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We got back without any problems I was aware of. The Station was a welcomed sight when Clank prodded me awake. Kronk and Zephyr met us in the hangar, anxious to make sure their mistress hadn't gotten into trouble without them there to protect her. Once sure she was fine, their next questions were about Max. It was expected, but not something I really wanted to hear from anyone right now. They bombarded her while I gingerly got out of her ship, Clank waiting for me to step down patiently.

Talwyn bit her bottom lip when they fell silent, waiting for answers.

"Dad is..." She faltered, a sad frown on her face as she thought about her reply. "...missing."

I stood on the side-lines, watching the awkward exchange unfolding. I felt I should've had something to add, but I didn't know if it'd be better if she told the whole story herself. Besides, all I wanted at that moment was to find some more nanotech, and fast. The brief rest on the way back did little to nothing in easing the pain and even now, just standing in the hangar waiting for Talwyn to tell her war-bots what happened, I felt my last reserves of energy drain away.

"He didn't really do all this, right miss?" Kronk asked hopelessly. "Not ol' Max."

Talwyn wasn't making eye-contact with him, but she kept her gaze from falling all the way to the floor. I saw her chest inflate silently as she breathed deeply before looking up at them again.

"It's a long story, guys. I'll tell you everything, but let's get back inside first. I don't want to stand around the hangar all day. Besides, we really need to get to our nanotech supply."

"Again? We should send you kids out with knee-pads and helmets next time!" Zephyr turned a bemused glance at me, chuckling to himself. It caused the bolts in his shoulders to jerk and rattle around. His laughing turned into a cough and he cleared his throat.

"Good gravy, rookie! What've ye done to yerself?!" Kronk said with clear shock when he turned to me too.

I pulled an irritable face to myself, not enjoying the attention. "I fell."

"Down the stairs, right?" Zephyr interrupted with a knowing nod. "Done it meself a few times. One time we were visiting them pyreemids on Azteka and we climbed all them stairs all the way to the top, only for Gearloose the Graceless here ta spring an oil leak, causin' us ta slip and slide all the way back down the whole thing like them Slinkies! Right, Kronk?"

Kronk shook his head hurriedly. "No no no, we were on the third moon a' Veroticon VI when we were busy walkin' the road to-"

"Perhaps we should go on ahead," Clank came to my rescue. "Talwyn, I think it would be best if you informed Kronk and Zephyr as to what happened in detail. We will find the nanotech and take care of things on our end."

She gave a nod, catching the drift. "There should be some in my bathroom. There's a dispenser installed on he wall near the shower, you can't miss it."

He nodded before taking a few steps towards the elevator, turning to make sure I was following. I gave Tal and her guardians a passing glance as I limped after him. I suddenly felt very out-of-place here. The walking temple, what it did, and Max's involvement were all things much more personal to them than they could ever be to me or Clank. Even if we wanted to offer some kind of emotional support, I didn't feel it was our place, really. Yet that part of me which'd gotten far too use to playing the hero wanted to find some way that I could help. Make them feel better some way.

But even if there was something I could do, it had to wait. Right now I was in no condition to help anyone with anything. We got into the elevator and I instantly leaned against the side of it before I slid down to sit. My legs ached and objected heavily to being used for any length of time. As if deliberately trying to make me feel worse, my brain decided now was the time to remind me of the stairs we were gonna have to climb to get to the station's living area. I gave a groan and leaned my head back against the wall.

"Ratchet?" Clank's voice asked with concern.

"Think you can carry me the rest of the way?" I grumbled.

"I do not think so," He answered, relaxing again. "You are very heavy and impractically shaped to be carried."

I laughed but it hurt my chest to do so. I rubbed it as I grinned at him instead. "'impractically shaped'?"

He gave a shrug at me. "It is the truth. You were not made for carrying."

I shook my head with another painful chuckle as the elevator dinged and its doors opened. I pushed myself back to my feet and we made the trek across the atrium to the entrance hall. As we walked through it and started the very slow and excruciating climb up the stairs, I gave the open floor a glance. The boxes, antiques, artifacts, crates, books and everything else that'd taken over the place only a couple of days ago were all gone. Discoloured sand and pieces of packing peanuts still lay in corners of the room and in cracks in the floor, but they were all that was left of the scene. I kept my eyes fixed on it as we climbed, finally reaching the living room and heading down the hall in the direction of Tal's bedroom. A nostalgia clung to me, and I wondered if everything of the explorer had been put out of sight. Maybe it was callous. Maybe it was for the best.

Talwyn's room was big, as it should be for the master bedroom. I tended not to go in it unless I was invited. Girls and all that. Right now though, it might as well have been a styrofoam warehouse for all I cared. The only thing in it which caught any of my interest at all was the bed, and that was because I just wanted to collapse down on it and go to sleep for a week. The bathroom was likewise big, with both a shower and over-sized, hot-tub like bath. The nanotech dispenser was a weird one. I'd never really seen a wall-mounted one before. It jutted out in a slight curve, made of a white metal with cyan lines running down its edges, the round nanotech symbol painted on it as if Talwyn might forget what it was for. Then again if Kronk or Zephyr had to use it.. ...yeah maybe labelling it was a good idea after all.

"Very practical." Clank nodded to himself in approval. "Perhaps we should ask her where she got it from so we could get one too. Or three. Or four."

As he looked it over to find a way to get the healing tech out of it, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. When I realised what I was looking at I froze, staring at my reflection before I turned and took a step closer to it. My eyes stared widely back at me in shock.

My fur had a layer of sandy coloured dust clinging to it. There were also random twigs and pieces of bark stuck in places, and my helmet had a bad tear on one of its straps. My shirt had also torn its sleeve and my gloves had gotten holes around the fingers from when I'd dug them into the tree-bark.

But those weren't the things that made my stomach roll. The fur all along the right side of my muzzle was matted together with a dark, dried-out substance. It was caked thickest around my nose and mouth, running along my cheek down the side of my face where it formed an incoherent mess. There were also dark stains around the shoulder of my shirt which'd seeped into the leather of my harness. I swallowed before I raised a shaking arm. It had its own black smudges and streaks across it, lifting the other one revealed it to look even worse. I also noticed a smaller series of dark streaks along the tip of one of my ears. I looked like a scene from a horror movie. I stared, a frozen sensation running up my arms as I wrapped them around my aching middle again.

"Ah, finally," Clank's voice said, startling me. I'd forgotten he was still in the room. He turned to me with a proud smile, a swirling orb cupped in his hands. His smile fell when he saw me though and he came closer, holding the dose of nanotech out urgently as he misread my expression. The nanotech immediately shot out towards me and seeped in under my skin. The ache in my arm vanished in an instant. I made a relieved noise, flexing my elbow gratefully.

"Is that alright?" Clank asked.

"Not yet, but it's better." I gave him a smile although I was feeling a little nauseous. "Almost there. Gimme another shot and it should do the trick."

Clank nodded and trotted back to the dispenser, pressing down on a panel and causing another fist-sized swirling ball to ooze out of it. I turned my gaze back to the mirror as I waited, transfixed by the image staring back at me, like you'd stare at a ship that'd gutted itself during a crash-landing.

"Just how bad was I hurt?" I asked, realising with horror I'd said it out loud.

Clank froze in place, his gaze dropping to stare at the glowing ball he was holding. I quickly started to backpedal. "Then again nevermind. It's over now, right? We're all good so I guess it's not really that important."

Clank nodded, although it seemed more to himself as he turned back to me, holding out the second orb. It followed the first one's path. The throb in my side subsided. Clank didn't say anything but looked up at me expectantly. I scratched at the back of my neck awkwardly.

"One more," I mumbled.

He merely nodded and turned back to the dispenser. I took the moment to look over the marks on my arm, but whatever cuts had bled had already been treated, probably by the tech he and Talwyn pumped into me when they first found me. There were no wounds anymore, only the evidence they'd left that'd dried in the sun.

"Tell me if you need another one after this," Clank said as he turned back, repeating the process again. "I would not be surprised if that were the case. You... really were in bad condition. I would rather not take chances."

I pulled a face to myself uncomfortably. I felt the cool rush as the newest ball of energy killed the last remaining aches and stings. I still felt tired though. The lack of sleep and being knocked out twice in one day hadn't done me any good. But the nanotech would deal with anything immediately serious. I took some relief in that. I was confident that after some sleep, and maybe a meal, I'd be a 100 percent again.

Clank turned back to the dispenser.

"I think that's good," I said to him as I started to remove my gloves. They felt gritty and were pretty much torn up anyway. "I'll just get cleaned up and I should be perfect again."

"I would rather not take chances," Clank repeated to the dispenser as he got another orb out of it.

I blinked at him for a moment before I knelt down, putting my gloves on the side of the sink as I did so. He kept his back to me as he waited for the orb to form properly. I sucked on my teeth as I searched the floor with my eyes meaninglessly. I looked up again as a topic starter came to mind.

"I didn't ask. Are you ok? Like... really ok?" I asked.

He turned back to me, holding the new orb. "Yes. The glass ceiling had broken in the temple when I got there, and the central pillar had something I assume to be a maintenance stairway spiralling up it. Once on the roof, it was only a few minutes before Talwyn picked me up and we cleared the building before it collapsed."

I waited patiently for him to finish as I nodded. "And after that?"

He blinked at me with soft confusion. "After that there was no more danger. The building came down, but we were out of range from any damage. We made contact with Aphelion and she had kept a good distance as well. We then focused on trying to locate you."

"And... erm... after that?" I pressed, locking my gaze with his, almost willing him to not break eye contact.

"After that..." He thought, his expression mixing between his current confusion and what was becoming discomfort. "...We searched for several hours. Eventually Aphelion contacted us, letting us know she had picked up a signal from your nav-unit. We tried to contact you but you would not answer. However, we were able to triangulate the signal and managed to find you."

This time I kept quiet, watching him closely. Normally I wasn't the kind of guy to push or force something, but I needed to know just how close I'd come to biting the big one this time. If Clank couldn't answer a direct question I had to try to get him to tell me some other way. I wish I could've just let the topic drop, but I had to know.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "When we did find you... you were badly hurt." He went silent for a moment. "I was very afraid." he shook his head hard before he straightened, his grip tightening on the sphere still in his hands. "I am so sorry, Ratchet! I feel awful for being the cause of this."

I gave him an incredulous smile. "The cause? The heck are you talking about, pal? If you'd planned all this I'm sure I'd have caught you out earlier."

He shook his head again mournfully. "You embarked on this insanity because you were concerned for my well-being. I feel responsible."

"Well don't," I said simply. "The place was posing a threat to everyone, pal. Not just robots, but anyone who owns a wristwatch! I would've gone to sort things out even if there wasn't anything dangerous to you specifically."

"Do not assume I did not know your true investment in the situation, Ratchet." he scolded with a sad frown.

I tried to grin, but it came out in a softer smile instead. "I thought that's just the kinda stuff we did. I mean, it's not like you haven't done stupid things for me before either, you know."

"Yes, but in the past what needed to be done did not have second options that were acceptable," He tried to argue.

"And what part of this d'you think I had to think twice about, huh?"

He said nothing for a few minutes, thinking to himself deeply. I could see the lights in his eyes dart very slightly with thought. He adjusted his grip on the nanotech when he looked up at me again.

"It did not make finding you injured and in pain any easier for me." He stared at me, clearly still very upset despite his calm tone of voice.

I said nothing for a moment, giving a short puff of a breath. There wasn't really much for me to convince myself of. I'd do all of it again in a heartbeat if I had to, but I wasn't gonna tell him that. Instead, I pulled my thoughts together, trying to come up with an easy way to put this thing to rest so we wouldn't have to go around in circles for half an hour. Eventually I turned back to him. He was waiting anxiously for an answer, something that would make him feel better. I felt myself smiling as I reach forward and rested a hand on one of his shoulders, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I didn't want you to get hurt, right? And... you didn't like me getting hurt either." I managed a wide smile again. "So if you ask me, we might as well just call the feeling mutual and leave it at that." I gave a small shrug. "Not much more we can do or say right?"

He said nothing, thinking this over for a moment before he walked closer. "Except, perhaps, that we need to protect each other a little better, I think."

"Nah," I chuckled. "You do a good enough job already."

"Likewise," He said with a smile.

The orb in his hands refused to draw into me and I reached out and took it from him, holding it in my hands as it remained where it was, having no more injuries to heal.

-

The next thing on my list was a shower. That was probably the most unpleasant experience of getting back. I watched in quiet revulsion as ribbons of yellowish red washed off me and pooled around my feet before draining away. I spent about double the time I usually did to get clean. I didn't want any evidence left of my fall on me. I wanted the whole ordeal, not just the physical part of it, cleaned away and dissolved. Eventually though, I had to admit I wasn't gonna be able to hide forever and turned off the water.

I pulled on some fresh clothes and left the bathroom. My boots were left to be cleaned later, along with my harness and helmet. I exited the bathroom, towel still draped around my shoulders, and I made my way to the living room. Only one more thing to do and I could close the book on all of this.

"So let me get this straight;" Dr. Faversham said, lacing his fingers together as he collected himself for his summary. "You managed to find the lombax built device that could over-ride the Switch's transmission and turned it on, which caused the machine to break apart and collapse in on itself."

I gave a nod, shifting my position on the coffee table.

"And how, pray tell, did you manage to get a 30 year old machine to turn on?" The Archaeologist raised a skeptical eyebrow at me. "One which had writing on it you could not understand built by a species no longer around?"

I gave a shrug. I didn't have the energy left to be irritated by the man's belittling. "I rewired and fixed the parts that were worn out. As for the design, it just... made sense to me."

He stared at me hard, I merely stared back with an open expression. After a few minutes he gave up with a sigh and a nod. "And how did you know where to find this machine? I merely ask because you did not seem to take very long before the Switch was disabled."

I thought for a moment about how to answer this. Eventually I decided to just tell the truth. "Max told me."

There was a pause. Dr. Faversham turned his gaze back to me slowly. There was disbelief in his eyes, but not because he was shocked. I was beginning to get the idea he didn't really trust me. Why I had no idea. Not to boast, but I'd have thought if there was a species out there that might've given me some slack it would've been the Tharpods.

"Is that right?" He eventually asked.

I gave a nod. "When we, me and Clank that is, got back to the control room we talked to him about what this machine meant. It seems he already knew what it did but..." I hesitated, feeling the eyes behind me stare at the back of my head. "...When I told him... When I reminded him of his space station and... those on board... He had a change of heart. And he told me where it was."

There was drawn out silence in the living room. I could almost physically feel the minutes tick by. Eventually I heard a shift on the couch behind me, followed by the soft, feminine footsteps heading down the hall and out of earshot. I sunk in place slightly.

Dr. Faversham's eyes told me he'd followed Talwyn's walk out the room. He turned back to me, his gaze still stern and judgemental but not as full of doubt.

"I see." He took in a deep breath as he straightened, or as much as he could, considering his anatomy. "Then we at the Archaeological Institute accept your official statement regarding the situation. And we thank you for your coöperation." The last part was said as if he was sucking a lemon.

I simply gave a nod.

"If I may Interlude!" Qwark's giant shoulders and tiny head popped into frame. "I thought you'd like to know that I, the great and powerful Captain PRESIDENT Qwark, have discussed this with my advisors and it's been decided we're not gonna put any blame on you for what this crazy Max guy did! No need to thank me, it's all in a day's work. Upholding justice, protecting the innocent and all that." A toothpaste commercial smile beamed at me.

"Yeah great," I said, running a hand across my face. "Thanks, Qwark. That's great."

"You're welcome, faithful sidekick!" He gave a wink that made me want to punch him. Meanwhile, the tharpod was desperately trying to shove the man's massive arm off his humped back and push him off frame again.

"So..." I got up. "We're done right? We can put this thing to bed?"

"Just one last thing," The doctor managed as he partially got back into frame. "The whereabouts of Max Apogee. You said there was no trace of him when your robot companion returned to the control room, and there have been no signs of him after the destruction of the machine, correct?"

I gave a stiff nod.

"Do you want him to be reported missing?"

I said nothing, staring at the space directly below the screen, thinking it over. After a solid minute the archaeologist repeated himself.

"Do you want to report Max Apogee missing, Ratchet?"

I shook my head. "No."

"So you believe him to have perished in the destruction?"

Again, I said nothing. I heard him clear his throat to repeat himself again but I interrupted by shaking my head a second time. "No... no I don't think he did."

"So do you want to report him missing?" He said again, a hint of irritation in his voice.

I shook my head a third time. "No. No I don't want to report anything." I lifted my gaze. "I'll leave that to you more..." I looked back and forth between them. "...official types." I gave a shrug as I walked forward to turn the call off. "I'm just a mechanic."

Dr. Faversham opened his mouth to add something but I switched the screen off before he could say it. I stood motionless in front of the screen for a while, expecting them to call back with annoyed words and more questions, but they didn't. I turned to the room behind me. Clank was sitting on the couch, watching me carefully. He seemed unsure of what we had to do next. I gave him a sideways smile as I turned and left the room. I heard him climb down and start to follow me, but his footsteps stopped when he saw the direction I was heading.

I walked down the hall, stopping in front of the door. I stared at my shadow for a while, trying to write some kind of speech. Eventually I gave up and just knocked. I waited but there was no answer. I opened it anyway, peering inside.

Talwyn sat on her bed, staring out at one wall that was made of a glass-like material, overlooking the green gardens and the small waterfall that pooled into a swimming hole. She had her back to me, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. Her tail curled around her.

I stared at her for a moment. At first I did think of something to say, but I decided against it as I walked in and went over to her. She didn't acknowledge me, although I knew she heard me enter. I didn't even ask for permission as I climbed up onto the bed, crawled over until I was right behind her, and put my arms around her shoulders.

She stiffened but relaxed almost immediately. She didn't say anything, so I didn't see a reason to either. I stared at the leaves and ferns covering the view in front of us. I don't know how long we stayed like this, but it didn't seem to matter much either way.

Eventually I felt her take a deep breath before she let out again slowly, her shoulders dropping. Her arms slid from around her legs to loosely hooking around her ankles. She leaned back against me a little, but kept her gaze on the window-like wall. I didn't let go. She didn't seem to want me to.

"D'you wanna get out of here for a while?" I asked as she relaxed.

She tiled her head very slightly. "And go where?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I just figured maybe you'd like to get out of this place for a while and...I dunno... stay with us for a day or two."

She turned her head towards me slightly, giving me a cheeky but honest grin. "On Igliak?"

I pulled back as I finally let her go, giving her a wide grin in return. "Anywhere you want."

"Yeah..." She nodded to herself as he gaze dropped. She then raised her eyes again and smiled warmly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

-

When I got back to the living room Clank was sitting in one of the large armchairs. He had his book he'd got from Max open on his legs and was reading it closely. Not too absorbed in it though, since he looked up as soon as I walked in, closing it and pushing it aside.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

I smiled and gave a nod. "Yeah. We're gonna take Talwyn back home for a while."

"Do you think Igliak would be the best place for her right now?" He asked, getting down off the chair and coming closer. "Even if the Polaris government does not release an official statement on what happened, people are still going to have a lot of questions about the disappearance of the temple and Mr. Apogee's involvement with it."

"Yeah," I nodded. "But I wasn't really thinking of going back to Luminopolis. Not right away, anyway."

He blinked in full rotation at me, tilting his head. "Then where were you thinking?"

I smiled, putting a hand on his head fondly as I passed him to head to our room, finally confident that I could close my eyes and sleep with no more drama, pain, or danger waiting for me or any of my friends.

"Veldin's nice and sunny this time of year," I said as I went.

There was a pause during which I heard the clack of his metal footsteps follow me.

"Veldin is sunny every time of year," He said with something like a sigh.

I smiled to myself before I gave a soft laugh, patting his back lightly as we walked.

Description
We got back without any problems I was aware of. The Station was a welcomed sight when Clank prodded me awake. Kronk and Zephyr met us in the hangar, anxious to make sure their mistress hadn't gotten into trouble without them there to protect her. Once sure she was fine, their next questions were about Max. It was expected, but not something I really wanted to hear from anyone right now. They bombarded her while I gingerly got out of her ship, Clank waiting for me to step down patiently.

Talwyn bit her bottom lip when they fell silent, waiting for answers.

"Dad is..." She faltered, a sad frown on her face as she thought about her reply. "...missing."

I stood on the side-lines, watching the awkward exchange unfolding. I felt I should've had something to add, but I didn't know if it'd be better if she told the whole story herself. Besides, all I wanted at that moment was to find some more nanotech, and fast. The brief rest on the way back did little to nothing in easing the pain and even now, just standing in the hangar waiting for Talwyn to tell her war-bots what happened, I felt my last reserves of energy drain away.

"He didn't really do all this, right miss?" Kronk asked hopelessly. "Not ol' Max."

Talwyn wasn't making eye-contact with him, but she kept her gaze from falling all the way to the floor. I saw her chest inflate silently as she breathed deeply before looking up at them again.

"It's a long story, guys. I'll tell you everything, but let's get back inside first. I don't want to stand around the hangar all day. Besides, we really need to get to our nanotech supply."

"Again? We should send you kids out with knee-pads and helmets next time!" Zephyr turned a bemused glance at me, chuckling to himself. It caused the bolts in his shoulders to jerk and rattle around. His laughing turned into a cough and he cleared his throat.

"Good gravy, rookie! What've ye done to yerself?!" Kronk said with clear shock when he turned to me too.

I pulled an irritable face to myself, not enjoying the attention. "I fell."

"Down the stairs, right?" Zephyr interrupted with a knowing nod. "Done it meself a few times. One time we were visiting them pyreemids on Azteka and we climbed all them stairs all the way to the top, only for Gearloose the Graceless here ta spring an oil leak, causin' us ta slip and slide all the way back down the whole thing like them Slinkies! Right, Kronk?"

Kronk shook his head hurriedly. "No no no, we were on the third moon a' Veroticon VI when we were busy walkin' the road to-"

"Perhaps we should go on ahead," Clank came to my rescue. "Talwyn, I think it would be best if you informed Kronk and Zephyr as to what happened in detail. We will find the nanotech and take care of things on our end."

She gave a nod, catching the drift. "There should be some in my bathroom. There's a dispenser installed on he wall near the shower, you can't miss it."

He nodded before taking a few steps towards the elevator, turning to make sure I was following. I gave Tal and her guardians a passing glance as I limped after him. I suddenly felt very out-of-place here. The walking temple, what it did, and Max's involvement were all things much more personal to them than they could ever be to me or Clank. Even if we wanted to offer some kind of emotional support, I didn't feel it was our place, really. Yet that part of me which'd gotten far too use to playing the hero wanted to find some way that I could help. Make them feel better some way.

But even if there was something I could do, it had to wait. Right now I was in no condition to help anyone with anything. We got into the elevator and I instantly leaned against the side of it before I slid down to sit. My legs ached and objected heavily to being used for any length of time. As if deliberately trying to make me feel worse, my brain decided now was the time to remind me of the stairs we were gonna have to climb to get to the station's living area. I gave a groan and leaned my head back against the wall.

"Ratchet?" Clank's voice asked with concern.

"Think you can carry me the rest of the way?" I grumbled.

"I do not think so," He answered, relaxing again. "You are very heavy and impractically shaped to be carried."

I laughed but it hurt my chest to do so. I rubbed it as I grinned at him instead. "'impractically shaped'?"

He gave a shrug at me. "It is the truth. You were not made for carrying."

I shook my head with another painful chuckle as the elevator dinged and its doors opened. I pushed myself back to my feet and we made the trek across the atrium to the entrance hall. As we walked through it and started the very slow and excruciating climb up the stairs, I gave the open floor a glance. The boxes, antiques, artifacts, crates, books and everything else that'd taken over the place only a couple of days ago were all gone. Discoloured sand and pieces of packing peanuts still lay in corners of the room and in cracks in the floor, but they were all that was left of the scene. I kept my eyes fixed on it as we climbed, finally reaching the living room and heading down the hall in the direction of Tal's bedroom. A nostalgia clung to me, and I wondered if everything of the explorer had been put out of sight. Maybe it was callous. Maybe it was for the best.

Talwyn's room was big, as it should be for the master bedroom. I tended not to go in it unless I was invited. Girls and all that. Right now though, it might as well have been a styrofoam warehouse for all I cared. The only thing in it which caught any of my interest at all was the bed, and that was because I just wanted to collapse down on it and go to sleep for a week. The bathroom was likewise big, with both a shower and over-sized, hot-tub like bath. The nanotech dispenser was a weird one. I'd never really seen a wall-mounted one before. It jutted out in a slight curve, made of a white metal with cyan lines running down its edges, the round nanotech symbol painted on it as if Talwyn might forget what it was for. Then again if Kronk or Zephyr had to use it.. ...yeah maybe labelling it was a good idea after all.

"Very practical." Clank nodded to himself in approval. "Perhaps we should ask her where she got it from so we could get one too. Or three. Or four."

As he looked it over to find a way to get the healing tech out of it, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. When I realised what I was looking at I froze, staring at my reflection before I turned and took a step closer to it. My eyes stared widely back at me in shock.

My fur had a layer of sandy coloured dust clinging to it. There were also random twigs and pieces of bark stuck in places, and my helmet had a bad tear on one of its straps. My shirt had also torn its sleeve and my gloves had gotten holes around the fingers from when I'd dug them into the tree-bark.

But those weren't the things that made my stomach roll. The fur all along the right side of my muzzle was matted together with a dark, dried-out substance. It was caked thickest around my nose and mouth, running along my cheek down the side of my face where it formed an incoherent mess. There were also dark stains around the shoulder of my shirt which'd seeped into the leather of my harness. I swallowed before I raised a shaking arm. It had its own black smudges and streaks across it, lifting the other one revealed it to look even worse. I also noticed a smaller series of dark streaks along the tip of one of my ears. I looked like a scene from a horror movie. I stared, a frozen sensation running up my arms as I wrapped them around my aching middle again.

"Ah, finally," Clank's voice said, startling me. I'd forgotten he was still in the room. He turned to me with a proud smile, a swirling orb cupped in his hands. His smile fell when he saw me though and he came closer, holding the dose of nanotech out urgently as he misread my expression. The nanotech immediately shot out towards me and seeped in under my skin. The ache in my arm vanished in an instant. I made a relieved noise, flexing my elbow gratefully.

"Is that alright?" Clank asked.

"Not yet, but it's better." I gave him a smile although I was feeling a little nauseous. "Almost there. Gimme another shot and it should do the trick."

Clank nodded and trotted back to the dispenser, pressing down on a panel and causing another fist-sized swirling ball to ooze out of it. I turned my gaze back to the mirror as I waited, transfixed by the image staring back at me, like you'd stare at a ship that'd gutted itself during a crash-landing.

"Just how bad was I hurt?" I asked, realising with horror I'd said it out loud.

Clank froze in place, his gaze dropping to stare at the glowing ball he was holding. I quickly started to backpedal. "Then again nevermind. It's over now, right? We're all good so I guess it's not really that important."

Clank nodded, although it seemed more to himself as he turned back to me, holding out the second orb. It followed the first one's path. The throb in my side subsided. Clank didn't say anything but looked up at me expectantly. I scratched at the back of my neck awkwardly.

"One more," I mumbled.

He merely nodded and turned back to the dispenser. I took the moment to look over the marks on my arm, but whatever cuts had bled had already been treated, probably by the tech he and Talwyn pumped into me when they first found me. There were no wounds anymore, only the evidence they'd left that'd dried in the sun.

"Tell me if you need another one after this," Clank said as he turned back, repeating the process again. "I would not be surprised if that were the case. You... really were in bad condition. I would rather not take chances."

I pulled a face to myself uncomfortably. I felt the cool rush as the newest ball of energy killed the last remaining aches and stings. I still felt tired though. The lack of sleep and being knocked out twice in one day hadn't done me any good. But the nanotech would deal with anything immediately serious. I took some relief in that. I was confident that after some sleep, and maybe a meal, I'd be a 100 percent again.

Clank turned back to the dispenser.

"I think that's good," I said to him as I started to remove my gloves. They felt gritty and were pretty much torn up anyway. "I'll just get cleaned up and I should be perfect again."

"I would rather not take chances," Clank repeated to the dispenser as he got another orb out of it.

I blinked at him for a moment before I knelt down, putting my gloves on the side of the sink as I did so. He kept his back to me as he waited for the orb to form properly. I sucked on my teeth as I searched the floor with my eyes meaninglessly. I looked up again as a topic starter came to mind.

"I didn't ask. Are you ok? Like... really ok?" I asked.

He turned back to me, holding the new orb. "Yes. The glass ceiling had broken in the temple when I got there, and the central pillar had something I assume to be a maintenance stairway spiralling up it. Once on the roof, it was only a few minutes before Talwyn picked me up and we cleared the building before it collapsed."

I waited patiently for him to finish as I nodded. "And after that?"

He blinked at me with soft confusion. "After that there was no more danger. The building came down, but we were out of range from any damage. We made contact with Aphelion and she had kept a good distance as well. We then focused on trying to locate you."

"And... erm... after that?" I pressed, locking my gaze with his, almost willing him to not break eye contact.

"After that..." He thought, his expression mixing between his current confusion and what was becoming discomfort. "...We searched for several hours. Eventually Aphelion contacted us, letting us know she had picked up a signal from your nav-unit. We tried to contact you but you would not answer. However, we were able to triangulate the signal and managed to find you."

This time I kept quiet, watching him closely. Normally I wasn't the kind of guy to push or force something, but I needed to know just how close I'd come to biting the big one this time. If Clank couldn't answer a direct question I had to try to get him to tell me some other way. I wish I could've just let the topic drop, but I had to know.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "When we did find you... you were badly hurt." He went silent for a moment. "I was very afraid." he shook his head hard before he straightened, his grip tightening on the sphere still in his hands. "I am so sorry, Ratchet! I feel awful for being the cause of this."

I gave him an incredulous smile. "The cause? The heck are you talking about, pal? If you'd planned all this I'm sure I'd have caught you out earlier."

He shook his head again mournfully. "You embarked on this insanity because you were concerned for my well-being. I feel responsible."

"Well don't," I said simply. "The place was posing a threat to everyone, pal. Not just robots, but anyone who owns a wristwatch! I would've gone to sort things out even if there wasn't anything dangerous to you specifically."

"Do not assume I did not know your true investment in the situation, Ratchet." he scolded with a sad frown.

I tried to grin, but it came out in a softer smile instead. "I thought that's just the kinda stuff we did. I mean, it's not like you haven't done stupid things for me before either, you know."

"Yes, but in the past what needed to be done did not have second options that were acceptable," He tried to argue.

"And what part of this d'you think I had to think twice about, huh?"

He said nothing for a few minutes, thinking to himself deeply. I could see the lights in his eyes dart very slightly with thought. He adjusted his grip on the nanotech when he looked up at me again.

"It did not make finding you injured and in pain any easier for me." He stared at me, clearly still very upset despite his calm tone of voice.

I said nothing for a moment, giving a short puff of a breath. There wasn't really much for me to convince myself of. I'd do all of it again in a heartbeat if I had to, but I wasn't gonna tell him that. Instead, I pulled my thoughts together, trying to come up with an easy way to put this thing to rest so we wouldn't have to go around in circles for half an hour. Eventually I turned back to him. He was waiting anxiously for an answer, something that would make him feel better. I felt myself smiling as I reach forward and rested a hand on one of his shoulders, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I didn't want you to get hurt, right? And... you didn't like me getting hurt either." I managed a wide smile again. "So if you ask me, we might as well just call the feeling mutual and leave it at that." I gave a small shrug. "Not much more we can do or say right?"

He said nothing, thinking this over for a moment before he walked closer. "Except, perhaps, that we need to protect each other a little better, I think."

"Nah," I chuckled. "You do a good enough job already."

"Likewise," He said with a smile.

The orb in his hands refused to draw into me and I reached out and took it from him, holding it in my hands as it remained where it was, having no more injuries to heal.

-

The next thing on my list was a shower. That was probably the most unpleasant experience of getting back. I watched in quiet revulsion as ribbons of yellowish red washed off me and pooled around my feet before draining away. I spent about double the time I usually did to get clean. I didn't want any evidence left of my fall on me. I wanted the whole ordeal, not just the physical part of it, cleaned away and dissolved. Eventually though, I had to admit I wasn't gonna be able to hide forever and turned off the water.

I pulled on some fresh clothes and left the bathroom. My boots were left to be cleaned later, along with my harness and helmet. I exited the bathroom, towel still draped around my shoulders, and I made my way to the living room. Only one more thing to do and I could close the book on all of this.

"So let me get this straight;" Dr. Faversham said, lacing his fingers together as he collected himself for his summary. "You managed to find the lombax built device that could over-ride the Switch's transmission and turned it on, which caused the machine to break apart and collapse in on itself."

I gave a nod, shifting my position on the coffee table.

"And how, pray tell, did you manage to get a 30 year old machine to turn on?" The Archaeologist raised a skeptical eyebrow at me. "One which had writing on it you could not understand built by a species no longer around?"

I gave a shrug. I didn't have the energy left to be irritated by the man's belittling. "I rewired and fixed the parts that were worn out. As for the design, it just... made sense to me."

He stared at me hard, I merely stared back with an open expression. After a few minutes he gave up with a sigh and a nod. "And how did you know where to find this machine? I merely ask because you did not seem to take very long before the Switch was disabled."

I thought for a moment about how to answer this. Eventually I decided to just tell the truth. "Max told me."

There was a pause. Dr. Faversham turned his gaze back to me slowly. There was disbelief in his eyes, but not because he was shocked. I was beginning to get the idea he didn't really trust me. Why I had no idea. Not to boast, but I'd have thought if there was a species out there that might've given me some slack it would've been the Tharpods.

"Is that right?" He eventually asked.

I gave a nod. "When we, me and Clank that is, got back to the control room we talked to him about what this machine meant. It seems he already knew what it did but..." I hesitated, feeling the eyes behind me stare at the back of my head. "...When I told him... When I reminded him of his space station and... those on board... He had a change of heart. And he told me where it was."

There was drawn out silence in the living room. I could almost physically feel the minutes tick by. Eventually I heard a shift on the couch behind me, followed by the soft, feminine footsteps heading down the hall and out of earshot. I sunk in place slightly.

Dr. Faversham's eyes told me he'd followed Talwyn's walk out the room. He turned back to me, his gaze still stern and judgemental but not as full of doubt.

"I see." He took in a deep breath as he straightened, or as much as he could, considering his anatomy. "Then we at the Archaeological Institute accept your official statement regarding the situation. And we thank you for your coöperation." The last part was said as if he was sucking a lemon.

I simply gave a nod.

"If I may Interlude!" Qwark's giant shoulders and tiny head popped into frame. "I thought you'd like to know that I, the great and powerful Captain PRESIDENT Qwark, have discussed this with my advisors and it's been decided we're not gonna put any blame on you for what this crazy Max guy did! No need to thank me, it's all in a day's work. Upholding justice, protecting the innocent and all that." A toothpaste commercial smile beamed at me.

"Yeah great," I said, running a hand across my face. "Thanks, Qwark. That's great."

"You're welcome, faithful sidekick!" He gave a wink that made me want to punch him. Meanwhile, the tharpod was desperately trying to shove the man's massive arm off his humped back and push him off frame again.

"So..." I got up. "We're done right? We can put this thing to bed?"

"Just one last thing," The doctor managed as he partially got back into frame. "The whereabouts of Max Apogee. You said there was no trace of him when your robot companion returned to the control room, and there have been no signs of him after the destruction of the machine, correct?"

I gave a stiff nod.

"Do you want him to be reported missing?"

I said nothing, staring at the space directly below the screen, thinking it over. After a solid minute the archaeologist repeated himself.

"Do you want to report Max Apogee missing, Ratchet?"

I shook my head. "No."

"So you believe him to have perished in the destruction?"

Again, I said nothing. I heard him clear his throat to repeat himself again but I interrupted by shaking my head a second time. "No... no I don't think he did."

"So do you want to report him missing?" He said again, a hint of irritation in his voice.

I shook my head a third time. "No. No I don't want to report anything." I lifted my gaze. "I'll leave that to you more..." I looked back and forth between them. "...official types." I gave a shrug as I walked forward to turn the call off. "I'm just a mechanic."

Dr. Faversham opened his mouth to add something but I switched the screen off before he could say it. I stood motionless in front of the screen for a while, expecting them to call back with annoyed words and more questions, but they didn't. I turned to the room behind me. Clank was sitting on the couch, watching me carefully. He seemed unsure of what we had to do next. I gave him a sideways smile as I turned and left the room. I heard him climb down and start to follow me, but his footsteps stopped when he saw the direction I was heading.

I walked down the hall, stopping in front of the door. I stared at my shadow for a while, trying to write some kind of speech. Eventually I gave up and just knocked. I waited but there was no answer. I opened it anyway, peering inside.

Talwyn sat on her bed, staring out at one wall that was made of a glass-like material, overlooking the green gardens and the small waterfall that pooled into a swimming hole. She had her back to me, her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. Her tail curled around her.

I stared at her for a moment. At first I did think of something to say, but I decided against it as I walked in and went over to her. She didn't acknowledge me, although I knew she heard me enter. I didn't even ask for permission as I climbed up onto the bed, crawled over until I was right behind her, and put my arms around her shoulders.

She stiffened but relaxed almost immediately. She didn't say anything, so I didn't see a reason to either. I stared at the leaves and ferns covering the view in front of us. I don't know how long we stayed like this, but it didn't seem to matter much either way.

Eventually I felt her take a deep breath before she let out again slowly, her shoulders dropping. Her arms slid from around her legs to loosely hooking around her ankles. She leaned back against me a little, but kept her gaze on the window-like wall. I didn't let go. She didn't seem to want me to.

"D'you wanna get out of here for a while?" I asked as she relaxed.

She tiled her head very slightly. "And go where?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I just figured maybe you'd like to get out of this place for a while and...I dunno... stay with us for a day or two."

She turned her head towards me slightly, giving me a cheeky but honest grin. "On Igliak?"

I pulled back as I finally let her go, giving her a wide grin in return. "Anywhere you want."

"Yeah..." She nodded to herself as he gaze dropped. She then raised her eyes again and smiled warmly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

-

When I got back to the living room Clank was sitting in one of the large armchairs. He had his book he'd got from Max open on his legs and was reading it closely. Not too absorbed in it though, since he looked up as soon as I walked in, closing it and pushing it aside.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

I smiled and gave a nod. "Yeah. We're gonna take Talwyn back home for a while."

"Do you think Igliak would be the best place for her right now?" He asked, getting down off the chair and coming closer. "Even if the Polaris government does not release an official statement on what happened, people are still going to have a lot of questions about the disappearance of the temple and Mr. Apogee's involvement with it."

"Yeah," I nodded. "But I wasn't really thinking of going back to Luminopolis. Not right away, anyway."

He blinked in full rotation at me, tilting his head. "Then where were you thinking?"

I smiled, putting a hand on his head fondly as I passed him to head to our room, finally confident that I could close my eyes and sleep with no more drama, pain, or danger waiting for me or any of my friends.

"Veldin's nice and sunny this time of year," I said as I went.

There was a pause during which I heard the clack of his metal footsteps follow me.

"Veldin is sunny every time of year," He said with something like a sigh.

I smiled to myself before I gave a soft laugh, patting his back lightly as we walked.