Ratchet Moved hastily through the familiar metallic corridors of the old smelting factory. Recalling the place's corridors from when he had fought the mysterious salt and peppered lombax from before. Qrow was something that he could not peace together. Even with the audio logs showing that he seems to hold a lot of regret in his actions. Then there was the handful of additional questions. Semblance, Aura, experiment. They all were words that gave him a low level of anxiety since it was information that he may need in this fight. He was not sure what any of this meant for him or what it could entail. It may refer to experimental tech. No, there was no way that was the answer to it. He noted it being mostly suppressed.

Clank hung onto the back of Ratchet as he was slowly preparing himself for combat as well. Unlike Ratchet however that seemed to be trying to play catch up, He had deduced a few details from the video logs. For starters it would seem Aura and Semblance were the initial thing, while he lacked data to see if it was a result of genetic experiments or naturally birthed he had not data for but was close to seventy point thirty three percent sure that the incident Qrow had referred to was not the initial experiment. Doctor was likely meaning a leading expert in science and technology of sorts. This narrowed it too easily for him to Nefarious though he was not certain Ratchet had yet to conclude this. Though likely he will show up again soon the bad doctor always preferred to gloat with his opponent.

The inside of the remodeled training room held an ominous glow to it. The neon lights that lite the panels where active giving a light ambient light but it was caked in an excessive amount of orange. Heat blistered the air making Ratchet's fur feel like it was likely to combust in a moment's notice. Below them the chamber had opened to show the smelter had been activated. Several metallic pillars raised out of the molten rock and metal one of which Ratchet jumped on to give himself some distance to the molten metal's heat. He twisted his head back forward to see the peppered Lombax standing Infront of him though instead of the modified omni wrench he held what looked to be a comically over sized scythe that had several segments on it that broke to give extended reach. While it looked somewhat primitive, for Ratchet it was completely alien.

"Like what you see?" Qrow spoke up seeing the Lombaxian ranger ogle his weapon much like his niece did. "Should come to a shock that its is a little out of system."

Ratchet snapped back to his senses after looking at the serrated blade and looked at him. "Why do you want me dead?"

Qrow shook his head in disappointment. "Look whatever ill will I have between me and you are simply professional." The Ranger looked at him yet again, part of his sixth sense in a way was telling him that this may be a little personal. "I honestly respect that there are people still out there to put evil in its place" He began to let out a bit of a depressed chuckle before continuing. "I know an old coot that likely if you were to conveniently crash there, he'd probably either convince you to stay and fight the good fight or pull some dumb underhand tactic to make you stay."

Ratchet was slowly getting annoyed at him avoiding the question. "Who put you up to this."

"Sorry, Client confidentiality." He spoke up again getting into a much stranger combat position likely to compensate for the scythe's immense girth.

"Ratchet." Clank spoke up seeing the way Qrow held the blade. "He's used that weapon before, it looks like he uses to be stronger while wielding it as well."

Something they could take advantage of. Ratchet grabbed the twin Galactic Ranger blasters first. He'd rather not kill him on hiss rematch even if this Lombax aimed to kill him. He looked down on the ground and noticed the doorway locked and looked to be covered by molten metal now. This was an inescapable situation, his eyes darted up toward the corner of the room. He spotted a control panel and an idea hatched. It looked clank seemed to have pieced together Ratchet's escape plan as well as he slowly made his own preparations.

Qrow was the first to move aiming the scythe backwards from Ratchet pulling what looked to be a trigger somewhere in the middle of the weapon's shaft. In a series of rapid shots, he rocketed toward ratchet with impeccable force giving him only a second of reaction time. Ratchet dodged fast enough for him to see Qrow fly eye to eye with him, his blade followed suit scratching his arm as he landed against the wall of the arena. Qrow's weapon crashed blade side in like a climbing pickaxe allowing him to stay in place long enough to observe the Lombax's counter action.

The twin blasters began to fire hastily at Qrow's position. Despite all the ammo wasted he found that Qrow did not stand still on the blade's angular armbar. Nimbly dodging his shots with an impressive amount of ease. This made Ratchet get fed up of the antics choosing to choose stronger brute force over bullet quantity. He dropped the blasters pulling out a green staff like item with one end holding numerous rocket barrels each aimed at Qrow.

"How about you dodge a warmonger this time." He yelled to Qrow letting lose all three rockets at once.

Qrow watched the speed of the rockets flying toward him. "Well, that wasn't on my list of weapons I expected you to bring." He noted jumping from the staff of his weapon landing on the first rocket. Seeing in careen downward he leaped onto the next one causing the same effect. The third one he grabbed on throwing the missile on an out of control twist through the chamber.

Ratchet watched in utter disbelief at Qrow's near suicidal tactic as it begun to swoop downward at him. Ratchet leaped from the platform onto another nearby as his opponent leapt back onto his stuck scythe watching, a smug look on hiss face having just dodged a three-rocket barrage. He pulled out an incinerator blaster and aimed at the ranger. His blasts of pure flame forced Ratchet to go on the defensive yet again activating a light condensed shield to avoid the onslaught. Clank began to rapidly shift through the arsenal and handed him an arm cannon with a lot of blue in the paint job. The Mega-Turret Glove firing several at the wall surrounding Qrow. It did not take long for Qrow to see what this weapon did as a handful of strange missile turrets that looked all primed to target him.

"Where are you keeping this stuff?" He muttered aloud before having to pull the Scythe from the wall opening fire at the turrets causing them to fall into the metal below. The unspent ammunition erupted causing the platform he was on to start sinking into the metal. The force from multiple shots against Qrow's new body forced him onto the sinking platform, reeling for a quick breath before he got back to the fight. This peace didn't last long as Ratchet dropped his omni wrench toward his head to finish the fight fast. Out of reflex he threw the shaft of the scythe upward catching the wrench in place forcing a physical struggle between the two. Qrow's feet eventually landed a strong enough strike of Ratchet to push him to the edge of the sinking platform.

Tired of the Remnant Experiment's antics Ratchet hastily pulled out another heavy weapon. Weird horizontal gun painted red, Ratchet took aim and fired a single piece of ammunition. A circular sawblade flew toward Qrow causing him to dodge left using the new momentum he jumped airward and fired the scyther-rifle using it like a gravity defining pogo stick.

"You got to be kidding me." Ratchet groaned seeing this mercenary copy the same tactic as before taking shot at him from a well-placed distance with what looked to be a lancer blaster. Ratchet's new plan had to combat this lombax's keep away tactics. He reached back to notice Clank was missing. He looked around to notice that during the fight he had snuck off to handle the reactor controls. He wasn't sure if the mercenary noticed him or not.

Qrow paid little mind however his goal was the lombax not the robot. He opens fire keeping Ratchet on his toes. The previous battle told him he was exceptionally trained. Though while limited He had learned that this "problem" as Nefarious put it seemed to not be an overexaggerating. He pretty much learned here and now that whoever he was fighting was basically a one-man wrecking crew and enough firepower to make an Atlas battalion feel inadequate in terms of weaponry. Glaring his gaze toward the new platform as the old one finally had submerged, he saw the lombax aim yet another new rifle at him. This massive laser cannon was slowly charging up and if it was like some of the other weapons this may be a devastating weapon. The laser it fired collided with his original location causing heavy structure damage to the wall he was nested on.

In a quick line of thinking he went to do another heavy shot at the lombax only to see that he had pulled out the weapon that had lobbed sawblades seconds earlier. He launched two of them in quick succession. Qrow fired his rifle knocking one blade down he capitalized on this shooting at Ratchet. The blast sending him into range of another one of the scythe's tricks. But first he had to get the last blade as he pulled the trigger.

Click

He was out of ammo. In a fast act of desperation, he launched the serrated whip toward the airborne lombax tugging him close to him. The saw blade however snapped the shaft in half causing it to loosen tension and go limp. Ratchet responded by using his new momentum to catch Qrow up close. His speed outweighed Qrow's gravity as it slung them into the ply glass windows the force enough to shatter it upon impact.

Clank watching this small turn of events dashed quickly to the damaged window. He looked in to see both somehow back on their feet. Qrow looked to be suffering from possibly a dislocated shoulder and a strained ankle. Ratchet however Clank could tell the whip had cracked several of his ribs. Effectively while Qrow may have some speed setbacks, Ratchet only needed one debilitating blow before he would be down for good.

Qrow spat out some saliva as he tried to hastily eye surroundings. "Not bad kid." He groaned a little as he refocused.

"I can't let you do this." Ratchet pleated as he tried to feign not being in pain though the way he leaned on one side of his body begged otherwise.

"Honestly Qrow, you still never where quick when it mattered." Winter's unforgiving chastising voice patronized the two of them as she stepped from the shadows. She still had her eyes deep in her note panel fiddling with something on the screen. From either of the two's angles they could not make it out.

"Winter I'm doing this not only for an old teammate but the one that got us in this mess." He snipped back watching her impassive, yet cold judging eyes barely cast glance at him.

"Yet our target still lives." A sigh of disappointment sneered her tone looking past him toward the other lombax. "Mr. Ratchet, it has been an unpleasant time humoring you but I'm afraid your time for you to pass on." Impartially as she spoke, she swiped left on the panel as noises where streaming from the distant corridors. A familiar voice moving through the hallways to their location. Several mob's worth of Mr. Zurkon drones started to enter the lobby hall in droves.

"Zurkons?" Ratchet moaned in slight fear. "You got to be kidding me." He quickly pulled out what looked to be a jet turbine looking firearm ready for whatever was coming.

"Okay seriously, where are you pulling this stuff out of?" Qrow lamented as the swarms began to come in mass force. He watched not even surprised that the weapon was able to create a vortex sucking in the Zurkons, random rubble, and whatever else hid inside its vacuum. Qrow did not need to pause and see how this weapon worked. It doesn't take much to decode that a weapon that sucks up grunts is going to chuck them at you. The first two Zurkons he dodged with minimal effort, but the fire rate made him must put the omni wrench hi the way to provide least a little deterrence from the blunt force these droids where causing.

"Like small personal missiles." Qrow griped as he soon saw four more come right pass him. "Winter knock it off we already know that doesn't work." He turned and yelled at the white lombax in mild annoyance.

She ignored him as she approached pulling from her own holster what looked to be a heavy looking rifle gun that Shot out several rockets as ammunition. Though thanks to her grunts Ratchet could use them a flak. She seemed more focused on her end goal though and looked like much like the machines she wielded Winter was seemingly following the Doctor's orders down to a T. This was making her more of an annoyance than an ally to Qrow who could tell her strategy was to simply overwhelm her target with superior numbers.

Ratchet was fending off the onslaught while keeping a mostly cool demeanor, though in truth he was panicking. He had expended half of his arsenal and know he was facing a miniature army of forces all at once. He could feel the nanobots in his blood stream beginning to take their toll on the fight healing at a much slower rate, he would need to replenish them soon. He turned to see that Clank however looked to be in position. In his hand a small glowing ball like device, he recognized it as a grenade. The Groove-a-Tron must have been his last resort that Clank was saving for the right moment.

Winter was slowly getting close and Qrow seemed to be trying to mind his distance form the fireworks show going on right in front of him. He slowly aimed another gun based on its design and the bulging scope he wagered it to be sniper rifle. Buying time for Clank's plan he dropped his Vacuum cannon to lob his Omni Wrench right at the barrel of Qrow's new gun. With a resounding ping noise, the rifle in his hands was thrown so off balance that it made his beam of laser fly past him hitting a Zurkon square in its jaw.

"Too close." He sighed swapping his firearm yet again this time to a less impressive looking turret cannon. He needed a way to clear the massive hoard brought on by Winter. Launching guns everyway possible he ducked down to see the guns fire at a usable rate before detonating. He looked up at the last second however to see a very unexpected sight.

Winter standing over him she aimed a Fire blaster at him. He closed one of his eyes getting ready for the unexpected turn of events. A small click came in however as a small ball landed on the ground. The two looked at it confused before Ratchet gave a release on his breath unaware that he was holding.

The ball on the ground he recognized as a Groove-a-Tron a psychokinetic weapon that would send brain wave commands to anyone in the radius not classified as a threat to dance uncontrollably. It bounces skyward letting out the familiar jazzy tunes of the device. Qrow and Winter however watched in horror as their bodies obey the groove and start dancing very cornily to the music the ball played. Ratchet got up looked at the two of them exhausted right before bashing Winter straight in the head with his wrench. She was easily out cold. Qrow knew what was coming next as he braced for the wrench's impact. However, the music ended right then resulting in him finally getting control of his body. The dancing however took the most of his spare reserves. His Adrenaline from the initial fight seemed to have depleted and had no way of continuing, his body was done. He felt a blaster to his heard seeing Ratchet's face scowl mildly annoyed at the turn of events.

"Who hired you?" He demanded answers.

Qrow let of an almost tired chuckle his eyes fixated on him. "Don't really know his name. Least I don't think it's his real name."

"WHO!?" Ratchet Yelled the same look of a veteran' huntsman from Qrow's home world crossed his eyes, a look he knew well.

"Goes by Doctor Nefarious." Qrow rebutted before snickering again, his side in pain. "I don't get it sounds like some dumb cartoon villain's name."

Ratchet sunk back his blaster still trained on him. He leaned on a pillar before slumping down meeting him eye level. "Course it's him."

"Yeah crafty lunatic kidnapped me." He remarked his finger pointed toward the unconscious snow lombax. "Her, and probably on the upward of five other people. He mutated us into these freakish forms." He paused realizing how much he looked like Ratchet despite the fur coat. "No offense."

Ratchet remained quiet as he dropped the blaster. It seemed he could tell that Qrow had little interests in fighting now. One way or another, the two knew that they were defeated.

"I meant what I said when I told you I had no real issues with you. It was just a job." Qrow spoke up again. "Sure, it was a job I had no say in, Winter and possibly the others are also mind controlled, but me. No, I had a say in my actions."

Ratchet looked at him mildly skeptical. "How?"

"Where we're from, we have these gifts. Think of them as something you'd see in some cheap fantasy film." He explained. "Mine was just bad luck. Turns out it helped me in the end. The Mad Doc's experiments suppressed these little gifts of ours."

Ratchet glanced at him skeptical of his claims. "Look I get that you don't believe me, but that creep took my proof when we got picked up."

"Ratchet!" Clank yelled causing the two to look at the robot. He was standing over Winter. "I think he may be telling the truth. There are multiple signs of mutations in this one's genetic code."

"Doesn't surprise me. Mad man found supposedly a holy grail of sorts." Qrow noted as he leaned back. " Apparently this great find is some kind of ark with a lot of DNA in it. Likely spliced us with the stuff."

"Indeed" Clank concluded as he continued his examination of Winter. He leaned back nearing its completion a look of unexpected confusion past his metallic face. "It appears the hypnosis has been dissuaded."

Qrow turned in shock. "How?"

Clank let out one of his signature chuckles as he jumped over the unconscious lombax approaching the two. Qrow looked at him with mild distrust. "Don't ever laugh like that again." He muttered.

"You get used to it." Ratchet still mildly defeated remarked as he fell to a more relaxed posture. "How is it possible though?"

Clank seemed to be slightly giddy as he got ready to explain his findings. "It appears Nefarious did not factor in outside elements such as a Groove-a-Tron's dance forcing technology. When it was activated in the fight; it gave you a small-time window where a concussive force could allow for an individual to be, ahem… Re-calibrated or rather be restored to factory default." He explained as he ran his estimates in his head.

"So, he just hit her really hard when she was distracted." Qrow bluntly remarked as Clank turned to face him.

"Essentially. yes." Clank confirmed.

"Perfect, why didn't I think of that?" Qrow berated himself as he fell over backwards tired just wanting to rest now. He decided he would deal with his actions once he woke up.