"What…what do you mean? Ray, don't you know me?" Vinnie asked, a cold dread filling his soul. Rayna looked at him scornfully.
"Of course not. I've never met you before in my life."
Vinnie stared at her as if unable to comprehend her words. What's going on? Her face, hair, stature, everything belonged to the Rayna he knew, but her words were foreign to him. What was she talking about?
"Rayna," he said hesitantly. "What…"
"Why do you keep calling me that?" the girl demanded, drawing her eyebrows together. "I've never even heard of a Rayna before. My name is Jassi."
"Jassi?" Vinnie repeated stupidly. He blinked, leaning closer, trying to see if his eyes had bewitched him. In response, Rayna or Jassi or whoever she was strained away from him. Her golden brown eyes darted fearfully.
"Thrash…are you still here?" she called, her voice suddenly uncertain. In an instant, Thrash knelt next to Vinnie, shouldering him out of the way with an apologetic glance. He smiled at the girl and held out a hunk of bread and a thick liquid.
"Here, Jassi, you should eat this. The bread is good and the drink has a lot of nutrients." The mouse accepted the food and drink gratefully and began to eat, shooting nervous glances at Vinnie. Thrash straightened and took Vinnie's elbow, guiding him toward the door of the cave.
"What's going on here?" Vinnie hissed furiously, so angry that he could almost feel his fur stand on end. Thrash held up a hand, trying to calm him.
"I'm sorry, I tried to tell you but you didn't listen. That is Rayna. It has to be, unless she had a twin sister no one knew about," Thrash reasoned. Vinnie shook his head.
"No," he said numbly.
"I found her in a holding cell for criminals sentenced to death, but before that she was in a regular prison. She didn't only forget you, Vinnie, she forgot about me too and everything that existed before the prison. Her memory only goes back five years." Thrash looked at Vinnie pointedly, and Vinnie slowly nodded.
"Back to the day she…well, died," Vinnie finished numbly, his eyes downcast. He glanced up at Thrash. "What about the name? Jassi. Where did she get that name?"
"Maybe the people in the prison named her, I don't know. I'm just going with whatever makes her comfortable and hopefully someone will get this sorted out. I wasn't really in the position to hang around and chat," Thrash said with a shrug. Vinnie made a face.
"I see your point but…man, this is insane! How could Rayna not remember us? What are we going to…?" Vinnie turned to look at the girl and jumped to find that she was standing a few feet away from him. She had left the blanket behind and Vinnie's eyes widened as they traveled over her bare arms and stomach. Her clothes were ragged and her sleeves were gone, which made the long lacerations that covered her body all too clear. Some scars were red and some had faded, and it was the jolt that Vinnie needed.
Vinnie rushed to the edge of the canyon, coughing and waving the cloud of dust away from his face. He clung to the edge and peered down, giving a strangled yell as Rayna tumbled down the steep sides, falling farther and farther away…the jagged pieces of rock tearing at her skin and the dust obscuring her from view.
"Ahem." Vinnie blinked at the sound and saw that Rayna was running her palms over her arms self consciously. Vinnie averted his eye, his heart breaking. So it's true, he thought. That really is Rayna. The tenderness that he had felt rushed back, melting away the anger. I have her back and she doesn't even know it.
"Um, sorry to interrupt but what are we going to do now?" Rayna asked tentatively. "I…I know you already went through a lot to get me out of that place but…you think you can maybe find a place for me to live? You see, I don't know if I have a place to go. I can't remember anyone who would be waiting for me…" Uncertain, she trailed off, a lost look on her face. Vinnie wanted to grab her, shake her, and hold her until he could convince her that the ones who loved her most were standing right in front of her, but he restrained himself and looked at Thrash instead.
"Your call, bro," he said with a shrug. "I gave you the facts and you know that people want you back. That's all that I can do." Thrash studied Vinnie and nodded slowly, then glanced over at Rayna. His gaze softened and he smiled gently, resting his hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Jassi. We're going to take you home."
Theresa lifted the hatch of the hidden door that led to the freedom fighter base, peered around, and then shoved it the rest of the way open and scrambled to the surface.
"Come on, Mackie, hurry up!" she urged, reaching down to pull her cousin through the hole. Mackie climbed through hesitantly and Theresa slammed the hatch shut. She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a cluster of rocks where they would be fairly well hidden. Theresa giggled as she slid to the ground and hugged her knees. She took a deep breath of the air, gazing around at the rugged landscape eagerly.
"Ah, finally outside. Aren't you glad Mackie? This way we can watch for Vinnie and Thrash instead of having to ask Renee every time we see her," Theresa said happily, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Mackie poked at the dirt uneasily.
"I guess," he said slowly. "But if Renee or Carbine or anyone catches us then we'll be in big trouble."
"Aw, no one will notice," Theresa said, waving her hand dismissively. "Besides, Renee has been shut in an office with Stoker and Carbine for most of the day. She hardly noticed me when she walked by."
"Yeah, I know. She seemed…I don't know, upset or something," Mackie said doubtfully. Theresa suddenly yelped and leapt to her feet.
"There, look! Is that Vinnie?!" she cried shrilly, pointing. Mackie peered out into the horizon, then grabbed Theresa's shirt sleeve and jerked her down.
"No, Thres, it's just a dust cloud or something. Don't yell like that. What if there was a Sand Raider or a Plutarkian around?" Mackie said cautiously, his eyes darting. Theresa sighed and hugged her knees again.
"Don't worry so much, no one will notice," she said confidently. Mackie remembered the Plutarkians suddenly bursting through his door and shuddered. Theresa softened and put her arm around him.
"Cheer up, Vinnie will bring Thrash and then they'll both find Zebbie. Renee told me so. Who knows? Maybe we'll find our moms too," Theresa comforted. Mackie nodded silently, not quite convinced but not wanting to hurt his cousin's feelings. Theresa looked up and jumped to her feet again, but saw that it was just the sun gleaming off of something in the horizon and sank to the ground.
"They prob'ly won't come today," Mackie reasoned.
"Don't be so…so pessimistic!" Theresa said, pulling off the big word proudly. Mackie cracked a grin, and was about to say something when his eyes flickered.
"Hey, I think I see them!" he said, pointing. Theresa snorted.
"Yeah right, you're just trying to…" The increasingly loud growl of motorcycles cut off her words, and with a grin she leapt to her feet.
"Vinnie! Vinnie…and Thrash!" she hollered, taking off at a run. She half ran and half tumbled down the slope and toward the oncoming vehicles. Mackie rose to his feet, panic gripping his stomach. What if the riders weren't Vinnie and Thrash? What if…?
Mackie stood at the edge of his neighborhood, shielding his eyes to make out the mass of vehicles hurtling through the dust and over the hills toward settlement. He smiled in anticipation, thinking that maybe a Freedom Fighter group was passing through…maybe he would see Graven and Zebbie and Thrash. The smile dropped off his face when the vehicles came close…he backed away and began to run…he ran and he ran…and…
He ran wildly after her, his heart pounding.
"Theresa! Stop!" he called desperately. Visions of her being captured and carted away assailed him and he ran harder, gulping the air. He saw nothing around him except for her small form and he stretched out his hand in panic when she was suddenly snatched up from the ground.
"No!" he screamed and gasped when someone gripped his arm. The sudden halt to his speed nearly sent his feet flying from underneath him, but a pair of strong hands caught him.
"Whoa, there, lil' buddy, where are you going?" asked a familiar voice. Mackie, his chest heaving, stared as the world slowly became clear. Vinnie, his face creased with concern, bent over him. Mackie gazed at Vinnie and turned to see Thrash swinging Theresa in an arc and hugging her while she laughed. Mackie heaved a shuddering breath, his eyes sliding shut. Tears burned behind his eyelids, and he struggled to control his emotions as Vinnie eased him upright and squeezed his shoulders.
"You okay, kid?" Vinnie asked, his brow furrowed in concern. Mackie stood with his eyes closed, took one more deep breath, and looked up at his hero.
"Yeah, fine," he lied, trying to smile. He felt his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment over his fear. He was saved from further explanation when an arm scooped him up.
"Mackie! Hey there, cuz, I missed you!" Thrash said joyfully, giving the kid a bear hug. Mackie returned the hug, wishing with all of his heart that Zebbie and Graven could be with him. Thrash lowered him to the ground and surveyed both kids, clucking his tongue.
"Something tells me that you two aren't supposed to be out here. Am I right?" Thrash said, raising an eyebrow. Theresa grinned sheepishly and averted her eyes. Doing so, she caught sight of the silent female perched on Thrash's bike. Theresa's eyes widened and her mouth dropped, for the female had taken off her helmet and was watching the scene curiously.
"Rayna?" Theresa squeaked. Mackie blinked, focusing on the female.
"Vinnie…that's Rayna? I thought she was…" Mackie trailed off as Vinnie jabbed him covertly, but he wasn't able to stop Theresa as she threw her arms around Rayna's neck.
"Rayna! Wow! See Mackie, miracles are possible!" Theresa exclaimed rather sentimentally. Rayna looked at the girl clinging to her and then up at Thrash and Vinnie. She patted the girl's back awkwardly but didn't return the warm hug.
"Rayna, again?" she questioned. "Who is that girl, anyway? Do we look alike?"
"Yeah, you're going to get that a lot," Vinnie said, tugging Theresa away. Thrash pulled his sister, now thoroughly confused and a little hurt, aside.
"I'll explain later," he murmured, and then straightened. "Well, we don't want to stand out here waiting for a Plutarkian to sail by. Let's head on in…lead the way, Vinnie, I forgot where the door is located."
"Hoo boy, good thing I brought you back, you wouldn't know how to get in even if you wanted to," Vinnie said, rolling his eyes. Theresa hopped on Thrash's handlebars and Mackie climbed aboard Vinnie's bike and the four of them swiftly entered the hidden door to their home.
Renee paused mid-sentence and listened hard to the approaching sound of motorcycles. She smiled with relief at a high pitched cry and blew a strand of hair out of her face as she looked down at her notes.
Carbine leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples, and Stoker remained leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his brows knit in thought. He smirked at the war cry.
"Kid surely knows how to make an entrance," he said, shaking his head over his protégée.
"Good thing too, or we would've been in here for another three hours," Renee said, stretching her back. She leaned forward and regarded Carbine and Stoker seriously.
"So what's the verdict? Can we do this?" Renee asked, needing to know the answer before she faced Vinnie and…well, whoever he had brought. Carbine leafed through the battle plans wearily.
"Well, depends on how good your boyfriend is," she said bluntly. Renee gave a half smile and raised a brow.
"Oh, he's good," she said assuredly. Carbine couldn't help but smile at the confidence.
"Then I guess we'll go for it. Honestly, Renee, you've stolen a ship—"
"Borrowed."
"Fine, borrowed a ship, dragged a valuable fighter all the way through space, sent said fighter to search an entire region for a single Martian, and spent all your spare time bending over that computer scrolling through thousands of names…" Carbine threw up her hands. "Basically, it would be foolish to have done all that for nothing."
"We're too deep into it now," Stoker agreed. Carbine gathered the papers and tapped them sharply on the desk, forming a neat stack.
"Go get your boyfriend and we'll see if he can handle this," Carbine said in clipped tones, slapping the papers down flat. Renee rose to her feet, triumphant but with a strange knot of anxiety twisting in her stomach over the thought of seeing Thrash. She swallowed, smiled at Stoker and Carbine, and exited quickly.
"Surprised you're going for the plan, Carbine," Stoker said, pushing himself from the wall and taking a seat. "Isn't it too risky for your taste?" Carbine ignored the barb.
"Not the way we're going to pull it off," she said, gazing down at the papers.
"Gotta hand it to the girl, she's got guts, and brains to boot," Stoker mused.
"Yeah, well, let's hope it doesn't get us all killed."
Vinnie touched Rayna's arm as they entered the corridor that led to the mess hall, knowing that the gesture annoyed her but also knowing the reaction of most of the freedom fighters could unnerve and upset her. Vinnie and Thrash exchanged glances as they drew near the door, knowing that they had to get Rayna cleaned up and fed but concerned about the shock that people would experience upon seeing someone who was assumed to be dead.
"We may have to part some crowds," Vinnie muttered, and Thrash nodded. He took Rayna's other arm and smiled comfortingly when she shot him a puzzled look.
Just then, Renee turned the corner and stopped short when she saw them, and the smile faded from Thrash's face.
"Hey," he said softly, his eyes traveling over her face. A rush of warmth flooded his heart over seeing her, followed by a swift wave of annoyance over her actions in sending Vinnie to search for him. Renee saw the change in Thrash's face and held herself back, her expression aloof. Vinnie broke the ice, executing an elaborate bow.
"Am I the best, or am I the best," he asked, gesturing toward Thrash. Renee winced, knowing that the comment wouldn't help Thrash's mood.
"My applause," she said calmly, and half turned. "We need to talk," she said pointedly to Thrash. Vinnie stifled a laugh.
"Ooh, Thrash is gonna get a tail whipping," he teased mischievously. Renee turned to snap at him, and caught sight of Rayna. She froze, staring as if unable to believe her eyes.
"What the…"
"Like you said, babe, we need to talk," Thrash interrupted, taking her arm and steering her away. Renee, her composure broken, tried to crane around to look at Rayna as Thrash led her away. Vinnie watched them go and took a deep breath, glancing down at his dearest friend. She caught his eye and he flashed a quick smile.
"Well, um…Jassi," Vinnie said, saying her name with some difficulty. "I guess you want to get cleaned up and have yourself a good meal." Rayna looked down at her thin, dirty frame and hugged herself with a silent nod. Vinnie cleared his throat and looked down at the children, who were gazing between the two of them, waiting for what would unfold.
"Mackie, go find Johnny and tell him to get some sort of meal together," Vinnie commanded.
"Johnny cooks?" Mackie asked, tilting his head.
"I don't know, he's got a whole garden. Just tell him the…the situation," Vinnie asked. Mackie nodded and ran off. "Theresa, run ahead and tell someone to get some clothes and stuff ready." Theresa smiled and saluted, and with one more look at Rayna, scampered ahead. Vinnie watched her go and turned to Rayna.
"You ready?" he asked.
"For what?" Rayna questioned, looking askance at the door of the mess hall. Vinnie took her arm.
"Ohhh…you know. The ladies shrieking over my devilish good looks."
As the two of them entered the room, Vinnie's worst predictions came true. The nearest Martian was an old school friend, and at first he glanced up casually and greeted Vinnie. Then he leapt to his feet, his eyes wide.
"Holy…is that Rayna?" His cries echoed through the hall, and soon all heads were turning and everyone was on their feet, alternating between emotional greetings and shocked, almost frightened responses. Rayna shrank away, covering her ears with shaking hands. Vinnie wrapped his arm around her shoulders and supported her elbow with his other hand, trying to push through the crowd.
"Outta our way, outta our way," he said over and over, trying to shield her. Rayna, overwhelmed, pressed close to him.
"Yo!" a voice suddenly sounded loudly. Everyone fell quiet, respectfully turning toward Stoker who was perched on top of a table.
"What are we running here, a circus? This is a newly released prisoner! Get out of their way!" he barked. A wave of mumbled responses came from the crowd, but everyone drew aside, watching them pass.
Vinnie heaved a sigh of relief as they entered a quiet corridor and made their way to a small shower room. I owe ya, Old Timer, he thought to himself. He jumped when he realized that he was still holding Rayna tightly and that she was struggling to free herself. His arm dropped limply and he smiled apologetically at the girl.
"What happened?" she asked, pushing her matted hair from her face. "What is going on? Why does everyone think they know me?"
"I don't know, babe, maybe…" Rayna cut him off, grabbing his wrist with surprising strength.
"Yes, you do!" she accused. Vinnie opened his mouth and closed it, at loss for how to explain.
Fortunately for him, a young female appeared, holding a towel, a stack of clothes, and some soap. Vinnie was thankful when he saw that she was a mouse that hadn't known either of them from before the war.
"Hi," she said brightly. "You're Jassi, right?" Rayna nodded. "I'm here to get you cleaned up. We can't use much water here, but it's enough for a good scrubbing. Follow me." Rayna looked at Vinnie one last time and mutely followed the girl.
Vinnie watched them go, his shoulders slumping and his face pained.
"So that's it, that's how we ended up here," Thrash finished, having explained Rayna's appearance to Renee. "Rayna, or Jassi or whatever you want to call her, can't remember a thing beyond that prison."
"That's terrible," Renee said. "How's Vinnie holding up?"
"He nearly fell apart when he saw her, and I don't know what's going on in his mind now that he knows she doesn't have a clue as to who he is." Thrash rubbed his eyes. "It's tragic but, well, at least she's not dead."
"True. Good thing you ran into Stoker and explained things. I'm sure that whoever was in the mess hall didn't just watch them stroll by," Renee mused. "That was a good thing you did, Thrash, in getting her out of there." Thrash smiled, but abruptly stopped walking. Renee slowed, glancing back at him.
"Yeah, I got Rayna out," Thrash said. "And I could've gotten Zebbie out. Why didn't you have faith in me, Renee? Going all the way to earth to bring Vinnie back…didn't that endanger his mission on earth?"
"Thrash, listen…"
"I would've gotten to him eventually," Thrash insisted. Renee looked at him keenly and he turned away, knowing as well as she did that he had been fighting a losing battle. He gritted his teeth, staring down at his boots. "There aren't that many prisons in this area. A few more and I would've found him. I need to make things right, Renee."
"Would you have searched Adaromn?"
Thrash stiffened at the question, a chill striking at his stomach. He turned, looking and her piercingly.
"Adaromn?" he said slowly. "No…no, probably not. That's on the other side of the planet and it's reserved for the more hated enemies of the Plutarkians. If what Vinnie tells me is true, then he and his friends Throttle and Modo would end up in a place like that, not…not Zebbie."
"And I quote: 'this little brat here is going to die by inches for the rest of his life. By the time we're done with him, he'll be wishing I had killed him on the spot.' End quote," Renee stated.
"So, is this just a supposition or do you have the facts?" Thrash said, almost hoping that it was a supposition. As much as he would want Renee to know where his cousin was located, the thought of him being at that place was sickening.
"How about this," Renee said, entering a room. Thrash followed her, remaining in the doorway as she turned a computer screen toward him and pointed to a name. Thrash closed his eyes and rested his head against the doorframe. He would never have gone to that place. Zebbie would have died there, if he hadn't already, and Thrash would still be searching small, low ranking work camps. After a silence, Thrash swallowed and spoke.
"How did you find that disc?" he asked. Renee brushed the question aside.
"It doesn't matter. What matters is the information, and here it is."
"So, should I leave now and try to get him out? I mean, no one here is going to support this, right?" Thrash asked somewhat sardonically.
"Think again." Thrash turned to see Carbine standing behind him, hands on her hips. He nodded a greeting, unconsciously drawing himself up straighter.
"General Carbine," he said tonelessly.
"Welcome back, Fighter," she replied.
"Is it a welcome?" Thrash asked, plainly referencing the fact that he had left the organization. Carbine regarded him shrewdly.
"Clean slate, Thrash. We have no time to dwell on the past now. We have work to do."