Note: The song is called "I Still Remember" by a Celtic rock/folk band called Blackmore's Night. Steel and Ricochet are my own creations, and this story seems to be a prelude to my Prelude for a second story arc involving the Biker Mice, and Steel, and Rico. Hopefully sometime in the near future, the second story will actually have a full plot, instead of a half-blown idea. But in the meantime, enjoy!

I Can Still Remember You

Their base of operations was a giant 18wheeler parked just outside of Sacramento city limits. The vehicle had been heavily modified, both by Steel's mechanical ingenuity and Ricochet's innovative ideas. At the back of the sleeper cab was a hidden door, that allowed access right into the air-conditioned trailer. The inside of that trailer possessed every possible amenity known to Martian kind, including the best-stocked mobile refrigerator in existence. The girls had done well for themselves in three years of bounty hunting, philandering, and causing general mayhem. The trailer was partitioned into living and working space: the rear half of the long metal box was a mobile garage, where the two AI bikes purred and slept.

Ricochet had only one demand when they furnished the living quarters. She demanded a radio. Big sister begrudged her that one thing, but soon that one thing became many, as Ricochet became obsessed with human music. She would listen to anything, and everything, from rock and roll, to country, to rap and even that new wave electronica. There seemed to be nothing in the world that could make Ricochet smile like a good tune, that she could sing along with. Three years had not changed the sister's much, but the stark difference from what they were accustomed to, had taken the better part of that time to figure out. Humans were the dominant species here, they had to occassionally remind themselves. Plutarkians were still only trying to get their flippers in the door, and Martians were a vastly outnumbered minority.

Rico fiddled with the dial obsessively. They were the perfect distance outside city limits that she was having trouble getting any sort of reception at all. The petite gunmetal Mouse half pondered the idea of getting her sister on the roof to check the antennae. But a quick glance into the body shop revealed that Steel was having a deep philosophical conversation with her bike, and a bottle of beer. Rico scowled. Being between jobs was the worst, because Steel never seemed to care about living, unless someone's life was on the line.

Finally giving up with the radio, Rico slapped its face harshly and stalked over to her beanbag chair to sulk. Almost as soon as she had curled her tail around her waist, and grasped the end with her hands, clear soft strains of music began to drift up from the speakers. Something that sounded like a violin, but Rico couldn't be sure it was. She held her breath, and leaned forward slightly. The music was crystal clear, no trace of static or murmur of other conflicting signals. Soon drums and a guitar joined the harmonies, and Ricochet gave a low shout for her sister to come.

Steel appeared in the doorway of the body shop as a woman's voice, a clear alto, slipped along into the adagio melody.

I thought of you the other day
How worlds of change led us astray
Colors seem to fade to gray
In the wake of yesterday…

Ricochet's eyes grew wide as she felt the words sink into her bones. Her thoughts immediately shifted, traveling more than a thousand miles to the east, and settling warmly on the lands of Chicago. At that moment, she wondered just what he was doing. If his laughter filled the room? Or perhaps, he too, was listening to some song, and thinking about half remembered dreams. Rico pulled her knees to her chest, and shared a significant glance with her sister. Steel's brows were knit together, worrying over her sister.

You looked into my eyes
You had me hypnotized
And I can still remember you

The guitar wept the tears that the elder sister could no longer shed. But Ricochet's violet eyes glistened wetly with those same tears. A weakness that she could only show to her sister, the only thing that was real left in her life. Rico laid her head against her knees, and closed her eyes tightly. Steel was instantly by her side, looping an arm around the slender Mouse's shoulders, and pulling her tightly to her side. Laying her cheek against the silver hair, Steel couldn't help but wonder. Did those boys have any clue how much they had affected their lives?

I had a dream of you and I
A thousand stars lit up the sky
I touched your hand and you were gone
But memories of you live on…

"We don't exist t' them, do we?" Ricochet suddenly asked as the song lulled into guitar and drums for a moment. There was a soft sniffle from the Mouse, but she kept her head turned away from her sister. Steel's black fur was a dozen shades darker than Rico's gunmetal fur, but in the shadows of the trailer, they were simply two shadows leaning on one another for support. Slowly, Steel shook her head.

"I don't think we do, Rico..."

You looked into my eyes
You had me hypnotized
And I can still remember you
Those moments spent together
Promising forever
And I can still remember you

"We talked about so much," Rico hunched over further. "Rimfire 'n me, we had a special bond... but... I miss them, sissy." Rico finally lifted her head from her arms, and looked her sister square in the eyes. "Vinnie 'n Modo, 'n Throttle... they were there when we really needed them. Vinnie saved me... he saved me 'n he doesn't even 'member me..."

Steel swallowed a huge lump that was forming in her throat. Seeing her sister like this was breaking her heart. Ricochet had never been one to let the darkness in her heart get the better of her, but here she was, wallowing in a misery that could not be explained away. No amount of dancing, or clubbing, or even killing, would ever remedy the uncertainty Steel saw brimming in those violet eyes. Finally, Steel stood up, and paced over to the radio. She tilted her head slightly, and studied it, as though she could see the notes and chords that drifted up from the speakers.

Do you ever think of me
And get lost in the memory?
When you do, I hope you smile
And hold that memory a while…

Even before the final strains drifted away, Steel leaned down and pulled the plug from the generator. The noise popped out of existence, and the black Mouse turned an abrupt about face to level her sister with an unforgiving stare. Ricochet sniffled, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Tears had carved long trails into her fur, framing her muzzle with darker streaks.

"We don't know that for certain." Steel began, trying to sound upbeat and positive. The sniper wasn't good at expressing those thoughts, but for now, she did so, simply for the sake of her little sister. The only family either of them had left, was each other. "They could remember us for all we know, maybe not totally. The only way we can be sure, Rico, is to go there, and confront them."

Ricochet stared, jaw agape, at her sister. Was this the same Mouse who had stated three years prior that they would never, ever be crossing paths with those three hooligans again? Was this the same sister who professed to care nothing for the trio of Mice that had rescued them from a doomed reality? Ricochet began to stand up, feeling wobbly on her feet as the truth of the situation sunk in.

"We're going to Chicago?" she asked quietly. When Steel simply nodded, Rico flung herself at her sister, throwing arms around her neck and hugging the taller Mouse tightly. "Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Steel chuckled deeply, as she removed her sister from around her neck. With a sound thump against the back of the youngsters head, Steel stepped away. "We'll be taking jobs along the way, so it may take a while."

The petite Mouse rubbed the offended spot with a rueful glare. "Don't care. We're gonna get to see them again!"