Disclaimer - I do not own the BMFM, I think some guy called Bob Forward does. Also I haven't seen the show in almost 10 years, so character nuances are liable to 'out'. Reviews and constructive criticism are both requested and encouraged.

Natural Enemies

There was a moment when it looked like everything would be fine. Vinnie planted his foot firmly onto the icy tarmac and twisted his bike and his body round in a tight 180. But the ground was frosty, and the road was slick, the back wheel of his bike couldn't gain the friction necessary to stop the vehicle and rider from careering onwards towards the lip of the dock. Countless repeats of flipping up and down the switches on the handlebars in an attempt to stop the two from hitting the water were fruitless as rider and bike slipped over the edge of the wooden supports and metal lip to crash into the icy waters below.

What took only seconds to accomplish stretched an eternity as the young mouse did everything in his power to try and save his beloved bike. When the boosters failed he moved to release the ropes and chains necessary to hook onto the supports that rapidly passed him by. And with each attempt to do so Vinnie became painfully more and more aware of the fact that his bike, his baby was failing him. Wide eyes looked up towards the quickly vanishing lip of the dock as he sought another way to save his bike. "C'mon ..." he whispered time and again, desperately not wanting to leave the security that his bike would afford him once he hit the water. Vinnie didn't want to admit to it now, but he was getting scared. He couldn't hear his bros through the comms in his helmet, he couldn't hear a thing except the icy night air which tore over his fur dragging each strand upwards, even as he opened his visor to let out a final desperate call for help he couldn't have imagined how visciously cold, or harsh the water would be as the machine and mouse were swallowed by its tempestuous depths.

Activity on the docks was not unusual for this time of year. The nights were longer and significantly colder, stock was shifted from one warehouse to another in a bid to be ready for the Christmas rush that would begin in a few weeks time. But it seemed even the extra security couldn't prevent the appearance and activity of Limburger and his goons. Their activity succeeded in making the 9 o'clock news, and, as planned brought out some mice to play. It had been a rather odd battle, with the goons retreating far quicker than they normally did, and not in the same random, desperate order the normally did. Instead they made for an exit near the dock, each vehicle running one at a time along the river front and to the relative safety of Limburger Towers. Naturally this odd behaviour was expected to gain a pursuit, and naturally with the opportunity to kick ass and impress Charley-girl Vinnie took up the challenge.

What neither rider nor bike had known was this. For once Lawrence had been successful in his plans, though he did not succeed in getting all three mice. Karbunkle's latest device had been far simpler than any of his other hare-brained ideas, so simple in fact its very construction had escaped the Plutarkian's notion of a good idea until now. "What is this?" he had asked at the time, admiring a painfully small sleek silver device. "Why ... my most brilliant block of brie it is an electronics disrupter." Karbunkle had replied with a cackle of glee. "And what will that do?" Lawrence had asked, "Cause the bikes of those mice to suffer a horrible malfunction ..." This pleased both men greatly, and the devices debut had occurred within a matter of days.

The initial pain of hitting the water was surpassed surprisingly quickly by the panic and cold realisation that flooded the young mouse's mind almost as quickly as the water flooded his now open helmet. He couldn't swim... to his knowledge no Martian could. Choking beneath the surface, Vinnie found himself fighting to break free from the clawing strands of icy water that tugged at his cooling body, pushing and pulling his limbs to and fro from the metallic burden that was now dragging him down to a slow, solitary death.

Neither Throttle, Modo nor Charley had expected to be doing this. Standing at the waters edge waiting with diminishing patience for Vincent to break the surface of the water. For him to somehow let them know that he was alright. "Where is he?" Charley whispered quietly her eyes scanning the inky surface with a growing sense of desperation.

"I don't know Charley-girl, I really don't know." Throttle replied softly, fighting to reign in his own growing sense of panic at the unfolding situation.

Panic had descended the other three by now though none of them openly showed it. Modo had descended into a stoic silence, his growing concern worn on his sleeve as his eyes sought for some sign of Vincent. Throttle on the other hand kept an arm around Charley, burying his concern beneath a veil of active well thought out options to combat the growing number of failed attempts at contact with the young mouse. It had been almost five minutes now, with no contact from the young mouse. To the steadily infrequent calls to the dark night, or the comms.

"There!" Charley pointed to the shining bit of metal that broke the surface. It toyed and danced on the surface of the river before the current began to drag it down stream. He's coming up ... Vinnie's coming up. Rubbing her hands together to preserve what little warmth was left there, Charley was unable to keep the look of relief from her face.

On the edge of the dock three sets of eyes waited expectantly for the young mouse to follow.

The currents of the river that tugged at his panicking, trapped form weren't bothering Vincent so much now. His bike lay across his left leg; the buoyancy of the water stopped it from crushing the limb, but along with the silt held him firmly in place. The powerful current wrapped itself around his flaying body and rocked him to and fro ever so gently; the pressure the water applied to his helmet caused it to bite into his throat, leaving a thick red line that grew a dirty grey with the silt that mixed into it. Despite the freezing waters he lay trapped in, a warm calm began to descend over his body; his limbs were growing lighter whilst his eyes grew heavier. The murky dark waters soothing him into a sleep that few ever woke from. Floating backwards from the his bike, and the desperate fight he had waged with it to get free, Vinnie drifted off to sleep, what little air he had left in his lungs being released with the eerily smooth dropping of his jaw. At mercy to the currents the open, damaged helmet broke free, kicked and played with happily by the water as it rose to the surface.

"Where is he?" Charley repeated the question again, this time her fears for the worst clearly on display. The relief that had lit up her eyes only seconds earlier had transformed itself into cold hard fear. "Where is he?!"

"Down there!" Throttle replied quietly, his own panic and concern now slowly creeping to the surface. "Somewhere down there."

"I'm going down ..."

"Charley girl!" Throttle was horrified at the very notion.

"Someone has to!"

"Charley-ma'am" Modo broke his silence to hand to her the rope from the back of Lil'Ho. "We don't want to lose you down there."

Charley had partially expected Modo to back Throttle up on this one, it was cold, it was late and it was pitch black down there. By some fluke of Limburger's their bikes had malfunctioned as they had arrived at the edge of the dock leaving all weapons and boosters off line. The two mice were stronger, and would most definitely be warmer down there than she would be, and yet they were allowing her to do this. Smiling gratefully at Modo for ending the argument she wrapped the rope around her middle "When I tug on it twice, pull me up" she instructed softly fastening it to the hoops in her jeans before diving off the end of the pier. The water was horrifically cold, even before she had fully immersed herself in it Charley had the distinct feeling that it was a bad idea. Fighting against the currents she was relieved to feel her line hold her steady as two sets of hands kept a firm grasp of it. The icy finger tips of the water drove into her eyes again and again, the element determined to keep a hold of the victim it had grasped that evening. Striking out Charley searched desperately, her denim shirt and jeans weighing her down as she did so.

Now that he no longer fought against the river Vincent's form was a joy to play with. The water took great pride in tugging at the bandanna that he wore around his neck, letting the edges of the sodden material rip upwards and over his face. During one of its ritual flights of fancy the edge of the material flicked the loosened metal attached to the side of the mouse's face. Finding purchase beneath the metal the water continued to tug at it fervently, until with a satisfying, yet muffled popping sound it tore the metal away. Carrying it along in the riptide it struck another late night swimmer during her active search.

With the added velocity afforded it by the tide Vinnie's metal mask struck Charley visciously in her arm. Treading water beneath the surface her sore eyes turned sharply to see if she could see what she hoped and prayed to find. "No ..." it escaped her lips, before she had a chance to stop the word from forming. Coughing and choking she broke the surface of the water to get a second breath of air. Biting back the need to cry she disappeared beneath the surface once again, determined to free the floating, ghost-like form that she had seen writhing limply in the water. ...Vinnie ... Beneath the surface once again she swam to his side, her hands feeling along the smooth curves of the bike and mouse. Hands that found the slick torso of the mouse quickly reached upwards following the contours of a horribly lifeless form until they found his bobbing head, Charley's left hand cupped the back of his slack skull whilst her right hand pinched his nose. Bringing her face up to cover his open mouth she forced as much air as she felt she could allow into his body. Pushing off his bike she twisted her body around his so that she floated behind it, her arms wrapping firmly about his chest she kicked backwards with defiant desperation. Feeling the bike shift slightly under her force, she bent forwards at her knees and pushed again...

As she had searched the two mice had threaded Charley more and more rope, when they had seen her break the surface both had felt a tiny pit of despair open up, but when she did not call to be reeled in they said nothing and allowed her the luxury to search some more. The first time they felt a tug on the rope the two looked at each other expectantly, after a pause of almost 15 seconds a second tug came. At that command the two began to pull backwards, bringing Charley and her quarry with her.

"Help!" her call was hoarse and desperate in the same instance. Bringing Vinnie to the surface meant that she could now see how pale and lifeless he truly looked. Without the exuberant machismo Vincent looked lost, defenceless, and almost childlike with his head lying against Charley's chest. Closing her eyes to keep tears at bay Charley began CPR the moment she landed on shore.

...C'mon Vinnie...Breathe ... She repeated the procedure of two breathes to fifteen compressions time and again. ...Please breathe...

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