Erk, late again... I gotta stop getting so busy on weekends >.>
Thank you again to Intrepid and Samurai for reviewing...I dunno what I'd do without you guys -)
Disclaimer: BMFM doesn't belong to me cries or else I'd be on an island in the Carribean somewhere ...Tala and Sparks belong to Kindra Coates. Alex, Night Storm and Tread are mine.
Chapter 13: Meetings and Downloading
The rest of the trip was uneventful. By the time Tala's ship landed on Mars on the 4th afternoon since leaving Earth, Alex was her old self again, much to her relief.
"Sparks" Tala called, as the others assembled near the ramp, "Can you give me a hand going over the ship? I want to fix whatever damage those scouters did"
"Sure Tala" Sparks answered. He gave his father a hug, and Alex a small smile then dashed off to assist the blonde woman.
The ramp on the ship lowered, exposing the red sands that seemed to stretch for miles, broken only by a small cluster of buildings scattered around. Alex sniffed the air cautiously, then took a deep breath.
"And they said Mars was uninhabitable" she exclaimed to Charley as they walked down to the ground.
"Yeah I know…this place only seems that way though." Charley answered, looking around and grinning when she saw someone coming towards the ship.
The three mice suddenly barrelled past the girls and pounced their steel tailed mentor.
"Stoker!"
"Hey Coach!"
"OK OK! Get off me ya crazy young'uns!" Stoker bellowed from the pile of mice at the bottom of the ramp.
"I'm getting too old for this"
"Aw come on Coach" Vinnie smirked "You're never too old"
Stoker cuffed the younger mouse, and stepped forward to sweep Charley up in a bear hug.
"How are you doing, Gorgeous?" he asked. "These mice not getting on your nerves yet?"
Charley laughed.
"Nope" she replied. "Not at all. Well, maybe a little…" Both Charley and Alex giggled at the mice's indignant expressions.
"And who's this pretty lady?" Stoker asked, looking at Alex.
Alex blushed. She still wasn't used to compliments.
"This is Alex, Charley-girl's cousin" Modo rumbled, coming over to stand beside the young woman, and placing a possessive hand on her shoulder. Stoker raised an eyebrow at this.
"She found Night Storm" added Throttle. "That's the reason we came back"
"You found the bike!" exclaimed Stoker. "Well let's get it to the central computer and start downloading. She must have all the information we'll need for a while"
"Um…Sir?" Alex wasn't quite sure how to address this new mouse, but tried to be as polite as possible.
"Aw heck, Darlin', don't start with that sir nonsense" Stoker smiled at the small redhead. "Just call me Stoker."
"OK, Stoker" Alex grinned back then asked. "What's going to happen to Night Storm once you've finished downloading her information?"
Stoker looked carefully at the young woman. She seemed apprehensive, and he realized she probably had the bond. Taking the bike away would make her distressed to say the least.
"Don't worry" he replied "She's yours when we're done"
Alex's face lit up in one of the biggest smiles the mice and Charley had ever seen, and she stepped forward and hugged Stoker.
"Thank you…thank you so much" she said in a voice that sounded like she was going to cry any minute.
"She's already got the bond, Stoke" Modo explained, gently prying Alex off Stoker, and grinning.
"I thought so" The older mouse said. "Grab your bikes and we'll get this download underway."
-
Once they had their bikes off the ship, they pushed them over to one of the larger buildings with double doors. Stoker placed his hand on a panel by the doors, and they swung open with a creak. Alex stared at the huge console along one wall and the large screen above it.
"That thing is huge." She breathed, then snickered. "Imagine playing GTA on that screen"
Charley burst out laughing.
"I don't think it has any video games on it Cuz"
:"I know, but just imagine!" Alex giggled, as she wheeled Night Storm over to Stoker, who was holding a cable with a strange fitting on the end.
The mechanical tailed mouse slid back a small partition on the bike and plugged in the cable. Night Storm beeped loudly, as images, blueprints and text started to flow across the large screen.
"Excellent" Stoker announced "She's been doing her job well….look at all this info. We'll get some of our Intelligence to sift through it later."
"I'll see you later girl" Alex whispered to her bike, which beeped softly back at her in response. Alex patted her bikes crankcase and left the building with the others as several other mice filed past and into the building.
"Guards" Stoker explained in a low voice, noticing Alex's concerned look. "Night Storm will be fine, don't worry."
-
Leaving the mice's three bikes outside, the mice and two women stepped into a bar for a drink. The place seemed deserted. There were only a couple of mice at one of the tables.
"Where is everyone?" Charley asked.
"Out on duty" Stoker replied. "We had a Plutarkian raid about a month back, so security has been stepped up."
The 6 of them sat at the bar and ordered drinks from a bored looking bar-mouse.
"Slow business, Tread?" Stoker asked.
The dun coloured mouse just gave a snort and headed out the back.
"Not one for talking is he?" Alex mused, half to herself.
"Tread? Nah…he's just annoyed business has slowed down, even though he's only been here a few months." Stoker murmured to her.
As they drank, Alex relayed the story of how she found Night Storm, and what had happened on the way to Tala's place. Stoker grew concerned.
"So the stink fish know about the bike now. Good thing you found her when you did, Gorgeous, or we would have had a whole mess of trouble"
Alex thought they already had that with Greasepit turning up and the scouters. She didn't voice her opinions though.
They finished their drinks, and headed out, not knowing they were being watched.
"Charley and I are going for a ride" Throttle announced as they let the door swing shut behind them.
"We are?" Charley raised an eyebrow and Throttle looked sheepish.
"Don't you want to go for a ride?"
"I would, but next time ask me first" Charley grinned, swatting Throttle's shoulder as she hopped on behind him.
As the two rode off, Vinnie, pushing his bike and Stoker headed in the direction of Tala's ship, and Modo turned to Alex.
"Would you like to go see that place I told you about?" he asked.
Alex looked at his bike, then back at him, blushing.
"Sure" she replied. "I'd like that"
They walked over to Modo's bike.
"I hope you don't mind riding with me" Modo said, "I kinda forgot you wouldn't have wheels when I asked"
"I don't mind" Alex cleared her throat to stop her voice from squeaking again, and slipped on her helmet. Modo followed suit, and climbed onto his bike. Alex hopped on behind him and slipped her arms around his waist, amazed at how much his fur reminded her of velvet. She jumped when she felt something coil around her, and glanced down. Modo's tail was wrapped firmly around her middle. She blushed again then held on as Modo accelerated away from the bar and out of the small town, racing along the red sands towards a set of hills in the distance.
(AN: and there's another chappie...oooh, things are getting a bit hairy now aint they? Wondering who the watcher is? You'll have to wait and find out! Remember to read and review!)