Lost In The Echo

by Vlaatjee

Continues the storyline of Breaking The Habit. After that horrible day, the mice are trying to get back on their feet again. But that ain't easy. Completely crippled by these events, they are close to losing hope. But Stoker ain't ready to give up yet and gives them a mission that's gonna change everything.

9. Chapter 9

Hey you guys…

Not much to say, except thanks for the reviews.
Next chapter, maybe with a little bit more grammar mistakes, but I'm groggy and dazed because of med's...
I did the best I could.

Enjoy! ^^

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Chapter 9

Vinnie's mouth fell wide open, his lower jaw almost dropped on the floor.
So did Stoker's.
Tallie, on the other hand, didn't seem to be surprised at all.
"They have Shaylon?", she growled, her husky voice even lower because of anger.
"They do… They threatened to kill him if I would only think so much of trying something to escape. They forced me to work as their nurse and mechanic. What choice did I have? I couldn't let them kill my Shaylon…", Harley explained with shaky voice. "So, I do as they say and by that, I've earned their trust. One of them gave a gun, so I was able to protect myself. Not every Plutarkian is that fond of Martian Mice. Besides, what can you do with one gun, a old one, who only carries three bullet's..?"
Vinnie opened his mouth to tell her about all the things he could do with just one gun, but stopped himself right on time.
Stoker slowly recovered from the first shock.
"You still have a lot of explaining to do…"
"Actually, I don't. I don't owe you anything."

Stoker blinked a few times after hearing her offensive tone.
She sure was on fire.
And he wasn't sure whether he liked it or should be angry for disrespecting him like this.
He was, after all, the leader of the Freedom Fighters.
"I came to get you. You do owe me one. But I agree now ain't the time. We need to get the rest of the prisoners…", but Harley cut him off.
"There are no other prisoners, Stoker. I'm the only one left. All the others are killed. Most of them died during the horrible experiments they do in these labs. You can act like you're the knight in shiny armor, rushing in here to save the damsel in distress, but you're kinda late. Too late, actually. It's just me now. I'm lucky enough that they needed my skills, otherwise I would've been long gone too."
Anger, pain, sorrow.
It was all hearable in her voice.
This wasn't quite the reunion they all were hoping for…

It was Tallie who broke it off.
"We can talk later, once we're all safe and sound. Do you know where they hold Shaylon?", she asked at Harley.
"They move him all the time, so I didn't know about his whereabouts. A little insurance to avoid I would plan an escape. All I know that he's here inside this building."
"The building is big and we don't have that much time…"
Stoker turned around to Vinnie, who already knew what was coming. He shook his head, stepping back, but Stoker ignored his desperate attempt to stay undiscovered.
"Vinnie, contact Kiwi and ask her if she can help us find the boy."

A deadly silence.

Harley's head jerked up as soon as she heard his name.
She now saw a silhouette standing in the shadows, clearly hiding from her.
"My god… Vinnie? You're… here?", she eventually managed to bring out.
Vinnie closed his eyes for a moment.
God dammit, Stoker.
But he knew that this moment would come.
Sooner or later.
He prefered later, but apparently and thanks to Stoker, it was sooner.
Too soon.
Here goes nothing.

"Hi…", he squeaked, hardly able to look her in the eye and he did a few steps forward.
The tension that was already there, became even more suffocating just now.
There was a long silence, while Harley was staring at Vinnie, who was staring at his feet in return.
The tip of his tail was twitching, so were his ears.
Nobody knew what to say.

Awkwaaaaard…

It were Throttle, Modo and Carbine who saved the distressed white furred mouse by popping up behind him.
"We need to locate the bikes, call Kiwi…", but Throttle trailed off when he saw Harley.
"Harley… I can't believe my own eyes…", he eventually said. "It's so good to see you again…"
Harley gave Vinnie one more look, which he desperately avoided, and then looked at the tan furred mouse.
"Same here, Throttle."
Before she could say anything further, a light grey blur flew towards her and crashed against her.
Harley looked down and saw how Carbine held her in a tight hug. With a smile, she wrapped her arms around the General and one of her oldest friends.
"Carbine… Oh my god, I've missed you so much."
"You have no idea how happy I am that you're still alive and that you're actual here…", sounded the muted voice of Carbine.
The two females had been close friends before Harley disappeared.
That Carbine was happy to see her, was an understatement as much as it was understandable.
"Harley ma'am, I don't know what to say… Welcome back…", Modo said hesitantly, and Harley, who was still holding Carbine, smiled at him.
"Thanks, Modo. I never thought I would see your faces again. I mean, I thought you guys didn't make it..."

While everybody gathered around Harley, Vinnie used this moment to make a hasty retreat.
He turned around and walked away, breathing heavily.
God, this was so much heavier than he thought it would be.
"Kiwi, sweetheart, talk to me…", he breathed in the radio, clearly on his way to a panic attack.
Being in this building was already hard enough, and seeing Harley again…
Dammit.
"I'm here, love. Breath…", Kiwi said softly.
"I can't do this, this is too much, I just want you here so I can hold ya… Why you're not here… I need you...", he whispered, pacing through the hallway.
"If only… But you need to hold on for a little while longer, Vin. I know you can. I've heard everything, so I just hacked into the security system and I'm already searching for the boy as we speak."
Vinnie's tail lashed through the air, not able to control his thoughts.
"She has a son, Kiwi, a son. I can't stop thinking about… Jesus, what if… what if it's mine?", he hissed, almost losing his mind, hardly able to get the words outta his mouth.
Kiwi breathed in sharply, the sound echoed against his eardrums.
It made him feel nauseous, strangely enough.
"Yours? But you… You slept with her?"
"I did, I did. No one knows, I never told anyone, didn't seem that important, why should I, it's none of their business..."
He was babbling, he knew it.
But he couldn't stop it.
It just came out, like a waterfall.
"But you guys… you… what? I thought you became a thing right before she was kidnapped..."
"Not true, not true. I'm sorry, I promised no more secrets, I failed ya, again…. I just… I couldn't talk about it… Too much, too much... "
"Jesus, Vin… God dammit", Kiwi cursed, her voice sharp as a knife.
It only made Vinnie's panic bigger.
"No, no, no, no, sweetheart, please, I know you're upset, and you have every right to be, but right now, I need ya, I'm losing my mind over here..."

Kiwi took a deep breath.
"Okay, okay. We can talk about this later, I guess… You need to breathe, love, breathe. Follow my lead. Inhale, through the nose… And exhale through the mound…"
She repeated it a few times, but it didn't work. The only result was that he even became more hyper.
"This ain't working!", he snapped at her.
"I'm only trying to help…"
"I know, I know… I'm sorry..."
"Wait. I've found something. How long has Harley been missing?", Kiwi asked urgently.
"What? I dunno, my brains abandoned me from the moment I saw her, they just stopped working, completely blacked out… I think about six years ago", he immediately added, still babbling like kid having a sugar rush.
"I found the kid. And he's too young to be yours. Besides… he's looking a little… strange…", Kiwi said soothing, the relief was clearly hearable in her voice.

A huge weight fell off his shoulders and Vinnie was finally able to breathe a little.
Thank the Mothers of Mars, it wasn't his. That would make this day even worse, and it was already a very bad day.
Slowly, he calmed down again.
But then, the words dawned on him.
"Wait, what do ya mean, strange?"
"You'll see. He's on the second floor."
Vinnie suddenly realized that everybody here was on the same radio frequency.
That meant they could hear every word he'd said...
No, wait, they weren't wearing their helmets.
But given the look on Stoker's face, he still had managed to hear every word.
Sensitive hearing, remember?
Shit.
"Thanks, sweetheart, you're the best. Time to finish this and go home. Vinnie out."

The white furred mouse walked back to the group, avoiding any sort of contact with Harley.
"The kid is on the second floor."
Stoker gave him a dirty look, apparently not amused about what he'd heard just now, but Vinnie couldn't care less at this point.
He needed to get outta here, as soon as possible.
"Alright, Modo, Throttle, Carbine; you guys go find your bikes. Harley, Talli, me and Vinnie will go get the kid. After, we'll meet outside to take a look at the situation there", Stoker ordered.
"I'll go with Throttle to help find the bikes, Stoke…", Vinnie started, but Stoker shook his head.
"You're coming with me. And that's final."
Oh boy, was he in trouble now…
He gave Throttle a helpless look, but the tan furred mouse shrugged back as much as helpless.
It was Stoker who gave the order, after all.
And Stoker was the big boss.

Vinnie watched how his bro's walked away with Carbine and took a deep breath.
He whistled for his bike, fighting a inner battle. There were only two bikes, his and Tallie's, and he didn't want Stoker nor Harley to ride with him.
But he couldn't just let one of them stand there, that would be harsh, even for him.
Pick your battle.
"Need a ride, oldtimer?"
Stoker looked one more time at Harley, and Vinnie saw a hint of regret in his brown eyes.
Poor guy.
This whole thing probably ain't how he'd pictured it, at all.
But then, the brown furred mouse jumped behind Vinnie, who immediately hit the accelerator, desperate to leave this awkward… thingy behind.
"Second floor, love, the first door at your right. Two guards are guiding the place, so guess it's just as easy as taking a stroll downtown", Kiwi said into the radio.
"Copy that, sweetheart. Vinnie out."

Stoker looked behind them and when he saw that the two girls were out of range, he leaned forward.
"You slept with her?", he hissed furious.
Vinnie gritted his teeth. He was so not in the mood for this.
"Yeah, so? What's the difference? It was a long time ago."
"But what if Kiwi is wrong and the kid is y…"
"It ain't mine, and Kiwi being wrong is a rare thing. Can we drop this subject now? I'm not in the mood to discuss my former sex life with my coach. Geez, what the hell is wrong with ya? Some things are meant to stay private. I mean, it's not like I ask you if you slept with her, right? Gosh…"
He felt how Stoker shifted his weight, wiggling on his seat and he rolled his eyes while sticking out his tongue.
"God dammit. coach, I didn't wanna know!"
"What, I said nothing?!"
"Exactly! You didn't deny it either! Jesus, my eyes…",the white furred mouse spit out.
He opened his visor and rubbed his eyes.
"When did that happen anyway?"
"I thought you didn't wanna know?", Stoker asked slightly amused despite the situation.
"I didn't! But a little bit too late for that now, huh?", Vinnie breathed, grabbing his handlebars tightly.
"It was a long time ago, punk. That's all you need to know."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Is there an echo in here?", Vinnie said sarcastic, but then grew silent, so was Stoker.

End of conversation.

Explosions were heard from outside, a sign that the fight wasn't over yet.
Vinnie suddenly wished he was there, instead of here.
Fighting a battle, outnumbered or not, was so much easier than being here.
So much easier than this emotional stuff.
Ugh.
"What if the kid is yours?", Vinnie blurted out.
"Then I try to be a good dad to him", Stoker responded. "But I know it ain't mine."
"How so?"
"For someone who didn't wanna know, you do ask a lot of questions!"
"Hey! You're the one who brought it up!"
"And you were the one who asked to drop the subject. So, drop it!"

Vinnie gritted his teeth, drove up the stairs and took the right.
And indeed, just like Kiwi said, two guards immediately opened fire on them.
It was cute that they even tried.
An A for devotion, that's for sure.
"See? She's never wrong", Vinnie smiled and returned fire.
So did Stoker, Tallie, Harley and the two bikes.
Within two seconds, the guards were already down.
"Maybe this was a little overkill…", Stoker chuckled while climbing off Vinnie's bike.
"Can't be too safe these days", Tallie answered dryly.
"Agreed", Vinnie smiled, but then realized what he said.
"Not too safe, of course. That would be boring", he quickly added and Tallie shook her head with a smile while stepping off her bike.
"Honestly…"

Harley clearly wasn't in the mood for chit chat and tried to open the door, but it was locked.
She turned around and bend over to get the key from one of the guards, but Vinnie already fired his laser and the lock exploded.
"Why using a key when you can blast your way in, huh?", he grinned arrogant while blowing away smoke from his gun.
"See you haven't changed a bit", Harley responded while pushing the door open.
A dark blur flew towards her and jumped in her arms.
"Mommy!"
"Shaylon… Ssshhh, it's okay…", the light brown furred female shushed soothing while wrapping her arms around her son.

Vinnie glanced at the boy and immediately understood what Kiwi meant with strange.
His fur was dark brown, almost black. But that wasn't what made him different.
His nose was.
It was sharper than the muzzle of a Martian Mouse.
His ears were smaller and less hairy.
But it was the tail that gave away that this kid was, without a doubt, the son of a rat.
But he had the eyes of his mother. The deepest blue...
"Vinnie, come in."
"Yeah, Throttle?"
"We've got the bikes and are ready to leave this place. What's your status?"
"We've found the boy."
"Good. Is he okay?"
"How the fuck should I know, I'm not good with kids!", Vinnie reacted, way sharper than he intended to.
A silence and the white furred mouse sighed.
"But yeah, he's okay."
"Meet us downstairs. Throttle out."
Vinnie whistled between his teeth to get the other's attention.
"I hate to break up this mushy reunion, but we've gotta go", he said shortly and mounted his bike.
Stoker jumped behind him and Tallie gently took Shaylon out of Harley's arms.
"Hey you, kiddo. I'm so happy to see you", she whispered and after giving him a tight hug, she placed him in front of her.
Harley climbed behind her and with that, they were ready to go.

When they came downstairs, the rest of the group was already waiting.
"So, what's the plan, fearless leader?", Vinnie asked while stopping next to Stoker's bike and the brown furred mouse switched seats and put on his helmet.
Throttle looked at Stoker, who signed back that it was Throttle's call this time.
He was too upset. He wasn't able to think clear.
"Guess it ain't that hard. We're gonna do what we do best", the tan furred mouse smiled.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?", Tallie asked, and Carbine rolled her eyes.
"Here we go…"
"WHIP SOME TAIL!", Throttle, Vinnie and Modo yelled in unison while popping a wheelie.
"Oh right. Sorry I asked", Tallie sighed.
"You get Harley and the kid into safety", Throttle said to her. "We'll handle the rest."
"Alright you mamma jammers…", Vinnie howled, not able to hold himself back any longer.
He needed to blow off some steam, big time.
"Let's ROCK…"
"...and RIDE!"

Tallie reached a safe place without too much trouble and she stopped her bike next to a rock formation.
"As long as we stay behind these rocks, I guess we're okay for now."
Harley climbed off and took a few deep breaths.
"Ahh. It's good to be outside again."
"I can imagine. God, Meadow… I'm so happy that you and Shaylon are okay", Tallie breathed, while holding the little boy who was leaning against her, his little hands holding hers.
Harley turned around to look at Tallie and gave her a small smile.
But it was a sad one.
The female rat saw it, she saw the sadness in her eyes, and she gave Harley a worried look.
"I'm sorry, it's just…", the light brown furred mouse started , but her voice broke.
Tears filled her eyes and she put a hand in front of her mouth.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?"
Tallie reached out, took Harley's hand and squeezed in it.
"You know you can talk to me…"
"I… I just never thought I would see him again…"
"Who?"
Harley looked at her female rat friend, her blue eyes wide open.
She slowly lowered her hand.
"Vinnie…"

Tallie narrowed her eyes.
And it suddenly clicked.
"Wait… He's the guy you told me about?", she managed to bring out.
Harley nodded, tears now streaming down her face.
Tallie needed some time to process all this.
"Wauw, I… I never knew", she eventually said.
"How on Mars is it even possible that you know him? Know them?", Harley asked, her voice small.
"I… I ran into them a few weeks ago. Let's just say I was… intrigued… I helped them out a couple of times, knowing they were searching for prisoners. And since I couldn't find you by myself... I knew it was a long shot, but I was willing to do everything, to risk everything, to find you. Anyway, apparently, I earned their trust , because Vinnie came to me to ask for my help, telling me his friends were captured during a scouting mission and well, here we are. I had no idea that this particular mission was about you, to get you out. Heck, till today, I had no idea that they even knew you", Tallie explained, rubbing Shaylon's arm absently.

Harley studied her friends face. Something was up, she could tell.
Her heart skipped a beat when she looked into the purple eyes of the best friend she ever had.
No way...
"You like him, do you?", she blurted out.
Tallie's head jerked up, a faint blush visible under her fur.
"What, no!", but Harley gave her this look…
"Okay, maybe a little. But it doesn't matter."
"And why is that?"
Tallie didn't want to answer that question.
The light brown furred Martian Mouse had told her about her past.
About her friends.
About a guy she was seeing…

Harley may haven't said it in so many words, but Tallie had seen in her eyes, back then.
That white furred loudmouth was the love of her life.
How on Mars was she gonna tell her best friend that that same guy had moved on with his life?
That he was now being with someone else?
This was not her story to tell.
"Tallie…", Harley started, but the sound of approaching bikes distracted her and Tallie let out her breath.
Talk about good timing.

"AAOOOWWW, another victory for the Biker Mice!", Vinnie cheered while he stopped his bike with shrieking brakes.
"And the Outsiders", Tallie added sharply.
Vinnie, who was all hyped up, at least had the decency to flinch.
"Right", he smiled sheepishly.
He shot a quick look at Harley, but when he saw she was looking back at him, he quickly turned his gaze away again.
This was high school all over again.
Well, so to speak, of course.
It's not that they actually went to high school.
But you get the point.

"Another successful mission, bro's", Throttle smiled satisfied.
"And did it in style", Modo nodded.
"Biker mice style", Vinnie snickered proudly.
"Time to go back to the base, guys", Carbine said while revving her bike.
Stoker looked at Harley and saw her glancing at the white furred mouse who was standing close to her.
He lowered his gaze with pain in his stomach.
All the hope he had just flew right out of the window.
She was obviously still in love with that loudmouth.
Again, he wasn't be able to call her his.
And the pain was overwhelming.

Throttle felt the tension, it almost made the end of his fur stand up straight.
He looked at Vinnie, who was fiddling with his fingers, eyes lowered.
Then, he looked at Stoker, who was staring at his handlebars with pain written on his face.
His gaze wandered to Harley, who was shuffling with her feet while glancing at Vinnie from under her lashes.
Ah man.
Time to go back.
It was obvious to Throttle that it was time to talk.
But how to arrange a decent talk without explosions or involving other weapons, well… That was gonna be challenge, even for him.
This subject was, after all, very, very touchy.
He then looked at Carbine, who gave him a reassuring smile.
As if she was trying to tell him that everything was gonna be okay in the end.
That's why he loved her so much.
She always knew what was going on inside his head.
He smiled back and revved his bike.
"Yup, let's go, troops."

It was then when things went horribly wrong.
Harley was about to walk to Tallie's bike, but all of a sudden, Limburger popped up behind her.
Nobody saw it on time.
Not until it was already too late.
The Plutarkian grabbed her from behind and pushed a gun against her temple.
Harley, who had no idea what was happening, let out a soft yell in surprise.

Vinnie looked up when he heard her voice and his eyes grew big.
Really?
Are ya kidding me?
Was he having a deja vu, or what?
"Of course it is I who has the last laugh, you repulsive rodents! How dare you to escape your painfully and deathly faith... again?!"
Everybody was staring at him, all frozen.
It was Stoker who broke the silence.
"Let her go, you fucking mutant. Now!"
"I'm afraid that's not possible. You see, even if you managed to get away without so much of a scratch on your repellent bodies, this time victory will be bittersweet. You finally have your precious mechanic back, after searching for all these years… But I'll take her with me, and this time, I'll make sure you won't be able to find her…Ever... Muahahaha!"

Throttle gritted his teeth, knowing his hands were tied.
He saw that Vinnie was the closest to Limburger, he also knew that his younger bro possessed the skills and determination to end this.
But the white furred mouse was sitting on his bike, frozen as a statue, staring at the whole scene with his eyes wide open.
"Vinnie, snap out of it…", Throttle whispered softly in the radio, so soft, that Limburger wasn't able to hear it.
Vinnie did hear it. He heard the husky voice of his older bro and leader, but he didn't understand a word he was saying.
He was back at that day, that day that Mace took Harley away from him.
He could even smell the stinking rat...
"Vincent…"

He was caught between past and present, and the shock was overwhelming.
It completely paralyzed him. He wasn't able to move his body.
"Come on, bro, I know you can hear me…"

Vinnie's gaze wandered to Harley.
And when he looked into her eyes, who were looking straight at him, it was as if he got struck by lightning.
He knew that look.
It was haunting him in his dreams, every night.

No.

Not again.
Not this time.
This time, there was no fucking way that he was gonna fail her.
If he did, if he would lose her again, at the same way he'd already lost her once…
He couldn't even think about what that was gonna do to him.
He'd lost his sister twice.
Look what that had done to him.
He couldn't handle that again, not anymore.
His soul was too damaged already.
It would cost him too much.

Limburger was still gloating, already slowly walking backwards while dragging Harley with him.

Permission to shoot to kill.
Only as last resort.
Only when you want it.
That wasn't even a question.
Time to end this.
Once and for all.

Time stopped ticking.
He looked Harley deep in the eye and one corner of his mouth curled up.
Her face softened.
Even after all these years, she still knew that smile.
Shit was about to get real.
She gave him a small nod, to let him know she was ready.

Without thinking, without any hesitation and in one smooth movement, Vinnie pulled both of his guns outta his leg holsters, aimed and pulled both triggers.
This whole thing just cost him like… two seconds.
That was exactly why this worked.
He used the element of surprise.
Limburger had no idea what was coming to him.
His body was already dead when it hit the ground with a thump.
One hole in his head and another one his chest, his blood colouring the red sand black.

Harley fell on her knees with tears in her eyes.
And before Vinnie even knew what he was doing, he was already kneeling next to her and took her in his arms.
She clung to him, crying while her whole body was shaking.
Vinnie just held her, his eyes closed and stroked her back.
He could not believe he was holding her again.
She even smelled the same.
That was one of the first things he forgot, back then.
Her smell.
But now, while holding her, he immediately recognized it again and it gave him the sudden urge to cry.

My god.

This was crazy.
She was really back.
It felt like a second chance.
And he was finally able to close that chapter.
Chapter?
A whole book, god dammit.

Yes, he'd failed her once and he would be forever sorry that he did.
But not this time.
Because this time, he was able to do what he wished he had done, so badly, the day that Mace took her.
This time, he was able to save her.
This time, he didn't fail her.

He pulled off his helmet, sat down cross legged and pulled her in his lap.
She was still crying and sitting like this suddenly reminded him of Kiwi.
It reminded him of that day when the human girl fell down from Limburger's tower after the whole Monster Zilla thing
It reminded him how he saved her and that after, she couldn't stop crying.
It reminded him how he was sitting with her like he was now with Harley.
He closed his eyes and rested his chin on Harley's head, who had her nose buried into his neck, still crying.

Having her back was overwhelming.
The love he felt was almost suffocating.
So was the relieve.
But his heart remained closed.
His heart belonged to Kiwi now.
He knew it.
He felt it in every fibre of his body.

Man.

How was he gonna tell her this?
How was he gonna tell Harley, his first and long lost love, that his heart belonged to someone else now?

Back on the base...
Kiwi was watching the scene on the screen with Jax sitting next to her.
How her macho mouse pulled the light brown furred female into his lap.
How he held her.
How his hand stroked her back.
It made her sick to the stomach.
The silver furred mouse laid a hand on her arm, but she was staring at the screen as if she was in a trance.
"Kiwi, maybe this is just a release of all the sadness and sorrow from the past…", he said softly. "It probably means nothing…"
But Kiwi shook her head, suddenly not being able to look at the screen any longer.
Not for a second longer.
"I can't watch this. I… I need some air", and she jumped at her feet.
But a sharp pain in her abdomen reminded her that she just had surgery three days ago.

God dammit.

But nothing was gonna stop her. She needed to get the hell outta here.
Tears jumped into her eyes while she rushed to the door, as fast as possible, holding one hand against her belly.
"Kiwi, wait…", Jax started, but Kiwi shook her head while opening the door.
"Jax, don't. Just don't. I need to be alone now."
And she was already gone before Jax had the chance to say more.

My god, she hadn't felt this sick before in her life.
She stumbled to her room and once inside, immediately opened the two doors that led to her balcony and almost ran outside.
Ah. Fresh air.
She fell on her knees while breathing heavily.
She had no idea what to think. What to feel. What to expect.
All she knew, was that seeing the love of her life being this close with another girl, made her sick.
Well, seeing him with Harley, that was what made her sick.
Because she wasn't just a girl.
This was his long lost love.
The girl that still haunted him in his dreams.

God, if she was gonna lose him to Harley, she was gonna end her life.
Her own life. Without any hesitation.
Love can be such a beautiful thing.
But it was poisoning at the same time.
Even deathly.
Love and hate.
Heaven and hell.
They all walked together, hand in hand.
And there wasn't a damn thing you could do about it.

She had no idea how long she was sitting here, staring at the floor, while silent tears streamed down her face.
But the sound of engines made her look up.
With a sigh, she slowly climbed back on her feet and looked down.
The mice were driving through the front gate and her gaze landed on Vinnie.
Harley was sitting behind him and his tail was wrapped around her waist.
God dammit, he promised.
He promised that his heart belonged to her now.
How could he do this to her?
Maybe she was jumping into conclusions too quickly...
But still, seeing them together just broke her heart.

"Let's go to my room and talk. I have too many unanswered questions, a thing I don't like", Carbine ordered while stepping off her bike, now back in the garage.
Vinnie opened his mouth to protest, to tell Carbine he wanted to go see Kiwi, but Throttle shot him a warning glare.
The white furred mouse cursed under his breath, while helping Harley off his bike.
He didn't look at her. He just couldn't.
After their… little moment together, when he realized what he was doing and even more important; when Kiwi popped up in his mind, he'd untangled himself and created some distance.
Well, that worked only until she climbed behind him on his bike without warning.
And he didn't had the heart to tell her she needed ro ride with someone else.

When he turned around, he saw Kiwi standing in the doorway.
And he was still holding Harley's hand.
He quickly let go.
Dammit, this wasn't how it looked like.
And the look on her face told him that she took it the wrong way.

No...

She turned around and walked away, the door closed softly behind her.
Vinnie wanted to go after her, but Throttle grabbed his arm.
"Later, bro."
"But…"
"Later."
Vinnie yanked himself free.
How much he hated this.
But orders are orders.
The mission, the war, came first.
It always came first, god dammit.
And still softly cursing, he followed the group to Carbine's room.

When everybody sat around the table, Carbine looked around.
"Where is Kiwi?"
"She ain't coming", Vinnie said shortly, hoping Carbine wouldn't ask further questions.
The light grey furred female gave him a look, but then her gaze landed on Tallie.
"Tallie, welcome on our base. I wanna start with thanking you. For your help. You had absolutely no reason to fight by our side, but you did. Thank you."
Tallie nodded.
"You're welcome. I did have a reason, actually. Meadow…", and she pointed at Harley, who was holding Shaylong tightly.
"And that's what brings me to my first question… How do you two know each other?", Carbine asked.
Tallie looked at Harley, who signed she was okay with Tallie telling the story.

The female rat gave her a little encouraging smile before turning her attention back on Carbine.
"Six years ago, Mace brought Meadow, for you known as Harley, to our home. Yes, we know Mace…", she said when she saw the shocked looks on the faces around her. "Mace once belonged to our people. But he lost his way and made the decision to work alongside the Plutarkians. With that, he turned his back not only to Mars, but to his own people too. He was banished for life, but that didn't stop him from coming back from time to time, trying to convince my father, the leader of the Outsiders, to take him back."
She looked around the table.
"So, Mace brought Meadow… I mean Harley, to my father. You should know, my father was a cruel man. He ruled with a iron fist. Mace gave Harley to him as a gift... "
Stoker slammed his fist on the table, completely out of the blue and everybody looked up startled.
"A gift? Jesus, she's a person, not a thing!", the brown furred mouse snapped.
"Jesus, Stoker, calm down, you scared the crap out of me", Carbine snapped back. "Just let her tell her story."
Stoker narrowed his eyes, but then let out his breath and signed to Tallie to continue.
The female rat shot him a apologetic look.
"I can understand your anger. I didn't agree with my father's way of ruling, but back then, there was nothing I could do. Nobody dared to stand up against him, and I wasn't strong enough to stand up on my own. Anyway, Mace brought Harley with him and offered her to my father. All he wanted in return, was permission to come back. He even begged him on his knees… But my father wasn't one who gave second changes. Not even…Not even to his own son…"

A deadly silence.

"Mace… Mace is your brother?", Throttle eventually brought out.
"I'm afraid he is. But you don't get to choose your family, unfortunately... My father accepted Meadow as one of his wife's and for a moment, it looked like he was gonna forgive Mace. But then, he took out his sword and chopped off his head, right in front of me, without saying a word..."
"Good", Vinnie growled. "What goes around, comes around."
"Vincent, show some respect. No matter his actions, he's still her brother…", Modo hissed at his younger bro, but Tallie smiled.
"It's okay, Modo. I do not mourn for the loss of my brother. He was a true son of his father, cruel, vindictive… The world is a better place without him. Where was I.. Right. My father possessed Meadow's life for almost three years…", Tallie trailed off again and glanced at Harley, who sighed.
"Tallie here made my life a little bit more bearable. She took care of me, as far as she was able to. Gave me food, cleaned my fur, gave me clean clothes… You know, the little things that make a huge difference. We got talking and the rest is history..."
"Later, when I found she was pregnant, I decided this had to end. I knew my father would kill the baby if it was a boy, to keep his position safe. I mean, that wouldn't be the first time. Mace was the only son he had, he needed at least one heir… Anyway, Meadow and me both had the strong feeling her baby was gonna be a boy and I just… I just couldn't take it anymore. Maybe my father would let the boy live, since Mace was dead, but I couldn't take the risk…"

She looked around the table.
"I knew I was the only heir left, the next one line… And I wasn't alone anymore. It was time to stand up against my father. So, we made a plan and succeeded. I killed my father by poisoning him and claimed the throne. The first thing I did as the new leader was giving Meadow her freedom back."
"I eventually decided to stay, at least until my child was born…", Harley added. "But with Tallie as the leader, it started to become my home too and I decided to stay. I'd heard rumors about your death", and she pointed at Modo, Throttle and Vinnie. "...and I decided not to take any chances. There was nothing left for me. But the Plutarkians found me when they invaded our home. They took me and Shaylon with them, and because of the chaos, nobody noticed, not until it was too late. I've been forced to work for them ever since. But then you guys showed up. And here we are."
"I did everything I could to find her, but it was no use. Not until I met you guys. I heard you were freeing prisoners and decided to help out a little. Never did I know that you guys knew Meadow", Tallie added.
"Why are you calling her Meadow?", Throttle asked curious.
"Because Harley is dead", Harley said sharply before Tallie could.
A silence.
The pain was clearly hearable in Harley's voice and the look on her face told them she had been through too much.
Stoker hesitated, but then reached out and laid a hand on her arm.
"She's not dead. I can still see her in your eyes. But she's been through a lot. And therefore, she's in pain. But you're home now… and we're here for ya. We never stopped looking for you, Harley. I need you to know that...", he said softly. "And we're all so glad that you're home again."
Tears jumped into Harley's blue eyes and for a moment, she laid her hand on his.
"Thank you…"

Vinnie jumped at his feet, not able to look at this for a second longer, knowing that Kiwi was somewhere on this base, being upset because of him.
He needed to talk to her, right now.
"No matter how touching this all is, I really have a more important matter to deal with right now", and he walked to the door.
"Vincent", Stoker started, but the white furred mouse gave him the finger without turning around and left the room.
Stoker's eyes grew big, but Throttle quickly intervened.
"Let him go. We can talk to him later. He just needs… some time..."
"I think we all need some time to get our thoughts on a row, coach", Modo said while standing up. "I really need to go to talk to my father now. I need to get myself some answers before it's to late. Today proved, again, it can all be over before you know it."
Stoker let out his breath and nodded.
"You're right. I'm just… I guess a little hot under the helmet…"
"And no one's blaming ya for that, Stoke", the grey furred giant said friendly and after patting the brown furred mouse on the shoulder, he also left the room.

Stoker looked at Carbine.
"Do we have a room left for Harley and the kid?", he asked, knowing Carbine knew this sort of details by heart.
"Yeah, the room next to Kiwi is free."
But before Stoker could answer, Harley asked the question from which they all wished she wouldn't ask.
"Who is Kiwi? I've heard her name a couple of times now, so she must be important, but I can't remember a Kiwi…"
Carbine swallowed while looking at Throttle.
The tan furred mouse adjusted his specs.
"Kiwi is our friend from Earth…"
"You guys been to Earth?", Harley called out surprised.
"Hehe, yeah. Wasn't exactly a planned trip, but yeah, we've been to Earth. Kiwi decided to come with us when we were finally able to come back home…"
"She left her own planet to live here, at this… carcass?", Harley asked, even more surprised.
"Yeah, she did. She's really special", Throttle answered blankly, without giving away anything further.
But Harley didn't buy it, Throttle could tell, so he gently took her hand.
"Talk to him, Harley. If you want answers, you really should ask them at the right person. In this case, I'm not your guy."
Harley swallowed with difficulty.
"Okay…"

"What's Earth?", a small voice suddenly asked and everybody looked at Shaylon in surprise.
"Hey, so you do know how to talk, huh, little fella?", Throttle smiled friendly.
The little boy boy nodded, suddenly very shy now all the attention was focussed on him.
Harley smiled.
"Why don't we go to our room, then I'll tell you everything you wanna know about Earth. How does that sound?"
Shaylon nodded again and Stoker jumped up.
"I'll show you your room, come on."
"See you guys later", Harley said and gestured to Tallie to walk with her.
The female rat followed her and Stoker and by that, peace was restored.

Carbine and Throttle, now the only ones left, gave each other a look.
"What a mess", they said in unison and because of that, they burst into laughter.
Throttle rose on his feet and pushed Carbine towards her bed.
"But finally, we have some alone time…", he said, his voice fulfilled with promises.
"I've got me a feeling that you already know how to fill up that time…"
"I might have a few ideas, yeah…"

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Thanks for reading my story.

Later dudes!