Shattered Identity

Chapter 1

It was a fine morning in the small Kyzil Plateau on the planet Veldin. The little amount of flowers were blooming, bringing color to wherever they laid, and the Dinobirds were singing their sweet and violent serenade throughout the clear azure skies. A breeze ever so gently made its way through the dusty land and made the fairly few plantlife dance lazily. Though the sun was already beating down on the planet's surface like a thick blanket, it was an ideal day for getting outside and enjoying the outdoors, whether it be going on a picnic, going for a swim in the watering hole, or simply walking down the sidewalk. Those who stayed inside on this day were surely making a mistake.

On the outskirts of the plateu, where the bare ground became covered with scrap metal and random tool boxes, a large garage stood. Grimroth's Garage as the locals called it. Its orange shell reflected the rising sun's light. The most reliable mechanic business there was in this part of Veldin. If someone's ship broke down, exploded, or just needed a good proton scrub, Grimroth's Garage was their go-to place. However, this garage wasn't simply known for its good service. It was actually famous for something else, something that no one expected from a small garage on a backwater planet.

Grimroth's Garage housed the two newest members of the universe renowned Galactic Rangers, Ratchet the Lombax and Clank the warbot.

While maintaining their jobs as Galactic Rangers, Ratchet and Clank always found time to work at this garage where Ratchet was raised most of his life. And by they always found time, they meant that their boss, Grimroth, always found time. Despite them being Rangers, the old Fongoid was sure to make sure that these two were never slacking around, and put them to work whenever they were off duty. It seemed like a good idea, since Ratchet and Clank's Ranger fame after the Chairman Drek ordeal brought in lots of new customers who wanted to see the heroes in person. Ratchet personally believed that people broke their ships on purpose just so they could meet him and Clank. Grimroth didn't care for this theory, all he cared about was their now booming business.

And it looked to be the beginning of another possible booming day as the rays of the rising sun shot out from behind the many rock formations in the Kyzil Plateau and made a beeline for the garage's open windows and panels. Sunlight lit up the garage's interior and displayed itself on the floors in the square shapes of the window bars. And upstairs in the small yet cozy loft, a gentle breeze let itself in through the nearly open wall, as well as a few stray beams of light. The combination of these two disturbed a shiny metal box that was resting peacefully on top of a workbench.

Clank jerked a little as the small breeze lightly smacked him in the face. He lowered his head a bit and then brought it back up. His big eyes open slightly, letting loose a brilliant green light. Even though he didn't have normal organic eyes, he was nearly blinded by the sunlight coming in. The robot brought out his arm and shielded his eyes with his hand. He turned his head so he didn't have to stare right into it. It looked like that it was morning. Time to get up. Little joints whirred as Clank laid down on his back and stretched out his short arms and legs. The little bulb on top of his head flashed until it settled on a steady red glow.

Clank sat up and stretched his shoulders a bit and gave the smallest yawn. As he rubbed his head he ran a quick system check. Battery was charged, processor running smoothly, limbs properly functioning...it looked like that all systems were operational and he was ready for the day. But, the question was, was he ready for the day?

Big green eyes turned to look at the other side of the loft, where a pull-down bed was sitting. The brown-orange blanket was covering what appeared to be a big lump that was breathing. And snoring a bit. Ratchet did that a lot, but it never bothered Clank.

But, bothered by it or not, Clank was applying his and Ratchet's unspoken golden rule of the morning: when one gets up, the other gets up. Why it was unspoken? They had no idea. But it definitely seemed to be a routine that they did when it came to starting the morning. When Ratchet woke up first, he would wake up Clank. And when Clank woke up first, he would wake up Ratchet. It was time to go to work.