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Chapter Text

Ratchet watched the stars idly as they flew by the window above him, looking much more like streaks of white than distant balls of light. He had been staring at them for a while now, deep in thought and lying on his cot. Talwyn had offered to take the wheel, and even though he really didn’t want to sit around and do nothing, he had reluctantly agreed. She’d been bored out of her mind for longer than he had, after all. 

“You have been awfully quiet”, a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Ratchet sat up and sighed, giving Clank a little smile. “Well, there’s really not much to do”, he said, not unkindly. “This ship isn’t exactly equipped with any sort of entertainment.”

Clank said nothing as he hopped up onto the cot next to Ratchet and looked up at the stars. He, Ratchet, and Talwyn were en route to Yerek, a planet out in the Zarkov Sector which had been seeing some strange happenings. The entire sector had been abandoned decades ago, but people from neighboring galaxies had reported weird activity, and the rumors were spreading like a wildfire. No one really knew how to explain the situation or knew if it was dangerous, which led the president to finally contact the Polaris Defense Force.

“How much longer until we get there?”

Clank did a tiny calculation in his head before spewing out information like a talking calculator. “Approximately ten minutes and 43.6 seconds.”

Ratchet sighed and lay back down on his cot. He really hoped that the ride would be worth it.

. . .

When they touched down onto Yerek, Talwyn stepped off first and took a good look at the somewhat abandoned planet. She had her gun holstered on her belt, but it was there out of habit more than anything else. The small clearing they had landed in seemed to have been the center of a tiny village, now overgrown with weeds and moss. Unkempt palm trees grew out of all sorts of nooks and crannies, and unsightly ropes hung out of dilapidated homes and structures. Just looking at the place gave Talwyn the chills – it was like everyone who ever lived there suddenly decided to up and leave.

“Clank, are you picking anything up?”

“Hm”, he said as he scanned the area. “I detect a strange energy emanating from east of our current position.”

Talwyn nodded and started in that direction, with Ratchet following close behind, Clank secure on his back. They kept going, with Clank calling out readings now and then, until they reached what looked like an old school yard.

“My sensors indicate that the source is within this building.”

Ratchet smirked and swung his Omniwrench about, ready to bust down the barricaded wall and explore the school. With one good slam into the door, the barricade caved in, creating enough room for the both of them to get through. The moment they stepped through the doorway, Talwyn’s flashlight device automatically turned on, revealing an old, wooden room with rows and rows of beds. On the battered walls were dirty handprints crayon drawings. Ratchet wasn't sure how the scrap pieces of paper managed to survive over two decades underground without disintegrating into dust. They were just crude pictures drawn by little kids, but in the dimness of the cavern, they were disturbingly creepy. 

“I don’t think this is a school”, Talwyn said slowly.

“It’s an orphanage”, Ratchet said stiffly. He slowly continued through the building, taking time to look at each picture. 

“The source is coming from underneath. We will need to break through the floor.”

Clank’s voice made Ratchet involuntarily jump, but he immediately regained his composure and beat his Omniwrench into the ground, earning him a satisfying crack. Talwyn stepped out of the way as the floor gave out, and once the dust settled, she and Ratchet jumped down into the large space underneath the orphanage. Everything was much different down there; it looked more like a cave than anything else, with stalagmites and puddles of old water. Some of the fungi even glowed, making the cave seem a lot more eerie than it probably was.

As they walked through the cave, Ratchet suddenly stopped. His ear twitched, and it swiveled this way and that. What was that? He vaguely felt Clank hop off his back and approach Talwyn. Ratchet stayed put, though. Either his mind was playing tricks on him, or the wall on the other side of the cave was talking to him.

He couldn’t understand the garbled whispers that were coming from the walls, but he somehow knew that they were calling him. He crept closer to the wall, eyes shining with curiosity.

“Ratchet? Is something the matter?”

Ratchet kept his eyes on the wall, and gestured with his hand that everything was okay. “Yeah, I’m good”, he mumbled.

He slowly reached out and touched the wall, his hand making contact with the rough surface of the rock.

The whispers stopped.

For a moment, Ratchet just stood there, dumbfounded.

“Ratchet, what are you –“

He didn’t hear the rest of Clank’s question because his entire being was suddenly being bombarded with the most horrible sound he’d ever heard. It was a loud and terrible screech that burned his ears and made his limbs tingle. He felt himself scream, but he couldn’t hear himself over the deafening sound of the screeches. He distantly felt hands on his shoulders, shaking him and holding him tight. His world turned upside down, and everything snapped to black.

Chapter Text

Talwyn watched in horror as Ratchet fell to his knees, his eyes pinched shut and screaming in what looked like pain. Clank was at his side instantly and she quickly followed him, grabbing Ratchet’s shoulders and shaking him. Her eyes darted frantically as she tried to figure out what was hurting him. There was nothing on the wall that could’ve harmed him – it was just a wall. There weren’t even any weird plants growing out of it.

She looked back at Ratchet and gasped; his eyes were wide open now, staring through her as if in blinding pain. He let out a strangled gasp before he suddenly collapsed.

“Ratchet!” she yelled as she caught him. She turned him over and lay him down onto the ground, looking him over for any wounds. Nothing. No scratches, no rashes, and not even a bruise. Clank jumped into action and scanned him for internal injuries. Once again, nothing. At least he looked at peace now; it looked more like he had simply fallen asleep.

“We need to leave”, she finally said. They could come back later and figure out what was going on, but Ratchet wasn’t safe here. Clank agreed, and with a grunt, she picked up the lombax and activated her jetpack. She flew up through the opening above them, with Clank flying behind her. Once on solid ground, she quickly left the orphanage and returned to the ship, intent on getting Ratchet off of the planet.

As Clank flew the ship into the atmosphere, Talwyn placed Ratchet onto his cot and gave him another once-over. To say that she was worried was an understatement; she was downright afraid. She placed a hand on his forehead, and recoiled it. She moved over to one of the small compartments in the corner and grabbed a scanner-like device. She let it hover over Ratchet’s body for a second until it beeped out the readings. Her suspicions were correct – Ratchet had a fever.

“Hey, Clank?” she called. After a moment, he set the ship on autopilot and came into the room. “Ratchet’s running a fever”, she said as she put the device back into the compartment. “He’s probably sick.”

“Interesting”, Clank said. “I did not pick up an anomaly in his internal temperature while on Planet Yerek.”

“Well, it’s there now”, she sighed. “I’ve got medication back at the station. Luckily, it’s in the Cerullean Sector, which is just east of here.”

Clank nodded and left to return to the wheel. “Very well. I will set the coordinates.”

As he left, Talwyn sat back down on Ratchet’s cot, sighing her herself in worry. She was scared, but this was Ratchet they were talking about. He’d make it out of this. It was just a fever, after all.

. . .

They were nearing the space station when Ratchet showed signs of consciousness. Talwyn had been coming in to check on him when she noticed that he was twitching a little. Knowing that he was coming to, she quickly got a glass of water and placed it at his bedside, waiting anxiously for him to open his eyes. He let out a little groan, and rubbed his face.

“Boy, I feel like crap.”

Talwyn felt a smile pull at the corners of her lips. She was glad to hear him talking again.

“You look like crap”, she finally said sarcastically. Ratchet opened his eyes and stared at her playfully. He noticed the glass of water next to him and reached out to take a sip. Talwyn helped him to sit up and waited patiently as he slowly drank down the glass of water.

“What happened?”

Talwyn took the glass and set it down before she guided Ratchet onto his back again. “We don’t really know. We were in the caves on Yerek, and you touched a wall and started screaming. We tried to figure out what happened, but you weren’t even injured anywhere.”

Ratchet furrowed his eyebrows and tried to remember.

“Huh. That’s weird. I remember all these weird pictures on the walls, and something else… but I don’t remember anything after that.”

Talwyn pursed her lips.

“Well, besides all that, are you feeling alright?”

Ratchet shrugged. “I guess. I’ll get over it Talwyn; don’t sweat it.”

Talwyn sighed and gave him a soft smile. Somehow, no matter what happened, he could reassure her that everything would be alright.

. . .

That night, Talwyn set up a room for Ratchet to stay in while he recuperated. While the space station was huge, most of the rooms were replicas of various landscapes, complete with live flora and functioning waterfalls. Only a few areas were reserved for guests, and most of those had been turned into storage rooms. It was late by the time Talwyn decided to go to sleep. Worry had taken front and center in the back of her mind, turning the idea of sleep into a chore rather than a necessity. Ratchet had retired to his room hours before. It seemed that his body was exhausted, and Talwyn wasn’t surprised. Clank had powered down at around the same time and bunked with Ratchet.

By the time she collapsed onto her bed, she took note of just how tired she was. The events of the day had drained her mentally, and the soft pillows and plush blankets made her descent into the realm of rest a quick one. Sleep took her before she knew it.

. . .

Talwyn’s ears were slowly flooded with the sound of her alarm blaring. The room was engulfed in a soft red light, blinking on and off with urgency. Her sleep-dazed mind was slow to comprehend what was going on, but when she realized that something was wrong, she immediately jumped up and out of bed. She dashed to a small console on the far side of her room to assess what the problem was.

She gasped in anger when she saw that someone was stealing her ship. Grabbing her gun, she threw open the door and made a mad dash to the docking bay. She stopped when Clank suddenly ran out of Ratchet’s room, eyes wide with worry.

“Miss Apogee! There seems to be—“

“No time!” she said as she raced down the hallways barefoot. “There’s an intruder!”

“But Miss Apogee!”

She shook her head and left Clank behind as she ran through the space station. When she finally reached the bay, she was breathing heavily and looking frantically for the intruder. Movement from her ship caught her eye, and she slammed a hand on the emergency stop button. The large door that led to outside the space station immediately closed, stopping the intruder from taking off with her ship. She raced up to the ship, opening the door and preparing to shoot whoever was inside.

She dropped her gun with a resounding clang when she recognized Ratchet in the pilot’s seat. He was sitting in the pilot’s seat, eyes wide and unseeing. His hands were gripped tightly around the controls, his arms shaking from the immense strain.

“Ratchet! What are you doing?!”

She gasped when she heard him whisper and moan like he was hallucinating.

“I – no… Need to – back, I need to go to back…”

She reached in and pried his hands off of the controls. The moment his hands were free, he threw his head back and started shrieking, causing Talwyn to flinch and stare at him in horror.

“No!” he said to no one, thrashing around and nearly hitting Talwyn in the face. “I need to go back! I need to go back! Stop it!”

Talwyn heard Clank run into the room, but she paid him no mind as she grabbed Ratchet and yanked him out of the ship, pulling him down out of the pilot’s seat and onto the ground. He continued to thrash, screaming nonsense.

“Help me hold him down!” she called to Clank. He did so, holding his head while Talwyn held down his arms. They stayed like that as Ratchet twisted and turned on the ground, writhing in what looked like burning agony. Finally, he began to calm down, although he was still breathing heavily and whispering things under his breath. Talwyn exchanged glances with Clank as they listened to his feverish mumbles.

“Yerek… Yerek… I need to go back…”

Chapter Text

Talwyn paced back and forth, one hand on her hip and the other to her face. Clank had been around her long enough to be able to read her body language, and right now, all she was displaying was worry and frustration. Ratchet, having fainted for the second time, had been placed back onto his bed with the door shut. It was obvious that she was afraid that he’d get up again and try to leave.

“His fever is really getting to him, Clank”, she said as she turned again. “As soon as we have time, we have to take him to see a doctor.”

The little robot understood her exasperation; she was torn between duty and the well-being of her friend. Clank himself had once been in a similar situation, but that seemed like a lifetime ago, back when he was on the Great Clock.

“If I may”, he interjected, “I believe that the best decision at this time is to find out what is causing such an illness in order to prevent any further incidents. The symptoms began on Yerek. Perhaps you could go investigate while I stay behind and watch Ratchet.”

Talwyn sighed, shaking her head. Her eyebrows were low on her head, furrowed and making the skin above them crease.

“I want to, Clank. I really do. But I need to be here for him. He’s only getting worse.” She stopped and sat down, holding her head in her hands. “But if I don’t go, someone else could get hurt.”

There was a thud from the other side of Ratchet’s room, and her head snapped up, eyes alert. Another thud, and she stood up to open the door. She peeked her head in, worry written all over her face.

“Hey Ratchet.” she said softly. “How are you feeling?”

The lombax was sitting on his bed, facing the glass wall overlooking one of the many terrariums. His small form was slumped and still, and although he wasn’t facing her, she could tell that his hands were in his lap.

“Ratchet?” she tried again.

He slowly turned his head to look at her, and she suppressed a cringe. His normally keen green eyes were dull and bored. The fur around his eyes looked unkempt and had a grey undertone. It looked like he’d been sitting there for hours without a wink of sleep.

“I’m fine” was all he said. Then he turned his head again and continued to look out the window. She raised an eyebrow and opened the door a little wider, stepping in with Clank close at her heels.

“Do you have any weird urges to – uh – go to Yerek?”

Ratchet didn’t answer her -- he didn’t even look at her. He just kept staring outside the window, eyes half-lidded and uninterested. Talwyn bit her lip and glanced down at Clank, who looked back up at her with concern. She knew that Ratchet wasn’t feeling well, but this was just so unlike him. She huffed, sticking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before stepping closer to the lombax. She was sure he could see her now, and that was good enough for her.

“Ratchet, do you remember what happened last night?” No answer. She glanced at Clank, who only looked up at her worriedly. Her face scrunched up just a little – he was really testing her patience.

“I said I’m fine.”

She shook her head and, despite Clank gesturing for her to do otherwise, moved to stand right in front of Ratchet. “You took my ship and tried to fly back to Yerek”, she continued. “You were saying crazy things.” Her expression softened, her voice following suit. “Clank and I are really worried about you.”

“I told you! I’m fine. Stop wasting my time.”

Talwyn was taken back by his words. Her mouth fell open just a little as Ratchet glared at her before turning away. She looked at Clank, who looked just as shocked as she was. The little robot had known Ratchet longer than anyone, and although Ratchet had snapped at him in the past, he rarely did it anymore, much less with his friends. It was even more unusual, considering that he had snapped at Talwyn. The lombax had a special place in his heart for her, whether he chose to show it or not. He simply couldn’t imagine him yelling at her.

She glared at the back of Ratchet’s head before quickly turning to leave. She was out the door before Clank could interject. Ratchet said nothing as Clank hesitantly followed her out.

. . .

When Clank found Talwyn again, she was sitting on one of the sofas in the common room. He hopped up onto a chair in front of her and waited patiently while she sorted out her thoughts. 

“He’s really sick, Clank”, she finally said with a little sigh.

“Do you believe that is what is causing his strange behavior?”

She pursed her lips, and stared at the floor.

“I think so, but… it’s more than that”, she said slowly. “I’m not really sure how to explain it.”

“That’s not your main priority right now”, Clank said sternly. “It is time to decide what you are going to do.”

She nodded. “I know.”

With that, she took a breath and stood up before heading over to one of the other rooms on the space station. She entered a passcode into the holo-lock next to a massive door and stepped inside. The lights turned on as she made her way to the back of the large room where a massive computer was located. She put in the passcode and immediately began pulling up information about various scientists and their research. She stared intently at the screen for hours, sorting out information and collecting data.

By the time she was finished, she had the location, contact information, and various studies of an obscure scientist by the name of Pollyx. She immediately left the room, mind fresh with everything she’d researched, and bid Clank goodbye as she hopped into her ship and left. Whoever Pollyx was, she knew that he was her only chance of figuring out what was wrong with her friend.

Chapter Text

When Terachnos finally came into view, Talwyn found herself looking at it in disdain. The entire planet was dark and looked covered in smoke. Splotches and strings of artificial lights shone through the sickening layers of polluted smog. There wasn’t a patch of blue or green in sight, and she suddenly wished that she were at home in one of the terrariums.

By the time she landed, she was almost afraid to step out of her ship. She did so anyway, and was illogically surprised to find that the air didn’t reek of smoke. She took out her nav-unit and traced the coordinates to the outskirts of the large city. Along the way, she got quizzical looks from the locals, who were also the planet’s one-and-only intelligent species – Terachnoids. She tried to ignore them, but eventually resorted to scaring them off with aggressive expressions and silent threats. She knew they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it; Terachnos had been voted the Weakest Planet for 400 years in a row.

When her nav-unit finally beeped, it was in front of a small, metallic shack sitting out near the edge of the city. It looked functional, but old and unkempt. She was surprised at how ready it looked to fall apart; everything else in the city was high-tech and interconnected. Everything had a place, and fell into perfect sync with something else, whether it was a company, a system, electrical wiring, or even social spaces. But this little house was so alone – so alienated – that she wondered if a Terachnoid actually lived there.

Relaying the information to herself in her head, she went up to the rusty door and rapped on it. There was a sound from inside, and she waited with baited breath. After a few moments without an answer, she knocked again. A small and brown sign to the left of the door caught her eye, and she bent down a little to read it.

Do Not Disturb

She let out a small “hm” before she stood back up and rapped again, determined to get an answer.

“Go away!” a screechy voice said from inside the house. She cringed at the sound; it was loud and old, and very unpleasant. She knocked again.

“I need to talk to you!”

“I don’t want anything to do with the media!”

Talwyn raised an eyebrow and huffed. She really hoped he wasn’t an egotistical coward like Qwark. Things were already rough.

“I’m not the media”, she drawled. “My name is Talwyn Apogee, and I need to speak with you. You’re Pollyx, right?”

“Read the sign!” he screeched, his voice cracking with irritation.

“Listen”, Talwyn groaned. “I need your help. You’re the only person who knows about what happened on Yerek 23 years ago, and –“

“Don’t mention that name! Go away already!”

She growled and banged on the door, her temper rising as her patience reached its limit.

“My friend is in real trouble! I need your help! Please!” Her voice cracked as the last word passed through her lips, and she stood back a little, taking in big, shaky breaths. She didn’t come all this way to get rejected, and as much as she wanted him to help her, she knew she couldn’t force him. But Ratchet and Clank were the only people she truly trusted, and one of them was pushing her away. She wished Cronk and Zephyr were still around. She shoved the memory of shattered glass and floating debris to the back of her mind; she couldn’t think about the accident right now.

“… Please”, she finally said. “My friend – he’s all I have left now.”

There was a long moment of still silence as Talwyn did everything in her power to not cry. A large, painful lump had formed in the back of her throat, threatening to leave her body as a sob. She stiffly turned around, fully intending to make the long walk back to her ship before the sound of a door opening stopped her. She glanced back at the door, eyes shining with unshed tears. Before her, half hidden behind a slightly opened door, stood an old Terachnoid with sagging eyes and white hair.

“You really aren’t the media, are you?”

She shook her head and wiped her eyes on her sleeve before turning to fully face him. She reached out a hand in order to shake his. He stared at her hesitantly, but then opened the door a little wider and looked both ways before taking her hand and shaking it.

“Pollyx”, he said quietly.

“Talwyn”, she said back.

He opened the door for her and led her inside to a small table. She gingerly sat down and watched as Pollyx shut and locked the door before quickly scuttling to the table. He made himself comfortable, and then leaned in as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear.

“I’m alone, you know”, she scoffed, giving him an odd look. He backed up, but still looked just a tad bit paranoid.

“Look”, she said as she took out a small tablet-like device. “I’m sorry I came here uninvited, but I was desperate.” She opens up a few of the files she had downloaded prior to the trip and touched the screen so that they were floating above them as a holograph. Pictures of Yerek and articles written in tiny print filled the room, and Pollyx looked around at them in wonder.

“You really did your research…” she said in awe.

“I know”, she said as she pulled up another file. “That’s how I found you.”

He looked at her, a fearful expression on his face.

“It was really hard to find the information”, she said, hoping to placate the spike in his paranoia. She pointed to one of the pictures. “That was you 23 years ago on Yerek. I read up on some of your scientific studies, and I saw that you found some kind of strange energy there. I was just there with my friend two days ago, and while we were in the caves underneath an orphanage, he touched a wall and just – started screaming.”

Pollyx listened intently as she spoke, his expression growing more solemn by the minute.

“Then he had a really bad fever, and in the middle of the night, he tried to steal my ship to go back to Yerek. It was like he was having a night terror or something. And now – now he doesn’t even want to talk to me.”

Pollyx gave her a sympathetic look, which she acknowledged before she leaned forward, eyes hopeful.

“Do you know what’s wrong with him?”

The Terachnoid sat back in his chair and sighed. He stared at nothing for a moment, and Talwyn could see his eyes shift back and forth as if he were internally debating something. Finally, he closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

“I’m going to tell you something that no one else knows. I left it out of my scientific articles in order to keep it a secret. You have to promise that you won’t tell anyone.”

She nodded. “You have my word.”

“Don’t say those words lightly,” he warned. “If this information gets out, our galaxy may be in jeopardy. Do you understand?”

Talwyn nodded again. She was unsure of how the information he had could be a threat to the galaxy, but she fully intended to keep her promise. 

Pollyx folded his claw-like hands across the table, closed his eyes, and unearthed a memory he’d buried away long, long ago.

“As you know, I was hired by Polaris’ then-President to investigate the strange occurrences happening in the Zarkov Sector. The entire sector had been recently abandoned at the time, and I followed odd energy readings to a cave in the mountains on Planet Yerek. I discovered a portal, which had been opened from another dimension unlike our own. If you read the articles, then you know that I was able to seal the portal in order to prevent anything from getting through.”

He took a breath and steeled himself.

“What you don’t know is that something did get through: a young girl and her twin brother, both nameless and very ill. They were so afraid. They begged me not to send them back. I told them that I wouldn’t as long as she sealed the portal to her dimension. I just couldn’t risk anything else getting through. She said she would, as long as I saved her brother."

Pollyx stopped for a moment and shook his massive head, letting out the smallest of sighs.

"What was wrong with him?” she prodded.

"... He was, unfortunately, not as strong as his sister was. The hop between dimensions nearly killed him.”

She gasped and stared at him incredulously. Pollyx took this moment to stand up and scuttle over to a drawer on the other side of the room.

“In order to save him, I replaced most of his body with cybernetic parts. He lost his innate ability to create and seal portals while his sister did not.” He continued rummaging through a jumble of odd items all stuffed into the drawer. Upon finding what he was looking for, he stepped back over to the table and laid an old framed drawing onto the table.

“They disclosed to me the nature of their dimension; how it was a cruel, dark, and violent place led by their power-hungry leader.” Tawlyn looked at the drawing and felt a chill run up her spine. Whatever it was, it had a massive eye and spindly arms, a deep and gaping mouth full of teeth, and a strange aura coming off of it.

“Although the portal was closed, I knew the entrance was still there,” Pollyx continued. “If word got out about what really happened, I risked government officials getting involved and accidentally unleashing whatever this… thing on the other side is. I don’t know much about it, but I know it’s powerful, and if it gets through into our dimension, then it’s all over.”

Talwyn raised an eyebrow. “Wait, wait… the record said that you were the one who closed the portals with a device – your device. Was all that made up?”

Pollyx nodded slowly. “Indeed. I never had a device, but I had to say something that made sense. That’s why I went into hiding; I didn’t want anyone asking about it, especially the media. Within the last 23 years, I havecreated a similar device, but it’s no match to the natural power that Vendra possesses.”

“And… and the twins?”

Pollyx sighed, his old and sunken eyes shining in pained sadness. “Before they left me, they asked me to give them names, and to never tell anyone of their being here. So I named them Vendra and Neftin Prog – two names that, in my language, mean strong-willed and survivor, respectively. I picked a common Terachnoid surname, and set them on their way. I haven’t seen or heard from them since.”

Talwyn had a good idea of where this was heading, but something still didn’t add up.

“So if Vendra closed the portals, why are there still energy readings coming from Yerek?”

The Terachnoid gave her a long, solemn look. “It’s worrisome, but unfortunately, I don’t know,” he said. “But I’m sure there are people who could know.”

Talwyn’s heart sank a little as she nodded, already knowing exactly who they needed to find.

“The twins.”

Chapter Text

It had been two days since Ratchet had collapsed on Yerek, and since then, the lombax hadn’t slept or eaten. Talwyn had left over six hours ago in a desperate attempt for help, which meant Clank was to stay behind and look after Ratchet. With nothing else to do but worry, the little robot had decided to try to get Ratchet to eat something.

He managed to find his way to the kitchen, and after cobbling together a meal, made his way back to Ratchet’s room and stood outside the door. He hoped the smell of food would draw out his friend, but no such thing happened.

“Ratchet, I’m coming in.”

He waited a few moments before opening the door and stepping in, only to find Ratchet sitting in the exact same spot, staring through the same window. Clank looked at the back of his head in dismay, but knew he had to be optimistic. For Ratchet’s sake, he had to try.

“I have made you… ehm… soup. Or… perhaps it is a stew.”

Once again, the lombax was silent. It was like he hadn’t even acknowledged Clank’s presence.

Feeling disheartened but refusing to give up, the robot tried to prompt Ratchet to eat.

“You must be very hungry. You have not eaten in two days. I advise you to at least try some food.”

Clank’s eyes widened when the lombax shifted a little, and for a moment, he believed that Ratchet was finally going to be reasonable. His hopes vanished when he only let out his two as-of-recent favorite words.

“I’m fine.”

Clank felt the dark pit of sadness and worry deep inside him stretch wider at his emotionless words. Did his friend even care about his own well-being anymore? Clank wanted to believe that he did, but with each passing day of nothing but lies, it became harder and harder for him to remain hopeful.

Talwyn hadn’t been right when she said that Ratchet was sick.

There was something terribly wrong with his friend.

. . .

It was late by the time Talwyn set up a com-link to talk to him. He was happy to see that she was calling him from her ship, which meant that she was on her way back after hopefully getting some help. He was surprised by the urgency in her voice when he finally answered.

“Clank”, she said, “I’m on my way back to the station. Meanwhile, I need you to check your systems real quick. Make sure everything’s running smoothly.”

The little robot, who prioritized good manners and politeness, was a little taken back by her lack of a greeting.

“Hello to you, too”, he said sarcastically. “I will run a diagnostic. May I ask why?”

“I’ll explain when I get there. Oh, and we’re having company.”

Before Clank could respond, she ended the connection, leaving Clank blinking to himself in confusion. He didn’t doubt Talwyn – everything she did had reason. Even so, he thought that the very idea of having guests over at this time was completely absurd.

. . .

When Talwyn’s ship docked at the station, Clank was expecting a doctor or some other professional to be with her. He was not expecting an old Terachnoid hauling a large, cloaked object behind him. Nevertheless, she helped him and Talwyn to bring the object through the station and into one of the common rooms.

“Okay”, Talwyn said as the Terachnoid removed the black covering of the mysterious object, “this is Pollyx. He can help us with his invention, but we need you for it to work.”

Clank listened to her, but his attention was on Pollyx and his machine. It looked like a ray gun of some sort, attached to a platform on wheels to allow mobility. He watched him scuttle around the machine, connecting wires and typing into the small computer console near what Clank assumed was the front of the contraption.

“Pollyx knows someone that can tell us what’s going on with Ratchet, but we don’t know where she is. With his invention, we can find her and ask her for help.”

He felt Pollyx scurry behind him and pick him up before placing him onto the platform.

“Begging your pardon”, Clank said as he raised a hand to his mouth curiously, “but what does my involvement have to do with any of this?”

There was a whirring sound above him, and Clank looked up just in time to see the ray gun moving up into the air before opening and emitting a bright purple stream of light. For a moment, the little robot found himself unable to move. His body twitched as currents of an otherworldly energy coursed through his circuitry and his vision was engulfed in a blinding haze of purple and white. It was over as fast as it had begun. His knees felt weak. By the time the ray gun moved back into its original position, Clank had fallen onto the platform. Talwyn immediately stepped up to help him stand, and Clank ran a diagnostic again to check his systems for any internal damage. He was slightly surprised to find that everything was intact.

“Sorry about that, Clank”, he heard Talwyn say next to him. She was kneeled down so she could talk to him at his level. He took a few experimental steps before looking up at her and blinking.

“It is not a problem. I wish to do everything in my power to help Ratchet.”

She nodded and gave him a smile of calm admiration before she stood up again.

“I’ve just given you a transdimensional software upgrade”, Pollyx said. “In order for you to use it, you need to be within proximity of something from the desired dimension. Your friend here tells me that someone in this station has come in contact with another realm.”

Clank’s worry spiked up again. Something from another dimension was affecting Ratchet? The very thought horrified him, and made him want to help Ratchet even more. This obviously wasn’t something they could fight with medicine or time. They quickly made their way to Ratchet’s room, where they found the lombax still sitting in the same spot. Pollyx ushered Clank closer to Ratchet, while he and Talwyn stayed near the doorway.

“You need to find a good connection”, Pollyx instructed. “Once you’re in, you have to focus on who you want to find. I need you to concentrate on the name Vendra Prog. If she’s still got her powers, she’ll feel you searching for her. Nethers are connected, after all.”

Clank ventured closer to Ratchet. He hopped up onto his bed and reached out to touch his friend’s shoulder. The moment he did, Ratchet twitched, but didn’t move or say anything. Clank took this opportunity to search for something – anything – to let him know that there was some kind of connection being made. He got his answer when he saw the smallest flicker of purple, and an incessant beeping noise coming from within him. Using the colors and his newly installed ‘sonar’, he found an opening.

There was a flash of light, and he found that his very consciousness was leaving his body. He immediately began to focus on the name ‘Vendra Prog’. Whispering shadows flew by through a never-ending void of purple before he heard a voice stand out among all the others. It was the voice of a woman. He couldn’t understand what she was talking about, as her diction was garbled and mixed with the sounds of many other voices, but he knew that this was Vendra Prog.

“Miss Prog?” he called out. He saw a flash of eyes appear out of the darkness, and the figure of a ghostly woman appeared before him. Her figure was warped around the edges, as if she were only a figment of a dream. Her bright purple hair floated loftily above her head, and as she turned he could see her pale white skin. Her dainty hands curled into fists when she looked at Clank, her eyes sharp and focused.

“… How do you know that name?” she ground out.

Clank wasn’t sure how to respond to her anger, but he knew that this interaction wouldn’t last long. He had to be quick, before the connection was broken.

“Miss Prog, I need your help. My friend is very sick, and I have been told that you are the only one who can help him.” He was desperately trying to find her physical location as he spoke, knowing that she had this information buried somewhere in her mind.

“Leave me alone”, she said harshly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Miss Prog, if you would please consider the –“

“I won’t consider anything! Now go away!”

And just like that, Clank was thrown into his own body again. The force was enough to make the robot tumble across the bed and onto the floor of the space station. Talwyn gasped and she quickly ran over to check him for injuries.

“What happened?! Are you okay?”

Clank shook his head to cast off his dizziness and then nodded.

“I am fine. Vendra did not take well to my knowing of her name. I tried to reason with her, but she forced me out.”

Talwyn looked up at Pollyx, who shook his head.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing that we can do. She’s far more powerful than my machine. If she doesn’t want to talk, she won’t.”

Talwyn let out a defeated groan as her heart sank to her stomach, and then angrily pounded a fist onto the floor.

“We were so close!”

Clank made a small noise to call their attention.

“If I may, I did manage to locate her physical location. If we personally approach her, we may be able to change her mind?”

Talwyn’s face slowly lit up.

“It’s worth a shot. Even if it doesn’t work, it’s all we’ve got. Clank! You’re amazing!”

The little robot let loose his signature giggle – something he hadn’t done in a while.

“I am, aren’t I?”

Chapter Text

“Silox?”

Clank nodded eagerly. Talywn leaned her weight onto the table she was sitting at, raising an eyebrow and exchanging glances with Pollyx, who was sitting next to her and looking just as confused. He immediately took out a small data pad and began furiously tapping at it.

“But Silox has been abandoned for years now!” he scoffed incredulously. “It was issued an Alpha-9 along with the rest of the planets in the sector.” He pushed his glasses up with his claw and glared at Clank with a hawkish eye. “Even if they wanted to hide from society forever, I really don’t think that’s where Vendra and Neftin are living. It’s practically uninhabitable!”

“I understand that it might sound strange,” Clank said calmly, “but I know the Progs are on planet Silox. We must go there and find them.”

Talwyn bit her lip. If Silox was truly abandoned, the chances of finding someone there were slim. Silox was back in the Zarkov Sector, too, which meant it was much too close to Yerek. Talwyn couldn’t help but remember Ratchet’s incessant and crazed mumbles of going back to Yerek. She couldn’t risk bringing him back there, especially with how little they knew of what was ailing him. Someone would have to stay behind and keep an eye on the lombax. But this was their only lead. It was all or nothing.

“I think… ”, she said slowly, “I think we should give Silox a try. Clank might be right.” She looked at Pollyx and saw that he was still skeptical. “Look”, she said, directing her voice at him, “you said that the sector was abandoned because of an Alpha-9, which means…?”

The flustered Terachnoid hesitantly stumbled all over his words. “Well, as silly as it sounds, the Galactic President put it under an Alpha-9 because – well, it was haunted.”

Talwyn rolled her eyes and groaned. So Qwark wasn’t the only doofus to hold the title of “President of the Polaris Galaxy”. Why couldn’t they just have labeled the strange occurrences as something normal and sane, like virus outbreak or Serathoid infestation?

There was a thud from Ratchet’s room. Everyone at the table exchanged glances worriedly before Talwyn stood up and went over to peek inside. The blood in her head rushed to her feet when she saw the empty bed. She gasped and threw open the door, trying to find out where  Ratchet had gone. The others followed, and Clank went around to the other side of the bed.

“Ratchet!” he cried.

Talwyn rushed over and felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was quickly replaced by horror, however, when she got a good look at his condition. Ratchet was sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily and fur matted with sweat. He wasn’t fully unconscious, but he was close to it with the way his eyes had rolled to the back of his head.

“He most likely collapsed from exhaustion”, Clank said, his voice unsteady with fear. “He has not slept or eaten for two days.”

Talwyn removed her friend’s hat and placed it on the small table next to the bed along with his gloves and in an attempt to cool him down. She felt her own body heat up not from sickness but with rage. Whatever this thing was, it was obvious that it was slowly killing Ratchet and it didn’t even care. She stood up and exhaled, long and loud.

“That settles it”, she said stiffly. “We have to go to Silox, abandoned or otherwise. If Clank says there’s something there, I’m willing to bet there is. We have to try this – for Ratchet’s sake.”

“And”, Pollyx said softly, “And if we were wrong?”

She shook her head slowly, for the first time thinking about what the plan of action would be should it be too late for Ratchet.

“Then we go back to Yerek and make sure no one else gets hurt.”

. . .

Within the next hour, Talwyn, Clank, and Pollyx were in the ship once again, this time on the way to Silox. Without anyone to take care of Ratchet, they’d resolved to take him along despite his worsening condition. With nothing to do but wait until they reached the planet, they busied themselves with their mission and set up a plan. While Silox was a good starting point to look, they desperately needed more details as to where on the planet the twins might be.

“I recall a vision of a city”, Clank said.

Talwyn took a glance at Pollyx’s records. “Weeblesnog City. It was the only one on the planet, besides a few smaller towns.”

When Silox finally came into view, they were amazed at the sheer size of the planet. It was enormous, and Talwyn wondered how many people had once lived there. As they flew into the atmosphere, old and crumbling buildings came into view. Streetlights and city centers had seen better days, and the long network of train systems and tunnels were littered with trash and debris. By the time they landed, Clank was already scanning the immediate area for a transdimensional connection.

Talwyn turned to Pollyx as she followed Clank out of the ship. “Someone needs to stay behind with Ratchet. Could you?”

Pollyx agreed as Talwyn thanked him and followed Clank outside. The air was thick with the smell of distant rain clouds and old metal. Everywhere she looked there were puddles of dark, muddy water, which meant that it had rained recently.

“Alright, Clank”, she said, “You’re the only one who knows where the twins are. What did you see in your vision?”

Clank strained to remember; he reached deep into his internal memory and managed to recall someplace damp, dark, and isolated.

“I saw a dark room in the middle of a tall structure… a building?”

She pursed her lips; with how many tall buildings there were, that could be anywhere. “Okay. Keep your transdimensional tracker on, alright?”

He nodded and they continued deeper into the city.

. . .

Pollyx stared out of the window at the front of the ship, taking in all the destruction the city had sustained from years of neglect and age. He really hoped that the twins hadn’t been living here all their lives; he couldn’t imagine anyone proudly calling this place home. It was lonely and depressing, and maybe even a tad bit ghostly. After all, there was a time when everything was bustling with life and the planet seemed to breathe. The very thought made him a little sad, and the Terachnoid briefly pondered if that was just the life the twins were meant to live. Had they been doomed from the start to lead lives of constant sadness and isolation? He didn’t want to believe that was true, but found solace in the fact that if it was, at least he had shown them a little kindness before they disappeared.

He jumped when he heard Ratchet let out a moan. He filled a glass of water and stepped over to his cot, waiting with baited breath as Ratchet stirred.

The lombax’s eyes shot open.

The glass of water shattered as it hit the floor.

. . .

“Vendra will not appreciate our coming here”, Clank said apprehensively. He was hearing the incessant beeping again, which meant that Vendra was close by.

Talwyn nodded as her eyes scanned the darkened and broken windows of what was now only a steel skeleton frame of a high-rise building. She heard Clank stammer about something, but she waved him off as she clicked her tongue in disappointment – there was nothing here, either.

“I know”, she said absentmindedly. “Pollyx told me all about what happened.”

“What?”

The Markazian froze and slowly turned around at the new voice in the conversation. Clank was already facing the intruder, and Talwyn realized what he had been stammering about. Behind them, daintily floating above ground, was Vendra. Talwyn took in the white of her skin and the slits in her yellow eyes. She was like nothing she’d seen before. She held her ground stiffly as Vendra floated over to her, mouth slightly ajar in muted rage. She whispered slow and harsh, her voice shaking.

“What did Pollyx tell you?”

Talwyn was at a loss for words. Clank came to her rescue as he jumped off Talwyn’s back and onto the ground.

“Miss Prog, we would –“

Vendra turned on him, her hands glowing with some kind of strange, humming power.

“You shouldn’t even know that name!”

She raised her hand, the orb of light she held growing brighter as she did so, and Talywn jumped into action at the threat.

“HEY!”

Vendra turned her attention to Talwyn, yellow eyes boring into blue. For a long moment, neither spoke. They just stared, sizing each other up.

“I get it”, Talwyn finally said. “You don’t wanna be bothered, and you don’t want anyone to know you’re here. And I won’t tell a soul about you being here.”

She paused, taking a moment to gauge Vendra’s reaction so far. She seemed calm enough, her eyes studying her warily.

“But I need your help. You’re the only one who could possibly understand what’s happening on Yerek.”

“Why do you want to know about that?” Vendra said flatly.

“My friend is dying. Something happened to him on Yerek. He touched a wall and just –“

Talwyn looked up at Vendra hopefully, trying to find even just the slightest hint of emotion on her face. But she only turned away, wings fluttering slightly as she made her way back to wherever she had come from.

“I can’t help you”, she said finally. “I’m not dealing with that anymore.”

The Markazian’s jaw dropped, but she quickly regained her composure and glared at Vendra’s floating curls. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She had come all this way, and she was not about to be turned away just because Vendra didn’t want to deal with it.

“Why are you so afraid of that place?”

Vendra stiffened, but shook her head and kept going. “Stop talking to me.”

Her words only fueled Talwyn’s rage.

“Why can’t you help us? Nobody from that dimension will find you, even if you go back.”

Pink sparks started fizzing on Vendra’s skin and she clenched her fists. “I said stop talking to me!”

Clank tried to calm Talwyn down, but the Markazian kept going.

“Stop running away! You’re the one who closed the portal! You of all people shouldn’t be avoiding that place!”

The witch whipped around, glaring daggers at Talwyn, her entire frame trembling. “You don’t know a thing about me! You don’t have the right to tell me what I should do! And that portal is not closed! I never closed it! I never did!”

Talwyn’s took a step forward, disbelief playing across her features.

“You never closed the portal?”

Vendra backed up slowly, eyes darting around as if looking for an escape. Clank knew what was going to happen, and set up his transdimensional tracker again. The intense beeping within him continued as he kept his eyes locked on the witch. Clank looked up at Talwyn, who looked back down at him. One look was all Talwyn needed. She hoisted him up just as Vendra took off in a flash of purple light.

Chapter Text

Talwyn relentlessly flew around and underneath crumbling structures as she chased Vendra. The witch was quick, her form nothing but a streak of purple. Talwyn's jetpack would be running on empty soon, though, and they needed to track Vendra down and fast. 

“If I may, I have some new information that may help to track Vendra down.”

"Yeah? Let me hear it.”

“My data shows that Vendra’s power is slowly diminishing. It is akin to running. She will tire out eventually, leaving enough time for us to catch up with her.”

The Markazian above him nodded. 

“Yeah, sounds good.”

The little robot pinpointed her location and kept tabs on it constantly. Soon enough, the rate at which Vendra moved began to slow down, and Clank could easily estimate when and where she’d be when she finally exerted herself.

“My calculations suggest that Vendra will be north of here in approximately 13 seconds.”

Talwyn nodded and watched carefully for a streak of purple. What she got instead was a warped orb of light that slowly made its way to the upper floors of a rusty building. With Clank still strapped onto her back, she quickly flew up the building and hopped through the half-broken window of the room Vendra had stopped in. The room was dusty, and moss clung to the walls of what looked like was once the living room of someone’s home. She took a step forward, and gasped loudly as she lost her footing for moment. She threw all her weight back, and found the ledge of the window with her hands. She gripped onto it, knuckles growing white under her gloves as she gaped at the massive hole in the floor. It went at least four floors down, where she could see the left over debris from the collapsed floor. Looking up, she saw that the damage had come from a much higher floor.

She took a shaky breath and moved around the hole before she carefully continued through the house. It was obvious that the building was weak with age – one wrong step and she could be falling to her doom.

“Vendra?” she called. “I know you’re in here!”

The only sound was the creaking of the metal beneath her feet, which sent chills up her spine. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she quickly turned her head. She raised an eyebrow at a mysterious, hulking shadow in the corner of the room that hadn’t been there before. The blood left her face as the figure began to move, a glowing yellow eye glaring at her with a look of utter disgust. It stepped into the light, and she gasped at the massive size of the monster in front of her.

Metallic bits took up most of his pale white skin, some parts even moving as if they were external organs. One of his eyes had been replaced with a bionic one, which was large and red and resembled a monocle. He had the look of an ape, and his nose flared as he snorted while he sized her up. She barely had time to duck as he swung one of his freakishly enormous arms at her, his hand barely missing the top of her head. She dove to the side as he punched at the ground where she was but a moment ago and stared up at him fearfully. She grabbed the gun from off of her belt and aimed it at him.

“You must be Neftin”, she said shakily. The beast’s eye widened when he heard his name spoken, but then narrowed again in rage.

“I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave us alone!” he said, his voice gruff and booming.

Talwyn placed her back against a wall as Neftin charged at her, and at the last moment, she yelped and jumped away, causing the Nether to crash into the wall and appear on the other side. She shook his head, clearing the dust out of his hair before he turned around to face Talwyn again.

“I need your help!” Talwyn yelled as she shot at him. He flinched from the shots, but merely shook them off as he stomped in Talwyn’s direction. He eyed a pipe sticking out of the wall as he moved and, without an ounce of energy spent, effortlessly ripped a pipe out of the wall.

“She already said no! Now get out!”

Talwyn cried out as Neftin almost removed her head with the pipe, and she tried to dash away again before her arm she was caught in Neftin’s massive hand. She shot at him multiple times, but he only flinched as if they were nothing but pebbles being thrown at him. She struggled as much as she could, but she was no match for his brute strength as he dragged her over to the hole in the ground. He held her up above the hole, and she gripped onto his fingers fearfully.

“My friend is dying! Vendra is the only person who can save him!”

For a split second, she saw something flash across his face, but it was gone as quick as it had come, and he thrust her out further so that she’d have no chance to grab onto something on the way down. She grunted as she swung helplessly from his grasp, her arm feeling like it was coming out of its socket. Clank might be able to carry her to safety, but he would have to time his Helipack just right for it to work. There was also the problematic amount of sharp wood and steel she’d have to miraculously dodge on the way down. If she got impaled on the way, she might not even touch the ground before she died. She felt his grip loosen and she snapped her head back to look Neftin in the eye.

“Please!” she continued. “Other people are going to get hurt! The portal is still open!”

At these words, Neftin lost his breath. For a moment, he stared at her fearfully, as if this news was his absolute worst nightmare. He shook it off, though, and gave her a good shake, making her cry out again.

“You’re lying! How would you even know that?”

Talwyn glared at him as a tear threatened to slip from her eye.

“Vendra”, she said flatly.

Neftin was at a loss for words. No one else knew about the portal but Vendra and himself. She’d sealed it off years ago in order to save him. Only they knew how to open portals to this dimension. It didn’t make any sense.

“It’s true”, a solemn and cracking voice said from behind them. Neftin turned around to face his sister, who was once again floating in the air with her arms loosely wrapped around herself. He turned back to Talwyn and slowly moved his hand out from above the hole before placing her onto solid ground again. The Markazian rubbed her shoulder, wincing as she did so.

“You told them about the portal?” he asked her carefully. She only bit her lip and nodded before she slowly settled down onto a chair, head hung low.

“And it’s open?” he continued, his anger flaring up just a little. Again, she nodded and looked up at Neftin sadly.

“I never closed it all the way. I just – I wanted to leave it open. Just a crack, in case maybe – maybe he’d change, and we could go back home.”

Neftin stared at her apprehensively as he moved over to stand closer to his sister.

“Vendra, you know we can’t go back there. He’s never going to change.”

The witch wiped an eye and turned her head away from her brother, refusing to look at him and show him any weakness. She had to be bigger than that.

“But what if he does?” she countered. “Wouldn’t you like to go home one day?”

He sighed and gently moved her head so that she was looking at him. She didn’t fight back as he did so, and she found herself comforted by her brother’s caring gaze.

“We were never home there. This is our home now – this dimension. We came here to be safe, didn’t we? We came here to make a home for ourselves.”

Vendra nodded, eyes downcast as she considered his words. Their leader had always been cruel, and she just wanted to make sure they had a way to go home if he ever changed. But leaving the portal open meant that over time, the barriers between their worlds would wear thin. Eventually, they’d all invade this dimension too, and if he had only become worse in his tyrannical rule, everyone and everything would succumb to him. She let out a soft cry and placed her head into her hands.

“Oh, Neftin”, she said sorrowfully. “I really messed up, didn’t I?”

 He shrugged his massive shoulders and nodded halfheartedly.

“You can still fix it, though. Plus, you sorta owe Pollyx for not keeping your side of the bargain. This is his home, too, you know.”

She let out the tiniest of giggles at his remark, and looked up at him in adoration.

“You’re right”, she said softly.

Talwyn felt Clank jab her lightly, and she remembered what she had come up there to do.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but does this mean you’re going to help us?”

Vendra looked at her and nodded.

“I will, but you need to promise us that you won’t ever tell anyone we’re here.”

With a handshake and a round of apologies, the four were off to the ship to meet up with Pollyx and Ratchet, all of them hoping that it wasn’t too late.

Chapter Text

The walk back to Talwyn’s ship was a long one. Vendra could’ve used her powers to teleport them closer, but Neftin insisted that she preserved her energy until she needed to use it. The witch had reluctantly agreed, but found herself feeling glad that she did when Pollyx came scurrying out of the ship as they arrived. He was frantic, his eyes wide with fear and his hands anxiously rubbing over each other.

“You have to hurry!” he said nervously. “He’s gotten worse!”

Everyone rushed in, with Neftin barely being able to fit through the entrance. Talwyn felt a fresh wave of panic wash over her as the sounds of heavy, labored breathing reached her ears. She opened the door to Ratchet’s room, but froze up when she was met with a horrifying sight. Ratchet’s eyes were wide open, tainted a sickening purple, and staring emptily at the ceiling. Although he was stiff as a board on the bed, it looked like he was trying with all his might to move, his body shaking with strain. Vendra pushed past her and into the room, eyes trained on him as if she were analyzing him.

Talwyn hesitantly followed, her footsteps light and unsure. “What’s happening to him?”

The witch only stared at Ratchet, eyes hard and focused. There was a flicker of light in the palm of her hand, followed by a soft, glowing, purple halo that encircled her hand. She reached down to touch Ratchet, but cried out as she jumped back in pain. Everyone flinched, and Talwyn tried to help her, but Neftin only held her back, shaking his head.

Vendra held her hand as the stinging subsided, and looked at the lombax with trepidation. Her hesitation vanished quickly, though, and she bravely reached out again slowly, her hand glowing once again. Neftin motioned for everyone to back up a little, and he took to standing in front of them as she made contact. The sound of sizzling energy filled the room. She managed to touch Ratchet, grunting as she did so, but ended up also crying out loud and long as she and Ratchet began to glow a harsh pink. There was a pop that sounded like static electricity, and she ripped her hand away from him, breathing through her teeth as she held her arm. Her brother immediately moved over to gently take her hand and lead her away from Ratchet.

 “Vendra, are you okay?”

She nodded her head, eyes wide as she gripped her arm tighter, lightly massaging it. “There’s a Nether inside of him.”

Talwyn lost her breath, her world tilting at Vendra’s words. Ratchet’s strange behavior, his purple eyes, his lack of sleep – it was all because of the thing inside of him. “H-How do we get it out?”

Vendra motioned for Neftin to pick up Ratchet, which he immediately did with the intention of getting him onto the ship. “We need to get him back to Yerek”, she said.

“Wait!” Talwyn said, urgency clear in her voice. “We can’t!” Ratchet’s crazed screaming echoed through her head. She didn’t have a clue as to what to do, but she knew that they couldn’t take Ratchet back to Yerek. That was where it had all started.

“Please, Miss Apogee”, Clank said reassuringly. “Miss Prog knows what she is doing.”

Talwyn wasn’t convinced. “But don’t you remember all those things he was screaming when he tried to leave? What if that creature inside of him was trying to make him go back?”

“If he was trying to go back to Yerek, then that wasn’t the Nether’s doing”, Vendra said matter-of-factly.

Nethers rarely used a host body. It was considered taboo in her dimension, but when the occasional possession did happen, the only reasons were to harvest energy and perhaps jump between dimensions. She could feel how powerful the Nether inside Ratchet was, and she hadn't even made a full connection. Even so, this one was so strong that she could sense its malevolent thoughts and knew that it had no intention of leaving anytime soon. If it wanted to stay in this dimension so badly, then going back to Yerek would be the last thing on its mind. She looked at Ratchet, who lied stiff in Neftin’s muscled arms. Just looking at him, she could tell he’d been fighting since the second the Nether had invaded his mind.

“That was Ratchet”, she finally continued as she made eye contact with the Markazian. “When someone is possessed by a Nether, there’s a period of time when the host can hear its thoughts. He must have heard it thinking about never wanting to go back.”

Ratchet’s frantic words still haunted Talwyn, and now they were tearing her apart. She knew that she shouldn’t have to feel guilty; it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t have a clue as to what was happening. She couldn’t have possibly known why he was acting so strangely, and couldn’t have done anything to prevent it. But when she snapped back to reality, she felt Vendra’s cold hand rubbing her shoulder in a comforting gesture. She cleared her throat to ground herself, and nodded at Vendra as a silent thank-you.

. . .

On the way to the planet, Vendra filled them in on the removal of a Nether from its host. The most important step is that the host be as close as possible to the place of possession. This way, the Nether will have somewhere to go when it’s forcefully removed. She warned them that performing an exorcism is intense, but that it’s important that they don’t interfere with the process. Nethers are also creatures of negative energy, so positive thoughts helped to create a protective barrier around any other people involved.

“In order to get the Nether out of him, I’m going to need cooperation from all of you”, Vendra said as Yerek became visible in the distance. “It’s strong. I won’t be able to draw him out without help.”

“But what can we do?” Talwyn wanted to help in every way she could, but she was practically helpless in this situation. Clank and Pollyx looked at Vendra expectantly, obviously thinking the same thing. The best thing they could do was offer support. Of course, if that was what Vendra needed, then they’d do it without question.

“Aren’t you forgetting that you’re his friends? I have a connection with the Nether, but you have a connection with Ratchet. You need to help him fight.”

Talwyn nodded, still unsure of how she could help him, but put her trust in Vendra. How many times the witch had rescued people from Nethers, she didn’t know. But it was clear that she had experience, and had the abilities to save the lombax.

. . .

When Vendra stepped off of the ship and onto Yerek, she felt herself sway unsteadily. Her vision fluttered in and out, and she heard the faraway voice of her concerned brother. His words were fuzzy. He was telling her something, probably asking if she was okay, but she couldn’t focus. Her arms made their way to her head, her eyes closing shut for just a moment before she regained control of her senses again. She was met with four pairs of worried eyes when she finally opened her own.

“I-I’m fine”, she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “It was just a shock, that’s all.”

“Why?”

Vendra held Talwyn’s question in her mind as she looked around at the overgrown weeds and rotting structures. She could hardly remember what the place looked like the last time she’d been there, but she knew that age had taken its toll on this planet. Other things had happened over the past 23 years, too, but those were things only she could see.

“There’s a lot of Nether energy here. More than there should be. The barrier is wearing thin.”

Pollyx squinted his tiny eyes at her, the wrinkles on his head furrowing. “I thought you said you closed the portal.”

Vendra didn’t even look at him as she lifted her feet off of the ground and followed Talwyn, who was leading the way to the orphanage. “I’ll explain later” was all she said.

The makeshift entrance was exactly as Ratchet had left it. They had to make it a little bigger to accommodate Neftin, but before long they were all inside the orphanage and heading toward the entrance to the underground caves. Vendra found herself falling under a dizzy spell again when she felt the presence of eager Nethers all around her. There were too many in one place, and they were whispering something in unison. She knew that she was safe behind the barrier, however thin it was, but was still unnerved by how clear their chanting was.

Freedom. Freedom. Freedom.

She knew they were referring to Ratchet and the Nether within him. If she failed to save him, then the Nethers might be set free, including their Leader. He was the reason she and Neftin left in the first place. He was cruel and dangerous and would do absolutely anything for power, even if it meant enslaving his own people. He’d no doubt enslave and eventually wipe out this dimension if he got the chance, and the only reason he had that chance to begin with was because of her own unwillingness to let go. She had to make things right, and if it meant facing her demons, then so be it.

When they finally made their way down into the caves, Vendra immediately knew where Ratchet had been infected. She could see and feel the immense banging coming from the other side, as if the Nethers were clamoring over each other to be the first to leave. They didn’t have much longer before the barrier broke. If the Leader was strong enough, he might be able to bypass the remaining layers of the barrier and cross over into her dimension.

“Okay”, she said as she set her feet onto the ground again, “place him by the wall, as close as possible.”

Neftin did so as she motioned for Talwyn, Clank, and Pollyx to follow as well. When they were all huddled together next to the wall, Vendra positioned Ratchet so that his head was closest to the barrier and his feet here parallel to the wall. Everyone took a spot around him, opting to sit down on the cold rock.

“I need you to think strong, hopeful, and pleasant thoughts. No worrying, no anger. Just positive things.”

After a moment, Vendra nodded to Neftin, who sat down as well and held Ratchet in his thoughts. The witch felt a disturbance in the energy around them – the Nethers knew what was happening, and they were not happy. She heard one of them screech in rage as she reached out to touch Ratchet’s forehead. Once again, her hands glowed a harsh pink, and she bit back a cry as she pushed herself deep into the lombax’s mind. She ignored the pain, knowing that no matter how far her consciousness went, she had her brother by her side. As she pushed, she could feel an overwhelming sense of light and recognized it as the people around her. Just knowing that she wasn’t fighting alone made her feel a little stronger, and she was able to finally push through the darkness and make it into Ratchet’s sub consciousness.

“She’s in”, Neftin said, who was keeping an eye on Vendra. “She needs to find Ratchet. Keep thinking positive thoughts – it’ll guide him back.”

Instinctively, everyone reached out for each other, gingerly holding each other’s hands. They gripped onto each other tighter when, for the first time, they heard the ghostly howls of a Nether.

Chapter Text

Harsh blue light was all Vendra could see from beneath the lids of her eyes. She felt a familiar coldness settle into her bones along with the sudden change in gravity. Her hair tickled her neck as it floated loftily above her, swirling around slowly as if underwater. She opened her eyes and let out a gasp, her breath coming out as a white cloud. Her world was upside-down, and she quickly righted herself.

She frowned at how familiar everything was. It looked just like the Netherverse, but she knew that it wasn’t. This was Ratchet’s mind, completely ravaged and overrun by a vile creature that put a bad name to her kind. She lifted her hand, and watched in horror as her every movement was outlined in black ripples that slowly dissipated into oblivion. It was so much like the Netherverse, only much worse. Everything felt slow, like she was swimming in a vat of molasses. She could hear herself breathing, the sound bouncing off of invisible walls and coming back as a haunting echo. The air was thick with hatred; she wasn’t welcome here.

She pressed onward, determined to get rid of the Nether that had wrongly taken Ratchet as its own. She let out a grunt as a vine snagged onto her dress, its unnaturally swirled tendrils attempting to pull her into the ground. She glared at it from the corner of her eye and ripped the fabric away before continuing on. Even the plants were hostile – proof that the Nether here was a strong one.

Her head snapped to the right when she felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow coming from somewhere in front of her. She crept forward and found herself floating at the edge of a deep, dark pit. She knew that if she ventured down, she’d be wandering into the darkest part of Ratchet’s mind. If he was still here, he’d be there. Unfortunately, it was also the perfect place for the Nether inhabiting him to fester and grow stronger. No matter what she would have to face, there was no way around the fact that the answer was beneath her feet. Gathering her wits, she floated above the pit, closed her eyes, and took the plunge. Her world was swallowed by the darkness as she sank into the most vulnerable and darkest place in Ratchet’s mind.

. . .

When she opened her eyes, she immediately looked up to see how far she’d gone down. She only found a gray rock ceiling with small cracks of glowing cyan blue. Feeling a pang of fear, she realized that she was trapped. She strengthened her resolve, however, and decided that it was only temporary. Turning her attention to the room itself, she was met with a cage-like structure surrounded in a black aura that made her feel sick to her stomach. The room was poisoned with negativity so strong that the roots of plants were protruding through the walls like swords. Out of everything in the room, though, nothing made her cringe more than the tiny figure sitting defeated at the bottom of the cage. She knew immediately that this was Ratchet.

She called his name, her voice sounding distorted and much too far away. He slowly turned his head up and regarded her with a confused expression.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Vendra, and I’m going to get you out of here”, she said as she examined his cage. The Nether had placed multiple energy-based barriers around it. It seemed that Ratchet had nearly escaped multiple times, as some of the barriers had visible cracks. She frowned angrily – as if taking over his mind wasn’t bad enough, this Nether had actually imprisoned him.

She bit her lip and reached out to touch the cage, her hand glowing pink once again. She clenched her eyes shut as she felt the sparks fly. The pain was nearly unbearable, and she let out a sharp cry as she was flung from her spot and thrown against the wall. The barrier was much stronger than the one at the surface -- there was no way she was getting through without help. Ratchet, being that this was his mind, had an advantage, evidenced by the cracks in the previous barriers. The only problem was that it was already overrun, and trying to fight back could hurt him. It was a risk that she had to take, though, and she knew that Ratchet would want the same thing; being possessed wasn’t a fun experience.

“Ratchet, listen to me. I can get you out of here, but I need your help.”

. . .

Ratchet growled and grit his teeth, his body seizing up as if he were in seizure and his fur standing up in some places. The invisible and trapped Nethers around Talwyn and the others screeched at the lombax’s struggles.

“Ratchet?” Talwyn called worriedly. She opened her eyes and tried to hold him still. Neftin motioned for her to close her eyes while he helped to hold Ratchet down, too.

“He’ll be okay. Just keep thinking positive thoughts.”

Talwyn gulped, flinching when she heard Ratchet yell. The Nethers only pounded louder, speaking in a language she couldn’t understand. It unnerved her and even fueled the rage within her, but she resolved to swallowing her anger and let the fire burning with her become steam. She had to stay calm and give her friend strength. She felt Pollyx’s hand squeeze her shoulder in an act of comfort, letting her know that he was there. She took a breath to steady herself before thinking about things that made her calm. She thought of the ocean, and how dreamy it looked when it met the sky. She thought of the stars above the space station, and how she could never count them all before she fell asleep. But most of all, she thought of Cronk and Zephyr. For once, she didn’t associate their names with fire, explosions, and accidents. She only thought about how caring and brave they were and how much they had loved her.

. . .

Vendra knew from the moment he closed his eyes that it was much too late to rely on what little happy thoughts he had left. Within seconds, he was cringing, his features twisting in agony. As long as he was in that blasted cage, he wouldn’t be able to exercise any amount of his own free will.

Ratchet stopped before she could tell him to and he slumped back, breathing heavily as the pain subsided. She felt a chill run up her spine, and Ratchet’s pupils grew small as he stared at whatever was behind her. She whipped around just in time to dodge a long, hook-like claw. It drove itself deep into the ground, sending shockwaves through the room before it was ripped back up again. She felt herself grow faint at the sight of a transparent window leading into nothing but darkness. Her pulse quickened, her heart pounding against her chest as the claw slowly retracted back through the window to its owner. Her eyes grew wide with terror as she stared into the cold, empty, and enormous eye of the Nether Leader.

She couldn’t move or speak. For a long moment, she was stunned. She couldn’t even breathe as his eye starting glowing. She heard nothing but a horror-induced ringing in her ears as he continued to glare at her. Vendra choked down her fear and replaced it with anger, though, and somehow had just enough time to dodge an energy blast from his massive eye.

“Talakut ka mago Vendra!”

His words freed her voice.

 “You stay away from my dimension!”

The Leader roared at her defiance, and reached both claws in to drag her into the dark. She shot him away with a blast of her own power. He only flinched, but it was enough to give her a second to move out of the way.

“Salak Ratchet umbata! Tiko sa vatam!”

“No!” she screamed as she tried to hit him with another stronger blast. “I won’t let you kill him or anyone else!”

She cried out as he managed to swipe her with his claw, sending her flying back to the other side of the room. She tried to get back up, but couldn’t even find the strength to stand when the Leader began to form a barrier around her. Everything burned and she panicked, knowing that once she was in, she wouldn’t be able to escape. She remembered the walls all around her without an exit, and her terror only grew in intensity. The Leader laughed sadistically as he picked up on her fear.

“Help”, she whispered as she pushed back, stalling for time. “Please…”

There was a glimmer of something in the corner of her eye, and she felt the room grow warmer. The Leader let out a screech, a weight was lifted, and Vendra scrambled to her feet as the barrier dissipated. She was met with the graceful presence of a brilliant yellow orb of light. She recognized it as Ratchet’s friends and smiled, knowing that her brother was among them. Ratchet watched in awe as the orb breezed through the barriers, shattering them one by one in explosions of light. The Leader let out another roar in anger, but before he could stop him, Ratchet was already free of his prison.

“Go!” Vendra shouted as she reflected the Leader’s energy blast back at him. “Follow it! Go!”

Ratchet didn’t hesitate, knowing that whoever this person was, she was capable of handling herself. The orb of warmth and light neared him, and he reached out for it before he was engulfed in yellow. Shortly after, he disappeared with it and the warm glow receded.

Vendra stood before the Nether Leader as he moaned. He had been severely weakened by the energy of everyone’s strength combined, but he was nowhere near finished. She glared at him in disgust, head tilted low and eyes nothing but vicious and hateful slits. Still, she kept the beautiful memory of her brother with her, giving her strength and protecting her from the Leader’s overwhelming negativity.

“You really are a monster”, she said coldly. “And to think I actually had faith in you.”

He only gripped the sides of the window with what little strength he had and shot a laser at her. She reflected it back at him, barely flinching as she did so, and he let out a sharp cry. One of his claws had come loose from the edge of the window. He hastily scrambled to hook it back again as if his life depended on it.

“I had always hoped that there was something good in you”, she said as she threw a blast at the floor. “… but I was wrong. You’re nothing but horrible.” The floor cracked beneath her, and the Nether Leader stared at her, petrified. Vendra looked like a remorseless demon, her thin form standing out sharply against the waves of purple and pink energy that emanated from her. For once in his existence, the Nether Leader was scared. The world that he had created was falling apart. Soon he wouldn’t have anything left to hold on to. Vendra smiled to herself – she was winning. Ratchet was winning.

“And now, I can finally do what I should have done years ago: send you back where you belong and close the portal for good.” She shot another blast into the floor, and it cracked again. This time the floor actually split into pieces and disappeared. The walls crumbled as well and he flailed helplessly in the darkness, trying in vain to grab onto something.

“I can finally let go.”

At these last words, she gathered the last of her strength and blasted him back into the oblivion behind him. He roared as he thrashed and reached his claws out one last time to take her with him. She didn’t even flinch as one of them came dangerously close to her face. Vendra watched with stone cold eyes as the distance between them grew, the Leader growing smaller and smaller before finally disappearing in a flash of light.

. . .

The feeling of being dropped was the first thing Ratchet felt. It was almost like the falling sensation he sometimes got right before he fell asleep that made his body involuntarily jerk. His ears were slowly flooded with the sound of cold, violent winds whistling all around him, and eventually he felt someone touching him. In fact, it wasn’t just one person. There were multiple hands all over him, some gripping on tighter than others. Ratchet tried to move, but it felt like all his limbs had turned to stone. He heard a deafening roar from somewhere above him and he managed to force his heavy eyes open.

Talwyn, Clank, a Terachnoid, and two other people were above him, their expressions showing nothing but terror as they stared at something far above him. He felt himself grow cold as he looked up, too. Bursting out of his chest like an oversized tornado was an enormous, translucent, purple creature. Its claws were swiping through the air in agony and its maw of knife-like teeth glinted in the dim light of the cave. He could do nothing but lie on the stone floor of the cave as it was ripped from his body. He felt like he was being swallowed up by thick black tar and realized that he was about to faint. His head felt tight and ready to burst. He wanted it all to stop, and for once the world obliged and the dark ocean of sleep finally dragged him far beneath its waves.

Chapter Text

For the umpteenth time today, Talwyn felt utterly helpless. After the group had left the caves to return to the ship, Vendra had requested that she be alone with Ratchet for a while. Neftin had placed Ratchet onto the cot in the back room and, after some coaxing from Clank, Talwyn finally gave in and had left the room to make way for Vendra.

“Why?” she had asked once she and Neftin were alone. 

The hulking Nether leaned his massive form on his thighs and shook his head. “Vendra just needs some space to concentrate. It’s all a part of the healing process.”

Talwyn gave him a confused look and Neftin sighed as he continued. “The Nether did a lot of damage when he was inside his head. Vendra is just using her abilities to help him recuperate.”

The Markazian nodded as she stared intently at the door to Ratchet’s room. 

. . .

Pollyx grunted as he threw the sheet over his machine before tying a rope around it. Now that everything was done and over with, he could go back to Terachnos and pretend nothing ever happened. There was so much he had to plan, though. If someone saw him returning with his mysterious machine, they’d question him about it.

He was already thinking up excuses when he heard the clack clack clack of Clank’s metallic feet as the robot came up behind him. His green orbs were alight with curiosity as he eyed the cloaked machine.

“Do you intend to leave soon?”

The Terachnoid bobbed his oversized head up and down as he sat down on the cart that held his machine. His eyes were troubled and Clank took notice. The little robot took a seat beside Pollyx and looked up at him questioningly, silently urging him to talk. Pollyx got the idea and rested his chin in his hands.

“I still haven’t gotten an explanation from Vendra.”

Clank knew that Vendra had not kept her side of the bargain she and Pollyx had made 23 years ago, but he also knew that it wasn’t his place to tell him. But the Nether was both young and scared at the time, and all she wanted was a place to call her home. She couldn’t possibly have had any kind of malicious intent when she left the portal open. He couldn’t be sure of what was going through the child’s mind all those years ago, but he knew that she did it out of hope.

“Pollyx”, he said, “Would you agree that you’ve known Vendra longer than anyone else has in this dimension?”

The Terachnoid’s eyes shifted back and forth a little as he considered this, but he eventually agreed.

“Then you know that she never intended to bring harm to this dimension. Remember that when she finally decides to tell you the truth.”

Pollyx only stared at the floor as Clank stood up and faced him. “Despite the circumstances, it was a pleasure working with you”, he said before he turned, exited the room, and left him to his thoughts.

. . .

The thick layer of anxiety in the room only thickened when the door to Ratchet’s room finally opened. Vendra stepped out of the room gently massaging her head. Her eyes looked tired, but she didn’t look upset. Hopefully that wasn’t a bad sign.

“Is he alright?” Talwyn immediately asked. Vendra was nodding before the last word left the Markazian’s lips. The question was expected and all Vendra wanted to do was sit down and rest for a while. Talwyn’s face lit up at the news and, after confirming that she could go in, walked with Clank into Ratchet’s room.

The witch nodded at Neftin, who left her alone. He knew what she was going to do and left her to it. As much as Vendra really wanted to lie down, she knew that she had one last piece of unfinished business. She made her way to Pollyx and found him sitting on his cloaked machine. He watched her come in and silently acknowledged her.

“Pollyx, I have something to tell you. About what happened 23 years ago. I –“

He raised his hand and smiled at her softly.

“Whatever happened back then doesn’t matter anymore. What does matter is that you chose to fix it.”

Vendra opened her mouth to say something, but it seemed that she was at a loss for words.

“We all make mistakes”, he continued as he winked at her. “It’s all a part of growing up. But please – keep your promises from now on.”

She nodded, mouthing the word “okay” before she looked at the machine behind him. He noticed her change in attention and chuckled as he stood up to hold out his hand.

“It was good seeing you again, Vendra. And you don’t have to worry; your secret is safe. I promise.”

She stared at the hand as the corners of her mouth twitched in a sad smile. She reached out for his hand, but ended up swatting it away and pulling him into a hug. Pollyx was startled, but returned the hug warmly and then held her out at arm’s length.

“Be good”, he said before he released her. She nodded and then went to fetch Neftin in order to complete her final task. Pollyx watched as she left and smiled to himself. Whether they really were doomed to live a life of constant pain and loneliness, he couldn’t say for sure. But he knew that they had always been destined to save someone else from doing just that.

. . .

Talwyn stepped lightly as she walked into Ratchet’s room with Clank at her side. He was under the covers, awake but looking exhausted. His ear flicked at the sound of her entering and he lifted his tired gaze up at her as a silent greeting. She couldn’t help but shakily smile when she saw his eyes. They’d returned to their natural shade of fern green.

“Hey Ratchet”, she said sweetly. “How are you feeling?” She waited with baited breath, almost afraid that he’ll tell her he’s fine before turning away. 

“I feel like crap”, he said with a spark of playfulness in his eyes. “And I’m really, really hungry.”

Clank smiled at his response, feeling as equally relieved as Talwyn to hear his voice again. He really thought that he’d actually lost Ratchet for good before Vendra came into the picture. It was a relieving feeling to know that he'd get to talk to his best friend again. 

“We’ll get you something to eat as soon as we get back to the station”, Talwyn laughed as she held back her tears. “For now, just rest up.”

Ratchet groaned but couldn’t hide his smile. His Markazian friend saw through his feign and placed her hands on her hips as she gave him a cheeky grin.

“C’mon, Ratchet. You need it, trust me. I saw that thing come out of you, and it was huge. It has to be exhausting to keep something that big inside of you.”

Ratchet opened his mouth to say something vulgar but immediately shut it when he got a good look at Clank’s warning glare. He was already tired as it was – no need to make things harder for himself.

“I saw it, too”, he said instead, his eyes growing distant as he recalled the memory. Talwyn saw the fear in his eyes but didn’t make any mention of it. There was still so much she wanted to know, but decided that she’d ask all those questions some other time.

“It’s good to have you back”, she said candidly. “I’m really happy that you’re okay.”

He gave her a smile back before he turned away from the door and closed his eyes. Talwyn and Clank quietly left as the lombax fell into a welcomed, dreamless sleep.

. . .

The cool surface of the cave wall graced Vendra’s fingers as she fondly ran her hand across it. She felt all the little bumps that have formed on the once smooth surface and reminisced on how she never dreamed she’d return to it just to cut herself off from the caves forever. She felt her brother’s eyes watching her, his gaze boring into the back of her head. He was giving her a little time to truly say goodbye, and she was grateful for every second.

“I really hoped that you and I would be able to go back one day”, she said without turning to him. She kept her eyes on her hand where it rested on the wall. Neftin remained silent. “I know we’re twins” she continued, “but I always felt like I was your big sister. I wanted to look out for you. I didn’t –“ She takes a breath, her voice cracking as she chokes back her tears.. “… I didn’t want you to feel like you didn’t have a home.”

“Vendra”, Neftin said. The soothing sound of his deep, gruff voice makes her turn to look at him. Tears threatened to pour out of her eyes, but she didn’t care. For once, she was okay with being raw and vulnerable. “I had you, and that was home enough for me.”

She let out a shaky chuckle as a few stray tears slipped from her eyes before they were quickly wiped away. What she did to deserve him as her brother, she didn’t know. But his words reassured her that he’d always be by her side. He motioned toward the wall, and she nodded before placing both hands onto the solid rock in front of her.

She took a breath as her hands glowed purple and sparked. The pain was there, but she didn’t feel it. As the portal closed for good, all she felt was the wondrous sensation of being light in her mind, heart, and soul. The weights and chains that had been holding her down for so long finally unwound themselves as she granted herself sweet release. 

She was home, and she never wanted to leave.