Troubled

[1]

[As I walk down the hallway, I feel a sense of dread fill me for some unknown reason. I stop. Silence. He's never anywhere near silent. Carefully, I slipped as quietly as I could through the hall and peeked around the doorframe to the tech lab- or more commonly known as the broom closet- to see Dr. Nefarious working on something. I can't quite tell what it is, but knew it wasn't good. A warm touch on my shoulder made me glance to my right. Nothing. No Cora, no Brax, no Qwark, just no one. Yet the soothing touch remained and I feel myself grow calmer. I return my to gaze to Nefarious, but he wasn't there anymore. Startled, I look around to find him standing behind me. He was different with his glasses spiked and the lenses shaded red. He points an Alpha Disruptor at me and I scream.]

With a gasp I sit up in a cold sweat. Breathing hard, I look around my room, seeing the Markazian sitting next to me.
"Ratchet, what's going on?" Talwyn asked. "And how did this happen?" She pointed to a big scar on the left side of my chest that continued onto my shoulder that she apparently hadn't seen before. I ignore the questions and snuggle into her chest, and, for the first time in 14 years, I begin to cry.
"Ratchet?" This time it was a soft mechanical voice that spoke, and Clank walked in. I look at him with a tear stained face as he neared the bed. "What is happening?"
At first I couldn't speak, the memories still too vivid. I shook my head trying to clear it, and huddled back into Talwyn's comfort. Clank hops up onto my bed to place a metal hand on my left shoulder, I give a little gasp as another memory fills my vision.

["Come on, Ratchet, bear with me here," Cora said soothingly, "I know it's going to hurt, but we need to close the wound and we need to close it now!"
Brax gently places a soothing hand on my dislocated left shoulder. Tears soak my fur as I yell out in pain and Cora softly squeezes my uninjured hand, trying to comfort me. I try to return the gesture and Brax pushes my shoulder back into place. I scream as my vision faded into darkness.]

"Ratchet." Tal again. "Please, tell us what happened."
"I was... nine," was all I could manage for a while. I tried to gain control over myself and continued. "Solana's Galactic Rangers had taken me in when I crashed into their ship as a baby. Back then, Nefarious was tech support and second in command, like Elaris was after he... left, and had grown rather attached to me in the years he helped the Rangers raise me."
"Nefarious? As in the Nefarious that you've fought for years? He helped raise you?" Talwyn questions. Clank looked confused.
"Well, yeah. He wasn't always a villain. It was Qwark who pushed him over the edge fourteen years ago."
"What'd he do?"
"He didn't treat Nefarious well. His lab was the broom closet, he was continuously called King of the Nerd Herd and felt like a slave. I was the only one to see how poorly Nefarious was treated and tried to get Qwark to change, but it was impossible with his big ego."
   "Is this why Qwark's still around?" Talwyn asked. I nod.
   "He helped take care of me, and because of his ego I need to return the favor. The Rangers needed a proper leader without being self-centered, which Elaris suited quite well, so I took Qwark with me here."
   The memories began to take my vision as I begin my tale...

   Hey, hey, hey!! How are you peeps? A lot is different in this book which will be explained more next chapter, so if you're confused then be sure to return and read [2] when it's published.
        Love you fans!
                  Rachel out!