You guys…

Thanks for the reviews, the follows and the favorites.
You know how much it means to me, so a big thanks and much love to all of ya out there.

It has been very quiet for the past few weeks here on fanfiction.
Me included.

And I'm sorry. For the first time since I started writing, life got in the way.
A lot is happening right now, I won't bother you with the details.
But, I managed to finish a chapter, took me long enough.
Not my usual style.
I can only hope I'll be back on track soon.
It's a bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to give you guys at least something.

Aaaanyway, enough with the talking.
Next chapter!
Sorry for possible spelling errors, did the best I could.
But my focus ain't what it used to be these days.

Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 4

On the base…
"Stoker! Stoker, where the fuck are you?", Kiwi yelled into the radio which they used on the base.
"Did I just hear ya whisper my name, beautiful?"
Stoker's voice sounded almost lazy, clearly not impressed by the urgent tone in the human girl's voice.
"I need you in Braavos, right now!"
"On my way as we speak."
Kiwi looked at the screen, seeing how Throttle and Vinnie were struggling to get Modo on Throttle's bike, to find a safe place as soon as possible.
She'd turned off the volume from the speakers, since Modo's screams were giving her the chills.
Poor guy...
Jax was sitting next to her, already searching the server for any sort of information about poison, but so far no luck.
Neo and Flash were sleeping, since they had the nightshift last night.
"Jesus, what is taking him so long?", Kiwi snorted annoyed, still staring at the screen.
"Relax, Kiwi. He'll be here any second now."
"Maybe he forgot his walker…"
"I heard that. I may be a few years older, I ain't no goddamn elderly, ya know", Stoker said sharply while entering Braavos and Kiwi flinched, her cheeks burning.
"Sorry… It's the nerves that talk at this very moment…"

"So, where's the fire?", the brown furred mouse asked while taking place next to her, looking at the screen. "Oh. That doesn't look good."
"Modo is hit with a tranquilizer dart by one of the rats", Kiwi explained. "But we have no idea what's inside of it. We kinda hoped you could tell us."
"Me? Since when do I look like a professor to ya, huh?"
Kiwi hesitated, not sure if he wanted a honest answer.
But looking at the screen, seeing Modo scream in pain, made her decide that she didn't really cared about Stoker's feelings right now.
"You don't. Except for the few grey hairs in your fur, maybe… but that ain't the point here! You maybe know nothing about poison, you do know a lot about Mars and its people. You never heard from rats using darts? Or other old fashioned weapons?"
Stoker shook his head, but then, he suddenly froze.
"Wait a minute... How did they look like?", he asked urgently, already pushing Jax away from his computer. "I need a image of them."
His fingers flew over the keys, but by the looks of things, he had no idea what he was doing. Jax patiently pushed him away and took over.
Within two seconds, a still from the drone's camera with the female rat appeared on the screen.
The silver furred mouse gave Stoker space again by stepping back, a smugly smile on his face.
"Thanks... although I didn't need your help, chappie... ", the leader mumbled while taking a closer look at the screen.
"No, it sure looked like you knew exactly what you were doing, Stoke", Jax replied innocently, but Stoker didn't hear him.
He sat frozen on the chair, staring at the screen.
"No way…", he eventually brought out.

Slowly, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.
He then looked back at the screen and sighed.
"All I know are the stories. Till now, I had no idea that they were still living on this planet…"
Kiwi waved impatiently with her hands.
"Yeah, so? Who are they?"
"They are gypsies, called the Outsiders. They used to rule Mars, a very long time ago now. But the Martian Mice kicked them of the throne, because of their… primitive ways of punishment. They are martyrs. They know no mercy."
Kiwi's felt goosebumps on her arms and she shivered.
"That doesn't sound very promising…"
"No, but I can hardly believe that they're still as powerful as they used to be. I mean, the guys managed to kick their asses with just the three of them, right?"
"Well, yeah… but tell me, do these stories also tell something about poison?", Kiwi asked, getting back to the main problem, namely; Modo who was still in mysterious pain.
"I dunno, not that I can remember…", Stoker mumbled, squeezing the bridge of his nose.
Kiwi clenched her teeth.
How was it even possible that he remained this calm?
Maybe because he had the nerves of a soldier.
Yeah, that would probably be it.

"Don't you have books, or anything else we can consult?"
"No, it all got lost in the war."
Kiwi threw her hands in the air in frustration.
"Great. Just great. So now what?"
Stoker glanced at her.
"You starting to sound like the punk, beautiful", and he winked at her. But then his face grew serious again.
"Maybe Amira can help us, she knows everything about plants and stuff…"
"No can do. Throttle ordered to keep her out of it till we know what exactly is going on…"
"Well, good thing Throttle ain't the one in charge on this base then. Call her. We need her. I think she might be our only chance…"
Kiwi hesitated, since she was very loyal to Throttle and she didn't want to disobey him.
But Stoker made the decision for her.
"...and that, Kiwi, is an order…"

"Amira, come in."
The honey coloured mouse looked up from her work in her small lab, a little dazed.
Where did that voice come from anyway?
"Amira, come in, now."
Ah. The radio.
Her tail snatched the radio of her desk.
"Amira here", she answered absently, still looking at her notes.
"We need you in Braavos, pronto."
That took her attention.
Braavos.
This was about the mission.
This was about Modo.
"On my way."
She rushed out of the room and through the hallways, her thoughts already completely out of control.
Already assuming the worst.
He was dead.
Oh god, she'd lost him before he really could become hers.

No.

No assumptions.
Modo had taught her that.
Never make assumptions without knowing the whole story.
Without knowing the whole truth.
Sure, no problem.
Not when he was still safe on this base.
Not when he was lying safely next to her in bed.
But now… Now he was out there, and the first thing she did, was making assumptions.
Of course she did. She was so scared of losing him.
But she stopped herself. She needed to keep her head clear.
They needed her for a reason. It was important she could make herself useful if necessary.
So, she clenched her teeth with determination and burst inside Braavos.

The first thing she noticed, was that the screens were turned off.
That's weird.
Kiwi jumped at her feet when she saw Amira.
"Hey girl, thanks for coming this fast", and she gave her a quick hug without really looking her in the eye.
That made Amira even more suspicious.
"What the hell is going on?"
Stoker also rose on his feet.
"Modo is hurt. And we were hoping that you could help us fix him", he said to the point, and Amira was grateful he did.
No beating around the bush. That would be worse.
She let out her breath while her heartbeat rose.
"Is it… is it bad?"
"We don't know that. Listen to this…"
Stoker quickly told her what they had discovered and what happened to Modo.
Amira slowly sat down on Stoker's chair, needing a little time to process all this.
Oh my god, this was bad.
The guys were miles away from here.
There was no time to go to them or to get them back here to the base, where they had a complete infirmary at their disposal.
"Oh my god…", she whispered, tears burning behind her eyes.

Stoker kneeled down in front of her and lay his hands on her knees.
"Amira, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you need to grab yourself together. You ain't no help to Modo if you let your emotions in. Later, you'll have all the time of the world to fall apart. But not now. He needs ya."
Amira stared at him and her first and primaire reaction was to slap him the face because of his callousness.
But she soon realized he was right.
Of course he was.
She took a deep breath.
"I need to see him. And I need to talk to Throttle."
Stoker nodded while rising on his feet and patted her shoulder before turning to Kiwi, who was already turning the screens back on.
But when she wanted to put the sound back on, she hesitated and looked at Amira.
"I need to warn ya, it ain't no pretty sound…"
"I'll manage."
But when Modo's screams filled Braavos, when his voice raw of pain echoed against the walls, she still flinched.
She looked at the screen, seeing that the guys were in a cave. Modo was lying on the floor, screaming loud.
Throttle sat next to him, a helpless look on his face.
Vinnie was pacing through the cave, his tail lashing through the air.
Kiwi put the radio on speaker.
"Throttle, I've got Amira for ya…"
"What? I thought I told ya…", but Stoker cut him off.
"It was my call, Throttle. For what it's worth, Kiwi didn't want to disobey ya, but I kinda forced her."
"Okay…"
"Throttle? Tell me everything that happened, from the moment the dart hit him, please?", Amira asked, her voice shaky and high.
God dammit, keep it together, girl. Modo needs you.
"We found him when the battle was already over, I have no idea when exactly he got hit… But he keeps begging to make the pain stop, but there's no indication whatsoever what causes his pain. No wounds, no blood, nothing. His whole body is cramped and he's sweating non stop."
"Okay, give a me a minute…", Amira answered, closing her eyes in a attempt to focus.

Stoker used that time to inform Throttle about the Outsiders.
The tan furred mouse was just as surprised as his coach.
"Never thought I'd see the day… Are you sure? I mean, they weren't that hard to defeat…"
"That's because we're the best, bro", Vinnie pointed out.
"Maybe, but still…"
"Maybe? Maybe?", Vinnie started, but Stoker cut him off.
"Shut up, punk. Now ain't the time. Look, we may not know for sure, but you guys better keep your eyes open out there. You don't, and I repeat, you don't wanna end up as one of their prisoners, you hear me?"
"Loud and clear, oldtimer."
"Yeah, we hear ya, Stoke…"

Amira was massaging her temples.
"Pain, no wounds, poison, primitive rats…", she mumbled, her eyes closed.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she jumped at her feet.
"Oh god…"
"What?", everybody asked in unison.
"I know what they've used… Oh god, this is bad…", Amira breathed, holding her chest.
"Man, the suspension is killing me here! Come on, doll, spill it!", Vinnie blared through the radio.
"Kuolema. They used the juice from the Kuolema, which is a plant, by the way… When injected in its purest form, it affects the thalamus…"
"The what?"
"Vincent, can you please shut your mouth for like five minutes?!", Throttle warned the white furred mouse.
"The thalamus is the part of the brain where all the information from the pain receptors are collected. Meaning; it makes Modo believe that he's in excruciating pain…"
A deadly silence.
"Jesus… So he thinks he's in a lot of pain?", Stoker asked confused.
"Yeah, and therefore he is", Amira nodded. "Pain is nothing more than a signal from the brains."
"Is it deathly?", Kiwi asked hesitant.
"Oh, it is deathly alright… How long he's gonna hold on depends on how long his heart is gonna last… There are stories of people who have killed themselves because they couldn't take it anymore."
"Is there any way to stop it?", Throttle asked urgent.
"There is… the plant Trifolium caries the antidote…"
"The what?"
"For fuck sake, things were a lot easier when you didn't speak, punk!", Stoker yelled into the radio.
"Now that's just harsh, coach…", Vinnie murmured. "You want me to believe that you know exactly what she's talking about? I'm only trying to understand this whole..."
"Vinnie, enough!", Throttle growled, cutting him off.
They heard Vinnie mutter something under his breath, but then, he grew silent.

"Amira… Is this plant still on Mars?", the tan furred mouse asked.
"Yeah, it is… But it's hard to find…"
"For me it's not. Send me a pic, babe. I'll go out and find the goddamn plant", Vinnie already opened his mouth again.
"Vinnie, it's not safe, you can't go out there alone!", Kiwi called out.
"I don't think there's much of a choice, sweetheart. Can't just let the big fella die, now can I? Besides, we're heroes! How hard can it be to find a plant and bring it back? All in a day's work, babe."
"You forget that the Outsiders are still out there…", Kiwi reminded him.
"Right where they belong, hehe. No biggie, doll. I can handle this."
Amira was already sending a picture of the plant to Vinnie's bike. She could understand where Kiwi was coming from, but this was about Modo.
He needed that plant. The sooner, the better.
And Vinnie was right. He may have a ego bigger than Mars, he did know what he was doing.
He was a good soldier. And her only chance right now to save her beloved grey furred mouse.
Call it selfish, but she would send anyone out there for that matter, not really caring about their safety as long as she got Modo back.
That's how much she loved him.
Love is the most powerful emotion. It turns you into something you may not wanna be.
It makes you do things which you thought you weren't capable of.
But all that mattered right now, was to save Modo. No matter the cost.
That wasn't selfish.
That was love.

Somewhere on Mars in a cave..
Vinnie mounted his bike, taking a good look at the picture.
The plant was green with one pink flower. Not that hard to recognize. Nor that hard to remember.
Man, this was gonna be a walk in the park.
"Vinnie, this plant only grows in rocky environments. You won't find it in the open, so try to look closeby caves, mountains, etcetera", Amira's voice echoed through the radio.
"Copy that, pretty lady."
Throttle, who was still sitting next to Modo, looked up at Vinnie.
"Be careful out there, Vincent, and I mean it. These rats are dangerous. So, I do not want you to play the hero, just find that plant and come back. Understand?"
"Ah, Throttle, lighten up…"
"Understand?!"
"Loud and clear!", Vinnie quickly said, closing his visor. "I'm gone!"

He sped outside, his bike roaring loudly.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH, on the road again!", he sang. "I just can't wait to get on the road again!"
He wasn't singing because he was happy.
Because he wasn't.
He was worried sick about his bro.
All he tried, was to override the horrifying screams that gave him goosebumps and made him feel nauseous.
"By the gods, stop the singing, bro", Throttle's voice blasted through his radio.
Vinnie rolled his eyes and hit the accelerator. Throttle always got cranky when he was worried, nothing new.
But no need to provoke him. A angry Throttle was downright scary, ever for him.
He tried to focus on his mission, but Modo's screams were a constant factor of distraction.
So, the white furred mouse decided to turn the radio off. Nobody will notice, right?
Throttle was not gonna be amused if he did find out, but hey; it's very hard to focus while hearing your bro and friend scream in your ear because of excruciating pain.
Man, he knew Modo was tough.
The guy hardly blinked when he'd lost his right arm.
There was no way Vinnie could imagine in how much pain he was right now.
He gained even more speed, determined to find that stupid plant as soon as possible.
Maybe Throttle didn't want him to play the hero, he couldn't ignore the fact he just was.
A hero.
Time to save his bro.
And this time, no failure.

After a few minutes, he spotted a rock formation and he stopped his bike.
Deciding to take a closer look, he jumped off his bike.
Rocks. Sand. Some green stuff.
His eyes were searching for a pink flower and he was so caught up in it, that he didn't notice the low beep that his bike gave.
However, he did notice a soft wind going through his fur.
He almost missed that too, but he knew what it meant.
Someone was sneaking up on him.
His hand slowly made its way to his leg holster and in one movement, he pulled out his gun and turned around.

Ah. Her again.

The female rat from earlier this day was standing a few meters away from him, this time aiming a crossbow at him.
Man, talk about being stuck in the past...
"Don't move!"
"I won't… if you won't…", Vinnie smiled arrogant.
For a moment, they just stood there, weapons aimed at each other.
It suddenly turned out to be a bad idea to shut down his radio.
Dammit, there was no time for this.
"Listen sweetheart, as much as I would love to have a little chat with ya, I ain't got time for this. One of your ancient fossile friends poisoned my bro, and I can promise you this; no one's gonna stand in my way to save him. Including you…"
His voice was low. Dangerously low. Threatening.
But she didn't even flinch.
Vinnie's finger made its way to the trigger.
Permission to shoot to kill.
Only as last resort.
This was definitely one of these situations.
And he was okay with it.
No regrets.
His finger slowly put pressure on the trigger…

But right before he took the shot, she lowered her crossbow and threw it on the ground.
"Okay, okay, you win", she said with that husky voice.
Vinnie narrowed his eyes and studied her face.
But next to a swollen eye caused by him earlier this day, she seemed to be genuine.
"I always win", he said shortly and lowered his gun.
"Sure. Luckily for you, I'm not here to kill you."
Her hand slid into a small bag that was tight around her hips and Vinnie's grip around his gun tightened, not really sure what she was up to.
But she pulled out a small object and threw it towards him.
"Here."
Vinnie catched it and looked at it.
He almost dropped it again, his heart skipping a beat.
Holy, it was a syringe, filled with a pink liquid.
Sweat started to form on his forehead and his fur bristled.
But he managed to keep his cool.
I mean, rat or no rat, she was a girl.
And no way he was gonna have a mental breakdown in front of a girl.
Only Kiwi had that privilege.

"What's this?"
"The antidote. Give it to your friend and he'll be fine within a few minutes."
"How do I know that I can trust ya? For all I know, he'll be dead within a few minutes…", he asked suspiciously.
"Guess you'll have to take my word for it."
"I think I need a little bit more than just your word, sweetheart."
"It's all I have. Listen, I heard your brown friends message. You'll find what you're looking for at Stonehenge. Or, what's left of it."
She turned around and mounted her bike.
"Wait, why are you helping us?", Vinnie quickly asked confused before she could leave.
The female rat started her bike and winked at him.
"Guess you were right after all. I do like you."
And with that, she popped a wheelie and drove away, leaving Vinnie speechless behind.
Yeah, speechless.

"Any word on Vinnie?", Throttle asked impatiently, still sitting next to his moaning bro.
"Negative. I have the slight discomforting feeling that he turned off his radio…", Kiwi answered hesitant.
Throttle let out a low growl in annoyance. Man, this was a mess, alright.
All he could do was sit here and wait, keeping an eye on Modo in the meantime, who was still suffering from the effects of the poison.
He felt helpless and that was something he didn't like.
At all.
"Dammit, that stubborn m…", he started, but then…
"Honeeeeey, I'm hooooome!"
"Never mind. He's back, Kiwi."
Throttle looked at the white furred mouse who jumped off his bike.
"From all the moments we have, you pick this one to turn off your radio!", he snapped at him.
"You were the one telling me you didn't like my tune", the white furred mouse answered with a big grin.
"Why are you smiling, Vincent?", Throttle asked tiredly.
I mean, there was absolutely nothing funny about this whole situation.
"Because I have something that will get the big fella back on his feet in no time", and he gave Throttle the syringe.
The tan furred mouse stared at it and then looked up.
"Where did you get this?"
"One of the rats gave it to me."
"And you're really that naive to think that this is the antidote?"
"Trust me. It is."
Vinnie was, of course, not naive at all. Some would even call him paranoid.
But he felt that the female rat did have good intentions. It was a feeling, and no words could explain it.
So he didn't even try. But he knew. He just knew.
He'd learned in the past that he needed to trust on his instinct. And so he did.
Throttle, on the other hand...
Throttle wasn't convinced.

"No way I'm gonna inject something into one of my bro's without knowing what it is. And certainly not something that's handed over by the enemy, the ones who created this whole situation in the first place!"
Vinnie was about to retort, but suddenly Modo let out another scream and his armcannon popped out.
"I… can't… take this… anymore…", he growled and he slowly raised his arm.
"No, big fella, don't!", and Throttle dropped the syringe while grabbing Modo's arm, an attempt to stop him from blowing his head off.
But the grey furred giant was strong. The strongest of the three of them.
"A little help here, Vincent!", Throttle gasped while using all his weight to hold Modo's metal arm on the ground, but he hardly managed.
"Modo, please, stop!"
Vinnie looked at the syringe, then he looked at Modo. The big guy looked like shit, alright, and that was understatement.
He then looked back at the syringe again.

Dammit, he hated needles...

"Vincent, snap out of it!"
And the white furred mouse did.
He took a deep breath and grabbed the syringe. In one movement, he pulled the cab off, rammed the needle in Modo's left arm and pushed the piston down.
Modo screamed again, one last horrifying scream and then, his body completely relaxed. His one eye rolled back in his head and he let out his breath.
Throttle let go off his arm and stared at Modo, sitting on hands and knees.
"No, no, no… Vin, what have you done?", he breathed.
Vinnie noticed he was still having the syringe in his hand and he quickly dropped it, as if it was on fire all of a sudden.
He'd followed his instinct. And he still was convinced he was right.
But it was a risk. One hell of a risk.

Suddenly, Modo gasped for air and jerked upright. He looked dazed around him.
"Oh momma, what train hit me?", he then moaned, feeling every muscle in his body.
Throttle and Vinnie shared a look, a smile on their face.
"Welcome back, big fella. How are ya feeling?", Throttle asked relieved.
"As if Limburger hugged me while sitting on me…"
"Ha, he's back, alright", Vinnie smiled.
Throttle, now knowing for sure the big guy was okay, looked up at him.
"Jesus, you took one hell of a risk, Vin. Man… But I'm glad you did and that it worked out the way it did."
"Pfuh, of course it did. I knew exactly what I was doing, ya know…", Vinnie answered casually while rubbing his fingernails over his fur.
"Why did the rats gave it to ya in the first place?"
"Because she liked me. Can't blame her, though…"
"What the hell are you guys talking about?", Modo asked, rubbing his neck.
"Modo! Modo, are you okay?", Amira's voice echoed through the radio.
"Next to a body that feels like it's been run over by a truck, I'm fine. Oh momma, I thought my days were numbered…"
"Take a day off, rookies. Get some rest, especially you, big guy", Stoker said.

"Oh! I almost forgot; the rat who gave me the antidote, also told me that in Stonehenge we will find what we're looking for", Vinnie suddenly said, bouncing on his feet.
Modo and Throttle stared at him.
"You almost forg… honestly, Vincent, that's more than just a small detail…", Throttle sighed, but with a small smile around his lips.
"Yeah well, I was kinda busy with saving the day."
"Stonehenge, huh? According to the map, that's still a two days drive, guys. I've mapped all the hideouts, and the route is straight through enemy territory", Kiwi told them.
"No biggie. We can handle them", Vinnie answered arrogant.
"Sure. But what if… let's just say, hypothetical speaking, you'll find the prisoners, how are you gonna get them here?"
"That part is already taken care of, Kiwi", Stoker intervened. "There's a truck with a team standing standby, ready to roll out. The truck was part of the next step in this mission, but some things you just can't predict. This information is too important to ignore."
"But it will take days before the truck will reach Stonehenge…", Kiwi mused.
"I know. We'll figure something out. But let's not get too much ahead of us, beautiful. First things first; find the prisoners."

The next two days, the mice made their way through the rough deserts of Mars to Stonehenge.
They run into rats and Sand Raiders, even a Saber Squad.
But like Vinnie said, nothing they couldn't handle.
Modo was, next to myalgia, feeling like his old self.
Yes, Vinnie took one hell of a risk, but he was glad he did.
The pain he had felt was horrific, so gruesome that only death seemed the way out.
But luckily, Vinnie did the one thing he always did; being stubborn.
Of course, the white furred mouse reminded him almost ten times a day that it was him who had saved him.
But Modo was fine with it. He did save him, after all.

Finally, after two and a half days driving and fighting, they spotted Stonehenge.
Well… what was left of it.
"There it is, bro's", Throttle said while looking at the city that was below them.
They were standing on one of the mountains that surrounded the ancient and once beautiful city.
"Stonehenge."
"Looks more like a ghost town to me", Vinnie murmured.
"Yeah well, what did you expect? The Plutarkians stripmined the whole planet…", Modo answered absently, looking down.
He had been to Stonehenge once, with his beloved grey furred momma.
It used to be a beautiful city, full with culture and ancient secrets. Now it was nothing more than a pile of rocks.
Oh momma.
"Well, ghost town or not, what are we waiting for? Let's scoop it out!", and Vinnie revved his bike.
"Hold it!", Throttle stopped him. "We can't just dive in."
"But that's kinda what we do...", Vinnie started, but Throttle gave him such a warning glare, he closed his mouth again.
"Kiwi, can you explore the place a little?", the tan furred mouse asked over the radio.
"Of course. Hang back and relax, boys. I'm going in", the human girl's voice answered over the radio.
"You're enjoying this far too much, sweetheart", Vinnie muttered under his breath, crossing his arms before his chest, clearly not amused.
"Ah, quit your whining, macho mouse. Before you know it, it's your turn again", she teased him back.

The drone dove down and the mice watched it till it was outta sight.
"And now…. we wait…", Throttle smiled and leaned back on his bike, grabbing a protein bar.
"Ah man…", Vinnie sighed. Waiting and having patience weren't really his best qualities.
But there wasn't exactly a choice right now.
So, he lay down on his bike and closed his eyes, in the hope he could catch some z's.
I mean, time goes a lot faster when you sleep. One of his many strategies to kill the time.
Was he good, or what?
Of course he was.
He was Vinnie van Wham, after all.
The best.
Always has been. Always will be.
Duh.

On the base…
Kiwi navigated the drone over the ruined city, but so far no movement. Her heart felt sore when she saw the devastation that has been done by the Plutarkians.
Jax had showed her pictures of how the city once looked like and it was breath taken.
But not anymore.
Buildings were crumbled into dust, big pieces of rocks were the only sign they once stood proudly upright.
A dried up fountain, that used to be majestic.
Small roads, now filled with holes and covered with junk and rocks.
Man, this was heartbreaking...

Suddenly, her eye caught something. It was a small building, one of the few that were still upright.
The driveway that led to the door was cleaned, she could tell.
Hmmm…
She switched the camera to heat vision and breathed in sharply.
Bingo.
"Guys? I found a building that isn't abandoned…", she said into the radio.
"How many?", Throttle asked in return.
"Not sure… At least five guards at the front door, six at the back and oh… also two on the roof, I see now…"
"Fair odds", Vinnie chuckled.
"And prisoners?", Modo asked.
"Not sure if it are prisoners, guys. I can only see blurry red spots that marks a body. But there are about ten in the middle of the building."
"Great job, Kiwi. Can you send us the coordinates? I think it's time we're going on a little house visit."
"Not yet. I've only seen less than a half of the city, we don't know if there are more…"
"Only one way to find out, sweetheart", Vinnie cut her off.
She rolled her eyes. Sure, she was glad he was back to normal.
But that meant he was, again, a huge pain in the ass sometimes.
"Fine, silly me. I almost forgot you guys prefer to dive in without knowing too much", she answered sarcastic, yielding her a amused chuckle from Jax.
"You know us too well, doll."
Kiwi shook her head while rolling her eyes, but she did send the data to Throttle's bike.
No sense in arguing with them, that was something she'd learned the hard way.

Closeby Stonehenge..
*BEEP BEEP*
"Got it. Alright, bro's. Let's ROCK…"
"...and RIDE!"
They drove down the mountain.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH… Do your ears hang low, do they wobble to and fro?", Vinnie started to sing.
"Can ya tie 'em in a knot, can ya tie 'em in a bow?", Modo continued at the top of his lungs.
"Can ya throw 'em over ya shoulder like a continental soldier…", Throttle sang with his husky voice.
"...do your ears haaaang looooooow?", they finished in unison, laughing loud.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, one more time!', Modo rumbled, whirling around a big rock.
"And ah one… ah two… ah one, two, three", Vinnie counted.
"OOOOOOOOOH… Do your ears hang… wow!.", they started but a huge explosion right ahead of them stopped them, the strong shockwave almost knocked them off their bikes.
"Time for the flip side, bro's….", Throttle said when he got his bike back under control.
"IT'S TAAAAAIL WHIPPIN' TIIIIIIME!", his bro's joined him.
"Let's ROCK…", the tan furred mouse started, popping a wheelie.
"...and…", Vinnie smiled, also popping a wheelie, but Modo was distracted by a small scratch on his bike.
The big guy opened his visor and licked his finger, before trying to brush it away with a squeaky sound.
"...AND…", Vinnie said meaninfull, trying to give a hint, still on his rear tire, but the grey furred giant was still busy, a frown on his face.
"...AND…", Throttle tried, but still nothing.

"MODO!"

Modo's head jerked up.
"OH! Sorry, bro's", and he also popped a wheelie.
"...and RIDE!" and they sped away.
"Ya know, it's getting harder and harder to make a really good exit these day", Vinnie complained, shaking his head while giving Modo a glare.
Modo smiled sheepishly, but Throttle cleared his throat.
"Okay, boys, time to get serious. The building is around that corner. I get the feeling they already know we're here…"
"For real? What made you think that? Was it the massive explosion, maybe?", Vinnie chuckled.
"Modo, you take the back. Vincent, you come with me", Throttle ordered, but when they flew around the corner, they hit the brakes.
"No way…", Modo breathed.
"Welly well well…", Vinnie said softly between clenched teeth.
"If it ain't the most wanted big cheese…", Throttle sighed.

Limburger was standing in front of the building, an army of rats behind him, and a very smugly smile on his face. He was clearly up to something.
Vinnie's hand slowly reached for his gun.
This was the moment he'd been waiting for.
Time for some payback.
"Vincent, don't. Control yourself", Throttle hissed in the radio, his eyes glued on Limburger.
"He killed Mireya…", Vinnie whispered back, his voice dangerously low.
"I know, but first things first… We need to find out what he is up to, because it's clear he has a plan. I promise you he won't get away this time, okay? But try, just for once, to have a little patience…"
Vinnie sighed and grabbed his handlebar again.
Limburger's grin grew even bigger and held up his hand, holding a black device.
"Very wise decision, rodent. You see, if you kill me, my finger might slip off this button", and he showed how his thumb was holding a red button on the black device. "... and if it does, this whole building will be blown to the seventh galaxy. Including the attendees who are inside at this very moment."
"So? How do we even know that the people who are inside are one of us?", Vinnie snapped at him.
"My dear boy, I'm so glad you ask. You see, I've talked to a few of them. And I'm sure you three want to meet them… Or… welcome them back... hehehe... "

Oops, I did it again.
Don't you just looooove cliffhangers?

Bwhahaha.

No, you don't.
I know.
But I do.
Sorry, hehehe.

What is Limburger up to, and more important, who are inside that building?
Well, stay tuned and find out. ;)

Feel free to leave a review and thanks for reading my story.

Later dudes, till next time!