Disclaimer- I do not, nor have I ever, owned the Biker Mice from Mars. I despair.
Greetings! Good lord, this took me long enough didn't it? Almost there though.
Thanks to-
Silverphyrbyrd- here you go, a bit more Pawnn action, coming your way. Thanks for your support!
Whipblade-your reviews are always encouraging. Thanks for sticking with me!
Rynorean- hello again! Yeah, Throttle thinks a bit too much. Oh well, he's a brooder, can't help that I guess. But at least he knows how to party too!
Without further ado...
Raye struggled to keep her stomach in check as she repeatedly slammed down on her captor's tiny, yet undeniably bony shoulder. When the woman wasn't running at impossible speeds, she was jumping at a level that was no less astounding, and every time she came down, Raye felt her insides being skewered by the bony prominence.
They flitted from rooftop to rooftop, at first across the tall towers of downtown Chicago, and now across the smaller residential areas. They were obviously approaching the limits of the city, heading towards the enormous body of water the locals liked to call a lake. Personally, Raye felt the word 'sea' was a more appropriate term, but then again, she didn't live here.
Another abrupt jolt to her stomach shook her from her reverie. Pondering would need to be saved for a later time, getting away from this Hunter was more important at the moment. One more leap, another jarring, and they were soaring over the full tops of a thick grove of trees. She tensed as they headed down. Now was her chance to get away and hide.
As they landed the Hunter paused for a moment, perhaps to get her bearings, and Raye took her chance. Quickly, she reached up and took a thick handful of the womans hair, then with all her strength, pulled down as hard as she possibly could.
The woman screamed in anger and pain, releasing her for an instant as she instinctively brought her hands to her head. Raye dropped to the ground, coming down hard on her back. Scrambling backwards and pushing herself to her feet, she ran for the thick cover of the dark trees. Safety was only a few feet away when a familiar dark shape darted in front of her.
Raye tried to evade to the side but it was already too late. The Hunter had recovered quickly, and now sought to return the favor by easily grabbing Raye's long hair and yanking her head back. She stumbled on her feet but remained upright as she looked into the dark eyes of the woman in front of her. The feral quality was back, and her eyes shone as she lifted an arm and backhanded her across the face.
Raye staggered and fell to the ground, holding her burning cheek.
"Bad girl." the Hunter said, almost gleefully, as she gave Raye a long once over. "We're just not connecting are we?" she asked.
Raye struggled to her feet as her captor moved closer, grinning all the while. If there was one thing Raye was certain of it was that she didn't like how this woman smiled. It made her feel like small insects were making their way across her skin. The woman stopped just short of stepping on her toes. She was not much taller than herself, Raye noted towards the back of her mind.
"Let's have a little one on one shall we? A heart to heart, so to speak. I should make clear that unlike my competitors employers, the only thing mine concerns herself over is that your alive and more or less functioning. I'll let the last transgression go out of the goodness of my heart, but from here on out, be careful of what you do."
She used Raye's hair to pull her face close to her own, near enough for them to share the same breath.
"I appreciate beauty, it would grieve me to mar such lovely skin. Understand?"
Raye nodded slowly and cautiously as the Hunter smiled and brought her lips to her forehead.
"Such a good girl." she purred, picking her up by her waist and slinging her over her shoulder, only this time she was facing forward, making it exceedingly difficult to reach up for another handful of hair. Raye grimaced as her transportation bound into the night air, pushing the bony knife of a shoulder into her stomach. She distracted herself by contemplating a new way to escape. And apparently hair-pulling just got scratched from the list.
Pawnn was feeling the slightest bit humiliated. Being well over nine feet on a bike obviously built for someone considerably shorter and having to sit sidesaddle as a result was enough to irritate anyone. But adding insult to injury was the fact the young mouse handling the bike look as though he might fall apart at any second.
Honestly, Pawnn had been surprised to see the mouse moving at all. He had witnessed the beating the boy had taken the day previous. Ranor had enjoyed himself, this was for certain, kicking the boy with his massive legs, and hitting him with enough force to collapse the lungs of many species he knew of. Martians must be made of stronger material than most.
"By the way," the mouse in front of him said suddenly, looking back, "thanks."
Pawnn stared back, uncertain. "Why do you thank me?" he asked eventually.
The boy grinned. "Come on, don't play dumb. Yesterday, crazy warehouse of fun, my helmet. Ring any bells?"
"So certain?"
He laughed. "You can bet on it. Not every one has a voice that sounds like it comes from a tomb. You could put Dracula to shame."
"Dracula?"
The mouse shook his head, clearly amused. "Forget it." he said, then held back his one good hand. "I'm Rimfire, and thanks anyway."
His passenger looked nervously to the empty handlebars. "Should you not be driving?" he said, ignoring the hand. Rimfire grinned, but replaced his hand.
"Relax, if she wanted to dump us she would have done it by now. Besides, it's not like I can really drive at the moment." he said, releasing the handlebar once more and waving his one good arm. His passenger looked even more nervous. "She's AI." he explained.
Realization dawned. "I was not aware Martians possessed such technology." he said.
"How d' ya think we won the war?" said the largest of the Martians, a gray mouse with a metal arm. "Name's Modo, an' I guess I owe ya some thanks myself for helpn' m' nephew here." he said, holding out his massive flesh arm as his bike pulled closer. Once again Pawnn ignored it, but for different reasons.
"I have no desire for you to thank me." he said.
"I doubt that sentiment is due to modesty." came a familiar voice. Pawnn looked over to see the scowling face of his targets' brother. Creed leveled his eyes with Pawnn's. "Your after her too, aren't you?"
"Does it matter at the moment?" Pawnn asked.
"The enemy of my enemy is not my friend. Are you after her as well?" Creed persisted as the others looked on.
"I wish her no harm." Pawnn said eventually.
Creed opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a loud howling sounding through all their helmets.
"Oowwww! Never fear, Vinnie Van Wham has arrived!" The self proclaimed mouse came barreling down a side street. Pawnn feared the Martian would hit them when he suddenly vaulted, bike and all, over their entire entourage, landing on the other side of Modo, racing ahead without missing a beat. "Let the rescuing of the damsel in distress begin!"
With the white newcomer diverting attention from him, Pawnn looked away, staring at the multi-colored houses they passed on the way to the lake. How could these people choose to live so close together? He had been many places in the universe and it never ceased to horrify him how many species lived in such close and confined living areas. And it wasn't as though they managed to do so in peace either. Such places usually had considerable problems with theft and murder.
He sighed. Once again, not his problem.
He had more pressing matters to consider. Like how he was going to get the child away from not only her current captor, but the party he currently found himself a part of. And how to do so without becoming seriously injured in the process. He wasn't so much worried about Malady as he was the scowling dark mouse to his left. The bonds of family were a strong drug, inspiring ordinary people to extraordinary actions. He glanced over to see Creed still watching him, studying him with an intensity that would have been unnerving had he not understood its' origins.
"Watch me as you will young one, but it will not help you. I have my own dear ones to keep safe, and they are above all else." his thoughts challenged as he stared back.
The residential area began to fade into forest, till eventually there were nothing but trees and darkness around them. The mice wisely kept their headlights off, knowing from experience the kind of warning a light could give an enemy. As they approached the lake they went to strictly speaking quietly through their coms. The atmosphere shifted. Even the bikes seemed to attain a degree of stealth.
Pawnn found himself mildly impressed. For all their rough and rowdy ways, they were remarkably well-attuned to battle situations. It was rare to find people who possessed that kind of readiness, but were still able to keep their personalities intact. Usually one gave way to the other, fading away into eventual death. Battle readiness was not an easy companion to every day life, but somehow these Martians had found a way to be both hardened warriors in one moment, and joking fools in the next.
Even he had troubles when he would return from a mission. It was simply hard to make the shift. His family understood this to a degree and was respectful enough to give him a wide berth for a few days as he adjusted, but these Martians were different. He wondered why.
Stokers low voice broke him from his thoughts. "Okay boys, coming up on our new friend's coordinates now. Just on the other side of these trees."
They crept to the edge of the tree line,which had shaped itself into an uneven crescent around the shore, staring out over a vast expanse of motionless and empty water. Throttle and Stoker exchanged glances.
"So where's our lady?" Stoker asked, turning to Pawnn.
Pawnn stared out over the water and frowned. "The coordinates are correct, she must be submerged.
"Well that's great sweetheart, but we ain't fish. Just how do you suggest we get down there?" Vinnie asked, being as quiet as it was possible for him to be.
Stoker was wondering the same thing when he caught a dark shape bound off the top of a neighboring fir tree, coming to rest atop a tall pine which towered just short of the water, perhaps a hundred meters ahead of them, almost at the center of the shoreline. He held out a hand to signal the others, and they watched as the woman balanced on the thick branch, staring out over the water.
Draped over her dark shoulder was Raye, quiet and still but with her head turned up, as though curious even in her current predicament as to the nature of her surroundings. An image of her with her book and a pen in hand, recording observations from the shoulder of her captor sprang to Stoker's mind and he smiled in spite of himself.
Creed's heart leapt to his throat as the Hunter casually tossed his sister behind her, leaving Raye to grasp desperately for the trunk. It took most of his willpower not to jump from the bike as she slipped once, then by some miracle regained her footing and hugged the tree with all her might. Meanwhile, the other occupant of the branch was pulling a small metallic cylinder from her belt and pointing it at the water, waiting a few seconds before a white light flashed out into the darkness.
Throttle and Stoker exchanged another set of meaningful glances and the former signaled back to the others.
"Flank and spank number 36." he announced into their coms. "Spread."
A few seconds later Modo and Vinnie were following the tree line to the other side of crescent, making their way to the beach. Thankfully, the trees led straight to the water.
They were no more a second in place when the deep rumbling of churning water reached their ears and they looked up to see an ink black space cruiser emerge from boiling waters, streaming down rivulets as it slowly made its' journey to the shore. Pawnn watched passively from the back of Rimfire's bike as the others silently surrounded their target. Malady seemed impatient with her ship's progress, tapping her foot on the branch and looking furtively around. Pawnn felt a small twinge of satisfaction. So the woman was not as impervious as she preferred to be? Or perhaps she was not entirely ignorant as to the abilities of her captives' new allies? Either way, she was on edge, and this fact was most useful.
A few moments later, as Malady's ship was approaching the shoreline, Stoker turned to Rimfire and Pawnn as Throttle continued to watch the position's of Modo and Vinnie.
"Stay here kid, your in no shape for action tonight." he said. Pawnn saw the boy's shoulder's visibly tense.
"Coach..." he started to protest.
"Side's," Stoker interrupted, "I need you to be ready to spirit our girl to safety when the time comes."
"Certainly your not considering leaving Raye alone with him?" Creed said, nodding to Pawnn. "Who's to stop him when he decides to take off with her on his own? It's not going to be Rimfire."
"Hey!" Rimfire growled.
Stoker glanced over to Throttle who shook his head in exasperation.
"Perhaps it would be better if I were to take my leave now." Pawnn said, seeing a chance for escape. Pairing up with the Martians and their bikes had been a necessary evil, but he needed to be away from this group now that the girl had been found. Creed had stated the truth, overpowering Rimfire would not be difficult, but he found himself not wanting to cause the young Martian more pain than he had already endured.
"Your not going anywhere." Creed growled, making to move from Stoker's bike. Stoker pushed him back.
"Good! Now that we're all agreed, let's nab your sister before that Hunter decides to take her swimming, shall we?" he said, motioning to Modo and Vinnie, who looked as though they were getting impatient.
Creed whirled on him. "That is not what I..." The rest of his words were cut off as Stoker broke the quiet of the forest with three powerful rev's of his bike, charging out into the open as Creed struggled to stay both seated and upright. The others followed suit, speeding out from the trees, light's flashing and engines roaring, creating a general feeling of mass confusion.
Rimfire heard his com come to life. "Keep him in your sites kid." Stoker said. Rimfire felt for the laser pistol tucked inside his jacket, the only thing he wore over his bandages.
"Got it."
The sound of engine's had never sound so heavenly to Raye as she clung to rough bark a hundred feet above the ground. In the past hour she had decided she hated high places. Especially high places that insisted upon swaying. Looking below she saw Throttle and Stoker, with Creed perched on the back, rushing towards them on the left, and Modo and Vinnie to the right. Glancing back she saw Malady staring at the biker's below, the silver of her ships control beacon flashing in her hand, and incredulous expression upon her face.
"Damn, they actually found me. Should have searched the Sakian after all." she muttered, pulling a black laser pistol from her back as she sent a final white flash towards the ship, halting it in mid-flight. Then, to Raye's horror, she whirled on the branch and promptly took aim for the others below, aiming first for Stoker's bike.
The speed at which the woman fired took Stoker and Throttle off guard and they split apart. They tried to circle back as they dodged hot laser fire, a rapid spray that ceased only when their attacker turned the weapon on Modo and Vinnie, preventing them from getting within thirty feet of the tree.
Stoker and Throttle met up again in the middle as the Hunter rained fire down on Modo and Vinnie, who were doing their best to distract her. Creed readied the laser pistol in his hand and took aim as their group charged ahead. They were a good fifty feet away when the Hunter spun on the branch once more and fired off the next succession of shots, one of them clipping Creed on the shoulder.
"Kid!" Stoker shouted, swerving to the right, narrowly missing the next shot, intended for him.
Raye watched as Creed clutched his right arm in pain and cried out in alarm. Looking over to the Hunter, she was sickened at the satisfied grin on her face. Making her next decision without any sense of logic whatsoever, she pushed herself from the trunk to which she clung, jumping for the small woman who shared the branch with her, screaming for her to stop as she hurled them both into the air. She was pushed away a split second later as the Hunter twisted in mid-air, regaining her balance. Raye, on the other hand, continued to fall to the earth headfirst.
Raye watched in dismay as the ground raced ever closer and quickly snapped her eyes shut, preferring not to be an active witness to when it finally met her face. The wind felt cool and clear through her hair and she concentrated on this, rather than what was soon to come.
Suddenly, strong hands spread around her waist, introducing gravity once more as they halted her descent, flipping her upright then across a pair of long legs. When she dared to look at the world again she found herself face to face with a man who had the most mesmerizing eyes she had ever encountered. They flashed like polished silver, studying her with an intensity which reminded her all to much of her brother. They were the eyes of a man who thought too much of the world around him. Someone who saw the way things were.
Tearing her gold from his silver, she found that she had been nestled between this stranger and Rimfire, who's orange striped ponytail was all too familiar by now. The two had caught her mid-air and she felt hands grip her tighter as they skidded to a stop not far from the cursed tree she had so unceremoniously flung herself from.
Rimfire barely had the time to glance back and grin before the laser fire began once more. Swearing, he gunned his bike with the one hand not currently in a sling, and the bike took care of the rest, speeding them away from the psychotic Hunter above. Stoker and the others raced to flank them, firing back as the Hunter ducked beneath a branch then jumped to the ground, disappearing behind the thick pine.
Rimfire stopped only when they had reached the tree line, the others stopping on all sides, each of them alert to the still looming danger behind them. All that is, except Creed, who struggled from Stokers bike and pulled Raye from between her rescuers, enveloping her in an embrace that nearly took the breath from her.
"Raye..." he whispered, gathering her in tighter as he tied them together with his tail. It was what finally kicked her brain back into gear. Only a few times in her life had Creed ever done this. The last time was when she was ten and had gotten lost on one of the the rougher out-colonies. It had taken him ten hours to find her, and another three to get him to unleash her wrist so she could go use the restroom.
"I'm alive." she commented lamely.
He may have planning to reply, but the opportunity was snatched away by the shrill feminine laugh that cut through the night air. They all turned to see a familiar black clad woman, standing this time not atop a tall swaying tree, but perched instead on a sleek motionless ship, hands on her hips and a crazed look in her eyes they could identify even from the tree line. Everyone who had a laser pistol unconsciously tightened their grip.
"Well, this certainly throws a wrench into the works, so to speak. Didn't we have an agreement that you'd be good my dear?" she said, grinning down at Raye in particular. "You now what happens to bad little girls don't you?" she asked, pointing a familiar silver cylinder at them.
"They go to the bad place!" she shouted as her ship came to life and suddenly fired down upon them.
Creed pushed Raye violently into Pawnn's surprised arms. "Take her!" he shouted to Rimfire, and jumped to the back of Stokers bike.
"We'll handle this, just go!" Stoker shouted out when Rimfire hesitated.
Glancing back at Raye, he nodded once before racing out of the reach of the ships attack. Pawnn tightened his grip on the girl as they sped into the forest, white laser fire nipping at their wheels.
Rimfire delved deep into the woods, working with his bike to move as nimbly and quickly as he could through the dense trees, not and easy task with only one arm. It wasn't until the battle was a series of muffled explosions in the distance when Raye finally spoke up.
"Rimfire, could you please stop here?" she asked. He shook his head.
"Sorry, I've got orders to get you to safety, and I'm planning on keeping them." he answered, keeping his eyes on the trees ahead.
"But we just can't abandon them completely, can we?"
His hand flexed on the handlebar. "Don't say it like that." he said tightly.
"Perhaps it would be wise to stop for a moment." Pawnn said.
"Not going to happen Pawnn." Rimfire answered. There was silence for a moment before he felt a hard barrel press into the base of his spine.
"I'm afraid this is not a request. Bring your bike to a stop."
Rimfire started, then let out a sigh as he complied. "So much for you being a good guy, huh?" he said, his arm raised. Pawnn moved from the bike and motioned with his weapon for Rimfire and Raye to do the same, reaching out and pulling the laser pistol from Rimfire's jacket, throwing it into the foliage.
"Wishing for something does not make it so, I never claimed otherwise. Now, forgive me young one." he said, pulling out a small transmitter from his belt and placing it on the bike. Rimfire heard the engine go dead as his bike made an electronic whine before collapsing to the ground, unable to keep herself upright. Rimfire whirled on Pawnn angrily.
"What the hell?!" he shouted to a deadpan Pawnn.
"As you said, your bike is AI. I have no desire for it to attack me on it's own." he said, tapping a button on the side of his weapon and pulling the trigger. Rimfire flinched as something stung at the side of his neck and the world around him became hazy.
"You bastard..." he managed to get out before sinking to his knees. The last thing he saw was Raye rushing towards him, arms outstretched as though to catch him.
Raye found herself cradling Rimfire's head for a second time, trying to adjust him to prevent further injury to his already battered body. Once satisfied with his positioning she turned on his attacker.
"Do you enjoy beating down the injured?"
Pawnn stared at her impassively. "Would you prefer that I killed him?" he said.
She opened her mouth but then closed it, staring at the ground in frustration.
"I just wish people would stop getting hurt because of me." she said quietly.
Pawnn watched her for a moment before answering. "Fate has dealt you an unfair hand. I will not argue this with you." He held out a large hand, as if asking her consent.
"Come" he said simply.
She carefully placed Rimfire's head on the ground and slowly rose to her feet, eying the offered hand suspiciously.
"I have a choice?" she asked.
"There is always a choice child. I ask you to come willingly."
She considered this for a moment before turning her attention back to Rimfire, who lay unconscious on the forest floor.
"Will he be okay?"
"He will waken soon, I was careful not to overdose him."
Raye listened to the soft explosions still going off in the distance, turning her head to the horizon. Pawnn followed her gaze and guessed her thoughts.
"They will not lose to her. She is not a match for them as a group, and she knows it. They will come out of the battle alive. However, I assure you they will not fare as well against myself. If you wish to spare them further injury, you will lay aside you doubts and come with me now."
Raye ran her mind over the events of the past week. So much trouble, so much pain had been dealt because of her. Because of what she was. Ranor had been right. And now, virtually staring her in the face and holding out a hand was the answer to her worries. She thought of Creed and made her decision. Reaching up she place her small pale hand in Pawnn's large violet one.
"I'm ready." she said as Pawnn nodded. Bringing her closer he scooped her up and ran into the forest, his long legs carrying them quickly and silently. Raye marveled for a moment how someone so large could be so silent. The explosions were becoming harder to hear as they traveled and Raye wished with all her being for Creed to okay. She wished for his future, one that wouldn't include him constantly guarding her. The one she imagined gave him happiness and rest, and eventually a loving family, one that would give him a place he could call home.
She smiled gently and curled up against Pawnn's chest, somehow feeling a degree of safety with him at the moment.
"Goodbye brother." she whispered.
Pawnn's stride shifted a bit as he looked down at her peaceful face and frowned. Guilt twinged through his heart for a moment. Someone so young should not be as peaceful as this one was about giving up on the future. His time of repentance was going to be long indeed.
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