Hey you guys…

Thanks for the reviews and a special thanks for the kind words and concern.
That's very sweet of ya!

I'm not at my best at this moment, but I hope that it will get better one day.
I just keep fighting, it's not that I have another choice…
#fuckdepression

Anywayz, on to the next chapter. Time to find out who's inside that building.
Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 5

The mice shared a look. What if he was telling the truth? What if there were people inside that building that they knew?
Vinnie gritted his teeth.
"How do we even know you're telling the truth? I mean, you ain't exactly a honest man… or fish. You've deceived us before, why not again?", he snarled, crossing his arms before his chest.
"He's telling the truth, guys…", Kiwi's voice came over the radio, sounding defeated. "I managed to get the drone inside, and there are about ten mice chained up inside that building.."
"Fuck", Vinnie muttered under his breath.
He knew what was next and he was not amused.
I repeat, he was not amused.
Throttle sighed and raised his hands, so did his bro's.
See? Not amused.
"Okay, you've got us now, lever lips. So let the others go. This is between you and us."
"Oooohh, but I beg to differ, my dear mouse. I mean, they are my bargaining chip. My only leverage to make sure that you three will behave... Grab them!"
The rats came into movement and the mice braced themselves, but suddenly and completely out of nowhere, arrows rained down from the sky, taking down most of the rats.
Vinnie looked over his shoulder and a big grin appeared on his face.
The Outsiders were driving towards them, howling like souls in torment.
And they were leaded by none other than the female rat.
"AAAAOOWWW, now that's what I call help in a unexpected way!"
"I hear ya, bro. Modo, you go inside to free the prisoners. Me and Vinnie will take care of Limburger", Throttle ordered.
"Copy that", Modo nodded and drove towards the building.

"Come on, Vin, we've got ourselves a fish to catch", the tan furred mouse said darkly while closing his visor.
"You've been reading my mind, bro. And this time, no mercy", Vinnie responded, his voice low.
Limburger, who had fled the scene from the moment he had seen the first arrow coming down, was running through the ruined city.
He was still holding the black device, knowing that this was his only way out if one of the mice managed to catch him.
What, of course, didn't take long.
Roaring engines, the sound of shrieking brakes, the smell of burning rubber and before he knew it, Vinnie was standing in front of him and Throttle behind him.
"Going somewhere, cheese breath?", Vinnie smiled evilly, spinning his gun around his finger.
"We weren't done talking yet, Limburger. Didn't your mother never tell ya that it's very rude to just walk away in the middle of a conversation?", Throttle asked with a small smile around his lips.
Not a friendly smile, though.
No, even Throttle had it with that big fat ugly fish.
He'd caused too many destruction and deaths.
Mireya was the final straw, alright. So was Rimfire.

Limburger pulled on his collar, sweat already starting to form on his forehead. But he wasn't ready to surrender yet.
"You seem to forget that I am still holding the ace in the hand!", he called out, waving with the black device.
But before any of them could process it, a arrow pierced his hand and the device at the same time.
The big fish screamed in pain and looked at his hand, blood already streaming out.
The arrow was still in there, making sure he couldn't remove his thumb from the red button.
"No!", and he fell on his knees, holding his hand while crying in pain.
Vinnie looked up and saw the female rat standing on one of the buildings, well, the ruins of one of the buildings.
He smiled and tapped two fingers against his helmeted head as a thank-you.
She smiled back and nodded, before she turned her bike and drove away.
Throttle followed her with his eyes and then looked at Vinnie.
"I'm not sure what it is exactly that you did to impress her, but apparently, it worked ", he chuckled.
"What can I say? The ladies dig me ", Vinnie smiled arrogant.
Throttle rolled his eyes, but with a smile.
Which slowly faded when his gaze landed on the wounded and crying fish on the ground.
"Now what are we gonna do with you…?"

In the meantime, Modo made it inside the building with help from the Outsiders.
It felt awkward, strange and against everything he was to fight alongside rats, but now wasn't the time to let his hatred for rats, which run very deep by the way, stand in the way. He would do everything that was necessary to get their people out.
The building was a mess inside. Moldy walls, holes in the ceiling and enough junk to fill a junkyard on Earth.
But he hardly noticed. All he saw, was the group of then mice that was sitting in the middle of the room, chained together.
Man, he had to admit, although he'd agreed with the mission, he hadn't really expected to actual find prisoners.
But here they were. Stoker was right.

He stepped off his bike and approached the group with caution, not wanting to scare them.
Only god knew how much they'd went through.
"Hey there, citizens. I'm here to help ya…", he said softly while stopping in front of them.
They all looked up at him, most of them with empty eyes.
Oh momma..
His eye wandered quickly over the faces, but he didn't recognize one.
So, again, Limburger had played with their heads.
Unbelievable.
His armcannon popped out and the whole group shrunk, flattening their ears.
"Wow, wow, easy. It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt ya folks. Just need to remove the chains…", Modo quickly said and the mice relaxed a little, but they still looked up at him suspiciously.
Modo couldn't really blame them. He carefully shot the chains.
"There ya go. Free to go."
One male mouse with a blond fur slowly rose on his feet while rubbing his sore wrists.
"T-t-thank you…", he stuttered, clearly still not at ease.
"No problem. Now, I need y'all to wait here, I need to talk to the base about the plan to get you guys outta here as soon as possible."
He turned around and wanted to reach out to Kiwi, when he suddenly heard a low voice behind him.
"M-Modo? Is… is that you, boy?"
The grey furred giant froze and slowly turned around.
Another male mouse was standing close to him, his fur dark grey.
He was about Stoker's age and his eyes were the deepest blue.
It suddenly hit him like a sledgehammer.
He knew these eyes. He'd seen them once.
A very long time ago.
No way...
"D-d-dad?"

"Stoker, come in", Throttle said into the radio, keeping an close eye on Limburger.
And on Vinnie, who apparently was suffering from his itchy trigger finger syndrome again.
But Throttle first wanted to ask Stoker what they were gonna do with the big cheese and had ordered the hyper white furred mouse to stand down for now.
"Yeah, Throttle, what's up?"
"We've got Limburger. What do you want us to do with him?"
A long silence.
Clearly, the leader of the resistance needed some time to think about that.
Throttle couldn't actually blame him. Enemy or not, it was still a decision about someone's life.
Who said that playing God was easy?

Vinnie was tapping with his fingers on his bike impatiently while Throttle was talking to Stoker.
Limburger was still lying on the floor, closeby his bike, crying in pain.
But Vinnie couldn't care less. It was the least he deserved after killing his sister.
Man, his hands were itching to kill him, right here, right now.
But he couldn't disobey a direct order from Throttle.
He just couldn't.
"Copy that, Stoke. Throttle out."
Vinnie looked up at his tan furred bro, a expected look on his face.
Throttle sighed.
"Stoke told me that Modo has managed to free the prisoners and that the truck is already on its way to us. They take a short cut and expect to be here tomorrow after sundown…"
"Yeah, so? What about the big cheese?", Vinnie demanded, not liking the direction which this conversation was taking at all.
"I've got strict orders to take Limburger with us back to the base. Stoker will decide his fate there…"
Throttle braced himself, knowing that this was the last thing his younger bro wanted to hear.
But hey, orders are orders. His hands were tied.

"Say what? Come on! Can you believe this shit?", Vinnie exploded, his fur bristled. "Is he already getting demented or what? I mean, has he forgotten what happened the last time when that ugly finn face was a prisoner? He escaped, god dammit! And therefore, Mireya and Rimfire are now dead! I know it's not our style, trust me, I know, but if someone needs to die today, it's him!"
Vinnie pointed at Limburger, breathing heavily.
Throttle let him rage, knowing that Vinnie was actually right.
This probably wasn't the best decision, but it was Stoker.
He couldn't disobey Stoker.
He just couldn't.
"Vin, you're right, but orders are orders. There's nothing I can do right now. We just need to keep an close eye on him and if he only thinks about trying to escape, well… Then he's all yours."

Vinnie narrowed his eyes, his left ear twitched.
But then, he let out his breath.
He knew Throttle's hands were tied, he knew that the tan furred mouse couldn't disobey Stoker, just as he himself couldn't disobey Throttle.
But man, this was frustrating, alright.
"Fine", the white furred mouse grumbled and jumped off his bike, grabbing Limburger by his jacket.
"But lemme tell ya this, sweetheart… If you try to make a run for it, I'll hunt ya down and blow your fucking head off, you hear me? That's a promise… and trust me, I always keep my word...", he growled between clenched teeth.
Limburger just nodded, a dazed look on his face. The pain in his hand was clearly overwhelming.
Throttle joined them and tied Limburgers hands in front of his body. He looked at the arrow, but decided to leave it there.
Vinnie let the fish go and walked back to his bike.
"You take him, I don't trust myself right now", he said over his shoulder, his tail giving away his anger.
"Come on, cheese face. Time to face the music", Throttle sighed and dragged the big fish with him to his bike.
Man, the guy was heavy, alright.
He pushed a button on his bike and his sidecar folded out. The tan furred mouse dropped Limburger in it and mounted his bike.
"Let's get back to Modo."

"You… you remember me?", the old grey furred male breathed, looking at his son.
Modo slowly nodded, still a little in shock.
But that soon turned into anger.
He hadn't really thought about it for a long time now, but seeing his father standing right in front of him, made very clear that he was still blaming him.
"Oh, I remember, alright… I remember how you left us, without saying goodbye, to never come back again", he finally managed to bring out, his eye glowing red.
His father closed his eyes for a moment.
"I can explain everything, Modo... ", he started, but the grey furred giant cut him off.
"Now is not the time nor the place, and I ain't sure if I even wanna hear it."
He turned his attention back to the group and gestured them to follow him.
"Come on, y'all, let's get ya outside."
And he marched outside, followed by the group.

Oh momma, could you believe this?
Of all the people he wanted to have back in his life so desperately, he ends up with the one man he never wanted to see again.
Great. Just great.
It's still family, Modo Maverick… the last one relative alife…
The voice, that sounded awfully like his momma's, echoed through his head and he shook it angrily.
No. This man ain't no family.
That was a decision the man himself had made years ago, by leaving his own wife, son and daughter.
Some things weren't meant to be forgiven.
And this was one of them.

Vinnie and Throttle arrived at the building, where they found Modo waiting for them with the group of now ex prisoners.
The Outsiders were nowhere to be found, probably already gone.
Throttle stopped his bike and looked at his grey furred bro.
He was upset, he could tell.
He wasn't even trying to be polite and talk to the prisoners.
No, instead, he was sitting on a rock, staring into the distance with a slight frown on his face.
Hmmm…
"You okay, big fella?", he asked while stepping off his bike.
Modo looked at him, a sad expression on his face.
"Not sure, bro, not sure…"
"What's up?"
Modo looked over his shoulder to the group and let out a heavy sigh.
"I eh… I know one of the prisoners… and it ain't exactly a happy reunion…"
Throttle followed his gaze, studying the faces of the small group.
But he didn't recognize anyone.
"Who are you talking about?"
"My father…"
Throttle breathed in sharply.
"No way... "

He knew the man had left when Modo was still a kid, almost too young to really understand what was going on.
But while growing up, Modo had told him many times that he was missing something.
A father.
Someone to talk to. To talk about things you didn't want to talk about with your mother or sister.
Throttle's father had taken that place, back then.
And he knew the grey furred giant was grateful for it.
But it just wasn't the same.
"Way…", Modo sighed. "He wanted to explain, but I'm not sure if I even wanna listen to him, ya know?"
"Yeah, I know… Man, this is… Maybe you should give it some time, big fella. He is, after all, the last family you have left... "
"Yeah... "

Modo then spotted Limburger in Throttle's sidecar.
"The big cheese is still alive?", he asked surprised.
"Yeah… Stoke wants us to bring him back to the base, god knows why."
"Oh momma… what if he escapes again?"
"Vinnie said the same thing."
"Our hyper bro doesn't seem all too happy about it", Modo mentioned while looking at Vinnie, who was sulking on his bike.
"Nope. Can't really blame him, though. Anyway, let's get the group to a safe place for now. The truck will be here tomorrow."

On the base…
Kiwi leaned back in her chair, letting out her breath.
The guys had found another cave that was empty and therefore safe.
All they needed to do now, was to wait till the truck would arrive, which the guys were gonna escort back to the base.
That meant she was gonna see her macho mouse within a few days and she couldn't be happier.
God, she missed him so much. Even if they could talk, even if she could follow him every move because of the camera, it just wasn't the same.
She couldn't feel his soft fur.
She couldn't smell his lovely scent.
She couldn't kiss him.
Jax saw the dreamy expression on her face and snickered.
"You're drooling."
Kiwi's head jerked up and she wiped off her mouth, but when she looked at her sleeve, it was still dry.
"I am not!"
"Well, you would be if I hadn't said anything…"
Kiwi punched him on the arm, but with a smile on her face.
"You're the worst…", she giggled, but suddenly, a sharp pain in her abdomen made her gasp for air and she bend over.
Shit. Not again.
Not now.

Jax saw it happen and jumped at his feet.
"Jesus, Kiwi, you okay?", he asked worried while laying a hand on her back.
Kiwi wrapped her arms around her waist, her eyes closed and breathing heavily.
"I… god, I dunno…", she stuttered, but the pain wouldn't let her speak.
"I'm gonna go call a doc, this ain't good", Jax said firmly, but Kiwi grabbed his arm to stop him.
"No, wait!"
She took a few deep breaths and the pain slowly faded, till there was only a lingering sensation left.
"It's already gone", she panted, wiping off her forehead.
Jax narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure if she was keeping her chin up because of him, or that maybe the pain was really gone.
"Are you sure? I mean, I didn't look like…", but Kiwi cut him off.
"I'm fine, Jax. This is going on for a couple of days now, it comes and it goes. No big deal. It's probably time for my period anyway…"
"Okaaaaay, too much information for this mouse", Jax called out, his hands covering his big ears. But then his face grew serious again.
"But really, Kiwi… Maybe you should let the doc check you, ya know, just in case?", but Kiwi shook her head.
"No, it's nothing. It will pass."
"If you say so…", but Jax wasn't convinced and decided to keep an close eye on her.
It was obvious she was being stubborn here and he wasn't sure why.
But she was his friend. And he always took care of his friends.
No exception.

That night, Kiwi was lying in her bed.
Neo and Flash had insisted to take the night shift and Kiwi suspected that Jax had something to do with it.
In the few weeks they had worked on this mission together, it has become clear that Jax had a slightly overprotective side, and that he always found a reason to be worried about her.
It was cute and tiring at the same time.
The abdominal pains were gone for now, but maybe Jax was right.
Maybe she needed to go see one of the doc's.
But something was holding her back.
That something had everything to do with her being a human.
A alien.
What if they couldn't help her? What if they didn't understand her body?

But the silver lining was that Ruby had no problems at all with treating the mice, back on Earth.
Kiwi remembered her telling her that the mice their bodies weren't that much different from a human's body.
Of course, they healed much faster.
They needed the triple dosage medication.
Their brains apparently worked differently, with the whole telepathy thing.
But next to that…

Kiwi sighed. She knew that the doc's on the base were experienced. She would be in good hands.
But she still got hold back.
Besides, it was only a little pain once in a while, nothing more, nothing less.
She wasn't feeling sick whatsoever.
Telling Jax it was time for her period was a lie, considering the fact that her monthly periods had stopped ever since the accident.
The doc on Earth thought it was stress back then.
She couldn't care less.
She didn't miss it.
And she wasn't ready yet to figure out if she even wanted to have kids one day.
Ha.
As if that was even possible when you were in a interplanetary relationship.
Anyway. It doesn't matter.
The pain was probably stress too.
She missed her macho mouse.
All she needed, was to feel his strong arms around her body and hear him say her name.
And then, everything would be okay again.
If only…

In a cave closeby Stonehenge…
Modo was sitting outside, looking at the stars.
Throttle and Vinnie were sitting next to him, eating one of the last protein bars they had left.
"Man, I sure as hell miss hotdogs…", Vinnie mumbled, chewing on the tenacious food.
"I hear ya, bro…", Throttle sighed, taking a sip of the juice to wash it away.
The group of freed prisoners were all sleeping in the cave.
They hadn't said much, all still having a hard time with believing that they were really free this time.
Throttle had talked to every one of them, checking if they needed immediate medical attention.
But, although they were all in bad shape, it was nothing that couldn't wait.
Vinnie and Throttle hadn't recognized any of the group either, including Modo's dad.
But then again, they had never met him. Limburger was also in the cave, surrounded by three bikes which got strict orders to kill the fish if he tried to escape.

Modo hadn't showed his face inside since he'd parked his bike and went outside to sit at the entrance, under the motto; someone needs to keep watch.
That they had the drone to do that job for them, seemed to be forgotten.
Well, Vinnie, of course, had tried to remember his bro about that small fact, but Throttle had stopped him in time, knowing that the big fella needed some time to think.
Vinnie quickly catched on after that and when they were sure the former prisoners were safe and sound, they had joined their bro.
And so here they were, sitting in the cold Martian night under the stars.

Throttle looked at Modo, who was deep in thoughts.
Man, it must have been a shock for the poor guy. He was under the impression that his father was dead for years now.
Well, he was to Modo anyway.
He wondered what the big fella was gonna do.
Vinnie wiggled on the rock he was sitting on, not able to sit still for less than a minute.
He wanted to see Kiwi.
So badly.
Their goodbye wasn't exactly… ideal.
She'd practically told him that she was okay with him giving up.
That girl really was something.
She just knew him so well. She understood him completely. And that was gold.
He was glad he had been able to snap outta it.
Grateful that Modo had triggered him, exactly at the right moment.
And now, now he knew he was going home.
The mission was far from over, he knew that, but for now they were going home.
And he couldn't wait.
All he wanted was to pull that stubborn, beautiful, understanding and loving little human girl in his arms.
And of course, the one thing he hated the most was standing in his way to go back right now.
Waiting.
Ugh.

He glanced at Modo, still wiggling to find a comforting position, but his body was too restless.
Man, the things he would do to have Kiwi in his arms and fuck her brains out.
Down and dirty. Just the way they both liked it.
Wait, whut? That escalated quickly.
Focus, van Wham.
Right.
The big guy had found his father. That was beyond crazy.
But it was family, right?
He would do everything to turn back time, to get at least one relative back into his life.
And here was Modo, battling with himself if he was gonna forgive his father for leaving.
Sure, Vinnie could understand where he was coming from.
I mean, leaving your family behind without saying a word to never come back, ain't exactly on the list of things that were easily forgiven.
Heck, he knew himself. He wasn't one that easily forgave. And he sure as hell never forgot.
But with this war… After all the losses, all the misery, all the pain…
After losing Rimfire…
"Modo, I think you should give him a chance", the white furred mouse blurted out without thinking.
Oops.
Dammit, him and his big mouth.
I mean, Modo never really appreciated his point of view with these rather delicate matters.
So, he braced himself.

Modo's head jerked up and he looked at his younger bro, but instead of anger, Vinnie saw confusion and surprise written on the grey furred giant's face.
"Is that what you think?", he slowly asked.
Vinnie took a deep breath.
Here goes nothing.
"Yeah, I mean… I get that you're angry at him, for leaving, ya know… But… Well, I dunno… He's your only family you've got at this point… And well… I know I would give anything to have my family back, even if they weren't perfect…", he stuttered.
Dammit, he sucked at this. Big time.
Modo and Throttle shared a look and the tan furred mouse smiled friendly at his grey furred bro.
"Never thought I would say this, but Vincent is right, big fella. Look, it's your decision, yours alone. And we'll have your back, no matter what. But after everything that happened, after losing Rimfire… Well, he's still your father. Family. And all I know is that family is what keeps us going."
Vinnie nodded violently, agreeing with his older bro.
Modo looked at them both and let out his breath.
"I guess you're both right. I'll think about it, okay? That's all I can promise right now."
"Take the time you need, bro", Throttle smiled and clapped him on the back while rising at his feet. "I'm beat, boys. See ya tomorrow."
And he disappeared into the cave.

Modo gave Vinnie a amused look.
"So there is more inside that swelled head of yours beside ego after all", he teased.
Vinnie eyes grew big.
"Well, duh! You can't be the baddest mamma jammer from this side of the universe with only good looks and skills… Which I also have plentiful", he finished with a arrogant smile on his face, flexing his muscles.
"Yeah, yeah, but still, bro… thanks."
Vinnie immediately started to blush, his ego suddenly nowhere to be found.
"Yeah, sure, any time, bro", he mumbled and gave Modo a shy smile.
The grey furred giant laughed while shaking his head.
"You're one of a kind, Vin. Night, bro", and still laughing softly, he followed Throttle into the cave, leaving Vinnie behind with his thoughts.
Too restless to sleep, too tired to stay awake.
Man, this was gonna be a looong night.

"Up and at 'm, fishface, it's time to go!"
Vinnie grabbed the big fish by his jacket and dragged him outta the cave.
Luckily for them, the truck was upgraded with a faster engine than usual, so it arrived early in the afternoon.
And to Throttle's joy, Carbine was the one behind the wheel.
"Hey there, stranger", she smiled while climbing outta the truck.
Throttle looked up surprised when he heard that voice, but soon recovered and a big smile appeared on his tired face.
"Carbine!"
He ran over to her and scooped her in his arms, whirling her around.
"Babe, I'm so happy to see you…", he whispered in her ear.
"I can tell. But, likewise…", she smiled and kissed him.
"Get a room", Vinnie teased while walking past them, dragging a not amused Limburger with him.
"Just wait when you see Kiwi again, Vinnie", Carbine teased back, with a smile on her face.
Even Vinnie couldn't ruin her mood right now.
"Oh, trust me, when I do, you all wish it was us who got ourselves a room", and the white furred mouse wiggled his eyebrows while winking at Carbine.
"Ugh, gross", but Throttle already claimed her mouth again, also determined to not let this happy moment getting ruined.

Vinnie was already facing another challenge, namely; getting Limburger into the truck.
The fish hadn't said a word after they had captured him, and he refused to cooperate.
And he was heavy. And Vinnie was only so big.
"Yo, Modo, a little hand here!", the white furred mouse called out.
Modo joined him and rubbed his chin.
"Is it safe to put him with the others?", he asked, while looking over his shoulder to Throttle and Carbine, who broke off their kiss.
"I guess it's fine, I mean, he's tied up and the truck has a open window to the cabine, so if he only tries something, I'll notice", Carbine answered that question.
"Okay, if you say so", and Modo grabbed Limburger's jacket with his metal hand and threw him into the truck.
The fish moaned, holding his wounded hand close to his body.
"There ya go."

Modo's father suddenly popped up next to them.
"Modo…", he started, but Modo cut him off.
"Not now. I've decided to give ya a chance, a chance to explain, but not here. When we're back at the base, we'll talk."
His father followed his son with his eyes when he walked to the rest of the group so he could help them to get in the truck and sighed.
He then looked at Vinnie, who raised his hands.
"Hey, don't look at me. I ain't your guy for this shit", and he quickly walked away, not wanting to interfere with Modo's family business.
That wasn't his place, nor his quality.
Last night, he'd told the big guy his opinion, and that was enough.
The rest was up to Modo himself.
When the rest of the group was installed in the back of the truck, the guys mounted their bikes and Carbine climbed behind the wheel.
"Alright, you motorcycle mad men…", Vinnie started, popping a wheelie.
"Let's ROCK…"
"...and GO HOME!"

"I'm coming hooooooome! I'm coming hooo-oooome! Yeah baby! Oh girl! To yooouuuu!", Vinnie sang off key, driving behind the truck.
"Oh momma, are we there yet?", Modo sighed, turning down the volume of his radio to protect his beloved eardrums against Vinnie's high pitched voice that blared through the speakers.
"Nope…", Throttle also sighed.
They were driving through the rough desert for a few hours now and so far no problems.
Well, except for Vinnie's singing, that is.
"Ya know, isn't it weird that we haven't seen any other Plutarkian next to the big cheese this entire mission?", Throttle suddenly asked.
"Now you mention it… It is weird. Where are these fin faces hiding?", Modo answered.
"Who cares? I sure don't miss them", Vinnie chuckled.
"We should care, Vinnie", Throttle mentioned.
"At least he stopped his singing", Modo said drily.
"Ah, lighten up, Throttle. We'll find them. But first things first; going home to see my pretty lady."

"Hey rookies, how is the trip going so far?", Stoker asked through the radio, breaking in into their conversation.
Throttle was about to answer, when suddenly the truck moved to the right, forcing him to make a sharp turn to avoid the truck was gonna crash into him.
"What the… Carbine! What the hell is going on?!"
No response. The truck came to halt with shrieking brakes.
"Modo, check the group. Vinnie, help him", Throttle ordered while jumping off his bike.
He ran towards the cabin and yanked open the door.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Carbine…", he breathed, while climbing inside.
His beloved General was hanging in her seatbelt, her head resting on the wheel.
Blood was dripping out of a nasty looking head wound.
"No, babe, you okay?", and the tan furred mouse gently pushed her back against the seatback.
Her eyes were closed, clearly unconscious, but she was still breathing.
"You didn't think I would give up that easily, now did you, you repulsive vermin?", he suddenly heard Limburger's voice coming from the back of the truck.
He gritted his teeth and planted a kiss on Carbine's head, before leaving her behind to see what the hell was going on.
Limburger was already out of the truck, holding a grey furred mouse in his arms.
The arrow, that had been in his hand when they loaded him in the truck, was now pulled out and the sharp point pricked into the mouse his neck.
Throttle soon recognized the mouse as Modo's father and his heart sank.
Dammit.

Vinnie was sitting on his bike, a few meters away, his blood boiling.
But again, his hands were tied.
God dammit, this was exactly why Stoker had made the wrong decision.
This was so fucking frustrating and that was a understatement.
He usually wasn't against taking prisoners instead of killing them, he knew what it could do to your soul.
But Limburger was an exception.
The fish was like weed, hard to kill and he always came back.
This needed to be stopped. Right here. Right now.
But, again, he had no other choice than to watch helplessly.
"Let him go, you reeking cheese log! He's got nothing to do with this!", Modo growled angrily.
Oh momma, pushing his father away was a thing he already regretted.
What if Limburger killed him?
What if he killed him without giving him the chance to explain himself to his only living son?
Limburger just smiled, already walking away, forcing Modo's dad to walk with him.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Now, all be good a good mouse and just let me walk away from here, then he will remain unharmed… You have my word."
"Your word means nothing!", Vinnie spit out.
"Oh my dear boy… It's funny how good you already know me. Tata!" and he walked away, dragging Modo's father with him.

Vinnie grabbed his handlebars tightly. His heart was pounding in his chest.
No way.
No fucking way that that stinkfish, the murderer of his sister, was gonna walk away from here.
Not again.
"Throttle…", he hissed urgently, not knowing how long he was gonna be able to restrain himself.
"Vinnie, I know, but we can't risk the life of Modo's father…", the tan furred mouse answered desperate.
"Throttle is right, punk, no time for playing the hero now", Stoker agreed.
"Limburger will kill him anyway…", the white furred mouse muttered under his breath, but luckily for him, Modo didn't hear it.
Vinnie followed Limburger with his eyes, and suddenly, something happened.
Something they needed so badly right now.
And he felt his body tense, every muscle ready to fight.
Adrenaline rushed through his veins, making him even more hyper, and angry, than he already was.
Oooooh boy.

Modo's father yanked himself free, punched Limburger in the face and made a hasty retreat.
Vinnie popped a wheelie and before anyone could stop him, he was already gone, his bike roaring loudly.
Throttle had promised him that if he tried to escape, Limburger would be his.
Voila.
The fish just signed his own death sentence.
When he was close enough, he fired a rope and it whirled around Limburger, who fell on the floor, letting out a scream in surprise.
Vinnie stopped his bike and slowly slid off while grabbing his gun. He walked towards the fish and looked him in the eye.
"This is as far as you can go."
Limburger looked up at him, with now pure fear in his eyes. As if he knew he'd just played his last card and lost.
Smart fish.
Vinnie aimed his gun, his finger already on the trigger.
"You've killed my sister…"
"No, no, that was a accident, I didn't mean to…", Limburger pleaded, his bravado nowhere to be found.
"Vincent, stand down!", he heard Stoker's voice in his ears.
Oh man, come on…
He ignored his coach and his finger slowly put pressure on the trigger…
"Stop! If you kill me, you'll never find the rest of the prisoners!", Limburger blurted out, his eyes squeezed closed.
Vinnie hesitated, but the hatred he felt was too hard to ignore. Too hard to control.
"As if I believe ya…"
Limburger smelled a opening and with a little effort, he managed to get on his knees, looking desperate at the white furred mouse.
"Don't you wanna find Harley?"

The fish might as well have dropped a bomb.

Vinnie's heart skipped a few beats, it felt as if he got struck by lighting that jolted through his whole body and his hand started to shake.
The gun was still aimed at Limburger's head, but with his finger now on the trigger guard.
He vaguely heard Stoker breath in sharply in his ears.
"You're lying… Harley is dead", he said softly, his voice dangerously low.
"No, she's alive and I know where she is… But if you kill me now, you'll never find her…"
"Vincent, stand down! Now! God dammit!", Stoker yelled into the radio, clearly desperate.
Vinnie shook his head, his heart pounding in his chest.
No way.
Since when did Limburger tell the truth? He was just trying to save his own scaly ass.
"Come on, even I know how much she meant to you, back in the days. Don't you wanna see her again?", Limburger continued, his hands in front of his body.
"You're LYING!", Vinnie screamed with a raw voice, his tail lashing through the air.
"I swear to god, punk, if you kill him now… STAND DOWN! What if he's telling the truth? We can't take the risk!"
Panic was clearly hearable in Stoker's voice. Off course there was.
Harley was the love of his life.
His mind was blinded by love. By hope.
No wonder the guy couldn't think rationally.

Vinnie was still staring at Limburger, breathing heavily.
This man… this fish... had killed his sister.
He'd killed Rimfire.
He had been in the same complot with the rat who took Harley away from him.
He'd escaped, over and over again.
But now, finally, he was lying here, at his mercy.
And Vinnie wasn't one being known for having mercy.
Not when it came to the people who hurt or killed the people that he loved.
His finger slowly made its way to the trigger again.

"VINCENT, DON'T!"

On last desperate scream from Stoker.
A finger that pulled the trigger.
A loud bang.
And then… silence.
A deafening and suffocating silence…

Uh oh… Did Vinnie just cross a line that wasn't meant to be crossed?
What if Limburger was indeed telling the truth, what if he really knew where Harley is?
And what is up with Kiwi?
Oh man, the suspense is killing me here.
Bwhaha.
So to speak, of course.
I mean, It's not that I don't know what comes next, hehehe.

Feel free to leave a review, means the world to me.
Keeps me motivated in this dark times.
Thanks for reading my story and till next time, dudes!

Later!