Hello everyone!! I got the greatest compliment ever a week ago. One of the authors that help inspire me to write BMFM fiction reviewed my story and said she liked it!!!! I was over the moon! I was headed to Mars to celebrate with the guys!

Shameless plugging for silverphyrbyrd and her story Brothers in Arms, very cool take on life before Chicago for our beloved Mice. And Ellen Brand for In Sickness, a very interesting one shot. Go read, you'll thank me!

Disclaimer: Mice, Mars, Plutark, all not mine. Damn it.

Chapter 7

Charley rolled out from under the car she was working on, wiping the sweat from her face. The old Volkswagen was a favorite customer of hers, always wanting some new upgrade or gizmo put in. But it would take more than that to cheer her up.

Throttle had left earlier that morning, trying to slip out without waking her. It hadn't worked, bless him for trying. She had caught the edge of his tail for a quick kiss goodbye, making him smile for a half second before he was gone without a word. The girl knew why he was being so quiet. This whole situation was getting to him, and badly. It was getting to everyone.

She had checked on Lil' Hoss after that. The anti-virus she had created was undoing much of the damage done by Karbunkle's program, but it was still uncertain if the bike would recover. As for Silva, Andy was still there with her. He had fixed breakfast for the two girls, although no one had much of an appetite. Especially after Silva heard what had been done to her beloved Lil' Hoss. He and the Martian lady had returned upstairs to rest. That had been a few hours ago.

A sudden ruckus from upstairs made her jerk around to face the landing. A shout of her name had her running to the guest room, praying that Limburger wasn't using the cruel device. Andy held open the door for the frantic girl, ushering her in. But what she saw was definitely not what she expected.

The older couple had been channel cruising and stopped on some kind of bike show. What was on screen though...Silva pointed to the screen, a terrified look on her face. "That's not supposed to happen," she said in trembling panic. "That is not supposed to happen!"

Charley stared in horror at the television. She recognized what she was seeing, a huge charity motocross event in Las Vegas: The Sutterfeild Tournament, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, and broadcast live. The crowd was going wild as the winners were handed a huge gold trophy. Three young riders were standing proud in the winners' circle, all three with their helmets off.

All three were Martian Mice.

She recognized Rimfire and what looked to be the two other members of his training squad. A thin, solid black mouse with a denim jacket/jeans and a smaller red furred mouse with a camo vest and cargo pants were shouting and whooping in victory. Rimfire glanced up and saw the cameras, his grin faltering as he did a double take. He frantically started to put his helmet back on, his friends quickly recognizing what was going on, but the damage was already done.

Reporters shouted questions about them, their origins, their training, their sponsors.

Charley sat on the bed, the strength gone from her legs. "Oh god," she breathed, a hand pressed to her mouth. "They're here on Earth... In Las Vegas...not even a hundred miles from Area 51...and they're taking off their helmets?! I'll kill all three of them!!" She shouted in fury. "I thought Rimfire had better sense than that!!"

"Shouldn't we worry more about how to get them out of there?" Silva said, her voice strained with tension.

"NO! I mean, yes, we should. Aw man, I cannot believe those stupid kids," the woman groaned.

"How could they be so dumb?!" Andy said incredulously. "How're we supposed to get out there and rescue them with all this going on-hold up", he said suddenly. Five girls with various instruments in their hands had appeared on the stage with the Martians, an Asian girl coming forward.

"Now what is she up to?" Silva asked.

The black haired girl put a hand on Rimfire's shoulder, smiling at him reassuringly as she faced the dozens of mikes shoved in front of them. "Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the surprise our riders gave everyone here today. These very talented young men are some of riders the Swisslog Hotel and Casino have hired for their newest attraction, the Project M Bike and Stunt Show. The boys weren't supposed to show their costumes just yet, but I suppose the excitement of the tournament just got to them."

Rimfire gave her a small frown as the black furred mouse leaned toward the mikes. "Hey now, its not everyday we win a rally like this one. A guy's gotta show off a little bit," he said laughingly. "And you all loved it, right?!" The crowd cheered loudly, the mouse hamming it up with exaggerated bows. Rimfire and the red mouse exchanged looks and mimed kicking the other mouse off-stage, making the crowds laugh loudly.

The Asian girl smiled. "That's all for today, thank you to everyone that turned out today. Please enjoy the post-tournament entertainment." She gently pulled Rimfire's arm, the other girls forming a barrier between the Mice and the media as they led the trio off stage.

Silva, Andy, and Charley exchanged looks. They had no idea what to make of this. Were these girls friends or foes? Or worse, working for the American government? Charley shook her head. "You know, after we get through this mess with Limburger, figure out where those three are and go rescue them; I wouldn't be one of them for the world."

"Throttle's going to kill them?" Andy asked.

"Oh yes," the mechanic nodded. "Throttle is going to kill all three of them."

&&&&

Charley had gone back to work, knowing that with the situation as it was now, there was nothing they could do for the three rogue mice. There wasn't even a point in trying to tell her boys about it yet. The problems just seemed to keep coming, she mused, like rabbits left alone with each other. Engines rumbled outside the garage, whoops and shouts filling the air. Andy called down from Silva's room, "Charley-girl, we've got company of the nasty kind!"

Charley sent a quick look out the windows and flinched at the sight of Limburger's goons, half a dozen of them. Whatever they wanted here, they wouldn't get it. She had promised Modo she would protect his mother, and she never broke her word. "Uncle Andy, go to my room. By the nightstand I've got a steel bat. Head to Silva's room and don't come down unless you hear me screaming," Charley shouted over the engines' roars.

"Charlene"-

"Don't worry about me! I've got this covered!"

A pause, and then, "You be careful, Charley-darlin."

She went to the main garage, quickly rifling through her tool boxes until she found it. The girl grunted a bit as she pulled out the tool she wanted, 38 inches of old steel that easily weighed fifty pounds. It was a crank-ratchet, the kind originally used on trains at the turn of the century, a family heirloom that had been passed down for years, and it had served the Davidson's well. As both a tool and a powerful weapon.

The mechanic set the grip in her hand, slowly spinning the large ratchet. It clicked loudly a few times and then began to smooth out, the gears shifting easily. She found herself smiling, the adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins in anticipation. She heard the shots of laser fire and spun around to the metal garage doors that were slowly melting under the weapon fire. "Don't you boys know how to knock?"

"Aw, now what fun is that?" A bald man with a shades and black leather vest asked as he and five other men stepped over the melted aluminum. He grinned evilly at her. "We're here for the old mouse. Be a good girl and go get her for us, yeah?"

"She's not in right now, but I'd be happy to take a message," Charley said cheerfully. She hefted the crank-ratchet up to her shoulder. "Care to leave one?"

"Lady, don't make us rough you up to get the rodent", another thug said. "Get her down here or we'll see how many bones we can break on you."

Charley shifted and dropped the handle-grip down into her palm, beginning to spin the ratchet. "I'm sorry, but we no longer accept calls from Limburger or any of his associates."

"Bitch, I said get that filthy rat down here," the bald man said menacingly.

"If you care to try again, please dial 1-800-screw-you," she said harshly, spinning the ratchet as hard as she could twice more before lunging forward and swinging it hard. It connected with the bald goon's chest, sending him flying across the room. She used the recoil as she spun around, knocking another thug across the jaw. He went sailing out the melted doors, completely knocked out. She kept the ratchet spinning as she faced the other four men. "Anyone else want to call her a rat?"

They eyed her warily for a second before the bald man staggered to his feet, one hand clutching his chest. "She's just one woman! Rush her!!"

The four charged forward. The ratchet whirled, slamming into the face of one thug as she spun, kicking out her leg and sending another man staggering back. The tool swung down from the blow, and the girl flipped a quick cartwheel to keep the momentum going. She flipped again into an upward spinning heel kick, catching the bald man under his jaw. This time he went down and stayed down.

A sudden racket from the back room sounded before a purple Fatboy revved loudly. Charley

couldn't help her happy shout, "Lil' Hoss!! Good to have you back, girl!" She dodged a right cross from another thug. "I could use a little help here!" Right then, a goon punched her hard in jaw and she cried out in pain as she was pushed back.

The back wall exploded out, the purple bike charging with all guns firing. Two thugs immediately made for the exit as they saw the deadly bike come to life. "I thought the doc took out that damn thing for good!" one of the punks cried as it started shooting after them.

"Shut up and run!" The other shouted.

The last one crouched low to keep out of its sights. He was between a crazy bike and a pissed off mechanic, and the latter seemed his best option to get past to the door. The thug tried to charge her, hoping to sweep her far enough aside to get past the bike. The moment the impact hit, he knew he'd made a bad move. She rolled backwards, flipping them both over and landing right on top of him. The crank-ratchet sung dangerously close to his face as she got up. "You're getting on my nerves, pal, so you better make this short and sweet. What did your boss want with Silva?"

"H-He just wanted her back at the tower," the man said warily as he eyed the large tool. "Said something about switching out to some other rat"---the handle clicked ominously---"some other mouse they've got at the lab."

"What other mouse?" She snapped.

"I-I don't know!! They just got in this shipment from Plutark and this furry chick was strapped down on a stretcher. Karbunkle looked happy to see her." The man shuddered in revulsion. He'd seen some of what that freak did in his spare time. It wasn't a pretty site.

&&&&&&

Engines roared to life outside the garage as the bald man readied the weapons of his buggy. "She thinks she can just start wailin' into my guys, huh? Bitch has got another thing comin'," he snarled. He opened fire on the building.

&&&&&&

Charley had just finished tying the three goons up when the attack came. She stumbled back as laser shots bit into the concrete walls, rocking the garage to its foundations. "Andy, Silva, get down here!" She shouted. A muffled yell was her answer. "You've gotta clear out of here, if the supports go, so do you!"

Andy and Silva made it to the stairs just as Lil' Hoss forced her way outside, returning fire with a vengeance. Charley went up to help the couple, another shot shaking the stairs badly. "Are you two okay?"

"Been better," he said grimly.

"Much better," Silva agreed, leaning on his shoulder for support. Suddenly she tensed and cried out in pain. Both humans reached to support her as the spasm went through her. "Damn him," Andy spat, "off all times, he picks now!"

They got her to the couch, doing their best to stabilize her as the lasers kept shooting. A sudden lull in the noise made Charley look outside to see Lil' Hoss giving enough cover fire to keep the men at bay for the time being. She got the first aid kit as Andy helped the lady sit up. "Silva, you stay with us, alright? Your son would go ballistic if anything happened to you," the man said.

"You have to stay awake."

"I...I know," she said tiredly. "But its getting so hard..."

"Life is hard," he said sternly. "From the moment you're born, its hard and it doesn't get any easier. You haven't survived all this time just to let the fishes get you now."

She found a smile. "You'd have been-(gasp)-a good drill sergeant."

He smiled back. "Vietnam. I was a drill sergeant."

"Ever thought about---relocating to Mars? We could use a few good men"---she cried out, her hand pressing against her chest as her other curled around his for strength. He kept hold of her, whispering encouragement in her ear as Charley ran back into the room. The girl set out the large kit, setting the things they didn't need aside when she suddenly paused. Andy reached for the aspirin packs, the grateful mouse swallowing them from his hand dry.

Charley stared at the case beside the first aid kit, an idea forming. Dangerous ideas were her forte, but this one could go so wrong so badly and so quickly that she was reluctant to speak. "Silva?" Charley said softly. "Do you gamble much?" Both frowned at her in confusion, holding onto each other as another blast rocked the garage. Plaster shook down from the ceiling, making the girl cough. "I can't get rid of the bomb, but I can neutralize it-(cough)-I think."

Silva fought for breath for a moment. "If you---can get this madness to stop, do so!"

"Its dangerous!" Charley said. "Just trying this could kill you by itself! At least with the bomb"-

"She'll die anyway, Andy said grimly. "Karbunkle won't stop, you know that. And if the bomb doesn't kill her, the strain will." The mouse nodded. "I'd rather go out trying," she said. "I won't embarrass my clan by being a coward after everything the universe has thrown at me." Andy squeezed her hand.

"Alright," she said as another explosion made the building shake, reaching for the defibrillator. "Let's roll the dice."