounded and....disposing the dead into space.

He was kicked out of his thoughts when one clawed hand fixed a bandage on Ratchet's face. He looked up,

"Thanks, Nefarious."

The robot rolled his red eyes, "Whatever. I'm just doing this so you squishies would stop crying all over the place!"

"I'm not crying." Arthur replied, "I think you're the one that's overreacting."

"Shut up, squishy! You should be glad I found this rat! I could have left him for dead!"

"And you didn't." Arthur confirmed, "So...thank you."

Nefarious looked away then, pulling back entirely, "Whatever." he put his hands on his hips, going to walk away from him "Goodbye, rat."

Arthur shook his head, looking down at his friend with a new, clean bandage on his face. The wounds were healing fine, thankfully. He may be left with a faint scar though so...well, anything is better than death or more debilitating injury.

His eyes then trailed down to Ratchet's covered shoulder. They could only hope that would heal in time but...it's not like they had much time to begin with. They assumed that it was a tear or something by the way it felt swollen. It was hard to tell with no advanced tech...

And finally...his head was a whole other issue. They couldn't see the extent of that injury but it was bleeding when they found him. Hopefully it was nothing major...

Hopefully.

He stood up after a long, silent minute. The mug in his hands had gone cold and the dark mixture made him feel a bit more queasy the more that he stared at it.

"I'll be back, Ratch." he said to the still form laying on the floor, tattered blankets folded beneath him.

There was no movement.

He walked away from the area to find a place to clean out his tin mug. He wandered around-

"Ah! My Sidekick's sidekick! How are you on this wonderful day?"

"Tired." Arthur grumbled, "And I feel like shit."

"Ohhh...that's...uh! That's not good! May I offer any assistance?"

Arthur looked up at the overly charismatic man, "No, not really. Have we found a suitable planet yet?"

Quark looked nervous, "Uhm...no...no, we haven't. It seems like every suitable planet has been eradicated or abandoned for unknown reasons. Neffy said it was not worth the risk. I fear that our only option may be your friends, The Morts? Right? Or maybe...?"

"...The Lombaxes?" Arthur finished for him, "Yeah...about that-"

*Crash!*

Arthur flinched, looking back to where he came from. He watched in shock as his friend came stumbling towards him and Qwark, his hand reaching out to grab onto him. A stray bandage on his face slipped off, revealing a portion of his injury but...none of that seemed to matter to-

"Ratchet!?"

The slightly shorter Lombax finally stumbled into his arms. Arthur stabilized him, helping him stand on his own two feet as he breathed heavily. "R-Ratchet!? What are you doing? You need to rest and-"

"-A-Arthur!" Ratchet stuttered, voice horse. He took his good arm and placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder, shaking him, "Arthur!"

"What is it!?"

Arthur watched as he tried to compose himself, green eyes fluttering rapidly as he-

"I-I remember!" He exclaimed,

"I remember everything!"

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[Nova]

He looked down at Nova pitifully,

"I thought you'd be quicker..." he mused, "But look at this....you almost got blown up. Pitiful, really. I thought you'd be better, pest. I expected better."

The Lombax held up their right hand, inspecting it closely...

They needed repairs after the fight with Ratchet, and that included the metal on their hand being dented from Ratchet's harsh grip on it. While any other bot would have been furious, Nova was....still in awe.

They were the one who wanted to fight Ratchet. They were the one that wanted to kill him and yet....Ratchet surprised them.

Ratchet....saved them! He gave them a chance at survival! He gave them-

"Are you listening, pest!?

Their head snapped up at the sound of their master's voice.

"S-Sorry Master!" They replied, "Please continue!"

The Creator rolled his eyes, "Fine. Well, I would like to let you know that I have received some valuable intel from Clank."

They tilted their head, "C-Clank?"

The Creator nodded and pulled up a holo-pad, "Correct. It seems that he has come into contact with some important pieces of information that I have been able to gather. Some of it at least." he chuckled, "Most of it is still under lock and key but with time....everything will be complete. It doesn't matter though since I have the most important information of all."

Nova looked down when The Creator turned his back, "W-What's that?"

The Creator suddenly turned and tossed the holo-pad down at them. They fumbled to catch it in their hand....

No....no this can't-

They remembered this from Ratchet's memories! No! This was bad! This was very, very bad!"

"H-He found out how to?"

"No. No, he did not." The Creator interrupted, "He did something better. He connected himself to The Lombax's main network that their idiotic leaders use. I was fortunate enough to recover this information before he deleted it."

....

The Dimensionator....

...

This meant-

A clawed hand took it out of their hands and placed it back into The Creator's own. "You understand now, I see. This will be the thing that brings us to ultimate victory. Every. Single. Living. Being. Will be under our rule. The Lombaxes will be eradicated and there will be nothing stopping us from taking over once and for all." The Creator's smile widened, "Think about it, a world where no living being would ever wrong us again! Just think!"

He was practically hysterical at this point, and Nova cowered at the foot of his throne.

"Master?" The tyrant looked down at them, "If your ultimate goal is to eradicate the Lombaxes, then why did you want me to spare Ratchet?"

Even though they did spare him....

...

Even though they brought him close to the rendezvous...

...

Just....why?

"Good question." The Creator said, "You see, I never really wanted the Lombaxes to die." Nova raised a brow at this, "But, since I came up with a new and improved plan of mine, I decided that some sacrifices must be made."

"What is that, M-Master?"

"I originally wanted the Lombaxes under my rule. They are smart after all and it's quite easy to underestimate them but then...then I realized how much potential we have." The Creator looked down at their cowering form, "Our new...associate will not join without proper benefits now, so I am offering him something he can't refuse..."

"The heads of the Lombaxes." Nova stared at him in slight horror, "B-But...won't the Lombaxes just leave?"

"Well...they will certainly try but we'll get to them before they do. Worst comes to worst, I can always put my chip to better use and lock them down from the inside using Clank. But we are one step ahead of them anyways."

"What about Ratchet then, Master?"

"Eventually The Resistance will find their way over to the Lombaxes. It is inevitable, after all. They are the most powerful race left that stands in our way."

Nova nodded in understanding, "But...what if this won't work, Master? What if-"

*Slam!*

Nova was pinned up against the wall by a sharp, clawed hand that extended from the throne. They struggled in its grasp...

"Did I just hear you doubt me?" The Creator asked coldly, "Did you?"

"I-I just want you t-t-to be prepared, Master!" the hand squeezed them harder...

"Prepared? What do I need to be prepared for?" the hand suddenly let go, making them fall to the ground...

"My victory?"

Nova watched as The Creator turned away once more, "Before we know it, Emperor Percival Tachyon will be walking beside us while we take over the universe. Oh and...don't worry about it too much. I'll make sure he understands that you're not like the other Lombaxes but...no guarantees." he laughed loudly as he exited the room, leaving Nova all alone...

....

Everything....was falling apart

...

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Finally! He remembers! Rejoice! (Even though everything is on fire and all the characters are suffering because of my "author brain") it's all good!

I really hoped this chapter was good at least. A lot has happened these past 3 weeks and I found it hard to relax and focus. I'm pretty happy with how it came out, so I hope you all like it too :) 

So, what do you think will happen next? Fluff? Pain? More suffering? The possibilities are endless! (Oh...and if you have any POV preferences for next chapter just let me know! I already have some POV put in place, but I'd love to hear your opinion!) 

Anyways, I hope you all have been doing well! I wish you all the best :)!

See you next time and have a great day/night! ❤