"I only knew it was a matter of time before those malicious mackerels would pull a stunt like this," Carbine said angrily after Rimfire contacted her via her portable vidcom. He told her that the Plutarkian government had learned that Torque and Harley had escaped from Plutopia after Plutarkian detectives obtained images from a satellite that had been positioned near where the dune buggy had crashed. The satellite had taken aerial photos of Torque and Harley jumping out of the dune buggy and into a crater. The Plutarkian government knew the two female mice's connections to the Biker Mice and were now offering a huge cash reward for their apprehension-dead or alive.
It didn't take long for interplanetary criminals and bounty hunters to get word about the bounty on Torque and Harley's head. They had descended like locusts on mars, scouring the ravaged planet for any sign of the two mice.
"We've managed to get Harley to Karbunkle's old underground lab but we don't know how long we can keep her there," Rimfire said. "It looks like everybody left Black Rock and came to mars. They're leaving no stone left unturned."
"Do everything that you can to keep her safe. I'll be back as soon as I can," Carbine said to Rimfire.
"What's going on Carbine," Torque asked after Carbine had finished talking to Rimfire.
"Those putrid Plutarkians know about your escape from Plutopia. They've put a bounty on your head and Harley's head," Carbine explained.
"Wonderful," Torque said sarcastically.
It was in the wee hours of the morning. Throttle had left alone on his bike earlier in the evening shortly after talking to his sister. After several hours, Modo and Vinnie left the garage to look for him because the clearly exhausted Torque said that she would not sleep until Throttle came back. She said that she could not rest until she succeeded in "talking some sense into that brother of mine."
"Sweetheart, are you still waiting up for me," Vinnie's voice came from the two-way radio in Charley's room. He was attempting to sound seductive.
Charley rolled her eyes as she started to make snoring sounds into the radio.
Vinnie chuckled into the radio. "Don't worry sleeping beauty; your prince charming will soon be there to wake you up like in the fairy tale."
"Dream on," Charley said dismissingly to Vinnie.
"Vinnie, have you and Modo found Throttle yet?" Carbine asked.
"Yeah, we found him drowning his sorrows in root beer at Manuelo's convenience store," Vinnie said.
"It's very important that you guys get back here as soon as possible," Carbine said pointedly. "The Plutarkians have got every lowlife in the galaxy looking for Torque and Harley by offering a large cash reward for their capture-dead or alive. We've got to figure out a way to keep them safe."
"Man, some people are so lucky" Vinnie cried, lamenting the fact that he was not the focus of such an unprecedented bounty hunt. "They're 'wanted dead or alive,'" he sang.
"Carbine, Carbine, are you there," Stoker's said in a loud, urgent voice from Carbine's vidcom, which she kept in a holder similar to one used for a cell phone.
"Carbine here, what is it Stoker?"
"Before we moved her to Karbunkle's old lab, some of Harley's blood was analyzed. The test results just came back. There is a significant amount of heavy metal buildup in her blood. Mercury, lead, you name it. The heavy metals have done extensive damage to her internal organs…"
Stoker paused for a moment, trying to keep his composure.
"The medics say that Harley won't live much longer," Stoker said, his voice cracking. "They say that she has days, maybe even only hours to live."