"Ratchet, we have company."

Well no duh, Clank. I thought as I found myself in the center of a group of cackling Drophyds. This battle would be too easy.

Grasping my combustor, I fired at one of the Drophyds attacking me. His body exploded and I immediately fired at his head, watching the remains splatter on the hard pavement. They sizzled there in the hot sun for a moment before they were turned into ash by the heat. Petrified, the others bolted away shrieking in terror, smacking into each other on the way. I smirked. Drophyds were scarcely what I would consider as a threat. More like just an annoyance. Besides, they didn't even really have a mission now that Tachyon was gone. They were just bullies, and it was pretty much my job to protect the city.

I had been told the minute I had arrived that there was a huge invasion in the advanced city. The mayor expected me to take care of it, and refused to let me relax until all the Drophyds had been exterminated.

I walked around the city, scanning for the not-so-scary threat, trying to keep myself from Clanks annoying head in.

"Look at the rock Ratchet, It's grey, like me." I grit my teeth and let a muffled growl escape my throat. He didn't seem to notice.

That day lasted forever. He just wouldn't stop talking. I was getting more irritated by the second, and I knew I was about to burst.

"Look at that-"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed, cutting him off. "I don't care Clank! I really don't care. None of the stuff your saying is even important. You're just rambling on about pointless things, and I really don't care. So just shut up!"

There was an awkward silence that followed and I knew I had hurt his feelings, but at this point, I was too angry to care.

The two of us continued on in silence for about ten minutes before Clank finally called out my name. I ignored him. He tried again and again until I finally gave in.

"WHAT! What the heck do you want!"

"There is a robot..."

"Huh?" I turned around only to come face to face with the biggest robot Id ever seen. This could not end well.

···················

After the smoke cleared, Clank pulled himself out from the rubble. He had been thrown from Ratchet's back and now he had no idea where the Lombax was.

"Ratchet?" He called out. No answer. "Ratchet!" The little robot started to get worried. Quickly, he searched the area for a sign of life. Nothing. "Ratchet! Where are you?"

He saw a movement about ten feet away and dashed towards it, hoping for the best. What he saw would make even the toughest warrior queasy.

There was Ratchet in a mess of dirt and debris. He was a blood covered mess, and Clank quickly ran over to him. His upper armor had been stripped away from his body in the explosion, leaving his chest and stomach exposed. A sickening amount of his fur had been scorched to the point it had been removed from his body, and his skin was burnt black from the intense heat of the explosion. A piece of metal shrapnel had found its way into his stomach, sticking out a few inches out of his body. Blood gashed out of the wound, making whatever was left of his fur red and sticky. It was leaking out at a disturbingly fast rate, and it dripped into quite a large pool underneath him.

"Ratchet? Are you still alive?" The Lombax's heart beat was too weak for even Clank's advanced scanners to pick up. Emerald eyes opened and the frail body shook.

"Y-yeah Clank I-Im fine." His voice was low, hardly audible, and blood trickled out of his mouth as he coughed uncontrollably.

"You are hurt Ratchet..." The Lombax smiled. This was the one time where he didnt mind Clanks silly observations.

"Nah... Clank, d-don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I just got... a little scraped up, thats all. N-nothing big."

Shifting his weight, he attempted to sit up. The action just resulted in the pole forcing its way deeper into his torso. He shrieked at the excruciating pain and curled his gloved fingers around the protruding metal. He tugged hard, desperate to remove the foreign object. His strength had been drained, and pulling just caused extreme discomfort. With a frustrated sigh, he just laid back down in the rubble.

Clank stood there, unable to speak, and then shut his eyes.

"I am so sorry Ratchet. This is all my fault. I should have never made you mad."

"No Clank, don't say that... I'm the one who should be s-sorry. It was my fault. I should've listened to you... If I hadn't of gotten angry over something so dumb, then I would've heard your warning in time."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence.

"I...I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

There was no reply from the robot. Ratchet blinked and slowly lowered his head.

"I k-knew it... I'm so sorry Clank."

"Sorry for what?"

"Being a terrible friend for all these years..." A slight frown found its way onto Clank's face, and he and looked Ratchet directly in the eyes.

"Ratchet, you are not a horrible friend. You are actually the best friend I could ever ask for. I thank you for that, and if it were not for you, I would not be the same." After gazing at his friend for a few moments, Ratchet took in a sharp breath and desperately wished he could believe the words that had been said. Tears trickled from his eyes and slowly made their way down his face.

"I-I don't wanna leave you Clank. I can't leave you all alone. Especially... especially because you care so much about me."

"Ratchet, shh. Please, just relax."

"I'm sorr-" The poor Lombax couldnt even finish the sentence before his stomach heaved and he began hacking violently. Blood poured out of his mouth, burning his sore throat and making him gag. It splattered onto the ground and expanded the already large puddle. He felt himself going limp and struggled to keep his eyes open.

"Oh no. Ratchet, no. Stay with me. Ratchet please..."

"Clank.. I'm so sorry. I love you buddy." He then lost consciousness as he slipped into the darkness. He was gone.

Robots don't cry. Its impossible.

But Clank did.