Biker Mice from Mars
Slime Mold Song and Dance
The Hard Luck Trilogy
Pt 3
Hot and Sticky. It wasn't even officially summer in Chicago yet, but it felt like it was August wrapped in a wet blanket. The Citizens of the city were doing whatever they could to cool off. Those that had air conditioners cranked them up. Those without made do. Windows were opened and fans turned on, doing anything they could to either find or create a cool breeze. Sadly, nothing seemed to be working.
Some kids on a street had gotten an Old-Fashioned Big City Idea on how to beat the Heat. A group of about 6 or so, after finding a big old wrench, they had pried open a side cap on a fire hydrant! Cold Water gushed out like a mini waterfall filling the street!
The Kids ran and jumped in the water, splashing themselves and each other. Looking down at them from their apartment windows, their parents and other adults watched them. Somewhere thinking that they should scold the kids and put a stop to them wasting the water, but most of them were just seriously tempted to go out and join them.
Suddenly the water erupting from the hydrant gurgled and slowed to a trickle. The Kids stopped playing and looked at the hydrant with confusion on their faces. They wondered if someone hadn't paid the water bill, or if they had used it all up. Some just let out a few choice words that some of the adults watching wondered where they learned them. The Hydrant started to rattle and shake.
The Kids stared at it. Some of them running to the perceived security of their apartment building stoops. A couple of the braver ones slowly walked up to investigate the odd acting hydrant. The shaking hydrant suddenly stopped. The kids looked at it, hopefully wondering if the water would return. Something did, but it wasn't water!
A Smelly Green Ooze shot out and started to fill the street! The kids screamed and jumped out of the street to stand on the street curb, watching the ooze puddle grow bigger and bigger! IT smelled bad! Some of the kids ran inside to get away, while the last of the braver kids stayed, but the smell was tempting them to run too!
The Ooze suddenly stopped flowing out of the hydrant. It nearly filled the entire street. It steamed and bubbled and made weird noises. It almost seemed like the stuff was ALIVE!
A City Bus came around the corner and unknowingly drove right into the puddle. The Ooze clung to the bus's tires. Several loud bangs filled the area! The Tires burst like balloons! The bus slammed to a stop as its tireless metal rims bit into the street! Sparks flew as the bus screeched to a complete halt. The Citizens on the bus thankfully didn't get hurt, but they too let out a few choice words that their parents would have washed their mouths out if they had heard them.
Suddenly the ooze flowed away and down the storm-grates in the curbs. The air cleared and no longer smelled, plus most of the litter and refuse on the street was gone to. It was like the strange ooze had never been there. The Citizens from the apartment buildings and the Bus stood around scratching their heads wondering where the stuff went, and what it was. They were so distracted that none of them heard the two powerful engines of two motorcycles as they sped by on another street.
"I am gonna get in so much trouble!" grumbled Hard Luck riding on his motorcycle Dently as they followed Charley on her Masked Ryder Cycle. "Will you relax!" Charley shouted back at him. "What makes you think you are going to get into trouble?" She asked him. He just stared back at her with a look of shock which was obvious even from behind his helmet's visor.
"Are you NUTS!?" He yelled back at her. "How do you think Modo, Throttle, and, uh, Fred are going to react when they learn we are doing this!" He snapped at her. "And do you run around dressed like that very often, not that I am complaining mind you." He said mumbling that last bit under his breath.
"There is nothing wrong with how I am dressed!" Charley yelled at him defiantly. She was wearing her dark pink and black Masked Ryder Leather outfit. She hadn't worn it in a long time. "Just think of it as a disguise." She told him trying to justify her style choice. "Besides it's not exactly like either of our bikes are street legal, and I wouldn't want to get us In Trouble if I got recognized, now would I?" She said with a condescending smirk on her face, which was partially hidden by her reflective helmet visor.
Hard Luck stayed silent for a few seconds before he replied to her. "I am gonna get in so much trouble." He whined again. "No, You Aren't!" She said. "You're right." He said. "WE are gonna get in so much Trouble!" He cried. Charley just rolled her eyes and accelerated. "Hey, wait for Me!" Hard Luck shouted and Dently zoomed to catch up to her.
At their Scoreboard Hideout at the Quigley Stadium. The Biker Mice were doing some much-needed repairs to their beloved motorcycles. They had been putting their bikes thru their paces the last few days. Greasepit and the Goons had been attacking and trying to steal resources all over Chicago.
"Toss me that screwdriver, Vinnie." Modo asked his White Furred Friend. "Sure, thing My Big Buddy-a-Reno." Vinnie said reaching for the tool sitting on his Red Rocket Cycle's seat. He picked it up and started to juggle it between his paws and his tail. Doing all kinds of tricks. Modo sighed. "Anytime Bro.' He said slowly. Smiling, Vinnie flipped the driver up, and flicked it with his tail, sending it flying towards Modo, who grabbed it at the last second with his cyborg hand. "Thanks." He said and leaned over Lil Hoss to tighten up some parts.
"Always glad to be of use." Vinnie laughed. "Oh, and if you need any Expert Mechanical assistance you just go ahead and ask me." He said smugly. "Right." Modo replied, his single eye-rolling in its socket. "Never let it be said that I, Vinnie VanWham, Expert Martian Mechanical Engineer, was never one to offer his supreme services to his fellow Freedom Fighters when in need." He said while patting his bike as if to demonstrate how good his repair skills are.
Too bad the part he just installed fell off with a loud clunk. "Whoops!" Vinnie gasped as he snatched it up in a futile attempt to keep his bros from noticing. "I will keep that in mind." Modo laughed. "Better be careful there, Master Mechanic, wouldn't want you to misfire your engine and burn that tail of yours again." Throttle said with a smile jabbing at Vinnie's pride.
Vinnie snarled and ground his teeth. He still couldn't think up a comeback to Throttle's teasing him on the burnt tail fiasco from earlier. "Where is a wrench, I need a wrench." He grumbled and walked over to a toolbox to look for one. Modo stood up and walked over to Throttle, who was busy working on his own bike as well.
"You have been laying on this Tail Tease pretty thick their Leader Mouse." Modo whispered to him. Hoping that Vinnie was far away and distracted enough to not overhear him. With those big Martian Ears, not being overheard was a bit of a trick. "Relax Mega Mouse, I got reasons for my meanness." Throttle whispered back.
Modo gave him a questioning look. This he had to hear. "And those reasons would be?" He asked. "Tail Tease Play # 7B." He answered him. "I don't remember that one." Modo told him with a puzzled look. "Of course not, I just made it up." Throttle said with a quiet chuckle.
"The first reason is that since I started the tail teasing bit, is that even after a couple of hours bike repair time, he hasn't even mentioned You Know Who this whole time." Throttle pointed out. Now that Modo thought about it. Charley hadn't even been mentioned since he first brought the parts back from the Last Chance earlier today, and they had been in one battle with Greasepit since then. That being a big reason for this repair stop.
"So, what is the other reason?" He asked. A guilty look crossed Throttle's furry face. "I have kind of been enjoying it." He said not taking his gaze off his repair job. A Look crossed Modo's big face. A look that had been on it once earlier today all ready. Big Brother Mode had been activated. Again. Modo reached down his big left paw and picked Throttle up by the scruff of his neck.
"Hey!" Gasped Throttle suddenly finding himself up in the air. Modo walked over to the chairs in front of their TV and dropped Throttle on to one of them. "Oof." He gasped as he landed. "Vincent, Here. NOW!" He barked. Vinnie was running across the hideout before he even realized he was doing it. Vinnie ran over and jumped over to sit on one of the other chairs.
"What I do, what I do, I didn't do nothing!" Vinnie stammered like he had just got caught with his paw in the snack box. Throttle just crossed his arms and settled in for a good Stern Talking too. He had a feeling Modo had been holding this in for a while. Modo took up a stance in front of them and gave them both one of his better Glares!
"Ok, I already had to go Full Parental on the other two, now it's you two knuckleheads turn." He growled at them. Throttle and Vinnie just fidgeted in their seats but didn't say anything. "I have been making up lame excuses for over two weeks now, and I am getting right tired of it!" He said looking down at them.
A few mumbled pleads of ignorance and other nonsense were the only replies he got. "Look, neither of you two have been to see Charley in all this time and she does actually miss you two." He pointed out to them. "And She is starting to really wonder why, and I am not going to be the one to TRY and explain your stupid reasons for avoiding her, or should I say HIM!" Modo finished with.
"Hey, My Reasons are Not Stupid!" Throttle angrily pointed out then pointed at Vinnie with his thumb. "Vinnie's reasons are Stupid, but Mine Aint!" He added. A look of shock took hold on Vinnie's face. "Oh, Oh, Oh!" He gasped out. "My reasons are Stupid!?" Vinnie angrily spouted. "If My Reasons are stupid then so are yours!"
This just started an argument of {No Mine Aren't but his are} between the two among a bunch of fingers being pointed at each other. Modo's Eye Glowed Red. His cyborg arm pulled a mechanical chop down in between the two. It happened so fast both Throttle and Vinnie were caught off guard and fell backward tipping their chairs over and falling onto their tails.
"Ouch, Oof!" Throttle and Vinnie chorused as they looked up at Modo towering over them. "OK, I have had it. You two are going to get your bikes running and then we are going straight over to the Last Chance and we are putting everything on the table, and I don't want to hear nothing out of either of you two, GOT IT!?" Modo laid out to them in a voice that said He wasn't going to take ANY guff from them. They stared up at him then looked at each other then back up at him then both leaped up to their feet and ran over to their bikes and got to work on them.
"Momma, give me strength." Modo sighed and walked over to finish his own repairs on Lil Hoss.
"Greasepit, My Asinine Associate, what is our status on Goon Numbers?" Limburger asked talking into his portable phone. "Duh, No Go on the Goons Boss." Greasepit answered him. "The only Goons we got left are the ones you said gotta stay on Island Defense." He said. "Blast it all, very well. Refrain from any further erroneous endeavors for the time being my dear boy." He purred into the phone. "Huh?" questioned Greasepit.
Limburger sighed. "Just do what you do best. Absolutely Nothing!" He yelled and hung up on him. Without Goons to supply a distraction, it was a risky gamble to acquire any of the necessary items needed for Karbunkle to complete Operation SMI.
He wondered what the status on Double R was? Did he want to ask Karbunkle for an update on that? No, best to leave the Demented Doctor to the nefarious doings he decided. Well, that and He could do without another of his sycophantic schmoozing's. Even Limburger could take so much of that.
Now his conundrum was to employ patience and wait until his Goon Army was replenished and could be used to distract his most hated of hostiles, or take a gamble and use his new assets to obtain what he needed? To Play it Safe or Not. That is the Question. He turned in his chair and looked out his window at the faint glow of the city on the horizon. The light was being reflected off the thick haze of heat and humidity hanging over it.
It did give it all a very Doom-laden appearance. He made his mind up. Victory Favors the Bold as so the old saying goes. That and he really didn't want to wait. Plus considering Greasepit's report of the last battle. The Mice's motorcycles appeared to need some refurbishment. He would take the chance. He could also check on the Double R Problem at the same time too. He picked up his phone and made a call to his New Assets. That and they did have a talent for imperceptible capability.
"We've been out almost all night; can we go back to the Garage now?" Hard Luck asked with a nervous tremble in his tinny voice. "It's only been an hour since we left, and it is not even 10 O'clock yet!" Charley gasped. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. She had only known Hard Luck for about 3 weeks, and he was NOTHING like any of the Martian Mice she had met so far. There was only one way she could describe him. DAMAGED! She had only been into battle with him a couple of times and from that, it was obvious he didn't have the desire or real ability for it the Guys did.
Oh, sure Modo and Throttle liked to say they didn't enjoy fighting, but she saw the smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the adrenaline rushes, they got from it like the far more Open about it Vinnie. Vinnie was practically addicted to the stuff.
Pulling up to a stoplight, she turned and took in the Blue Furred Mouse again. He was trying to look in every direction. He acted like he expected some unseen horrors to leap out of every shadow. He was nervous for some reason. She could tell because she had learned that when he was, his left paw would go up and squeeze the little medallion he wore around his neck or the green bandana attached to his leather helmet. He did that when he was upset. She didn't know what significance the items meant to him, but she could tell they were extremely important to him. The bruise He left on her arm taught her that.
"Look, Hard Luck, just calm down. I am just trying to help figure out what Limburger is up to, and just get out of the shop for a while." She said trying to calm him down. "I am not out here looking to get into a fight or anything. I just needed to get out and away... I mean get some air." She fumbled. She hoped he didn't notice that she almost said Away from You. It was now her turn to give him a nervous glance.
"Uh, yeah, right, sure." He said distractedly. He was still looking at everything but her. His motorcycle, Dently kept looking at her and then at him. The Poor thing seemed like it wanted to tell her something but just couldn't or wouldn't get the message across. It was almost as confusing and frustrating as Hard Luck. They made a pair all right.
They were cruising along the east side of the city in a more Up Scale Industrial type area. "Look Hard Luck, we aren't even in a Bad Part of Town anymore." She said pointing out the area. "It's nothing but office buildings, warehouses, and laboratories." She added. They were all dark and silent. Everything was closed for the night. She reached down and turned on her bike's radio and turned it to the police scanner setting. She listened for a few minutes, but other than the normal level of Chicago Crazy, she didn't hear anything that caught her attention.
She sat in thought wondering if she was wasting her time when she heard Hard Luck make a frightened squeak. She turned around quickly and caught him looking away from a dark alley next to a large Laboratory Warehouse next to the lakeshore. "Did You see something?" She asked him. She got her answer from the Full and open look of Guilt that was literally painted on his face.
"uh, nuh, nuh, no!" He stammered, while still glancing at the alley. Looking over his shoulder she saw someone, or something move into the dark. She gave him a withering look and turned her bike. "Nice Try." She told him. She rode off and pulling a jump with her bike's jets, she jumped the Lab's fence and went into the alley. Hard Luck watched her go and shivered, despite the heat. "Well, just don't sit there and look at me, follow your own advice and, Go After Her Stupid!" He said while giving Dently a dirty look. Dently just rumbled his engine at having his words thrown back at him and chased after Charley.
Charley tore into the alley like a runaway train! Her bike's engine roaring and lights on full brightness! "Sheesh Charlene, you have been hanging with the guys too much, cause you get no points on stealth for that one." She said to herself. If she wanted to sneak up on whoever was moving around back here, she blew that one big. A loud Crashing and Bashing Noise nearly startled her off her bike! She turned to see Hard Luck and Dently picking themselves up out of a bunch of trash cans, and empty boxes they had just demolished.
Once more, she had to wonder how that "quiet as a mouse" saying ever got started, cause whoever thought it up never met a Martian Mouse she thought with a smile. A movement caught her eye. She looked up and saw a big pair of Double Doors up on a flight of wide concrete stairs and a loading ramp slam shut.
She rode up the ramp next to the big warehouse door. She almost crashed thru them but stopped herself at the last second. "Whoa, there girl." She gasped. "I don't know if this is one of Limburger's tricks, or who that is, so my smashing everything up Biker Mice style probably isn't the smartest course of action. "She thought to herself. She looked at the door. It was locked. It also had an electronic lock on it. It was flashing in the secured setting.
Hard Luck and Dently pulled up next to her. "What is it?" He asked her. "It's locked." She said. She turned to look in her tool kit to see if she could find anything to bypass the electrics and pop the lock. She heard a buzz followed by a few clicks. She looked up. The doors were wide open, and Hard Luck looked at her. "I got it open." He said plainly.
She stared at him. "How did you do that?" She asked shocked. "This thing?" He asked while looking at her and pointing at the door. "Oh, that was easy." He said matter of fact. She looked at him again. "Well, I take it you did want it open?" He looked at her and asked. She just nodded. "Yeah, I figured if we are going to get into Trouble, we may as well get into Big Trouble!" He sighed and backed out of the way to let her take the lead.
She drove into the big warehouse. It was dark and full of shadows. Row after row of tall shelves filled with all kinds of boxes and containers. Charley turned on her bike's big spotlight. She moved the beam around. It just made the shadows deeper around the light. "There could be an army hiding in here.
Hard Luck and Dently pulled up beside her. Dently turned up his lights as well. That helped a lot. Whatever Dently's power source was, it had her bike beat. Now almost half the warehouse was lit up like it was noon. She gave Hard Luck an encouraging smile. He gave her a weak one back. A strange rushing sound echoed off the walls. It sounded like odd cloth and lithe feet moving quickly somewhere ahead of them in the rows of shelves.
Charley activated her bike's weapons. "Ok, whoever is there, come out, you're, uh, Trespassing!" She yelled out. Hoping they didn't realize she was doing the exact same thing. She flipped a switch and her bike's weapons activated. Hard Luck and Dently pulled up beside her and did the same.
Suddenly an electrical crackling noise ripped thru the silence. Charley's bike suddenly lost all its power and she nearly fell over. Dently's lights suddenly cut out too, and the warehouse plunged into a canyon of darkness and shadows. "Hey, what's going on?!" Charley yelled, trying to restart her bike. Dently started rattling off a bunch of noises too.
"We much prefer it this way." A deep and growling voice said from somewhere in the darkness around them. Charley looked around but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. "Hard Luck can you see anything?" She yelled out to him. He didn't answer. Dently rattled and banged. She could barely make out the shape of them in the dark. "HARD LUCK?!" She yelled again. Dently let out a loud Honk from his horns. "SHUT UP!" Hard Luck yelled which was followed by his antenna sparking like lightning around him. Dently let out a whimper. "Hard Luck what is going on, what is wrong with you?!" Charley yelled at him confused.
Hard Luck let out a gasp and then stammered "Uh,huh, wha, whatsgoin-on?" He sounded like he just woke up. "Hard Luck, what is wrong with you?!" Charley asked him barely keeping her voice under control. "My head hurts." He moaned somewhere in the dark. Charley started grabbing blindly until she touched him and reeled him in by the arm. "Hard Luck, we are in a bit of a situation here so I could appreciate it if you could FOCUS!" Charley growled at him.
"Hey, what happened to your bike, what happened to Dently's lights?" He asked. "What is wrong with you?" Charley couldn't believe he was so out of it. She could hear him shaking his head as if he tried to clear it. "Here, let me turn on my helmet's night vision circuit." He said and she could hear him tapping at it. "There that is better." He said. A faint glow was coming from his visor. At least Charley could tell where he was now.
A sharp whistling noise sounded, and something flew thru the air and hit square in the center of Hard Luck's Visor. A burst of energy engulfed it like fire! "Yeeow!" Bellowed Hard Luck and he fell off Dently! He landed with a thud and his old, battered helmet broke into pieces and fell off. Another sound ripped thru the dark. It hit Dently, and it erupted in another flash of energy! Dently fell over, entrapped in a faintly glowing energy mesh!
A Loud Slam came from behind them. The Large Doors they came thru went closed! Charley pulled her laser pistol from a holster on her leg and pointed it all around her. "Stay where you are!" She shouted. Hoping her voice didn't sound as scared as she was.
"Now, now it is rude to point." Another voice almost as deep and sinister as the first spoke. It was followed by a loud cracking noise! Something flew out and wrapped around Charley's pistol and tore it out from her grip. It exploded a few seconds later!
The Flash blinded Her, now everything was both dark and full of stars! "Oh Great." Charley grumbled. She could hear Hard Luck's mechanical leg whirring as it pushed him up onto his feet. "Chu, cha…Char…Davidson are you ok!?" Hard Luck yelled at her from the darkness. Almost choking on her first name before falling back on her surname. He sounded like he could fall over any second.
"Oh, I am just terrific!" She moaned and pushed up her visor on her helmet and rubbed her eyes with her hands. Trying to clear her sight, for all the good it would do her. "Grrr, this is no challenge at all." Something said standing right next to her. Charley threw a punch but she either missed by a mile or whatever it was, dodged her with far more ease than she cared to think about. "Sadly I have to agree, but we are not allowed the luxury of sport for,,.Ugh!" Something else said but was cut off by a noise that sounded a lot like a punch! "Ha, take that ya creep!" Hard Luck cheered! 3 more hits sounded out. The thing grunted each time. "Not all of us are totally helpless in the dark, ya jerk!" Hard Luck snapped at their foes. Charley almost let out a cheer! "Ahh, this is more like it!" The other creature hissed, and Charley found herself being pushed and tripping over her fallen bike. "Hey!" She yelled as she landed with a thud.
A Pow sounded out followed by two more strikes! "Ow, oof, uh!" Hard Luck grunted. 'Yer gonna haf to hit me harder than…" He started to say but was interrupted by a Louder Crunch! "….thu…att" He gargled. More sounds of kicks and punches sounded out and grunts of pain from Hard luck, which was followed up by Him letting out a loud gasp followed by a loud crash and smashing sound of falling debris. Charley guessed that Hard Luck got sent flying across the warehouse to an uncomfortable landing.
Something grabbed Charley by the throat, and she was lifted off her feet. Suddenly she was caught in a bright light, The Thing holding her dropped her and she landed on her backside with an oof. Dently still trapped in the mesh had managed to turn his headlight on. Charley looked up at the creatures she had been fighting. The Alien Hunters known as Stalkers stared back at her with Cruel Eyes! "Oh Boy!" Charley gasped.
"This one showed spirit and courage, maybe we could take it back with us to the island to entertain ourselves with later?" One of the other Stalkers asked the one that was the Leader. This one was a Dark Orange color. Charley remembered it from the time it came to earth to hunt Rimfire, and his Uncle Modo, and Throttle and Vinnie. "We have more pressing concerns to occupy ourselves with. "It snapped at its companion, who was a dull gray color. Another stalker came running out of the darkness of the warehouse to join them. It was also a gray-colored one. It was also wearing a High-tech Backpack that looked familiar to Charley, but she couldn't think of what it was right now. She was kind of distracted.
She looked over and saw Hard Luck had been thrown into a metal shelf and knocked it over. He was partially buried under all kinds of boxes and equipment. He was groaning and trying to pull himself out, but he was pinned under the heavy machinery. He looked up and gave her a helpless look. She returned it.
The Lead Hunter turned to the one with the backpack. "Did you complete your task?" It asked roughly. It nodded. "Good, then let us depart here, but I demand a Trophy for my trouble." It snarled and looked down at Charley. Its eyes glowed a sick yellow, it pulled a large, and nasty curved blade from a sheath on its belt. Its companions laughed mimicking its evil glare. Charley looked up at them and her face went pale.
"NO!" Yelled Hard Luck! He activated the jet in his mechanical leg and shot out from under the debris and flew across the warehouse like a Blue Furred Missile! The Stalkers all froze! Hard Luck slammed into all three and carried them across the warehouse! They slammed into the Concrete Wall and smashed thru it! The jet still firing carried all 4 of them out over the lake! It suddenly flared out and then fell into the dark waters! Charley got up and ran over to the hole!
"HARD LUCK!" She screamed! The only answer was the waves hitting the stones along the shore.
To Be Continued…
