Author's note:

Ladies and gentlemen, I am back in business!

Aside from starting another story in the new year (A War Horse In Equestria, perhaps you've read it?) I've been working my backside off to get this sequel story up and running. The original plan was to at least have the first story arc complete by the time I posted the first chapter; allowing me to keep up a regular posting schedule like before while having a comfortable buffer in case I needed to change anything.

Unfortunately real life has once again gotten in the way, and so I only have the first seven chapters drafted and ready instead of my original goal of around twelve. That said, not having a one week time limit per chapter does mean that each one is generally longer than those in Time Heals All; which is why I'll be releasing new chapters every two weeks instead. That way there'll be a regular update schedule as I work on the next chapter rather than leaving everyone waiting for ages once the stockpile inevitably runs dry.

This story continues directly on from Time Heals with little preamble. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend you start there since most of the references hereafter will make little sense to you otherwise. As for everyone else; welcome back, I can only hope this story will live up to your expectations.

I'm always trying to improve as a writer, so please read and review. Constructive criticism is welcome, flamers are not.

If you enjoy this story, please feel free to check out the other stories on my account should you wish.

It's been a long time coming, but here we are… let's do this.

- RevenantReaper337

Disclaimer:

Ratchet & Clank, associated characters, organisations, and intellectual properties belong to Insomniac Games. All other real world organisations and products belong to their respective governments, companies, etc. Original characters, creatures, weapons, etc. belong to me. Cover art belongs to Nekolover3 and is used with her kind permission.

'Thoughts'

Flashbacks

"Speech"

Chapter 1:

Here We Go Again…

Kyzil Plateau, Veldin

Solana Galaxy

G2.17.067 Galactic calendar

9:13am local time

"Ratchet, we are on in five minutes."

The lombax casually waved his minute metal friend off. "Thanks, I'll be there in a sec."

Clank gave him a nod before retracing his steps back to where the camera crew was setting up their equipment in front of their shared home come garage workshop. Ratchet returned his gaze to the framed photograph he held in one hand, the image clearly showing a gleeful bikini clad Ellen with her arms wrapped around the thoroughly drenched lombax in swimming trunks; an amused smile on his face as they looked upon each other with an unbridled sense of fondness in their eyes. Clank had taken that picture back on Pokitaru when they collectively decided to take some down time from saving the galaxy from Drek, a preserved moment in time that marked the changing relationship between the two from friends into something far more intimate.

Less than a day later, she was gone. Lost to him by way of the exploding Deplanetizer.

It hurt him more than anything he had ever experienced before, worse than being shot, bitten or stabbed by the myriad of alien creatures they had fought side by side in their brief time together. Even though he now knew thanks to Clank's ever logical intellect that she was more than likely back on her home planet, all it did was dull the heart ache of not being able to see her; to feel her soft lips on his, hear her mirthful musical laughter, and the twinkle in those cool icy blue eyes as they bantered back and forth.

"I'll never forget you babe. Just you wait, one day we'll be together again." He idly stroked a thumb over the frozen image of his lost love before placing the framed photo aside and moving after Clank, weaving through the half dozen or so people busy setting up lighting and sound rigs in preparation for filming to commence.

Unsurprisingly, both Ratchet and Clank had obtained a quasi celebrity status after their galaxy spanning adventure, and with it came the inevitable media attention. The interview to which they had agreed to participate in was but the latest in a long line of similar shows that had lined up to secure their presence, though the interest had died off gradually over time as people began to settle down back once the novelty wore off and things returned to normal in the post blarg invasion world. While he might have once basked in the success of becoming a household name galaxy wide under other circumstances, Ratchet instead used his screen time and minor fame to further gain the resources he needed to track down Earth's location and subsequently Ellen as well. This particular show was 'Behind the Hero', a popular series that focused upon the hero community and their exploits; a fitting platform all thought considered.

Ratchet settled into the recliner chair sat in the middle of the cleared garage workshop, Clank dwarfed by the identical model upon which he was perched alongside him as the film crew finally cleared the set. "All set little buddy?"

The tiny silver robot nodded cordially at his companion's question. "Indeed, however I find myself more and more concerned for your well being. Are you sure you wish to participate in this interview?"

The lombax shook his head with a faint snort. "You worry too much, I'll be fine! Just...got a lot on my mind right now."

Before Clank could reply however, the novalian director held up a hand and called for quiet on the set shortly followed by the camera starting to roll. "We're live in three, two, one..."

The duo could see the show's logo on a monitor nearby that broadcast the show in real time before it cut to the camera zooming in on their shared home and the interviewer's cultured voice narrating over the top. "Welcome back to Behind the Hero. Tonight's heroes are the duo who recently restored peace and order to our galaxy; Ratchet & Clank. So, gentlemen, tell us about your latest incredible adventures."

Lounging back in his chair, the relaxed looking lombax was the epitome of chilled confidence. "Well as you can imagine, we've been pretty busy. After Drek's defeat there were parades, press conferences, fancy dress balls..."

'Using every bolt I've got to find a way to reach Ellen...'

"And the wiener roast at Al's."

Ratchet waved a hand dismissively at his friend's ad lib comment. "Oh yeah, that. And then...things started to slow down a bit. After that we... well..."

Clank cut in as he faltered once more. "There was the grand opening at Groovy Lube."

The lombax latched on to the lifeline his friend had inadvertently thrown him with a snap of his fingers. "Right. I think that was...last week."

Clank sighed in response. "Six months ago."

Ratchet squirmed a little in his seat at the rebuke, schooling his features as he tried to regain control of the interview. "We're still pretty busy, but in a more...uh, domestic sense."

His diminutive robot friend nodded before piping up once more. "Yesterday I flushed out my radiator core."

The lombax could only stare stare wearily back at the camera in defeat "I guess... no one needs a hero right now."

Seeing that things weren't going anywhere fast, the interviewer tried a different tack. "And what of your other companion, the markazian girl rumoured to fight alongside you both?"

A weak smile tugged at Ratchet's lips as his eyes looked off into the distance at the question. "Ellen's a human, not markazian. She's...not with us right now..."

'I just hope she's safe, where ever she is...'

Glasgow, Scotland. Planet Earth

Milky Way Galaxy

July 6th 2013

2:37pm GMT

"Bye guys, see you next week!"

A chorus of similar calls followed Ellen and her co-worker Caitlin as they got off their shift at the independent coffee shop where they both worked, closing the glass panelled front door behind them as they walked out on to the high street. The weather was surprisingly decent for once, with speculation on the weather broadcasts that it might end up being one of the warmest periods since records began, and it looked like the sun might actually hold out for the first time since she had moved to a shared flat in the city from her parents' house further up north. It had been nearly a year since the incident that transported Ellen to another galaxy; since she had last seen Ratchet and Clank as they all fell from the collapsing Deplanetizer to the harsh Veldin surface below, and was subsequently catapulted across the universe to land back home almost where she had originally disappeared.

To say the experience changed her life would be an understatement, her behaviour in the last eleven months testament to that fact. Her family had been incredibly relieved when she had arrived home of her own accord, even with the myriad of injuries besides her broken arm. But once the question of where she had been came up, she felt torn at having to lie to her parents about experiencing 'amnesia'.

Upon being taken to hospital for treatment, the doctors had been astonished at her accelerated healing rate and Ellen had been worried when they took blood samples to try and determine the cause, but thankfully didn't find any trace of the nanotech in her body much to her relief. It also didn't help that the government had a marked interest in the downed Blarg probe that had caused the incident in the first place, and after questioning by both the police and what she suspected were MI5 agents, she was almost certain she was being shadowed by the authorities even before she decided to get her life back on track and finish her college engineering course.

Outside of that, her hobbies had taken a surprisingly twist to those that knew her best. Though she still liked to stargaze, she now knew for certain that there really was life beyond Earth; and the thought that the lombax she had grown to love was out there somewhere beyond her reach was depressing. Instead of letting it get her down though, she took steps to make sure if - no, when Ratchet and Clank eventually found her, she would be ready for whatever crazy messed up adventure her fuzz ball had managed to get himself mixed up in.

Once things had settled down a few months after her dramatic return and the sobering funeral for her brother, Ellen had thrown herself into her mixed martial arts training and cross country runs with a renewed vigour; enhancing her taut musculature even further than what she previously had in addition to drastically increasing her stamina. She had also taken up airsofting in order to keep her combat skills sharp, and had earned a bit of a reputation for her aggressively mobile style that blitzed through unwary players; a hard habit to break considering she and Ratchet were constantly fighting on the move all the time.

It was in fact at one such gathering that she had met Caitlin, who had been roped into going airsofting with some friends and the two had hit it off after teaming up to storm a bunker together. It was because of the blonde Glaswegian native that she managed to get a job in the coffee shop she now worked in part time around her college course, trying to build up a nest egg before deciding whether or not to go on to university.

Caitlin herself was a straight forward sort of girl who wasn't afraid to ask questions, and since she eventually recognised Ellen as the girl who had been reported missing for three days by the media before suddenly turning up, she had plenty to ask. One of the things Caitlin had been able to glean was that Ellen had been involved with someone, but she hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since her mysterious disappearance and subsequent return. She couldn't even get the boy's name out of the athletic redhead for crying out loud! Seeing as she had the tight lipped girl on her own for now though, it presented a perfect opportunity to gently needle her for details.

"So Ellen, you want to go out for a few drinks tonight?"

Said redhead blinked back to the present from whatever trail of thought she was on to look questioningly at her friend. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Caitlin gave an exaggerated sigh and roll of her eyes. "I said did you want to go out for a few drinks tonight. Maybe we'll see Alan again; the guy from that club last week, remember?" At the silent grimace that graced Ellen's face, the blonde girl groaned in annoyance. "You're still thinking about him, aren't you? The boy you left behind...wherever. Ellen, it's not healthy to keep pining after someone this long. How do you know the guy hasn't moved on?"

Ellen shook her head vehemently. "Not him, Cait. If he's anything like I remember then he's probably still trying to find me..."

As much faith as she had in Ratchet's single minded determination, Caitlin's words still caused a niggle of doubt to form in her mind. 'It has been 11 months... What if he can't find me? What if...he really has moved on...?' She couldn't really blame him if he had, especially considering just how long distance their relationship would now be, but she still clung to a sliver of hope.

Ellen had tried to get back into her daily routine and live her normal life again, only to find that there was a gaping hole that wasn't there before. She tried to fill it with various activities like the airsoft gatherings, but it just wasn't the same when compared to what she had gone through. The truth was that her time away from Earth had ruined things for her in a way; the vast expanse of worlds a galaxy away filled her with a sense of wonder and awe to which nothing else could compare.

Admittedly she had spent ninety percent of the time getting shot at while dancing with death at every corner; an experience that scared the shit out of her at the time, but gradually became routine as the days went on to the extent that she was now actually missing it to a degree. The main reason for that though were the two alien beings who had fought side by side with her through out their desperate chase across the stars; one of whom had a special place in her heart that she doubted could ever be replaced.

One day, he would find her. One day they would be together again.

It was as she was musing over her lost love when an awfully familiar sensation crept over her very being, like a tingling of ice across her skin that prickled the hairs on the back of her neck. Stopping dead on the pavement she looked around cautiously in spite of Caitlin's confused gaze. "You alright Ellen? What's wrong?"

The redhead didn't answer, eyes darting back and forth while a lump began to form in her stomach. The only other time she had felt like this was on the few occasions she had needed to use a teleporter during her time in the Solana galaxy, but this felt far more potent; almost like the malfunctioning gravimetric warp drive that had twice transported her to and from Earth but not quite...

So absorbed as she was in her thoughts, Ellen failed to notice the growing motes of light cascading around her until Caitlin gasped in shocked surprise. "What the hell is that?! Ellen!"

Startled, Ellen made to move when the unearthly blue aura condensed and engulfed her body entirely. "Cait, stay back!"

The blonde girl could only watch in horror as the blinding light stretched into a column that lit up the entire street despite it being broad daylight and vanished as abruptly as it had started. "Ellen?"

There was no answer from her friend however once the spots had cleared from her eyes, because she was gone without a trace. "Ellen?!"

A few errant particles drifted down like snow to the now barren pavement, Caitlin thoroughly in panic mode now as she frantically searched for the redhead in the surprisingly quiet side street where they had ended up; save for a nearby car's alarm that had been triggered by the phenomenon. What the hell happened? Where did Ellen go? What were her parents going to think?!

It would be a good half hour until the police showed up thanks to a local resident's call, where they would find the frightened and confused blonde girl huddled down on the kerb where she last saw her friend. Her hysterical statement would end up being passed on to certain parties in the intelligence community who had an interest in Ellen since her last disappearance in 2012, and the recovered extra-terrestrial probe she was believed to have come into contact with. After several hours of delays, a call would be routed from the Glasgow police to the Pearce residence further north in the highlands; where Ellen's parents would receive the unwelcome news with sinking hearts. Distraught, Trevor wrapped his quivering wife in a comforting hug while she drew shuddering breaths.

"Not again... Please God, don't let this happen to our baby again..."

And there we have it; events are being set in motion and Ellen has literally disappeared off the face of the Earth. Where will she end up? I'm pretty sure you can guess. I know this is a bit of a short chapter, but this is only the prologue after all. Nevertheless, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter for what it was and I guess I'll see you all in a few weeks time.

Until next time, please review and check out my other stories once they're posted and/or updated.

Thanks for reading

- RevenantReaper337