Once In A Memory [ A Ratchet And Clank Fanfiction ]

[26] A Deal You Should Never Make

Sorry for the long wait! College work (and life in general) caught up with me! Anyways, I'll stop my usual rambling and let you all enjoy this chapter!

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[Ratchet]

He was in the interrogation room again, sitting back casually as he stared at the figure straight ahead of him.

Alister...

The man stared right back into his eyes, both refusing to be the one to break the silent conversation. One filled with hate, distrust, disdain, basically every hateful word in the dictionary and then some. But the most prominent one was Betrayal.

Ratchet was practically bubbling with suppressed rage. While he chose to meet with Cyfrin in this room, he was not expecting Alister to bring him here. That was one of the last people he would expect to be there....

And yet, here the man stood in all his glory. Praetorian Omniwrench at the ready. Back as straight as can be. Along with a gaze of pure steel.

He was a rock against the frigid gaze of Ratchet's eyes that tried to bore into his soul. However, he remained impassive.

The room remained silent as the tension rose, seemingly becoming hotter by the second, but neither of them seemed to care. It was only them, and their stubborn gazes of both hatred and regret. An odd combination that stirred something inside them. Making both sick, but defiant in the face of the other.

Finally, one of them cracked.

"You do understand why we had to bring you in, correct?" Alister asked. Ratchet sneered, finally turning away from the man's relentless gaze, "Actually, I don't. Care to fill me in?"

"That is not my job." Alister informed him, "My job is to watch you. That is all."

"But why? Don't you ever question why?" Ratchet asked vehemently, "Or do you just turn a blind eye to everything? What is it, Alister?" Ratchet looked down, voice sounding defeated, "I want to understand."

"I am a General, and I do what is best for my people."

"So keeping lies from them is your definition of doing good?" Ratchet replied angrily, "You're just a fucking puppet."

Alister went silent, not even bothering to provide the kit an actual answer. Perhaps he thought Ratchet was too naïve. Perhaps he thought Ratchet was right. One thing was clear, however, which was that Ratchet would never truly know what Alister thought at this exact moment. He would be left in the dark, stuck in a corner with no way out and no answers to be told. Nothing but all the questions he had in his head.

The thought saddened him. He really was stuck in a corner right now with no way out. He was completely at The Council's mercy with nothing he could use to help himself.

He did not like the feeling of being helpless...

He was better than this, he knew that. He wasn't a coward. He knew that he was capable of escaping the iron grasp he was currently in if he made the right choices. But now he was in the lion's den.

"You're a fucking asshole, Alister. Y'know that?" He spat out, only receiving silence in return. It was when he leaned back after his small outburst that he came to a startling realization,

He was just a puppet waiting for the puppeteer to start controlling him, all strings attached.

He side-eyed the door as it opened, watching as Cyfrin walked in, dark brown fur allowing him to blend in with the ominous shadows in the corner of the room. Alister stood guard right by the door, faced forward and eyes focused.