Hey you guys…

Thanks again for the reviews.

Yeah, Modo's dad, hehehe.
I wanted to give Modo one living relative back, since family is so important for the big fella, but decided not to go with the obvious.
So uh, yeah… surprise?

Anywayz, here's the next chapter!
Looks like I'm back on track. Let's just hope I manage to stay there.
Enjoy! ^^

Chapter 6

But the silence didn't take long.
A loud scream broke it, and Vinnie lowered his gun with shaking hand.
"Just to make sure you ain't wander off again…", he growled and put the gun back in his leg holster.
Limburger was screaming in pain, blood streamed out of the wound in his right leg.
"God dammit, Vinnie, you really know how to scare an old man, don't ya?", Stoker breathed in the radio. "Bring that piece of garbage to the base, will ya? I'll take it from there… And that's an order."
The tone in Stoker's voice said it all. He was gonna do whatever it takes to make Limburger talk.
Not that that was actually necessary.
Stoker was an advanced Mind Walker himself, so if someone could peel information out of Limburger's brain, he was definitely the guy.
"Yes sir", Vinnie answered sarcastic.
"And drop the attitude, punk."
The white furred mouse sighed and bend over to grab Limburger.
"You better wet your whistle, cheese face, because when we're back on the base, you're gonna sing like a bird. You better be."
Again, he dragged the big fish with him, shaking his head in annoyance.
God dammit, he had been so close.
So close…
But Stoker was right.

Again.

It was starting to become a habit.
Ugh.
They couldn't take the risk. What if he indeed knew where Harley was?
The needed to know.
They needed to follow every lead, even the most untrustworthy ones.
They needed to bring her home.
If there was only a slight chance to make up for at least one mistake he'd made in his life, he was gonna grab it with both hands.
If there was at least one demon he could chase away… that was worth more than killing Limburger in his sisters name.
Besides… the fish was done anyway.

Meanwhile, Throttle was back with Carbine, who was already awake again.
And man, she was not amused that Limburger had been able to take her down.
And we all know that Carbine isn't just not amused.
"God dammit, I can't believe this! How on Mars could this happen?! And look at my head! It's gonna take hours to wash all that blood outta my hair and fur. Well, maybe if we at least had showers, it wouldn't be that much trouble, but wait! The Plutarkians took that away too! Like everything on this goddamn planet!", she ranted, hitting on the wheel of the truck.
Throttle was watching her with a slight amused look on his face, his lips curled into a little smile while leaning in the doorway from the truck.
"Babe, chill. It happens to the best", he chuckled.
She looked at him with fuming eyes.
"I'm not just the best, babe. I'm a General. And I let my guard down. Talk about a stupid move."
"It wasn't your fault and besides, everything worked out just fine in the end. Nobody died, Vinnie even managed to control himself for once, thank the Mothers of Mars, Modo now knows he need to bond with his dad before it's too late and to put the icing on the cake; Limburger would never have told us about Harley if this wouldn't have happened. So, no need to jump at shadows, okay?"
Carbine sighed and glanced at the tan furred mouse from the corner of her eyes.
One corner of her mouth curled up.
This is why she loved him so much.
Always calm.
Always able to see the bright side of a fucked up situation.
"Guess you're right."
"Of course I am. Can you drive?"
"Yeah. My ego is busted enough already. Give me a sign when you guys are ready, okay?"
Throttle bend forward and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"Sure thing, babe."

He jumped down and walked to the back of the truck, where he found Modo and Vinnie already mounting their bikes.
"Everything okay here?"
Modo nodded.
"Yeah, I've punched the big cheese out, just in case. We're ready when you are."
"Your dad okay?"
"Yeah, a little startled maybe, but he's fine."
"He sure got some moves. Guess the apple didn't fall that far from the tree, huh?", Throttle chuckled, clapping the big guy on his back.
"Guess so", Modo smiled.
Throttle then shot a glance towards Vinnie, who was staring angrily in the distance while leaning on his windshield.
"You did the right thing, Vinnie my man. I'm proud of ya."
And without waiting for a response, he also mounted his bike.
Vinnie looked up surprised, but Throttle whistled between his teeth and the truck came into movement again.
"Alright, bro's. Let's go home. And this time for real."

"Almost there, bro's", Throttle breathed happily when they saw the contours of Vault Brimstone in the distance.
"AAAAOOWW, time to see my ladyyy!", Vinnie cheered, his anger already gone.
"Yeah, I hear ya, bro!", Modo laughed, also very excited by the prospect of seeing Amira again.
Throttle shook his head with a amused smile.
Going on a mission was hard. It wasn't easy to leave your loved ones behind, without knowing if you were ever gonna see them again.
But coming back home, after being away for weeks, that was priceless.
Vinnie popped a wheelie and took a deep breath.
"I'm gonna love you completely", he started to sing.
Again.
It sounded sweet at first, and Modo and Throttle shared a smile.
But, it soon turned out that the white furred mouse had other plans than being romantic.
No surprise there.
"And then I'll fucking fuck you discreetly… And then I'll fucking bone you completely, but then… I'm gonna fuuuuuuuck youuuuu haaaaaaaaaaard!"
"Oh momma, I can't take this anymore", Modo moaned.
"Me neither, bro…", Throttle agreed.
"Vinnie, shut the fuck up!", Carbine yelled over the radio.
Vinnie let out a happy howl while popping a wheelie.
"I may be handsome and sexy, but I do know when to take a hint and I definitely know when I'm outta my league. Later fella's!"
And he sped towards the base, not able to hold himself back any longer. He needed to see Kiwi.
Pronto.
Everything vanished to the background.
Limburger.
Harley.
The mission.
All that mattered now, was him and her.
Her and him.
His bro's let him go, amused by his enthusiasm.
He was definitely back, no doubt about that.
And they could only be grateful for that.
Even if that meant that they needed to listen to him singing the most dirty songs.
Yep. Bromance. Forever.

Vinnie fired his jets and pulled back his handlebars.
While jumping over the big walls that surrounded the base, he waved to the guards, who were not amused.
But what were they gonna do? Stop him?
Pfuh. As if they could.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, was gonna stop him from seeing his girl.
He landed wildy on his tires, making a group of young soldiers who were training in the courtyard almost jump outta their fur, but Vinnie hardly noticed.
He sped towards the garage and stopped his bike with shrieking brakes.
Kiwi was already waiting, along with Amira and Stoker and when she saw him, that beautiful smile appeared on her face.
Vinnie pulled off his helmet and threw it over his shoulder while jumping off his bike and he marched towards her, a determined look on his face.
She met him halfway and jumped in his open arms. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he let out his breath.
Home.
He was home.
"Sweetheart, god, I've missed you so much", he said with a low voice, already close to losing control.
He fought the urge to rip off her clothes, right here, right now and buried his nose into her hair, inhaling her scent.
"I've missed you too, macho mouse", Kiwi murmured against his chest, holding him tightly.
She looked up at him, and when she saw those familiar, twinkling ruby red eyes, she felt a tingle in her belly.
Gone was the emptiness. Gone was the vitreousness.
God, she had been so scared that she was never gonna see those eyes again, filled with vice and arrogance.
And love. So much love.
Oh yeah, he was really here.
His fur not that white anymore after being out there for weeks.
Tired.
Probably hungry and thirsty too.
But he was here.
And with that she meant; he was really here.
Physically and mentally.

She was still staring into his eyes, enjoying this moment, when he pressed his lips on hers and gave her such a passionate and heated kiss, her cheeks immediately became red. Her whole body caught fire and she clung to him, her fingers in his greasy fur.
His breathing became heavier and his kiss deepened, while one hand slid under her shirt on her back.
The feeling of her soft skin under his fingers made him even more wild.
"Get a room, punk", they heard Stoker yell at them and Vinnie smiled against Kiwi's lips, his eyes still closed.
But then, he opened them and looked at Stoker, a big grin on his face.
"That's the first time I hear ya say something that actually makes sense, oldtimer."
Stoker rolled his eyes, but with a smile on his face.
"Welcome back, Vinnie."
The white furred mouse knew he wasn't only talking about being back on the base.
Vinnie saluted and grabbed Kiwi again.
"Ya know, I think that for once, I'm gonna follow up that advice of yours. Come on, sweetheart", and he dragged her with him inside the base.
Stoker shook his head and mumbled something.
Amira suppressed a smile.
It turned out that Modo and Throttle were right after all.
You just needed some time to get used to that white furred loudmouth.
But now she was and she was actually starting to like him.
Geez, never thought I would see the day.

The sound of engines broke her outta her thoughts and a huge smile appeared on her face when she saw Modo drive inside the garage.
She walked towards him, and he stepped off his bike.
"Hey there, Amira ma'am", he smiled a little shy.
"Hey there, hun. Welcome back", and she wrapped her arms around him. He did the same and smiled while his eye closed.
Home.
He was home.
"Welcome back, Modo my mouse. Happy to see you've managed to keep your head attached to your body", Stoker said while walking past him.
Modo chuckled.
"Yeah, well, thanks to Vinnie. Don't tell him I've said that."
"No worries. Absolutely no need to feed that boy's ego", Stoker answered absently, looking at the truck.
"You think he's being honest, coach? You think that he really knows where Harley is?", Modo asked, a little hesitant.
Stoker shrugged.
"I dunno… but the least we can do is try, right?"
"Guess you're right…"
There were more than ten reasons which Modo could think of why he hoped that the big cheese wasn't lying.
But the main reason was that he couldn't stand the thought of his mentor getting his hopes up for nothing.
So, he did a little prayer. Not that he was one who believed, but right now, they could use all the help they needed.
He then looked at Amira.
"I have someone I would like you to meet, darling."
He grabbed her hand and guided her to the truck. His father just jumped out and Modo took a deep breath.
This whole thing was still awkward.
"Eh… dad? This is Amira… My fiance."
His father turned around to look at the honey coloured mouse and he smiled.
"Well, look at you. My son seems to have a excellent taste in women", he said friendly and he held out his hand. "My name is Oscar. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Amira, who already knew Modo had found his father, gave him a warm smile and shook his hand.
"Likewise, sir. And a big surprise at the same time", she said polite.
"Just call me Oscar. Sir makes me feel old, which I am, unfortunately. And yes, you're right about that surprise."
Modo was glancing at his father from the corner of his eye while he was talking to Amira.
That moment when Limburger had used him as a hostage, he'd felt a fear that confirmed what Throttle and Vinnie were already trying to tell him.
He needed to give the man a chance.
He still had a lot of explaining to do, but he was, after all, family.

In the meantime, Vinnie and Kiwi had made it to her room.
Before the door was even closed behind them, the white furred mouse already claimed Kiwi's mouth again and lifted her.
She slammed her nails in his back while kissing him back and a low growl escaped his mouth. He practically ripped off her clothes while kicking out his own.
They didn't even make it to the bed. Kiwi dragged him with her on the floor, still kissing him.
Her heart was racing in her chest. So was his, she could feel it.
She wildly broke off the kiss to look into his eyes, which were now almost black and burning with desire.
He gave her that smile she loved so much and he used his knees to spread her legs.
Kiwi closed her eyes, her hands above her head and when he pushed himself inside of her, a moan escaped her lips.
She opened her eyes again and saw him leaning on his hands, hanging above her and man, the look on his face…
"You have no idea how much I needed this…", he panted, while picking up the pace.
"I can imagine…", she breathed, her eyes already closed in extacy again.
Finally, she was complete again.
Having him around her made her feel calm and peaceful again.
God, she was nothing without him.

After, they were still lying on the floor, Vinnie now on his back and one arm wrapped around her naked body.
She was lying with her head on his chest, listening how his heart slowly calmed down again and she let out a satisfied sigh.
"I'm so glad you're back…"
"That makes two of us, sweetheart... ", he mumbled while one hand absently played with her hair.
He didn't wanna ruin this moment. But he knew he had no choice.
He wanted to be the one to tell her. She needed to hear this from him.
He knew she wasn't there when it all happened.
He knew she had no idea what exactly had happened out there in the desert earlier this day.
But how in the world are you gonna tell your girlfriend, your fiance, the love of your life, that there might be a small chance that his ex girlfriend was still alive?
You know, the one who disappeared. The one who was still haunting him in his dreams.
The one who was not just a ex girlfriend, but a big part of his life, a big part of his demons?
The one he had lost before they even got the chance to built up a life together?
Dammit.
He himself wasn't even sure how he was supposed to feel about all this.
Just think about how she was gonna feel about it...
Ah man…
His gaze lowered and he looked at her satisfied face.
Her eyes were closed, her lips were curled into a small smile while holding him.
He felt her beautiful body against his, one leg draped over his legs.
His tail was wrapped around her other leg and she was holding him tightly.

Here goes nothing.

He cleared his throat and her eyes slowly opened.
The happy glance in it made him turn his gaze away and he focussed on a spot on the ceiling.
"Sweetheart, I eh… there is something… there's something I need to tell ya... "
His voice was shaky, god dammit.
Why was he so nervous about this?
He had no idea.
It wasn't gonna change anything.
Right?

Right.

Kiwi picked up his distress and got upright. Leaning on her elbow, she looked at him.
"Considering your reaction, do I even wanna know?", she asked hesitantly.
Vinnie sighed and shot her a nervous glance before focussing on the ceiling again.
"It's not a question of want, babe. This is something you need to know and I need you to hear it from me."
"Oh…"
Kiwi lay down again and buried her face into his fur.
"Well, let's get this over with then. So, tell me, what is it that I need to know?"
Her voice sounded muted and he felt her warm breath in his fur.
Ugh.
Stop beating around the bush, van Wham.
Just tell her already.
"Harley is still alive", he blurted out.
Okay, that was not how he wanted to tell her this.
But as usual, his mouth already worked before giving his brains time to think.
Kiwi stiffened. Her heart skipped a beat.
And another one.
And another one.
What the…

No.

This couldn't be happening.
What the fuck was he talking about?
She stopped herself from jerking upright and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.
But it wasn't easy.
"How… How do you know that?", she eventually managed to bring out.
"Limburger… He escaped during the ride back home, I almost blew his fucking head off, but then he started to talk about Harley, that she's still alive… That he's the only one who knows where she is… Stoker went ballistic, so I couldn't take the shot. Not the lethal one, that is. Stoker is gonna interrogate him…"
Kiwi relaxed a little. Maybe this was all just a load of bullshit.
I mean, the fish would say anything to save his own sorry ass, right?
But there was this nagging feeling that was telling her that this was way more than just a load of bullshit.
That this was only the beginning of the biggest test of her relationship with Vinnie.
"You think he's telling the truth?", she asked.
She had to ask.
"Oh, I dunno, babe… I'm not really sure what to think, to be honest…"
There was a silence.
A long and loaded silence.

Vinnie then let out his breath and got upright, leaning on his elbow so he could look into the eyes of the love of his life.
Her eyes which were now filled with fear and insecurity.
"Kiwi…", he whispered with a low voice and tears jumped into her eyes by hearing him say her name. "I don't know what is gonna happen… But what I do know is that if she's still alive, I will go out and find her. I need to bring her home…"
But before he could continue, she burst out into tears. He sat up cross-legged and pulled her in his lap. While wrapping his arms around her, he continued.
"I wasn't finished yet, sweetheart. I need you to trust me. Trust me when I say it's not gonna change anything…"
"But that's just the thing… How can you say this, when you have absolutely no idea how you're gonna react when you see her again?", Kiwi sobbed.
Vinnie felt a pang of anger, he just couldn't help it.
"What are ya trying to say? That you don't trust me?"
"To be completely honest, I have no idea what to think, okay? Off course I trust you. You should know that by now. But this is Harley we're talking about. Your long lost love. I think we both can't predict how you're gonna react if you see her again. I mean, it's not that you really moved on after her, right?"
She just blurted out that last part and she closed her mouth with a clap, already feeling regret.
She felt his body tense and he pushed her away so he could look at her.
His ruby red eyes, which were filled with desire and love just minutes ago, were now fuming in anger and pain.
"What did you just say?"
"I… I'm sorry, I was outta line…"
"No, no, no, no sweetheart, don't back out now. Come on, just say whatever you wanna say. It's obviously bothering ya…"
His voice. Oh god.
This was not how she pictured him coming back at all.
How long was he back, a hour or so?
And here they were, already fighting over another girl.
Can you believe that shit?
Well, not just a girl.
This was Harley.

Dammit.

"I'm not accusing you, Vinnie. I'm just telling it like it is. You didn't move on, right? Come on, if you want me to be honest, then share the wealth, will ya?"
"I'm with you! I love you! I even asked you to marry me!"
He said the word 'marry' with disgust written on his face.
"How is that not moving on, goddammit?"
"Because you're still blaming yourself. Because if she wasn't taken away from you, you would probably still be with her…."
Kiwi took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.
"...because you still love her…"
He looked as if she had just slapped him in the face.
His ears drooped, but his eyes were still fuming.
"Come on, Vinnie, don't look so surprised. Can you look me in the eye and tell me, without lying, without blinking, that you don't love her anymore?"
Vinnie opened his mouth, but then closed it again and he looked away angrily.
"That's what I thought", Kiwi snorted and she pushed him away from her while standing up.
The tears were gone. There was only pain.
She quickly put on some clothes.
Vinnie was following her with his eyes, a frown on his face.
But then, he let out a low growl in frustration and grabbed his pants.
Just when he was about to leave the room, not even fully dressed yet, but he needed to get outta here, Kiwi suddenly moaned.
The sound was followed by a loud bang.

He whirled around and saw her sitting on her knees, her arms around her waist and her face twisted in pain.
The fight immediately forgotten, he kneeled down next to her.
"Kiwi, what's wrong?", he asked, a hand on her back.
Tears streamed down her face while she was gasping for air.
"I…", she tried to talk, but the pain was too much.
She clenched her teeth, trying to keep the scream that was burning her throat inside, but she failed.
Vinnie flattened his ears when she let out a scream in pain. Jesus, what the fuck was going on here?
"You need a doctor…", he started but she grabbed his arm in a iron grip. He looked up, a little surprised and she looked back at him, her face now clouded with anger, her skin paler than pale, her blue eyes fuming.
"NO. It'll pass, it always does…", she managed to squeeze out.
"Wait, what? You mean this ain't the first time this happens?", Vinnie demanded, also angry.
"It comes and it goes…", she panted, but a another pain wave made her scream again.
She suddenly felt something wet between her legs.
What the…
Her hand slowly reached down and when she looked at her fingers, she breathed in sharply.
"Vinnie", she hissed urgently and the white furred mouse followed her gaze.
Her fingers were soaked with blood.
That's it.
Vinnie quickly scooped her in his arms.
Something was definitely wrong.
"Save me the stubbornness, pretty lady. You need a doctor, and that's final!", he snapped at her and carried her out of the room.
Time to go to the infirmary.
His girl, his home, needed help. Whether she liked it or not.

With a loud bang, he kicked the door open that led to the infirmary, yielding him a angry look from the nurses who almost jumped outta their fur, but when they say the pale, sweating and bleeding human girl in his arms, it was already forgotten.
"Please, help her, I…", Vinnie stuttered, already feeling how the panic was slowly taking over his body by only being in the infirmary.
The smell alone was enough to trigger something he didn't want to be triggered.
Especially not now.
Two nurses, one of them none other than Lola, rushed towards him with a brancard. Vinnie laid Kiwi down and she grabbed his hand in panic.
"Please, don't leave me, I'm scared…", she pleaded, but Lola laid a hand on Vinnie's arm.
"I'm sorry, but you're not allowed behind these doors, so this is where you say goodbye…"
Vinnie's head jerked up and Lola suddenly realized what she had said just now.
"For now! Goodbye for now!", she hastily added.
"No, I need him with me, I…", Kiwi cried, but the nurses were already carrying her away and her hand slipped out of his.
"No, no, no, VINNIE!"
The white furred mouse made the nurses stop for a moment and laid his hand on Kiwi's forehead.
"Sweetheart, calm down. The most important thing is that you need help, right now. I'll be right here, waiting. Only one room away from ya... "
Kiwi shook her head, sweat was streaming down her face, along with tears.
"I'm scared…", she whispered.
"I know, trust me, I know. But you're in good hands. You can trust them…"
"Vinnie, we need to go, now", Lola interrupted, but Vinnie held up his hand.
He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Kiwi's head, forcing himself to push away his own panic in order to calm his girl down.
He closed his eyes, his lips still on her forehead and slowly, she relaxed. He opened his eyes again and looked at her.
"I love ya, Kiwi. Don't you forget about that… Everything will be fine…", he then whispered in her ear and with reluctance, he let her go.
"I love you too…", she whispered back, and before the white furred mouse could blink, she was already taken away.
The metal doors closed behind her and Vinnie just stood there, staring at these awful doors.
The panic was gnawing on his insides, but it was so important to stay calm.
For her.
For Kiwi.

In the meantime, completely unaware of what was going on with Kiwi, Throttle and Modo helped Stoker to get Limburger into one of the cells.
But this time, they weren't gonna leave him alone. No, Stoker had decided to immediately start with the interrogation.
One; the sooner he would know if the big fish was telling the truth about Harley, the better.
Two; to make sure he wasn't gonna escape again.
The rest of the group, including Modo's father, had stayed behind in the garage.
Before they were allowed to get inside the base, they needed to be examined by a doc, in case they may carry a contagious disease with them.
The last thing they needed was a viral outbreak in the base.

Modo dropped Limburger in the cell and the fish moaned in pain.
Throttle and Modo hung back and leaned against the bars while Stoker put down a chair in the middle of the cell and sat down.
He leaned forward and looked Limburger straight in the eye.
"You do know that the only reason that you're still alive is because you seem to have information that we need…", the brown furred mouse started.
"Oh yes, I know. And therefore, I would like to make deal", Limburger answered.
"A deal? We ain't making deals with Plutarkian scum…"
"Oh really? I don't think that you have a choice, mouse. Because if you refuse to bargain, I will never tell you what you want to know so desperately."
"If you won't, I'll kill ya myself", Stoker snapped, but he already knew what was coming next.
"Oh, I don't doubt about that. But you see, if you do… I'll take the precious information to the grave… And then you will never know where to find that precious female mouse of yours… hehehe..."
Stoker clenched his teeth, but he knew the fish was right.
"Okay, so what is it that you want?"
"Oh, but that's simple, my dear boy. I just want your word that you won't kill me. Let me live and I'll tell you everything you want to know..."
"I dunno, coach…", Modo mumbled but Stoker held up his hand to silence him.
"Fine. You have my word. And you know Freedom Fighters always keep their word, unlike you, you slime face. So, spill it."
"I could use some water first, my mouth is very dry after such a long trip", but Stoker wasn't in the mood for this and he set his foot on the wound in the fish his leg, making him scream in pain.
"Sounds to me there ain't nothing wrong with your voice. Talk. Now…"
"Okay, okay! All I know that she's being held in the Plutarkian base!", Limburger blurted out.
"That's it? That's all you know?", Stoker asked with disbelief.
"It's all you need to know, am I right?"

Stoker sighed and he kneeled in front of the fish.
His antennas started to glow red and he grabbed Limburger by his jacket.
"You had your chance. Now, we're gonna do it my way."
His antennas made contact with Limburger's head and the fish went limp.
"Guess this is the end of Limburger, bro…", Throttle said softly, his arms crossed in front of him.
"Yeah? How so?"
"Because nobody comes out of a Mind Search unharmed. They all ended up like drooling vegetables…"
Modo looked at Stoker and Limburger and let out his breath.
"I can't say I'm sorry if that happens…"
"Me neither, big fella. Me neither."
The tan furred mouse straightened his back and clapped Modo on the arm.
"Come on, this is gonna take a while. Let's get something to eat."
Modo's stomach roared in answer and while chuckling, they both left Stoker to do his job.

Throttle was just about to take his first bite, when Amira and Carbine rushed into the Main Hall.
"Guys, Kiwi is at the infirmary!", Amira yelled at them and the two males looked up startled.
"Say what?", Modo asked, already on his feet.
Throttle dropped his spoon and looked at Carbine.
"What's wrong?"
"I dunno, all I know that Jax told me she was suffering from severe abdominal pains now and then, and that she refused to go see a doc. He told me because he was worried about her, because he didn't listen to him. I wanted to talk to one of the doc's about it, but apparently, she was already there…"
"And where's Vinnie?", Throttle asked urgently.
"At the infirmary too. That's why I came to get you guys, he needs you."
That was all Throttle needed to hear and he followed the girls to the infirmary, alongside Modo.

When they walked in, they saw Vinnie pacing through the waiting room.
Modo swallowed, having a immediate flashback to the last time he was here.
Back then, it was him walking around here, just like his younger bro was now.
Throttle signed to the rest to stay behind and he approached the white furred mouse with caution.
His younger bro was only wearing his pants and shoes and the fur on his chest and stomach was stained with blood.
"Vinnie?", he asked softly and Vinnie whirled around.
"Thank the Mothers of Mars, you're here", he breathed, standing a little lost in the middle of the room.
Throttle smiled and lay a hand on Vinnie's shoulder.
"Of course we are. We came as soon as we heard. Any news?"
"Nope…"
It was remarkable how calm his younger bro was, giving the whole situation.
Throttle didn't trust it.
At all.
"And how are you holding up?"
Vinnie shrugged.
"Fine, I guess…"
"You sure?"
"I need to stay calm. It's very important to stay calm", the white furred mouse mumbled, already starting his pacing again.
Throttle now understood.
The connection.
If he was gonna panic, Kiwi would notice. And that was the last thing she needed right now.
The leader was impressed, he had to admit.
But it also worried him.
Because they all knew how Vinnie reacted on suppressed emotions.
But for now, it seemed to be the best way to handle this situation.
He decided to let his bro do whatever he needed to do to stay calm and joined the rest again.
"Let's just leave him alone for now, okay? All we can do now, is wait…"

Meanwhile, in the dungeons of the base, Stoker's eyes flew open and he scrambled away from Limburger.
His eyes were wide open and his heart was almost exploding outta his chest.
Breathing heavily, he leaned against the bars and slid down.
It was as if his world was turned upside down.
Where he usually managed to stay calm, he was now overwhelmed with emotions.
He glanced at Limburger, who was nothing more but a shell now. The fish was staring into space, drool dripping outta his mouth.
Stoker had kept his word. The Plutarkian was still alive.
Meaning: he was still breathing. But his mind, his consciousness was gone to never return again.
Stoker hadn't really been gentle on the big fish. He had invaded his mind with heavy force, searching in every corner for the one thing that mattered right now.
He had found it.
Oh yeah, he had found it.
Life suddenly felt so different.
Lighter.
Because you could say a lot about Limburger, but this time, he had told them the truth.
Harley was still alive.
And Stoker now knew where to find her.

Oh dear…

Kiwi is not amused by the fact that Harley might reappear in Vinnie's life.
But first things first… finding out what is wrong with her. Can the doc's help her?
And are the mice gonna be able to get Harley back?
More to the point; what is gonna happen if they do?
Again, so many question, so few answers…

Oh, btw, I'm still thinking about Oscar's background story, so that will be continued further on in the story.

So, I've used some lyrics from "Fuck Her Gently" by Tenacious D.
They own these hilarious words, not me.
I was listening to that song and felt the unexplained urge to use it in my story.
I mean, I can totally picture Vinnie singing it, alright.

Feel free to leave a review, means a lot and thanks for reading my story.
Thanks for supporting me. You guys are the best.

Till next time!

Later dudes!