Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM, or any characters from the show. Everyone else in this fic are of my own imagination. You can use them if you ask politely.
I also don't own The Animals song 'House of the Rising Sun', or Franz Ferdinand's 'This Fire', and the lyrics are used without permission.
Chapter 9
Plumes of smoke were rising from the Tower plaza as they came within sight of the building. The turret cannons were smoking from use, and they could smell the asphalt burning from three blocks away. Purple smoke was pouring out of the upper windows and several were broken. Throttle felt his insides twist in apprehension. His girl had rode in a on a bike, alone, into all of that. If they found her alive, he was going to kill her for making him worry.
They heard Charley before they saw her. Laser shots and screaming tires announced her arrival nearly a block away. Throttle gunned his bike hard to reach her, Modo readying his arm to fire as Vinnie pulled out his laser pistol. Lil' Hoss beeped a frantic greeting as she raced down the street as fast as she could go, the two riders on her barely holding on. Five buggies were in hot pursuit, guns blasting away.
Vinnie and Modo immediately returned fire, forcing the buggies to scatter. One was driven straight into an abandoned building while the other four tried to get around the mice. Throttle shot out the tires on a red one, sending it careening into a light pole. The Martians did a quick u-turn, coming back around to try and shield Lil' Hoss. Two buggies shot by them, trying to capture the girls with a net stretched between them. Modo was having none of it as Throttle poured on the speed, getting ahead just far enough that when Modo spread his arms and Throttle braked, he clothes-lined both goons right off their buggies.
Vinnie chased after the last one, trying to force it away from the girls. They traded shots as Modo and Throttle caught up, grinning happily at the now terrified thugs. They finally broke off and headed back to the Tower, giving up on the chase. Lil' Hoss slowed down considerably as the fight ended, worried beeps and trills sounding as both girls slumped in the seat. She rolled to a stop just as both slid off to the ground.
Modo was off Throttle's bike in a flash, racing over to them to check their injuries. Throttle and Vinnie were a step behind, their bikes turning outward to protect their riders from any further attacks. Modo glanced over Charley, who'd given her helmet to the mouse to help protect her. The mouse was small with short cream colored fur. Her clothing was thin and faded, with small holes and tears where the laser bolts had singed through. That she was so still made him worry for her more than the mechanic: at least Charley was still awake.
Throttle immediately took Charley into his arms, thanking every deity listening that she hadn't been shot. She was barely awake, but breathing fine. A few small laser burns and cuts showed on her arms and legs, none of them serious. The only injury that worried him was the bruise growing darker on her jaw, and that she was so slow to respond to him. "Charley? C'mon Charley-girl, open your eyes," he called softly.
Charley blinked slowly, her aqua eyes glazed and unfocused. "Thrrrottllle?" her voice slurred. "Arrrre we out of the Toowwwer?"
"Yeah, you're out," he said. "Its okay, babe, you're safe."
"The"--it felt like her brain was trying to work through thick molasses--"the girl, ish shhhe okay?" Charley asked slowly.
He glanced over at Modo, who was still checking over the new mouse. The grey mouse looked up at his leader. "I can't give an all clear until I get the helmet off, but for the most part she's okay. What happened to you two?"
The human tried to remember. The Tower, the smoke, the lasers, a table with this poor shivering mouse--(funny looking mouse, never seen one with a muzzle like that)--more smoke, busting out the wall. "There wasss...purple smoooke...I gave herrr my helmet...sssshe was cho-king on the smoke..." her eyes drifted closed as her voice slurred further. "Hosssss wa' real-ly mad. Made a biiiiig holy..." She suddenly switched over to singing as a silly smile spread on her face, "Ooh, there izzz a house, in New Orl-eans...they ca-hole the rizin' sun..."
Throttle couldn't help his smile as she lapsed into a very drunken rendition of The Animals most famous song. "Must have been some new kind of knock out gas," he said. The mouse took her over to his bike, sitting her in front of him and winding his tail around her waist.
"Whatever it is, it sure is bringing out a whole new side of Charley," Vinnie said with a grin. "I didn't know she could sing. Hey, see if she takes requests!"
"Vinnie," Throttle warned, unconsciously tightening his hold on her.
"Shuuure, baby-boy, I'll request yash," she said, unable to stop slurring. "Wot'cher pleasure?"
Vinnie thought a second. "How about"-
"Charley, how did you get this helmet on her?" Modo asked. "I can't get it off."
Throttle stroked the side of her face to help her try to focus. "Charley-girl? How did you get your helmet on her?"
"The clicker," she giggled, "you gots to sssmack it."
Modo frowned in confusion. "Clicker?" He lifted the head of the dazed mouse and found a small snap on the back of the helmet. "Oh, clicker." He gave it a quick flick and the helmet partially opened down a seam in the shell. He gently pulled it off the poor mouse's head, catching her in the palm of his flesh hand. The grey mouse took in the features of the lady and froze. The helmet dropped from his metal hand in shock.
"It can't be."
Her muzzle was a little longer than a normal mouse's, her buck teeth shorter and her canines slightly longer. Her ears were smaller and set further back than a mouse's, and her fur was slightly coarser. Even her tail was different, the fur like suede instead of velvet, and her antennae were shorter and thinner than normal.
"H-He said he killed you."
Blond hair had been cut short into a bob, and she looked fairly underweight. A wicked looking scar circled her entire neck, like something had been wrapped around her throat tight enough to cut into her flesh. But that face. Modo's hand trembled as he laid her on the ground, cupping her cheek as he titled her head to look at her left ear. There hung a single silver hoop, engraved with the Martian symbol for eternity. He had once worn the match to that earring, years ago. A pair of antiques passed down through his family, the equivalent of human wedding rings. When his mate had died, he'd laced it through a chain and worn it over his heart, protected by his chest armor.
"You're alive?"
The lady stirred from the warmth of his hand, eyes slowly blinking open. And there was his proof, undeniable and true. Her eyes were the color of warm amber, the same color as the eyes of the only girl he had ever loved.
"Auri?"
Vinnie heard the unbelievable name from his bro, whipping around from Throttle to face them. He cautiously walked over to the mice, wondering if maybe his bro hadn't cracked from all the stress. But a good look at the girl made Vincent gasp in shock. "Holy Kysha," he breathed. "Auri? Is that really you?"
The girl tiredly rubbed her eyes, glancing around as she sat up. She caught sight of Vinnie, her eyes going wide in surprise as a small smile spread on her face. She mouthed his name, waving happily.
"Auri?"
She froze in place then slowly turned at the sound of a voice she had longed to hear for years. She silently gasped at the sight of the large male. This was a hardened soldier, someone that had obviously seen dozens of battles. He was positively frightening to see with such terrible war scars. But the look on his face told her who this male was. Only one person in the universe had ever looked at her like that, like she was the most beautiful woman ever concieved; her beloved mate.
Modo flinched as he realized just what she was seeing. A missing arm that had been replaced by a machine. A missing eye. He turned his face from her, suddenly ashamed at his body. A small hand reached out and touched his face, raising his eye to meet her gaze. She ran her fingers across his face, touching the patch that covered his eye. She couldn't help her sorrow at her mate's pain and tears began to fall.
Vinnie backed away to give the couple some much needed space, getting on his bike. Throttle held his girl to his chest, keeping quiet. He couldn't' believe it. Auri, alive? How was that possible? The sound of sirens in the distance made him twitch. "Don't mean to interrupt the reunion, big guy, but we need to move this somewhere else."
Both mice startled at that. He quickly stood and offered his hand to his mate that she gratefully took. Lil' Hoss beeped and flashed her light happily as her rider mounted up, Auri sitting behind him as she patted the bike affectionately. Their tails wrapped around each others waists in a familiar gesture, one that made tears come to both their eyes.
There's only so much mush a Biker Mouse can take, Vinnie decided. "So where are we
headed?" Vinnie asked. "The Garage is completely trashed, and we don't have anything but a lousy kit at the scoreboard."
"The garage for supplies and to pick up Silva and Andy," Throttle said. "They can't stay there."
Auri perked up from her spot on Lil' Hoss as the bikes headed off. Modo nodded, "Yeah, Momma's here. You wouldn't believe how that happened. Um, its been a little crazy lately."
"More like business as usual," Vinnie smirked. "Dangerous missions, destruction of property"-
"Beating the Pit Boss black and blue, and setting fire to the Pitts," Throttle said with a pleased look on his face-
"Throwing Limburger out the window," Modo said happily---he suddenly gasped, nearly hitting the breaks in shock. "I don't believe it!"
"What?"
"We forgot the Tower!"
"Huh? What! You mean you didn't torch it!" Vinnie said in complete surprise.
"I had some other stuff on my mind!" Modo defended.
Throttle smiled. "Oh, I think we can fix that." Fifteen minutes later, Limburger's Tower fell in fine style, their lasers and Vinnie's flares carving a well known Martian limerick into the foundation stones and melting them to gritty mush. As it went down, Charley started singing, "Ohhh, thiz fire izzoutta controllll, we gonna burn thiz citiez, burn thiz citiez!" Vincent couldn't stop laughing in delight as she sang completely off key, making his caterwauling sound almost decent.
They headed back to the garage after that, the human girl falling deeply asleep as they rode. Andy and Silva were already outside to greet them as they rolled in, the first aid kit and other supplies out and waiting. Throttle settled Charley on the couch, Andy clucking over her.
The site of the young mouse girl standing beside Modo brought tears to Silva's eyes. "Auri? Merciful Kusha, you're alive? Oh, my darlin'-girl!" Both embraced with absolute joy, happy tears flowing. Antennae began to glow as they held each other, but Throttle called over to them.
"As much as I love happy reunions, this isn't the safest place to do it. We need to get to the scoreboard and set the girls up there. Bros, grab what we need and let's move out."
Within the hour they had everything they needed at the board, with Andy cooking up dinner. Vinnie insisted on a shower to scrub off the air Karbunkle had breathed on him, while Throttle settled Charley down to rest in his hammock. The tan mouse frowned to himself. He'd have to sleep on the couch; there wasn't enough room for them together. There'd be plenty if they were in her bed, he thought. Not for the first time, he wondered if he shouldn't move in with Charley. He shook his head and put the idea away for the time being. It was a moot point anyway with the garage shot up. It would be weeks before they could finish the repairs.
Modo took Silva and Auri on a quick tour of the place, and finally found a quiet spot on the catwalk for them to catch up on everything. Modo held his mate tight as he learned what happened that day so long ago. Carn had taken her deep into Sand Raider territory and sold her to the Plutarkians slavers. She had been taken to a mansion on Plutark itself and forced to serve as a maid. And for defying her master's orders to help punish a fellow slave, he had wrapped a force-whip around her throat and destroyed her voice-box. She would be mute for the rest of her life.
Andy called them all back for supper, the conversation pretty lively as they caught up with everything that went on. Auri had blushed shyly as she'd been introduced to the kind man, and he was absolutely charmed by the sweet girl. Silva was ecstatic to have her daughter-in-law back, and was already hinting about her future grandchildren. (Modo and Auri were both blushing bright red at that point.)
It was the mention of grandchildren that made Chef Andy turn to Silva. "So when are we going to Vegas? It should be as soon as Charley recovers, I think. As much as I know she'll want to stay and work on the garage, we'll definitely need her help to pull off something this big."
"Oh, I think we can convince her pretty easily to help," Silva said, shaking her head.
Everyone else simply stared in consternation at the two. "Vegas?" Throttle asked, his shades sliding down his nose in surprise.
"Cheese, Andy my man, you move fast," Vinnie said approvingly.
"Hey now, don't you two think you should get to know each other a bit better first?" Modo asked, a little panicky. "I mean, Momma, you don't even know his middle name."
"Its Joseph, and I don't see how that has anything to do with this," Silva said in confusion.
Andy nodded, "We have more important things to worry about. Like how are we going to get there?"
"Transporter?" She asked hopefully. "I really don't feel like flying in another ship, plane or otherwise."
"They sent the Tower down, so the transporter is out of commission," he reminded her. "Not to mention, we couldn't get plane tickets with that bike expo-thing going on anyway. No doubt every hotel and rental house is booked too."
"That leaves driving," she said with a firm nod. "The boys will be fine with their bikes, and I'm sure Charley won't want to leave her bike behind."
"We'll need to travel light so the motorcycles are the best way to go," he agreed. "But to pack the stuff we'll need, we'll definitely need a trailer."
"Rental?"
"Oh, no need for that, I have an old Airstream RV. Put some decent armor plating on the walls and you've got your own personal tank right there."
"Wonderful!" She exclaimed. "This should work just fine."
"Whoa you two, just how rowdy are you gonna get on your honeymoon?" Vinnie asked gleefully. "Vegas is a party town all on its own, I don't think you'll need a tank."
Both of the elders turned a look of complete confusion on the white mouse. "What?" Silva asked blankly.
"Who said anything about getting married?" Andy asked.
"Mr. Steinhaur, just what exactly are your intentions towards my mother then?" Modo asked in a dangerous voice.
"Not marriage!" The man exclaimed. "For god's sake, we just met two weeks ago!"
A loud piercing whistle pierced the cacophony, making everyone cover their ears. Throttle straightened his glasses back on his face before turning to Andy and Silva. "Alright, everybody calm down. Now, if you two aren't headed out to the shot-gun wedding capitol of planet Earth to get married, would one of you please explain why you're going to Vegas?"
Both of them blinked at him in surprise. "Charley didn't tell you?" Silva asked. The two shared a worried look as Throttle shook his head. They quickly relayed the events of the Las Vegas tournament, and how three Martian Mice had been completely exposed on live television. The room was silent for a moment, even Vinnie going quiet. (Mostly he was fuming with anger that he hadn't thought to try out for the tournament as soon as he'd heard of it.)
Throttle stared at the two. "So you're telling me that three Martian Mice crashed a motorcycle tournament in the middle of downtown Las Vegas?"
Andy nodded.
"An internationally live broadcast event?"
He nodded.
"And they took their helmets off?"
He nodded again.
"And no one knows how they got there?"
"They didn't mention anything about a crash," the human said nervously as Throttle's left eye began to twitch behind his specks.
"So they used a transporter, which means the Plutarkians are involved somehow. And then some girls that no one knows about make up some kind of excuse about a hotel's stunt show gone wrong and just walk them off stage?"
"That's the long and short of it," Andy said.
"They won first place too," Silva said with a touch of maternal pride in her voice. "Beat out everyone else that had time to study the course."
"That's my nephew," Modo said proudly.
"And somehow, there's been no other news about them?" Throttle said in growing irritation as the older mouse and human shook their heads.
"Well, bro," Vinnie said with a shrug. "I guess no news is good news?"
Throttle took a deep breath to calm down. He then launched a sweet left hook and got right into it with Vinnie, Modo joining the fray to not be left out. Auri shook her head in exasperation at her mate and his bros, while Silva and Andy found a smile. Not long after that, the boys untangled, beds were made up and assigned, and everyone finally got some sleep after a very exhausting day.
