Author's Note: Wow, I wrote this a while ago, and I finally decided to upload it to FFnet. It's another one of those "it would have been too stupid to go up on FFnet" fictions that I decided to put up like, days after I actually wrote it. Well, the first one wasn't days after; it was hours after, but you get the idea. It's rushed, has no plot, isn't very good… there's quite a bit of awkward wording here, too. You don't need to point it out – I see it. XD Try to enjoy it anyway.

Disclaimer: If I owned Ratchet and Clank, I'd make an extra skin in Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction – the penguin skin.

This fanfiction contains spoilers for Tools of Destruction. Well, only a little. It shouldn't be enough to bother you, but just in case I thought I'd notify you.

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All they could see below them was a path of destruction and misery. Every single building had nothing – nothing but flames rising to the sky. The sky was practically engulfed and besieged amongst the hungry fire, and if they weren't careful, the fire could eat them as well.

There seemed to be no life – no villagers were anywhere within the immediate vacinity. Everyone seemed to have just up and left – well, that would be the assumption, if there weren't a blazing inferno right in front of them. They could hear the faint scream of terror from someone in the background, but there was nothing they could do regarding that.

They were too late. There was nothing left.

A Lombax stood on a hill, looking down at the growing expanse of nothingness that was before his three-toed feet. A robotic companion of his, extremely short in stature, followed his gaze. All that passed between them was silence and the growing horror that stood imprinted on their faces.

"What happened here?" came the scared voice of the robot, the metallic sound echoing amongst all of the empty walls.

"This planet got hosed," replied the Lombax, his voice trembling. He nearly leaped as he heard his voice playing back to him – it was even louder and more terrifying than the fiery spirit that captured the whole of the city in front of them.

The problem was they knew this planet had been thriving – as had all the other planets. They had been here. In fact, for a while, they lived here. Planet Kerwan. Captain Qwark had been on it, Al had been on it, that one fitness lady had been on it… All of it had been full of life at one point. And now, there was nothing. It was hard to comprehend.

"Some hero I am."

The Lombax bowed his head solemnly. This had been his fault. He should have taken action at the time – he shouldn't have led the Cragmites here, of all places. He should have led them to a more… inactive planet. Or just stayed on the one he was, and destroyed them from there.

His robotic companion gently tapped him on the side with a finger. "You tried your best, Ratchet. That is all that matters," he whispered.

"Don't give me that… that…!" Ratchet whipped around, facing the small robot, who shivered at the desperation he saw on the terrified Lombax's face. "This planet is gone. It's gone, Clank. All the inhabitants – killed! My fault…!"

"And beating yourself over it will help anything!?" Clank shot back. The Lombax's face fell, his ears dangling limply behind his head. Clank sighed sadly – the Lombax was only confused and scared, as was he, and that was the only way Ratchet knew how to deal with things.

"I'm…" Ratchet wiped hurriedly at his eyes with his glove before he could start crying. He was a hero. Heroes don't cry. "I'm going to kill Percival Tachyon. Whatever it takes."

"But he will…"

"He'll what?"

Clank stared into Ratchet's teal-green eyes. He couldn't even bear the thought… "He will get you, too. He will kill you. You… you are not ready."

"All the better for me."

The Lombax and the robot jumped, turning around…

Coming face to face with a Cragmite thirsty for Lombaxian blood. Percival Tachyon's face was curled into a wicked smile as he stared down the two heroes. So very dead heroes. "Nothing can save you, Lombax. Nothing."

"P-P-Percival…!" Ratchet shouted, taking out his Buzz Blades almost immediately and pointing them at the emperor. He was trembling, the sea of fire behind him being too loud right at that moment… all he could hear was his blood pounding and the inferno screaming…

"Emperor!" Tachyon screeched, as the giant robot he controlled slashed its claw at Ratchet – no mercy could be seen anywhere amongst his gaze. The Dimensionator pulsated on his head, and his Cragmites at his disposal launched themselves out of the shadows, snarling fiercely at the Lombax.

Clank could only watch in horror as the claw grabbed the poor Lombaxian hero by the neck – the poor Lombaxian hero who refused to cry, because heroes don't cry.

He found out that heroes live and die, however, as the walls were now painted with fresh blood and Clank could only let out a terrible scream.