I am actually quite proud of how this chapter turned out, I hope you guys like it.
This is also being posted 4 days early, cause I have absolutely no self-control and I needed to get this chapter out asap.
This of course means that it might be a few days before the next chapter comes out. But that's entirely my fault.
Planet: Mars
Location: Battle Summit
Before Charley could even begin to process Amelia's question, Modo surged up from Lil'Hoss.
"Primrose, Nitro! What are you guys doing here?" He asked as he bounded over to the light grey female mouse, who despite being older was nearly a head shorter than the large grey mouse. Her blonde hair reached just past her shoulder blades, left loose in the Martian breeze. Primrose was dressed in a white form fitting shirt with short sleeves, and long brown cargo pants, with black boots. Her thin, well-built form was lifted quite easily off the ground by Modo's hug.
Next to them, her husband Nitro was, quite possibly, one of the largest mice Charley had ever seen. His tan fur ruffled as he lifted BOTH Primrose and Modo in a hug, the grey mouse's feet a full 3 inches off the ground. The siblings laughed as they were squashed in the embrace.
"Well, when Momma mentioned that Aunt Amelia was setting up a battle, Nitro and I just had to come. Especially with the twins speaking such high praises about the girl in question." Primrose explained in a silvery voice, so unlike her brother's often gruff tone. Said twins were quickly making their way over to Charley, who stood alone as Throttle abandoned her side to rush to his mother, the two mice speaking in fast, low tones. Primer flung her arms around the woman, while Rimfire was practically bouncing in place. Both had excited smiles on their faces. Charley raised a brow.
"Would you two care to enlighten me about what is going on?" she whispered, only half-jokingly. In truth, she was getting a little nervous, especially when she noticed the bros various reactions to whatever was going on. Vinnie was gaping at Amelia, Modo's eyes were darting from her to the sheet-covered object, and Throttle after a final nod from his mother was positively beaming. Charley didn't think she had ever seen the mouse that happy. The twins shared a conspirator's glance before shaking their heads.
"Sorry Charley, but we can't steal Aunt Amelia's thunder." Primer said with a giggle, before releasing Charley from her hug as Amelia and Throttle approached her, the twins making their way back to their parents. Charley stood up straight as Amelia smiled at her.
"I assume the bros mentioned to you how they each got their bikes?" she queried. Charley peered at Throttle, who merely nodded at her to answer with a cunning smile.
"Well…they mentioned something about a battle, and how the bikes had to get used to the new riders…" Charley shrugged, still unsure about where this was going. Amelia chuckled and stepped next to Charley, placing a hand on her back and guiding her forward as she spoke.
"Our bikes do need to get used to new riders. Which is why, when a mouse turns 16, they must win the battle to earn their right to ride." She guided Charley straight to the sheet-covered object, and Throttle slowly lifted the sheet off, revealing the most gorgeous bike Charley had ever seen.
She recognized the model as one similar to the street motorcycles she had seen on Earth, but it showed signs of its Martian origins, particularly in the shaped of the headlight, identical to that of Sweetheart, Lady and Lil'Hoss. She was a stunning dark violet color, muted ever so slightly to not be tacky. Her seat looked soft and was covered in black leather. Her accents a dark silver that complimented the paint job brilliantly, and she shined. Charley gasped, and Amelia let out a bright laugh.
"Charley, meet my dear girl Comet. She has carried me through many trials and taken me to great places. And hopefully, after today, she'll do the same for you." Charley paused as she reached out to touch the bike, before spinning to face Amelia, who wore a giant smirk on her face.
"Wait, what?!" Charley exclaimed, spinning again to look at Throttle. "But- I thought you said bikes were family heirlooms?" Throttle smiled as he handed the now folded sheet to his mother.
"That's just it Charley-girl." He removed his specs to gaze at her with blue eyes shimmering with joy. "The battle doesn't only give you the chance to win the bike over, it also confirms your place in the clan. If you win this battle, you'll be considered clan. Family." Charley held her breath as she turned her gaze to the rest of their audience. They were all watching the proceedings with massive smiles on their faces. She slowly turned back to Amelia, who was watching her with a tender smile.
"Are-are you sure? I mean…you barely know me?" she murmured, eyes lowering to avoid Amelia's gaze, fixing on her foot as she kicked a small pebble away. A furred hand entered her field of vision, catching her under her chin and raising her head.
"I know that in the short time you've been here, you've proven to the bros, and to me, that you are someone worthy of their trust and friendship. It takes a truly special person to win over their hearts and minds that easily. The kind of person I would be proud to call clan." Amelia's blue eyes glistened with tears, and Charley found she wasn't far behind. She blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay as Cynthia stepped closer.
"But before you get started, you're going to need this." She decreed, pulling out a wrapped parcel from behind her back and handing it to Charley. The woman's brows furrowed as she held the weighty mystery object in her hands. The weight felt familiar, as did the shape… She quickly removed the material to reveal.
"Whoa…" It was her missing helmet, only it seemed to have received a mayor upgrade in its absence. Instead of its regular shape, the helmet's outer shell had received additions that now made it identical to the bros helmets, even if it was still slightly smaller. The original face shield was missing, though with push of a button that was now on the right side of the helmet, a dark purple visor materialized in gap, pressing it again made it vanish. The helmet was also sporting a new color scheme. Instead of the old white and blue, it was now sporting a violet and silver paint job much like Throttle's.
"I noticed your helmet was, shall we say, a bit lacking. So, I decided to add a few improvements. It's now equipped with a standard Martian communicator, scanning software and is now built for deep space." Charley could not contain her glee as she put the helmet on. A quick press of the button caused her vision to receive a purple haze, turning her head to the left she fixed on a point in the distance, pressing another button cause her helmet to lock onto a target, which happened to be a small boulder a few yards away and zoom in on it.
"This is so cool!" she exclaimed, making everyone crack-up with laughter. She pressed the button once more to dissolve the visor and turned back to the group. Amelia was grinning from ear to ear.
"You ready?" she asked. Charley took a deep breath and let it out slowly, before nodding determinedly. As if sensing her assent, Comet burst to life with a roar of her engine, pulling into a wheelie before zooming off. She pulled two donuts before racing back to pause right behind Charley, who spun around to keep the bike in her sights. Comet's engine revved, and she beeped in quick succession. Even if Charley hadn't spent three years in the company of three Martian A.I. bikes, she would have recognized that Comet was taunting her.
"Better get on fast Charley-girl, she's gearing to give you one heck of a fight!" Throttle howled over the engine roar. Charley spared one last glance back at the mice, before smirking devilishly at the bike. In one smooth motion, she launched herself forward, grabbing the handlebars and swinging her leg over the body of the bike. She wasn't even fully seated before the bike took off, her white-knuckle grip on the handlebars the only thing keeping her on the bike for a few harrowing seconds before her feet finally settled on the foot-pegs. Her stomach wasn't given a chance to catch up before Comet took a swerve to the left. Charley fought to keep her balance while keeping her eyes on the road ahead. They drove over three small hills in quick succession, Comet speeding up each time to become airborne for a few short moments, confirming to Charley that the bike was enjoying being the cause of her fluttering stomach.
The bike made a sharp right turn, Charley once again compensating her loss of balance as Comet became airborne once again. The human was starting to wonder if this was the bike's way of testing her mettle, or if she fully intended to try and throw her off completely. She got her answer not even a second later, as Comet pulled them down towards a ditch, the opposite side sporting a ramp that would most assuredly launch them both over the hill. Thinking quickly Charley right hand snapped to her helmet controls, having only seconds to activate the software to ensure she had time to prepare for the landing once she knew what awaited her. A targeting beacon snapped in front of her vision just as Comet's wheel left Mars behind, flying through the air for a full two seconds. Charley focused on their current trajectory and adjust her posture just in time as they made contact with the ground once more. She thought she heard a small beep of approval, but was preoccupied by their increasing speed. The terrain became craggy, and Charley's arms and legs shook with the force of the hits.
The road flattened out and Comet raised herself into a sudden wheelie. Charley yelped but held fast, and the bike soon dropped back down. They sped down a steep hill that took them nearly half a minute to reach the bottom. After a few more seconds Comet pulled a 180, facing straight back to the hill they just raced down. Charley grew nervous as the bike gunned it towards the hill climb. She leaned her weight forward as they sped up the steep incline. Once they reached the top Charley whooped as Comet pulled another corner, the human leaning into the turn. She was really starting to enjoy herself, cackling as the bike continued to speed around the terrain.
Suddenly, Comet came to a halt, nearly sending Charley straight over the handlebars. As she caught her breath, she turned her attention towards their surroundings. The first thing she noticed were the mice watching them from about 90 yards straight ahead. The next thing she noticed was the almost 200-foot crevice between them.
Her eyes widened as she realized what Comet's intentions were, and her breath caught. A soft beep reached her ears, and she looked down at the bike's console. Comet beeped again, soft and encouraging. Charley raised her eyes back to the view ahead, and her breathing settled.
"Alright girl, I trust you." With that, Comet let out an excited beep, and revved her engine once, twice, before gunning it towards the ramp. Within 5 seconds, the bike hit 100 miles per hour, and launched into the air. Charley let out a holler as the exhilaration and adrenaline rose to an all-time high. They landed with a cloud of dust, and finally drifted to a stop in front the now cheering group of Martian mice. Charley removed her helmet, shaking her hair out before leaping from the bike. Throttle was the first to reach her, wrapping her in a tight embrace as he whooped for joy, Modo and Vinnie soon rushing to stand on either side, celebrating just as loudly.
"Charley-girl, you did it! That was amazing!" Throttle cheered as he held her close. His elation was contagious and Charley was soon laughing along with him, reaching to try and pull all three of the bros into a hug. They got the idea fairly quickly and soon the four were wrapped in a group hug. Eventually, Vinnie and Modo stepped back to let Throttle guide Charley towards Amelia who wore a radiant smile as she approached her son and newest clan member.
"I greet you, Charlene Davidson-Threemane, my daughter." She lowly affirmed, placing her hands on her cheeks and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Charley sniffed as she pulled away, just as Throttle took his mother's vacated spot.
"I greet you, Charlene Davidson-Threemane, my sister." He finished the affirmation with a kiss to her forehead, and this time Charley did start crying. Throttle gently wiped them away, even as his own threatened to fall. He gave her another hug before two smaller figures jumped her from both sides.
"Woohoo! Aunt Charley is the best!" Rimfire shouted, Primer laughing brightly along. Charley guffawed as she slung an arms around each of the teens neck's pulling them into a cuddle.
"You two!" she exclaimed, giggling along with them. Just then, she felt something bumped into her from behind. She turned to see Comet wiggling eagerly. "Oh, you were absolutely spectacular. And I am honored to be your new rider." Comet beeped and wiggled again, clearly embarrassed by the praise. Amelia and Throttle chortled.
"Oh yeah, you two are gonna make a great team." Her new brother observed. Charley turned to her new family with a grin.
"And I can't wait to ride her alongside you." She declared. Vinnie let out a whoop.
"Oh man! Teaching Charley our battle moves is gonna be epic!" Modo cheered in agreement.
Charley just smiled as she hugged her new family once more. She couldn't imagine being happier.
Planet: Mars
Location: Stilton's Castle
Dominic T. Stilton was not amused. He had received word from his scientist, Dr. Karbunkle, that the construction of the Tug-Transporter had been delayed. And if the reports from his soldiers were to be believed, it was due to the newest recruit in the Freedom Fighters. He had to remind that pathetic excuse for a Plutarkian, Limburger, to find out more about this new recruit. Those Freedom Fighters were already more trouble than they were worth.
One piece of information had at least been confirmed by his forces. The newest recruit had been paired with the Fighters' three best warriors. Throttle Threemane, Modo Maverick and Vincent "Vinnie" Van Wham. Stilton scoffed. These Martian mice truly were a thorn in his side. He only hoped that Karbunkle finished work on his other project soon.
He looked down at the reports, in particular, those on Threemane. It appeared his home was located in the remains of Quiet Grove, where his widowed mother still resided. His eyes narrowed. Their proverbial 'rat' had established that these three fighters hadn't joined the resistance until after they had finished mining Quiet Grove. If he remembered correctly, that bit of real estate had not warranted much, due to it being a graveyard. It had been an inconvenience to get rid of, but necessary in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps that had been the incident that pushed three rodents over the edge.
An idea formed in Stilton's sharp mind, and his smirk grew. He pushed a button on his personal communicator.
"Limburger, get up here now!" he ordered, waiting for the fool to arrive. He was soon disappointed by his presence as the cretin feel to his knees before him soon after leaving the elevator.
"You-um…called, oh glorious Stilton?" he whimpered pitifully. Stilton rolled his eyes, pulling out his handkerchief to wipe a stray speck of dust off the table.
"Send for my generals, Limburger. I think it's time we revisited Quiet Grove."
Hehehe…
Actually, you guys might come after me for this, why am I laughing?
In any case, please review!
