Collapsing down to the floor in front of the punching bag, Charley broke down. Tears that she was fighting hard to keep from falling flowed like rivers. She placed her head in her hands as Zerelda sat on the floor beside her. Placing a hand on Charley's back Zerelda tried to comfort her cousin's lover. She knew the pain that was inflicted on Charley by Hendrickson. She had first hand knowledge how brutal his rapes could be. Let alone all the science lab mouse experiments that Karbunkle did to her on top of that. Charley was definitely Bella and Stoker's daughter. She had all the resilience that Bella and the former General had. Gently flinching from the touch Charley looked up at Zerelda's eyes and begged for reassurance that she was not insane!
"The pain never really goes away Charley. I know how much the nightmares are bothering you. I promise I will protect you and help you forget some of what you were put through. But I need you to be patient with yourself. You have to come to grips with a lot of things. Like that you were lied to repeatedly about the Bro's being dead and Stoker being dead. With your new-found abilities that you have now thanks to Karbunkle's damn mutations." Wrapping her arms and tail around Charley she held her until she finished crying. Slowly Charley started to get up along with Zerelda.
Zemoda said nothing and gave both women a little room. She like Charley and was getting to know Zerelda better. She wasn't comfortable calling her mom yet, but they were starting a friendship none the less. Because of the things she was afraid of encountering when they return to Mars she decided to work out herself in Zerelda's gym. Apparently Zerelda had found this cave on the moon that orbited Earth when she escaped for a while. Turned out that her one day marriage to Zurbert still entitled her his money as his widow. So by Martian law she was married regardless of the consummation and was entitled her to being the sole heir to the dead jerk's fortune. It was kinda ironic really, he married her to hurt her and Modo and get richer. Yet she silently got revenge when the Plutarkians killed Zurbert for doing the harm to her for their own reasons.
Only Zemoda was still trying to wrap her head around her own issues. Like the fact she was actually a Martian Mouse like Charley in an Earth womans' form. She never felt like she belonged on Earth and now she knew and understood why. She was discovering like Charley was how to see into others minds. Unlike the mind walks the others took using their antennas, Charley and her used their lips. Yep, their lips only they had control over using it by meditation to keep the side effects off. Charley also had the ability to see visions now and Zemoda was discovering she could use telekinesis and teleport. This was still hard to take in. She heard footsteps behind her and she instantly grabbed her gun out of the holster and spun on her heel to come face to face with Zerelda.
"You all right?"
"Yes Major Zerelda I'm fine." Zee looked skeptical while she watched Zemoda holster her revolver.
"I was thinking about something, what would you think to a trip to Mars and staying with your fath.. I mean Modo and getting to know him for a while?"
"But don't you need my help to protect Ms. Davidson?"
"Zemoda I won't press you on calling me mom or Modo your father. But please try to feel comfortable in calling me Zee or your dad Modo or your aunt Charley?"
"Major...I mean Zee it is something I will try to work on...But please give me time. I never had a close parental unit and no offense but having a space monkey tell me I am a mouse he has protected since my creation has been a mind-blowing experience!" She was trying to keep her voice calm yet everything around her started to levitate around them. That was starting to happen to her once she got to space. Apparently when Karbunkle coded her genetic DNA sequence he caused somethings to be triggered by being in space out of the Earth's gravity.
"Chill out chika, I promise I am not gonna pressure you into anything. I would love for the day that you feel like calling me mom. But I also understand and respect if that day never comes. I just hope by now or soon you will become comfortable enough to be able to call me or the rest of the family by our first names. " Zerelda held her hands up and backed up a little bit in a resigned motion.
Taking a few deep breaths things settled down around them and Zemoda passed out. Walking over to Zemoda, Zerelda knelt beside her daughter. Shaking her head she brushed her hair out of her face. She wasn't about to try to pick up Zemoda and carry her to bed. Instead she went got a couple of towels and placed them under Zemoda's head. She made her as comfortable as can be then watched her for a bit. Getting sleepy herself she just stretched out and laid down beside her falling asleep quickly.