Requiem
Fandom: Ratchet & Clank
Rating: K - Nothin' really except mentions of violence.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Last experiment for the Lombaxes for now. Just wanted to try and think up how Ziggy and Ratchet would interact with one another (or just bonding time, or something). Also, since I have no knowledge of what will happen in ACiT (Ratchet’s father, if Ratchet & Clank will separate or not, etc.), I have to say it might be an AU of sorts. Hell, no one has even mentioned anything about Ratchet having a mother, if she died on Fastoon or not. But who knows, I’m just wingin’ it. I can change all of this when I find out in the game XD
For anyone who may be curious, the reason I chop up these oneshots is because I don’t want to give out any connective information. These ARE write-ups of possible future scenes in my fancomic, so I apologize if some may confuse anyone.
It was unusually cold this day--well, rather it was cold inside the labratory rather than outside, as it always was. It was unbelievable how anyone could stand to work in such a freezing temperature. Definitely bracing, but it could have gotten annoying, not only that but it could also cause one to get sick if they stayed in such conditions for too long. As Ratchet moved his feet along the metallic floors and into the bright lab, he looked around in amazement at the great amount of different gadgets and contraptions that had been created by the mad scientist that was just a few feet away from him.
If the room wasn’t white, it might as well have been, due to how clean it looked. Ratchet wondered how the man kept the place so clean, what with all the explosions that are frequently seen and heard from the building. He saw the scientist visibly flinch at the sound of feet crossing the floor, as he sat aside what he was working on before addressing the intruder.
“I told you earlier I wanted to be left alone--oh,” He was going to add an insult along with that until he saw who it was when he spun around in his chair. “it’s you, Ratchet.” He laughed a little. “Forgive me, I thought you were that little grease monkey coming back for a fight.
Ratchet smirked a bit, remembering his nickname for Graul. “Sorry, Ziggy. I probably should’ve knocked first.”
The scientist waved a hand. “It’s alright, I’m used to people bursting in here after an explosion I’ve caused. Your entry was far more pleasant.” He stood from his seat and brushed his hands together to swipe off the dust and grime on them. “Did you need something?”
Ratchet looked a little sheepish, fidgeting his hands a bit. “Nah,” He began, shrugging, before making eye contact with Ziggy. “I just wanted to thank you.”
The elder Lombax tilted his head. “For what?”
“For Clank. For saving him.” The youth smiled at him, not really needing to express his gratitude any further. Ziggy had seen so many expressions in his life, he could practically read every face around him.
Instead of giving his trademark grin, Ziggy just gave off a small smile as well and lowered his head a little, supposidly giving Ratchet a look of sympathy. “I take it he’s functioning properly again?”
Ratchet nodded. “He was really confused when he woke up, but he seems to be doing fine now.” He looked at the ground thoughtfully before turning back up to look at the scientist. “Anyway,” He said, figuring that the elder had work to do, trying to speed up the thanking process. “I just wanted to thank you. I mean...” He paused a minute, remembering the frantic incident that nearly gave the poor boy a heart attack. “I couldn’t even figure out what was wrong with him. Which is really odd, mind you, since I always know how to fix him.” He chuckled softly.
Ziggy nodded his head, folding his arms. “Sometimes we are confronted with problems we think we can solve, only to find that it leads to another part of the puzzle.” He said, tilting his head the other way. “Panic can lead to illogical decisions. Believe me, I was in that predicament once. I know what mistakes can be made in such situations.” Ratchet couldn’t see his eyes, but his brows moved down to what seemed to look like a grim expression.
The younger Lombax twisted his lip a little; whenever something was brought up about earlier years before the Great War, Ziggy always seemed to zone out and get lost in his own thoughts. Thinking about happier times. About friends who were no longer with them. About family.
“Clank is like a brother to me.” Ratchet blurted, gaining Ziggy’s attention suddenly, seeing the youth’s expression turn into one of divine care and concern. This was a highly rare look he’d seen on Ratchet’s face, even if he hadn’t had a lot of time to get to know him, it just looked as if he hadn’t used such an expression in a long time, if not ever. “The last time we got separated I thought I’d never see him again. He’s all the family I’ve got left...so I meant it when I said thank you.” He finished, nodding.
Ziggy couldn’t help but smile warmly at him as he raised his hands and lifted his goggles up and off his eyes. This was much easier for Ratchet, since now he could read the elder’s expressions a bit better. He couldn’t deny that the gesture surprised him though; Ziggy showing his eyes to anyone was very rare. “You don’t have to thank me, son. I would have been ashamed if I couldn’t have revived him.” He shook his head, looking to the floor. “I swore I’d never let anyone else die, and frankly, I intend to keep that oath. Well...so long as they don’t get on my bad side.” He grinned and folded his arms again, and looked up at Ratchet.
Ratchet’s own mind seemed to trail off as he blinked and spotted the locket that was always worn on the scientist’s left wrist. Just looking at it made Ratchet wince sometimes; Ziggy had evidently worn it for so long, and had it strapped so tightly to his wrist, that it scraped down the fur where light red marks could be seen on his bare skin. He supposed it was Ziggy’s way of damning himself, to be forever reminded of what he’d lost, the pain that he felt when he lost it...although small laceration scars were nothing at all compared to what emotional wreckage he must have felt when it happened.
Their families may have varied upon its members, but the fact that they both had them was one and the same. Ratchet never knew his father or his mother, never had any blood siblings or any other relatives that he knew of, but he had Clank...who had been with him for years. Ever since he was a stubborn teenager, to the adult he’d grown in to now, his robot companion was, like he said, a brother to him.
Ziggy, on the other hand, knew his parents and his grandparents, had a wife and would have had a daughter...until he lost every single one of them on that gruesome night on Fastoon when their dreaded enemy invaded to ‘reclaim what was his’. Just thinking about it made the scientist’s stomach churn. All the loved ones that he knew who had died that day, those who had sacrificed their lives for the safety of their people. It was a macabre event that could make anyone shudder.
Yes, their situations may have been different, but the fact remained was that they still had someone to call ‘family’.
“What was it like?” Ratchet broke the dreaded silence, almost as if he’d read Ziggy’s very thoughts.
“Eh?” He uttered out, slightly confused.
Ratchet paused, not sure if he should ask or not. “Fastoon. Before the war.” The hesitation was evident in his voice.
Ziggy blinked. His sickly pale blue eyes scanned over the floor again as if trying to come up with a decent answer for his question. He didn’t want to just say something like ‘Oh it was great’. No, he wanted an accurate answer, because that’s what he was all about. Accuracy. “It was...a lot better than what my mind is processing.” He laughed a little and brought a hand up to his chin to fidget with the longer fur there in a thoughtful manner. “No, it was wonderful. It’s difficult to remember every detail since it’s been so long, but I can definitely tell you that it was a happy place.”
Ratchet smiled a bit. “My father...what was--”
“Your father,” Ziggy quickly cut him off. “was a great man. Lord, I can remember how many times he’d fuss at me for making everything explode.” The scientist laughed with great mirth, which seemed to catch Ratchet a little off-guard since he’d never heard the man laugh so happily. Unless he was planning on harming someone he hated. He saw enough of that when Ziggy and Graul would butt heads. “We’d occasionally see who had the fastest Gyro-cycle,” He grinned broadly. “he usually won that bet, since I had never had a strong point with racing. Until Revecka came and showed me, that is. She had a thing for the sport, and still does.”
The young Lombax chuckled a bit. “I was told you knew him well.” He said, with the slightest hint of sadness in his voice; Ratchet felt odd that everyone knew so much about his father...and yet he, his own son, knew hardly anything about him. It was sad. That was all he could say about it.
“That I did.” Ziggy nodded. “Revecka was a good friend of your mother as well. But your father...” He chuckled again. “he would hardly ever stop talking about you the week you were born. He was so proud, and so was your mother. Who in the world would’ve thought that his little boy would grow up to become a great hero?” The next smile that Ziggy sported was unmistakably clear, a flash of numerous emotions: sadness, remorse, regret, and a very, very faint touch of happiness.
Ratchet almost regret asking about his father, since he wasn’t exactly aware of how close Ziggy and he were in happier times. They were very close, and he knew that it must have been very difficult to see his wife and unborn child to die...while Ratchet survived the onslaught on Fastoon. He wondered if Ziggy might have felt a bit of jealousy towards him and his parents...even if he didn’t seem like the kind of person to harbor such emotions, it would have made perfect sense as to why he would feel it if he did.
“What are you thinking, lad?”
Ratchet hadn’t realized that while he was thinking, he’d been staring blankly at Ziggy the entire time. Straightening himself up, he pondered an answer for the question. “How I survived and so many other children died amazes me.” He muttered incredibly low, even Ziggy had to strain to hear what he had said, and the man had damn good hearing for his age.
The pale Lombax blinked flatly, his expression turning blank and unreadable. For speaking so low, he actually heard what the younger one had said. Ziggy was full of moodswings, it was part of who he became after the incident on Fastoon had cracked his mind and his sanity, and when he heard Ratchet’s words a wave of feelings entwined over him as if a battle waged between them. He felt anger at first, though scolded himself for it, knowing that he should not blame Ratchet for what had happened. He felt the desire to find a nice, open field and fill the bloody thing with craters the size of a small moon. But what seemed to conquer them is that he felt a fatherly impulse to pat Ratchet on the shoulder and tell him to keep his chin up.
He may have lost a daughter, but that did not stop him from bearing the mark of a man who would have been a father. It was why he was loved by the locals’ children. They adored him, and he adored them. He always felt the need to help them know such kindness and love...when he could never have given it to his own child. It didn’t stop him from being a father at heart.
“Ratchet...do you think I may have been jealous of your father?” He asked in a suspicious tone, and Ratchet looked up at him guiltily. “Ah, I see,” Ratchet was about to protest, until the mad scientist cut him off once again, shrugging as he circled around slowly. “well it would make perfect sense, wouldn’t it? Your mother gave birth to you not long before Fastoon was attacked, and you survived the entire incident while your father fought for both your lives to keep you safe after he’d lost his spouse...and yet in that unfortunate moment, I lost my beloved wife and my little Piper, who I never even had the chance to hold in my arms like your father had.”
Ratchet jerked as if slapped across the face, a pang of guilt striking him in the chest at hearing how well Ziggy had been able to answer what he had been curious about. It was almost frightening how thorough Ziggy was sometimes, how accurately he could describe truths that weren’t always seen. Ratchet wouldn’t have been surprised if it even hurt the elder Lombax when he looked at him. To see a friend’s child live and their own to have not in the exact same event...it would have made perfect sense. If Ziggy felt that way, that is.
“Mm, that seems oddly accurate,” He said carefully, and his tone nearly made Ratchet confirm his thoughts about him feeling pain that the light orange Lombax had survived. “so, what should I do then?” Ziggy spun around and quite literally got his face as close to Ratchet’s as he could, grinning maniacally, holding his hands up in a clawing manner as if he was about to grab the confused youth and shake the life out of him. “Should I kill you in hopes of revenge against you and your parents because you survived and my dear Piper did not?!”
Ratchet visibly and soundly gulped, feeling a thick lump in his throat making it hard to swallow. Now he was a bit frightened. Ratchet hardly ever got scared at anything at all, but in terms of getting on Ziggy’s bad side...there was no telling what he would have done to Tachyon if the Cragmite was still alive and within the elder’s reach. Ziggy was perfectly capable of torture, even if he very rarely had to do anything of the sort...he certainly did the word a dark justice. If there was one of the few people that could intimidate Ratchet...it would definitely be the mad scientist in front of him now. He wasn’t entirely scared. Just weirded out for the most part. That was the thing with Ziggy: he was just plain weird.
Removing his face from Ratchet’s personal space, he stood only a foot away from him and chuckled, putting his hands behind his back and tilting his head at the boy with that grin of his. “Oh come now, Ratchet. I don’t waste my time with such petty emotions. Vanity, envy, avarice...these are a complete waste of one’s thoughts. It is completely useless for someone to rot away at feeling such jealousy towards a complete stranger or a good friend.” This made Ratchet mentally sigh with relief. “I will admit, back then I did feel that way when I first stepped through that portal. I was more or less angry at myself rather than you or your parents. The fact that I couldn’t protect Amanda when she was right behind me caused me to hate myself for not paying attention to my surroundings. That your father chose to stay behind and protect you made me want to stay. If I wasn’t able to save my own child...I at least wanted to help to try and save you. Until they dragged me through the portal, that is...” He grumbled his last sentence.
Ratchet stared at the man, partially dumbfounded. His mouth opened and closed as if to try and say something, but nothing came out. “So...wait, you mean you actually tried to help get me and my dad to safety?” He managed to say after a few seconds.
The pale Lombax scoffed amusidly. “I’m not a sadist, Ratchet, even though I can be one if I so desire to be.” He said, confirming Ratchet’s belief of Ziggy being a rather violent person if he ever wanted to be. His eyes lowered to a look of empathy, smiling a little at the younger one in front of him. His pinpointed pupils and icy pale irises could still show tiredness, even after all these years. “I had seen enough death already, Ratchet. I lost my wife. I lost my little girl...who never even had the chance to live, who I never even got to cradle in my arms like so many fathers wish to do. I was tired of it all. Just because you survived and my own child did not, that doesn’t mean that you deserve to die.”
After he’d finished, silence struck the room. There were so many things pooling into the orange Lombax’s mind that he swore he might get a headache. He had to admit, he was glad to know that Ziggy wasn’t angry at him or his family, or even jealous. No, now that the mad scientist had spilled pretty much everything about how he felt, the thick air he felt between himself and Ziggy had loosened and was clear. Ratchet no longer felt that slight bit of fear when around him, but that touch of sadness was almost inevitable to feel when getting within range of the elder. The constant replaying of past incidents radiated from him like an aura, even though he defied that feeling as he was constantly smiling as if he was about to set everything on fire within a two-hundred mile radius.
Well...at least he got something out of being maniacally happy.
While looking at the youth’s face with utmost interest, Ziggy’s mouth twitched a little as if he was attempting to smile, but kept it small and short as a way of showing his mixed thoughts. “Before your father left...” He began, gaining Ratchet’s attention. “...I told him that if I ever saw you again, I would make sure you stayed safe and well protected. And I intend to keep that promise.” His expression was calm and sincere, but also serious behind its kind mask.
Ratchet rubbed his neck as if nervous and smiled. “Thanks.” Was all he could say.
Before another word could be spoken, a female Lombax named Revecka dashed through the doorway, which caused Ziggy to instinctively yank his goggles back down over his eyes, as if to prevent the woman from seeing them, and quickly placed his hands behind his back to look normal. When Ratchet turned to look at the man, he was surprised to see how quickly his goggles were replaced onto their proper place.
“Ratchet, Clank is regaining consciousness again. He wants to see you.” She said, gesturing out the door. “He seems to be remembering recent events quickly, so I guess that means he’s pulling through.” Ratchet sighed with relief before Revecka turned to Ziggy. “Oh, but he seems to be having difficulty seeing out his left eye, you may have to check that out, Ziggy.”
Ziggy nodded at the girl. “Alright, I’ll be there in a moment. You go on ahead.” Ratchet bolted out the door and down the street, waving at them as he went.
Revecka turned to Ziggy and tilted her head, her hair swaying beautifully as it always did despite all the grime it went through. “...Are you doing alright?”
He nodded again, smiling warmly at her. “Yes. He just came to thank me is all. I’ll be over in a minute, I still have to finish writing some notes. They shouldn’t take long.”
She replied with an ‘Okay’ and exited the lab. As she did, Ziggy glanced over his shoulder and looked at a small photo that sat atop his desk, one of himself, Alister Azimuth...and Ratchet’s father. His pale eyes softened as he grinned faintly at the picture. “I’ve found your son,” He spoke aloud, but not too loudly. “I’ll make sure he’s well protected, I can assure you of that.” And with that, he sat down to finish his notes before he, too, left to go repair whatever was wrong with Clank’s eye.
Rating: K - Nothin' really except mentions of violence.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Last experiment for the Lombaxes for now. Just wanted to try and think up how Ziggy and Ratchet would interact with one another (or just bonding time, or something). Also, since I have no knowledge of what will happen in ACiT (Ratchet’s father, if Ratchet & Clank will separate or not, etc.), I have to say it might be an AU of sorts. Hell, no one has even mentioned anything about Ratchet having a mother, if she died on Fastoon or not. But who knows, I’m just wingin’ it. I can change all of this when I find out in the game XD
For anyone who may be curious, the reason I chop up these oneshots is because I don’t want to give out any connective information. These ARE write-ups of possible future scenes in my fancomic, so I apologize if some may confuse anyone.
It was unusually cold this day--well, rather it was cold inside the labratory rather than outside, as it always was. It was unbelievable how anyone could stand to work in such a freezing temperature. Definitely bracing, but it could have gotten annoying, not only that but it could also cause one to get sick if they stayed in such conditions for too long. As Ratchet moved his feet along the metallic floors and into the bright lab, he looked around in amazement at the great amount of different gadgets and contraptions that had been created by the mad scientist that was just a few feet away from him.
If the room wasn’t white, it might as well have been, due to how clean it looked. Ratchet wondered how the man kept the place so clean, what with all the explosions that are frequently seen and heard from the building. He saw the scientist visibly flinch at the sound of feet crossing the floor, as he sat aside what he was working on before addressing the intruder.
“I told you earlier I wanted to be left alone--oh,” He was going to add an insult along with that until he saw who it was when he spun around in his chair. “it’s you, Ratchet.” He laughed a little. “Forgive me, I thought you were that little grease monkey coming back for a fight.
Ratchet smirked a bit, remembering his nickname for Graul. “Sorry, Ziggy. I probably should’ve knocked first.”
The scientist waved a hand. “It’s alright, I’m used to people bursting in here after an explosion I’ve caused. Your entry was far more pleasant.” He stood from his seat and brushed his hands together to swipe off the dust and grime on them. “Did you need something?”
Ratchet looked a little sheepish, fidgeting his hands a bit. “Nah,” He began, shrugging, before making eye contact with Ziggy. “I just wanted to thank you.”
The elder Lombax tilted his head. “For what?”
“For Clank. For saving him.” The youth smiled at him, not really needing to express his gratitude any further. Ziggy had seen so many expressions in his life, he could practically read every face around him.
Instead of giving his trademark grin, Ziggy just gave off a small smile as well and lowered his head a little, supposidly giving Ratchet a look of sympathy. “I take it he’s functioning properly again?”
Ratchet nodded. “He was really confused when he woke up, but he seems to be doing fine now.” He looked at the ground thoughtfully before turning back up to look at the scientist. “Anyway,” He said, figuring that the elder had work to do, trying to speed up the thanking process. “I just wanted to thank you. I mean...” He paused a minute, remembering the frantic incident that nearly gave the poor boy a heart attack. “I couldn’t even figure out what was wrong with him. Which is really odd, mind you, since I always know how to fix him.” He chuckled softly.
Ziggy nodded his head, folding his arms. “Sometimes we are confronted with problems we think we can solve, only to find that it leads to another part of the puzzle.” He said, tilting his head the other way. “Panic can lead to illogical decisions. Believe me, I was in that predicament once. I know what mistakes can be made in such situations.” Ratchet couldn’t see his eyes, but his brows moved down to what seemed to look like a grim expression.
The younger Lombax twisted his lip a little; whenever something was brought up about earlier years before the Great War, Ziggy always seemed to zone out and get lost in his own thoughts. Thinking about happier times. About friends who were no longer with them. About family.
“Clank is like a brother to me.” Ratchet blurted, gaining Ziggy’s attention suddenly, seeing the youth’s expression turn into one of divine care and concern. This was a highly rare look he’d seen on Ratchet’s face, even if he hadn’t had a lot of time to get to know him, it just looked as if he hadn’t used such an expression in a long time, if not ever. “The last time we got separated I thought I’d never see him again. He’s all the family I’ve got left...so I meant it when I said thank you.” He finished, nodding.
Ziggy couldn’t help but smile warmly at him as he raised his hands and lifted his goggles up and off his eyes. This was much easier for Ratchet, since now he could read the elder’s expressions a bit better. He couldn’t deny that the gesture surprised him though; Ziggy showing his eyes to anyone was very rare. “You don’t have to thank me, son. I would have been ashamed if I couldn’t have revived him.” He shook his head, looking to the floor. “I swore I’d never let anyone else die, and frankly, I intend to keep that oath. Well...so long as they don’t get on my bad side.” He grinned and folded his arms again, and looked up at Ratchet.
Ratchet’s own mind seemed to trail off as he blinked and spotted the locket that was always worn on the scientist’s left wrist. Just looking at it made Ratchet wince sometimes; Ziggy had evidently worn it for so long, and had it strapped so tightly to his wrist, that it scraped down the fur where light red marks could be seen on his bare skin. He supposed it was Ziggy’s way of damning himself, to be forever reminded of what he’d lost, the pain that he felt when he lost it...although small laceration scars were nothing at all compared to what emotional wreckage he must have felt when it happened.
Their families may have varied upon its members, but the fact that they both had them was one and the same. Ratchet never knew his father or his mother, never had any blood siblings or any other relatives that he knew of, but he had Clank...who had been with him for years. Ever since he was a stubborn teenager, to the adult he’d grown in to now, his robot companion was, like he said, a brother to him.
Ziggy, on the other hand, knew his parents and his grandparents, had a wife and would have had a daughter...until he lost every single one of them on that gruesome night on Fastoon when their dreaded enemy invaded to ‘reclaim what was his’. Just thinking about it made the scientist’s stomach churn. All the loved ones that he knew who had died that day, those who had sacrificed their lives for the safety of their people. It was a macabre event that could make anyone shudder.
Yes, their situations may have been different, but the fact remained was that they still had someone to call ‘family’.
“What was it like?” Ratchet broke the dreaded silence, almost as if he’d read Ziggy’s very thoughts.
“Eh?” He uttered out, slightly confused.
Ratchet paused, not sure if he should ask or not. “Fastoon. Before the war.” The hesitation was evident in his voice.
Ziggy blinked. His sickly pale blue eyes scanned over the floor again as if trying to come up with a decent answer for his question. He didn’t want to just say something like ‘Oh it was great’. No, he wanted an accurate answer, because that’s what he was all about. Accuracy. “It was...a lot better than what my mind is processing.” He laughed a little and brought a hand up to his chin to fidget with the longer fur there in a thoughtful manner. “No, it was wonderful. It’s difficult to remember every detail since it’s been so long, but I can definitely tell you that it was a happy place.”
Ratchet smiled a bit. “My father...what was--”
“Your father,” Ziggy quickly cut him off. “was a great man. Lord, I can remember how many times he’d fuss at me for making everything explode.” The scientist laughed with great mirth, which seemed to catch Ratchet a little off-guard since he’d never heard the man laugh so happily. Unless he was planning on harming someone he hated. He saw enough of that when Ziggy and Graul would butt heads. “We’d occasionally see who had the fastest Gyro-cycle,” He grinned broadly. “he usually won that bet, since I had never had a strong point with racing. Until Revecka came and showed me, that is. She had a thing for the sport, and still does.”
The young Lombax chuckled a bit. “I was told you knew him well.” He said, with the slightest hint of sadness in his voice; Ratchet felt odd that everyone knew so much about his father...and yet he, his own son, knew hardly anything about him. It was sad. That was all he could say about it.
“That I did.” Ziggy nodded. “Revecka was a good friend of your mother as well. But your father...” He chuckled again. “he would hardly ever stop talking about you the week you were born. He was so proud, and so was your mother. Who in the world would’ve thought that his little boy would grow up to become a great hero?” The next smile that Ziggy sported was unmistakably clear, a flash of numerous emotions: sadness, remorse, regret, and a very, very faint touch of happiness.
Ratchet almost regret asking about his father, since he wasn’t exactly aware of how close Ziggy and he were in happier times. They were very close, and he knew that it must have been very difficult to see his wife and unborn child to die...while Ratchet survived the onslaught on Fastoon. He wondered if Ziggy might have felt a bit of jealousy towards him and his parents...even if he didn’t seem like the kind of person to harbor such emotions, it would have made perfect sense as to why he would feel it if he did.
“What are you thinking, lad?”
Ratchet hadn’t realized that while he was thinking, he’d been staring blankly at Ziggy the entire time. Straightening himself up, he pondered an answer for the question. “How I survived and so many other children died amazes me.” He muttered incredibly low, even Ziggy had to strain to hear what he had said, and the man had damn good hearing for his age.
The pale Lombax blinked flatly, his expression turning blank and unreadable. For speaking so low, he actually heard what the younger one had said. Ziggy was full of moodswings, it was part of who he became after the incident on Fastoon had cracked his mind and his sanity, and when he heard Ratchet’s words a wave of feelings entwined over him as if a battle waged between them. He felt anger at first, though scolded himself for it, knowing that he should not blame Ratchet for what had happened. He felt the desire to find a nice, open field and fill the bloody thing with craters the size of a small moon. But what seemed to conquer them is that he felt a fatherly impulse to pat Ratchet on the shoulder and tell him to keep his chin up.
He may have lost a daughter, but that did not stop him from bearing the mark of a man who would have been a father. It was why he was loved by the locals’ children. They adored him, and he adored them. He always felt the need to help them know such kindness and love...when he could never have given it to his own child. It didn’t stop him from being a father at heart.
“Ratchet...do you think I may have been jealous of your father?” He asked in a suspicious tone, and Ratchet looked up at him guiltily. “Ah, I see,” Ratchet was about to protest, until the mad scientist cut him off once again, shrugging as he circled around slowly. “well it would make perfect sense, wouldn’t it? Your mother gave birth to you not long before Fastoon was attacked, and you survived the entire incident while your father fought for both your lives to keep you safe after he’d lost his spouse...and yet in that unfortunate moment, I lost my beloved wife and my little Piper, who I never even had the chance to hold in my arms like your father had.”
Ratchet jerked as if slapped across the face, a pang of guilt striking him in the chest at hearing how well Ziggy had been able to answer what he had been curious about. It was almost frightening how thorough Ziggy was sometimes, how accurately he could describe truths that weren’t always seen. Ratchet wouldn’t have been surprised if it even hurt the elder Lombax when he looked at him. To see a friend’s child live and their own to have not in the exact same event...it would have made perfect sense. If Ziggy felt that way, that is.
“Mm, that seems oddly accurate,” He said carefully, and his tone nearly made Ratchet confirm his thoughts about him feeling pain that the light orange Lombax had survived. “so, what should I do then?” Ziggy spun around and quite literally got his face as close to Ratchet’s as he could, grinning maniacally, holding his hands up in a clawing manner as if he was about to grab the confused youth and shake the life out of him. “Should I kill you in hopes of revenge against you and your parents because you survived and my dear Piper did not?!”
Ratchet visibly and soundly gulped, feeling a thick lump in his throat making it hard to swallow. Now he was a bit frightened. Ratchet hardly ever got scared at anything at all, but in terms of getting on Ziggy’s bad side...there was no telling what he would have done to Tachyon if the Cragmite was still alive and within the elder’s reach. Ziggy was perfectly capable of torture, even if he very rarely had to do anything of the sort...he certainly did the word a dark justice. If there was one of the few people that could intimidate Ratchet...it would definitely be the mad scientist in front of him now. He wasn’t entirely scared. Just weirded out for the most part. That was the thing with Ziggy: he was just plain weird.
Removing his face from Ratchet’s personal space, he stood only a foot away from him and chuckled, putting his hands behind his back and tilting his head at the boy with that grin of his. “Oh come now, Ratchet. I don’t waste my time with such petty emotions. Vanity, envy, avarice...these are a complete waste of one’s thoughts. It is completely useless for someone to rot away at feeling such jealousy towards a complete stranger or a good friend.” This made Ratchet mentally sigh with relief. “I will admit, back then I did feel that way when I first stepped through that portal. I was more or less angry at myself rather than you or your parents. The fact that I couldn’t protect Amanda when she was right behind me caused me to hate myself for not paying attention to my surroundings. That your father chose to stay behind and protect you made me want to stay. If I wasn’t able to save my own child...I at least wanted to help to try and save you. Until they dragged me through the portal, that is...” He grumbled his last sentence.
Ratchet stared at the man, partially dumbfounded. His mouth opened and closed as if to try and say something, but nothing came out. “So...wait, you mean you actually tried to help get me and my dad to safety?” He managed to say after a few seconds.
The pale Lombax scoffed amusidly. “I’m not a sadist, Ratchet, even though I can be one if I so desire to be.” He said, confirming Ratchet’s belief of Ziggy being a rather violent person if he ever wanted to be. His eyes lowered to a look of empathy, smiling a little at the younger one in front of him. His pinpointed pupils and icy pale irises could still show tiredness, even after all these years. “I had seen enough death already, Ratchet. I lost my wife. I lost my little girl...who never even had the chance to live, who I never even got to cradle in my arms like so many fathers wish to do. I was tired of it all. Just because you survived and my own child did not, that doesn’t mean that you deserve to die.”
After he’d finished, silence struck the room. There were so many things pooling into the orange Lombax’s mind that he swore he might get a headache. He had to admit, he was glad to know that Ziggy wasn’t angry at him or his family, or even jealous. No, now that the mad scientist had spilled pretty much everything about how he felt, the thick air he felt between himself and Ziggy had loosened and was clear. Ratchet no longer felt that slight bit of fear when around him, but that touch of sadness was almost inevitable to feel when getting within range of the elder. The constant replaying of past incidents radiated from him like an aura, even though he defied that feeling as he was constantly smiling as if he was about to set everything on fire within a two-hundred mile radius.
Well...at least he got something out of being maniacally happy.
While looking at the youth’s face with utmost interest, Ziggy’s mouth twitched a little as if he was attempting to smile, but kept it small and short as a way of showing his mixed thoughts. “Before your father left...” He began, gaining Ratchet’s attention. “...I told him that if I ever saw you again, I would make sure you stayed safe and well protected. And I intend to keep that promise.” His expression was calm and sincere, but also serious behind its kind mask.
Ratchet rubbed his neck as if nervous and smiled. “Thanks.” Was all he could say.
Before another word could be spoken, a female Lombax named Revecka dashed through the doorway, which caused Ziggy to instinctively yank his goggles back down over his eyes, as if to prevent the woman from seeing them, and quickly placed his hands behind his back to look normal. When Ratchet turned to look at the man, he was surprised to see how quickly his goggles were replaced onto their proper place.
“Ratchet, Clank is regaining consciousness again. He wants to see you.” She said, gesturing out the door. “He seems to be remembering recent events quickly, so I guess that means he’s pulling through.” Ratchet sighed with relief before Revecka turned to Ziggy. “Oh, but he seems to be having difficulty seeing out his left eye, you may have to check that out, Ziggy.”
Ziggy nodded at the girl. “Alright, I’ll be there in a moment. You go on ahead.” Ratchet bolted out the door and down the street, waving at them as he went.
Revecka turned to Ziggy and tilted her head, her hair swaying beautifully as it always did despite all the grime it went through. “...Are you doing alright?”
He nodded again, smiling warmly at her. “Yes. He just came to thank me is all. I’ll be over in a minute, I still have to finish writing some notes. They shouldn’t take long.”
She replied with an ‘Okay’ and exited the lab. As she did, Ziggy glanced over his shoulder and looked at a small photo that sat atop his desk, one of himself, Alister Azimuth...and Ratchet’s father. His pale eyes softened as he grinned faintly at the picture. “I’ve found your son,” He spoke aloud, but not too loudly. “I’ll make sure he’s well protected, I can assure you of that.” And with that, he sat down to finish his notes before he, too, left to go repair whatever was wrong with Clank’s eye.