Hello there!
So, first of all, thanks to ALL of you who have read and reviewed this story! Thank you thank you thank you!
So, I don't want to babble too much, I'm actually quite pleased with this chapter how it turned out...Let's hope you all enjoy it too!
So, here's chapter 28, please enjoy and feel free to comment!
Peace!
-SpaceFlora
The Good, The Bad and the Rebels
Chapter 28
The Two Gods
The Sun was already up in the sky, circling the red planet but it was smaller than when regarding from Earth as it was more further away from Mars and for that reason the morning air feeled chillier than it would have when been on Earth. Vinnie stepped out of the monastery and inhaled the fresh early noon air into his lungs and exhaled again, releasing vapor to rise up into the clear sky. He wiped his sweatty face to a towel before flinging it around his neck. He stretched slightly as he walked away from the monastery and let out a happy sigh. Stoker had told him to work with Radius' soldiers this morning, to show them some Fighter moves and he had happily done that as it had allowed him to release some of that adrenaline that had been built-up inside of him. Sure he may have hurt some of the soldiers while showing these hand-on-hand combat moves but hey, they got the point. He even had caused one soldier to limp after their battle practises but he'll live. Noone said it would be easy to be this cool, it took practise. Well, to the others, he might add, as for himself he was born cool. And for these Army boys and girls it would take a lot of practice to rise up to this league of excellence, he could tell. Man, whoever had taught these guys had done really crappy job... If these soldiers had thought that they were the hopes of Mars then the entire planet was in a big trouble Vinnie mused while walking over to his dear red racer... Well, luckily Mars had the Freedom Fighters. Luckily, Mars had him.
His bike started to beep and he gave it a look before flinging his other leg easily over to the other side of the bike and once seated he pressed the button.
"Rise and shine, citizen!" Vinnie cheered still clueless who was at the other end of the call.
"So, there radio connection still works, hu?... Did you die?"
"Doll? Wait, what? No...?" Vinnie stumbled with his words while hearing Charley's voice coming from the small speaker.
"Since that's the only acceptable reason for you to NOT inform me that you were okay, antenna-head!"
"Well, he he, I can inform you right now, sweetheart?"
"Yeah, right, well I already was filled in with this piece of information from the others... You know that I was scared for you, you furbrain!"
"Scared for me? Aww..."
"That's not cute! I was scared that something had happened to you guys!"
"Why would anything happen to us? We're the champs, the greatest! Remember?"
"Yeah, I remember that I should plant a damn tracker on your head to know where you are at any given moment since it's not apparently cool or heroic to stay in touch with your girlf..." Charley lectured him but suddenly stopped in the middle of the sentence.
Vinnie's ears twitched a little and he suddenly became nervous all of a sudden. Why was he nervous? Damn, chicks mess up even with the greatest minds...He could hear Charley to let out a sigh on the other end.
"Anyway...I don't know... Things has just been so...weird for me lately... Just wanted to hear your voice...For some reason...Even though I start to regret it already..."
Vinnie's ears drooped a little but perked up again as his brains simply functioned that way, he was way too easily distracted to get caught up with one emotion.
"Listen, sweetheart, I..."
The silence, his own silence, was a bit too long for his own liking and he scratched the back of his head. Now, what was he supposed to answer to that? His brains seemed empty all of a sudden and that was weird, usually there was a whole orchestration of things going on in there.
"Yes...?" Charley's voice echoed in the silence of this peaceful scenery that surrounded Vinnie. Only occasionally there was a whistling and rumbling sounds of the wind blowing and sweeping the barren sand plains, making the smallest particles to whirl in the air.
Vinnie looked at the scenery around him, the beautiful yet melancholic view. What on Deimos' name was he doing? What was he thinking? He didn't have a clue at this point and that was one reason why he was nervous. He just wasn't used to feel doubt, well he liked to think that way atleast, mainly because he usually didn't bother to stop and think but now he had done that and he started to regret it already... Well, you have to say something to her, cowboy, c'mon, open that mouth of yours already, before this silence is going to drown you! Vinnie sighed and bowed his head a little.
"Oh, nothing... It's just nice to hear your voice, doll..." Vinnie started and even if he tried to be his cheery self, there was an undertone that even the radiowaves couldn't hide and the other end of the call fell silent for a bief moment.
"It's nice to hear your voice, as well, Vinnie... I kinda miss having my best friend around..."
Vinnie's heart made an odd flip and he let out another sigh closing his eyes and then slid his palm across his face. But when he was to speak again he noticed that the light in the radio on his bike had gone dark. The call had ended. Vinnie closed his eyes again feeling irritated, mainly concerning his own actions but he quickly hunched down to grab a big stone to his hand next to his bike and threw that into the canyon underneath the monastery but with such a determination and angst that he only ended up hurting his shoulder while at it and he made a slight cry of pain. To mask this unfortunate way his attempt to hide his pains had taken he only placed his hands on the handlebars of his bike, grasping them so hard his knuckles turned to white, well whiter, ready to hit the road. Already pushing all the thoughts to the back of his mind.
"C'mon, Sweetheart! We still haven't jammed through the Kasei Valles!"
The red racer beeped a little worried but Vinnie grunted back.
"Not you too! I'm perfectly fine! Or I will be once I can feel the cool desert wind in my fur again and let this ground get its' taste of the great VanWham!"
And he sped off, leaving only a sand dust cloud after him.
x
x
Throttle tapped a pen against the control panel while looking at the data that rolled on the screen of this one computer. Every once and awhile he came across some information he would write down to a piece of paper before he then leaned back on his seat again to observe the monitor.
"Using the pen and paper? How very oldschool..." He heard a snicker behind him and as he glanced over his shoulder he saw Charley leaning against the wall near him. Throttle gave a chuckle.
"Well, sometimes I like to do things in a more simple way..."
"Well, I've found out myself that sometimes the oldschool way is the more reliable way, too..." Charley said as she then walked over and sat down on the seat next to the tan furred male and as she sat down she let out a sigh that somehow sounded a bit troubled and Throttle's sensitive hearing picked that up. He frowned and gave her a look.
"Everything okay, Charley-girl?"
Charley gave him a quick smile but turned it away and let out a bit forced chuckle.
"Fine and dandy..."
Throttle observed this woman next to him awhile. His friend, his ally, his family. It still amazed him that she had infact comen here, to Mars. She had taken the intergalactic trip to be here with them and left everything behind her. Suddenly he felt guilty. He had no idea what she had been up to here for the past few weeks or what has been going on in that one of the most brilliant minds he had ever known. He had no idea. He had been too busy with other stuff. They all had been too busy... And he felt a pang of guilt suddenly go through him.
"You know, Charley that if there's ever anything you wish to talk about, I'm here...You know that, right?" Throttle then opened his mouth and kept his raspy voice low.
"Yes, I know..." Charley answered and gave a small smile to him but turned her look away as she just leaned more comfortably on her seat before letting out a small but slightly exasperated sigh.
"God, what a mess..." She then mumbled and despite been worried about her Throttle had to give a small huff at this and he nodded, too.
"Yeah... It is..." He said knowing that they were maybe referring to different things but it didn't matter. He then gave her another glance and decided to maybe try and get deeper into what was eating her.
"So... Folks treating you good here? You've got accustomed to the life in the Headquarters?"
"Yes, well it sure is a lot to take in, I guess...I've been just wandering around the base and marvelling every curious little thing, I guess it just slowly starts to sink in me that I am infact living now in an entirely different planet with an entire different culture and habits...Like the fact that there's not running water in here. And for your information, your sonic showers are the most bizarre thing I've ever comen across to...And I've met aliens." Charley chuckled while absent-mindedly playing with a string of auburn hair with her slender fingers. Well, not everyone had treated her so nicely but she thought that it was maybe better to not tell Throttle about the issues she had had now with Harley. Her macho males adored the Martian mechanic and while still been on Earth they had shared numerous memories of her and she had seen how happy and in awe they had been after finding out their ginger furred feisty female comrade was infact okay and what's more important: alive. So, she decided to keep it as a secret from the guys just for now. She didn't even know was she just imagining everything in her head... Maybe Harley was just this straightforward woman without a filter, saying things that popped into her head and maybe she didn't really mean all those things she has said, she had even told her that to be the case when the Martian had found her outside the HQ just after she had tried to flee not so long ago, but that also was something that Charley decided to keep to herself, it was only Harley and Aprilia who knew about that...Maybe these Fighters who had lived through years of war were all just more or less unstable mice who just portrayed that in a different ways... In her head she was also feeling that maybe as she had just barged in here all of a sudden, she couldn't just complain about things, these folks had taken her in and shared their small food and water ratios with her. Maybe what she needed to do was just to be out of Harley's radar for awhile, maybe things will calm down...Maybe. So, she decided to switch the focus off her and to this tan furred male sitting next to her.
"So...I've been meaning to ask you all these weeks but things have been hectic around here so... How are you holding up?"
Throttle gave her a quick glance but then changed it back to the monitor.
"Well... I'm okay." Throttle only answered not entirely comfortable that the attention was now on him. He was a leader-type and usually worried about everyone else and he was not that used to reflect on his own well-being in the midst of everything. That didn't matter how he was holding up as he had no choice than to continue to try to do the best he could, he had no choice but to hold up.
Charley only observed his behaviour but he couldn't fool her, they had been too close for the past three years to him to be able to do that. She knew that he didn't like to dwell on his own personal stuff as in his way of seeing things, it was all about the bigger picture, he couldn't let the personal stuff to interfiere his thinking since he needed his mind to be clear in order for it to work propably. But that didn't mean that he wouldn't have a lot of personal carriage with him, it didn't mean that he hadn't been affected by the losses and all the shit that has been happening...He just more likely was to push all that aside for the greater good and it made Charley sad but also worried. There could come a time when this man could possibly just crack under everything. There just wasn't that much of freedom for the leaders as there was for the soldiers.. The leader took a great responsibility for everyone else on the expense of his own personal troubles.
"And Carbine?" Charley then asked carefully and immidiately saw a tiny change in his behaviour.
"Yes, well, we know where they keep her and we know the court date already... We just have to get her out from that damn cell before she'll be facing any charges..."
"No...I mean, how do you feel about the fact that she's...there?" Charley knew she was pushing a bit but she didn't care. Throttle was her friend and even if he would be reluctant to talk about his feelings, it did him good to have someone atleast ask him how he was holding up every now and then, to atleast give the chance if he ever wanted to talk about the things troubling his mind.
Throttle fell silent as he was staring at the monitor screen infront of him. He then bowed his head and played with the pen he was holding.
"Well..." He only started but didn't seem to know how to start this conversation.
"You must be worried about her..." Charley nearly whispered, not wanting to scare the male.
Throttle still contemplated while fiddling the pen but then seemed to snap out of it as he took a better position on his seat.
"I am. But worrying doesn't bring her back safely... I need to come up some kinda plan to get her out..." He then cleared his throat and Charley nodded at this. Back been the leader again. Throttle then glanced at her briefly before opening his mouth again.
"I hope that you know that we're all very grateful and above all, touched, by the simple fact that you chose to come here, to come to Mars. It's not just Vinnie who cares for you, Charley-girl. Me and Big fella' are here for you if you ever need anything. And I'm sorry if we've been too occupied for the past few weeks..." Throttle stopped to think about something for a brief moment before he continued.
"...We haven't been that good of bros to you these past few weeks, have we?" The male let out a sigh.
Charley turned her eyes on him and gathered a small and warm smile to her lips.
"That's okay... I understand."
"I mean it, Charley-girl, if there's anything you need, just ask." Throttle said, with more weight in his words.
Charley only nodded back but suddenly lifted her eyes to give him a look.
"I could use an access to the Mars' satellite systems?"
Throttle only raised his eyebrow at this rather odd request. Well, maybe not odd, he knew this gal and her preferences... But right now he didn't have a clue why she would need the access to the satellite systems.
"Oh? I see what I can do..."
"Thanks."
"Care to share why you need the access?"
"Well, I thought to help you guys to find Lil'Hoss, not that anyone asked me to do that but I guess everyone of you three furbrains just forgot what a genius I was with the machines..."
Throttle suddenly seemed a bit flustered.
"Oh, sorry about that...We didn't mean to..."
"No worries, I just said I get it, you've got shitloads of things going on! But it's time that I'm contributing as well, I can't just be in the way, you're my bros, my family and you helped to save my planet. It's my time to help you guys save your's. And I will start by getting Modo his ride back." Charley smiled and Throttle smiled back.
"Thanks, Charley-girl. You know, Vinnie once said that Big Fella's bionic arm was our secret weapon... But I think that's you." Throttle talked his raspy voice suddenly filled with affection and Charley had no choice but to turn red for she had not expected that kind of a compliment. She then looked away and nodded before she then suddenly got up and tapped Throttle on the back.
"Okay, well, I guess we need to roll our sleeves then, hu? And get to it... Lemme know when you've gotten that access for me..."
"We'll do..." Throttle chuckled as he noticed how flustered the mechanic was before she quickly found her way out of the room.
x
x
The candles were flickering all around the big otherwise dark hall. The sweet slightly spicy smell of an incense was lingering in the air, filling up the whole room. Then a deep sound of a gong was released into the air and while echoing against the walls, the soundwaves travelled through the monastery, into each room and nook, and finally into the sleeping quarters where most of the outlaws were now sleeping, using the monks' beds.
Modo woke up to this deep hollow sound of the gong with a startle and looked around him in the room that bathed in the warm light. It had been a morning already when the rebels and most of the soldiers had headed to finally get some sleep, as it had been a long time since they had gotten any decent rest. So, it didn't matter if the Sun was already up, most of these outlaws were now snoring inside these couple of big dormitories filled with simple wooden beds, side by side.
Modo reclined there on his side, leaning slightly to his bionic arm, still a bit foggy in the brain, listening to the chaotic snoring all around him, letting his eye wander in the room. The snoring sound had been very familiar, but first it had taken him a few seconds to remember where he actually was before his eyes had caught the old tapestry hanging on the wall, depicting an ancient religious ritual. Ah, yes, Kasei Valles...The escape, the monastery, the monks, it all now came back to him.
Slowly he sat up, flinging his feet to touch the floor and he could feel the warm wood floor underneath his bare feet. He made a grunt as his side hurt still, well it had not been that many hours from his surgery and he carefully placed his flesh fingers to feel this hurt area on his right ribcage. The bandage was feeling a bit wet and in this warm daylight he could see it had turned red from blood but luckily the blood had all stayed on the bandage. He then remembered that Aprilia had instructed him, no scratch that, ordered him to keep the fresh stitches clean and to change the bandage. Well, he had been too tired after their long trip here and everything that he had decided that it could wait until he woke up...So, maybe he should do now something about it before Aprilia will find out that he had disobeyed the strict orders. That would be the Freedom Fighter way to do things but not when it came to a girlfriend's command, then one should obey no questions asked...
Modo's thoughts were interrupted as suddenly a monk in his brown robe walked into the room and Modo only gave a nod at the man.
"Mornin'...! D'ya know what time it is?"
The monk only looked at him but then gave a small bow and left the room again. Modo looked after the man a bit quizzically but rubbed tiredly his eye and yawned into his fist before shaking his head, wanting to wake up from this hazyness but as he opened his eye again he saw the monk had appeared into the room again but now he was carrying a pile of clothes in his arms, neatly folded. He walked calmly to this big grey male who was still sitting on the side of the bed and then made a bow and offered the clothes to him.
"For me?" Modo asked a little doubtful but then shook his head.
"No, ya don't have to... These are just...fine..." Modo replied but as he gave a look at his bloody and tattered camos he gringed slightly. Okay, his clothes were maybe on the grungier side at the moment...But as he raised his look again he met the monk's warm smile as he was still offering the pile of clothes to him and Modo nodded back with a kind smile.
"...thanks, mate...Uh, brother..."
The monk nodded with this ever-glowing smile on his face and walked calmly out of the room, leaving Modo to sit there with the clothes on his lap. He lightly scratched his left ear while regarding these items of clothing before he then took the item on the top to his hands and lifted it a bit so it could fold open infront of his eye. It was a loose long-sleeved shirt, in the colour of burnt sienna. A traditional tunic-shirt amongst the Cave Mice males as the citizens usually in their normal day-to-day-life were wearing these plain clothes that had been dyed with the pigments gotten from the Martian earth. The fabric was coarse as the clothes were made to last, there were no supermarkets or boutiques on Mars where one could just buy more clothes. There were craftsmen who made the clothes. Modo pondered a moment before then slowly getting up as the puncture wound on his left thigh did not appreciate this movement at all. After a bit of a struggle caused by his still a bit unoriented feeling and the hazy mind he got the loose-fitted tunic on and it fell to cover his bare chest, his arms and reached nearly half-way to his thighs. He then took off his ragged camos and changed them to these slightly loose-fitted pants that were made out of the same coarse fabric than the tunic but they were in the colour of very deep brown. Even if the fabric was coarse the items felt warm against his skin and fur. And he had to admit that even if he had been used to the skin-tight jeans, it felt very comfortable in these garments, and light. As he looked down he saw that there had fallen a light-brown leather rope on the floor and he picked that up and tied it around his waist, to keep the tunic in place. He then stood there awhile and let out a sigh. Okay, so this was strange. He didn't even remember when he had been wearing the normal clothes the last time...
As he was to take his boots and leave the sleeping area he saw his refletion from the window close-by and just stood there staring at this image via the glass. He had been so used to wearing the Fighters' combat outfit or the biker clothes so many years now that these plain and normal clothes now struck him as something very unusual and odd but somehow they still felt...familiar and comfortable.
Modo had been wearing these kind of simple clothes himself, like a normal citizen, before joining the Fighters. It was odd to see himself wearing the regular clothes again. The clothes that represented who he was and where he came from. The clothes of his own culture. Seeing himself in these clothes now looking back at him from the window glass suddenly gave him a strong sense of belonging, which was weird. He didn't know he had lost some of that feeling inside of him but it was understandable. As much as the Fighters were fighting for their people and for their planet, they had also been separated from their people and culture. They had been living as outlaws for so long time... And life inside the Headquarters or on the battlefields hardly resembled the normal life and activities of the normal folks. But it had becomen the new normal for the Fighters.
Another deep thundering sound of the gong was now ringing around the monastery and that woke Modo from his inner thoughts and he glanced at the bigger hall's direction and put on his boots before leaving the room and he headed casually towards the sound of the gong, feeling a bit curious as it had been years since he had seen the monks doing their daily ceremonies and prayers.
As he stepped into this bigger candle-lit hall the service had just began and a low chanting quickly filled up the room as a roomful of monks were sitting on the floor, their eyes closed and their heads slightly bowed and their palms, while facing upwards, offered towards the front of the main hall. Modo shifted his look to the front and saw two big bronze statues placed carefully on top of a long wooden table, both of them partly facing each other. They were the two most celebrated gods the Martian Cave Mice had. The other one was the Goddess of the two Moons, the other the God of the Rising Star, which referred to the Sun. These gods had some similarities to the Cave Mice themselves, in the way they were depicted but they looked more morphed, like they were in some form of a reincarnation, where their hands would be there were blooming branches and their legs had morphed into the roots of the trees. The Goddess was carrying a knife and the God a sickle. They represented the duality of the world: life and death, the beginning and the end, male and female, war and peace...
Modo didn't know how long he had stared at the statues, silently contemplating something, but he heard a faint clearing of a voice beside him and as he looked down he saw a monk sitting close to him, on the ground and after their eyes met the monk only turned his head away again and closed his eyes. Modo swallowed and turned his head towards the statues again and quickly made a religious sign to honour the gods as it was accustomed to do when entering the holy place, slightly mentally kicking himself for forgetting that. He brought his both hands together, the palms turned upwards, like when scooping water from a stream, and with a bowed head he brought the palms forward towards the statues and then brought them back close to his face, the gesture symboling him being offered life, food and water from the gods. He gave the statues one last look but then let his arms drop to his sides and was to leave the chanting monks to do their ceremonial activites in peace when he heard a small voice full of warmth behind him.
"You don't wish to stay to sit with us?"
Modo turned around and noticed Riot sitting on the floor, close to him, who now regarded him with a kind look. Modo looked around a bit confused.
"Sorry... Didn't want to interrupt you guys..." He whispered back but Riot only smiled and nodded.
"Noone who comes to the gods is interrupting."
Modo raised his brows but nodded.
"Well, Ah can see ya point... But..."
But Riot only made more space beside him and turned back to his chanting. Modo only regarded him while the same time trying to understand the words they were all using and repeating in their chants since it was in the old Cave Mice dialect, and he could pick up a word or two here and there as his mommah had used these same prayers at her house and taught him some words when he had been a kid. Modo gave a look towards the holy relics in the front again. Suddenly he felt at peace and he couldn't hear the chanting anymore. It was like the time had stopped, even the candles were moving in a more steady pace. He felt calm, like something soft washing through him.
x
x
"Do you know someone called Titania?" Throttle asked as all the Fighters and rebel rats had gathered to eat savva wheat porridge in the dining room area back in the Headquarters, by the old long wooden tables. Harley only briefly raised her look from her plate to meet his eyes, or more likely, to feel his look on her since his specs were covering his look.
"No. Never heard." Harley replied but continued eating. Throttle tapped the spoon lightly against the table, letting his eyes wonder on this big bunch of rebels.
"Hudson! Haden! Have you heard someone called Titania?" He then raised his voice.
Both of the males looked up a bit further away but both of them only shook their heads.
"Nah..."
"Can't say that I have, bro..."
Throttle let out a sigh and leaned to his palm.
"Why would she presume that we even know this person..."
"Well, she might have invented her for all we know... Maybe, she's intentionally leading us into the wrong direction...?" Harley pondered.
"I don't see a reason for her to do so..." Throttle thought out loud.
"Well, we didn't see her to turn her back on us again either, after all we did for her... She just left us to deal with everything even if we took her in and forgave her..." Harley replied.
"Are you holding a grudge?" Throttle was slightly humoured.
"No. I just don't think that was a wise move. She's gonna die out there..." Harley then sighed and placed the spoon on the table, next to the clay bowl.
"Are we gonna go and look for her? Before she'll croak out there?"
Throttle gave the other Fighters a look who had all their eyes on him now after hearing the discussion.
"When exactly did she leave?" Throttle gave Harley a look.
"Well, the data showed that around 6 in the morning..."
"So, she's been out there about, what, eight hours?"
"Possibly."
Throttle gave the men another look.
"I was thinking to go find her... But I wanted the guys to rest and eat first... It's been a long week, I didn't want to put all of our lives at risk, to end up making bad and hasty decisions only because we'd be too tired to think clearly..."
"Smart." Harley nodded. She then shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, maybe all that walking out there in the desert does her some good, gives her some time to think..."
Throttle turned his glance back on the ginger furred mechanic and Harley gave him a look back.
"What?"
"You're kiddin' right?"
"Hey, I have also walked there, in the desert and believe me it was more than eight hours and I had a..." Harley then closed her mouth and looked at her plate. Throttle raised his eyebrow behind his specs.
"You had what?"
Harley didn't look at him, she only bit her lower lip but somehow she had gathered some anxiety in her, Throttle could feel it but he didn't know why she was behaving like this.
"All I'm saying is that people can survive eight hours there." The mechanic then only stated.
"Yeah, well, she can survive but she also could be found by the enemy. Who knows what they'll do to her if they'll get their hands on her again.." Throttle then suddenly got up and gave a look at the long tables filled with mice and rats.
"Haden and Maico! You come with me. Let's find our little runaway..."
The two fighters followed him out of the room and the careful clinging of spoons against the clay bowls filled the room again as everyone else got back to their eating. Harley started to eat again as well but soon felt someone to take Throttle's place and she raised her eyes to meet Aprilia's big brown eyes and they were not looking happy. Harley swallowed the porridge in her mouth.
"What's up, girl?"
"What's up? Seriously? I think you know perfectly well what's up..." Aprilia's voice came out as an agitated whisper and even if been soft it had an edge to it. Harley played with the spoon in her hand and only shook her head.
"No...I don't know what you're talking about..."
Aprilia gave her a glare but turned her look on the plate infront of her that was filled with steamy hot porridge. She contemplated something but then put her spoon down and leaned forward to keep her voice down, she didn't want the whole table to hear them.
"I mean, what are you doing to this poor girl?"
"Who?" Harley asked innocently.
"Charley!" Aprilia hissed back. Harley only kept on playing with her spoon.
"So, the alien came to cry to you about it..."
"No, she did not and stop referring to her as the alien!" Aprilia scolded her friend.
"Well, she is..."
"Either way, she's family to the guys! You can't make her upset!"
"I haven't done anything." Harley only replied to this. Aprilia studied her.
"Well, maybe that's the thing, you haven't done anything, you haven't make her feel at home..."
"Well, she's not at home, her home is on that blue planet..."
"Are you being serious?"
Harley only shrugged her shoulders. Aprilia sighed and rubbed the bridge between her eyes before setting her eyes back on to her friend across the table.
"Why are you like this? You have no reason...!" She then whispered again.
Harley only gave her a glance and Aprilia closed her mouth, observing her but then shook her head.
"That is not a reason! Do I have to remind you again that he is with Charley now?"
Harley only poked her food with the spoon but then shrugged her shoulder.
"Well, I can't help it... She just...bugs me..."
"You didn't feel that way when she came here..."
"Well, now I feel."
Aprilia regarded her but then shook her head and took her spoon again.
"Either way, you're not this person, you're not a maleficent person, Harley so stop acting all crazy..."
Harley felt a piercing feeling inside of her and looked away. She shook her head and suddenly looked sorrowful and she turned her eyes back to her plate.
"I just can't help it."
"Yes, you can. You are responsible of your own actions..." Aprilia muttered back, scooping the porridge.
Harley gave her a look.
"They were gone for three years... Did your connection with Modo survived all that time and distance?" Harley asked carefully and Aprilia raised her a bit quizzical look back. She nodded back.
"Yes. The connection never died."
Harley only nodded back with a hint of a smile but there were tears threathening to escape her eyes.
"I know. The connection is hard to break."
Aprilia only stared at this slender mechanic.
"You mean...?"
Harley glared around them but it seemed that noone had heard of their quiet conversation or even paying attention on them at the moment.
"We got a connection, me and Vinnie, just some days before I was...taken away... For me, the connection never died. But maybe...It died for him. Obviously he had moved on..."
Aprilia contemplated on that information. Okay, this made the things a bit more complicated. The Cave Mice population made a connection to their significant other and that connection could make them act differently, it was also the part of their brain networks that controlled for example their territorial behaviour as well. Having the connection meant that you were wired a bit differently, it meant that one could not maybe help the way he or she acted, well, not without a serious attempt and concentration that is. But to have a connection without the other half having it... that would be rare.
"Why you didn't tell me?" Aprilia whispered.
"It took me some time to realize that too...Do you think he has the connection still?" Harley's eyes suddenly turned more enthusiastic but the enthusiasm decreased as she saw the questioning look her friend had. Aprilia only let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.
"Who knows... But I don't think he would be with Charley...if he had the connection still. But who can tell, these things are still a bit of a mystery..." Aprilia touched lightly one of her red antennae. Harley looked gloomy again while hunching over her meal.
"Do you think it's possible that my connection just got stronger because we have...?" She started but cut off.
"..because you have a child together?" Aprilia ended the sentence but then her eyes grew bigger.
"You carried a part of him inside of you for ten months, that's why your connection might have comen only stronger whereas his connection could just fade away..."
Harley only shrugged her shoulders, poking her food still. Aprilia let out a sigh but leaned forward again.
"You gotta tell him, tell that he's got a daughter, Harley."
"Why? What's the point anymore? She's gone...and he's too."
"He's not gone. And he has the right to know atleast."
"Yes, sure, the things ain't too awkward around here anyway..."
"A child is a big thing. You can't hide her from him, he has the right to know!"
Harley only nodded but then swallowed and took her plate and got up.
"I think about it." She said and only left. Aprilia let out a deep sigh and leaned to her palm. Beretta was eating a little bit further away from them and she now scooted over, more closer to the blonde haired doctor.
"What was that all about?" The golden furred female asked curiously.
"Nothing... "
"Why was she so upset?"
Aprilia only let out another sigh as an response. Beretta raised her eyebrow and looked after the mechanic but turned her look back on Aprilia.
"Okay... Well, I know that only men could cause such dark emotions in women..."
Aprilia only huffed at this, she knew that this copper haired blue eyed medic was only fishing for some juicy gossips that she loved to collect. Beretta scooted even closer to Aprilia.
"Well, okay, that's none of my business...But that leads me to my next question: How are you? We haven't really been speaking these last couple of days... You haven't been around at the medical facilities.."
"For once things are slow in practise-wise...For which I'm grateful for of course..." Aprilia muttered.
"So, any news about your heavyweight love interest?" Beretta asked.
"He's name is Modo, for the tenth billionth of time, why can't you just say his name...?" Aprilia started to feel herself annoyed.
"Okay, okay...Fine, Modo". Beretta repeated lifting her brow and Aprilia quickly turned her face to her.
"Why you don't like him?"
"I haven't said that..."
"You have always said that!"
Beretta sighed.
"It's just because you're my friend and during all these years I've just felt the need to protect you..."
"Why? Why would you need to protect me? From what?"
"You know... You're so small.. So, fragile..."
"I'm not fragile, and I'm not even that small, I've got more meat on my bones than any of the gals in here, you included."
"It's just your whole vibes... You're like this sweet, innocent girl with these big brown eyes and...He's...well, frankly he's huge."
Aprilia rolled her eyes and turned to eat her porridge. Beretta sighed and came still a bit closer to her friend.
"Well, I can see now that you two really love each other but back in the days of war... I mean, when I saw him the first time...I was frankly scared that he could hurt you, I mean that man could crush you with his pinky..."
"Oh, you can't possibly know what he can do with his pinky..." Aprilia drawled but suddenly flamed red when realizing how her sentence came out and she cleared her throat.
"I mean, he would never hurt me. He's the most sweetest guy I've ever met." Aprilia muttered back. There was a short silence as Beretta looked at her friend who at the moment didn't feel too pleased with the golden furred medic.
"C'mon, do I have to say I'm sorry? Okay, I'm sorry, I was wrong... Clearly that man worships the ground you walk on and then some...I know now that he could never ever hurt you. And if anything, he'll protect you from now on, so my job's done."
"Thank you." Aprilia only answered while giving her friend a look back with a slight smile. Beretta smiled back and then after a brief silence she started.
"So, back to this pinky..." She started but Aprilia shot up and took her plate and spoon and left the table.
"Oh, no...! We're not gonna have this discussion...!"
"Okay, fine...! We'll discuss these things over Martian liquor sometimes...!"
"Don't think so...!" Aprilia answered already far away.
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