The Welcome

Part III

Throttle took a minute to scan the medium size, very comfortable bedroom. Like he'd said, sleeping in a room without another body in it, was a rare, and if he had to be completly honest, welcomed experience. He could, if only for a tiny bit of time, let his guard down and actually take a private moment to relax. Wondering over to the window he opened it, gazed up and out into the beautiful universe. He saw the tiny pink glow that was his home and the place that held all his past and probably any future that he was fighting for now. Of course those thoughts would include, Carbine.

Carbine, the woman he had loved since he couldn't remember when. They grew up together, dated as teenagers, stayed the bulk of the Plutarkian invation and technically were still a couple. He chuckled sadly thinking,"a couple of what?" Squabbling kids, battling lovers. For the life of him he still was trying to figure that out. But one thing he was sure of, he loved her. Her strength that was the saving grace for a whole planet and entire race of people. She had saved his life numerous amounts of times doing what would almost be called the immpossible. She was an exquiste mix of extreme power and beauty beyond explintaion.

Even, when during a battle, her face had been scared it didn't take anything away from how mezmerizing she was. If anything it only added to all the things that made her is life long love. But that love was always peppered with contraversy. For all the things they had incommen they had just about as many that put them at odds with each other. The most being why he would stay on Earth. She could only see that Mars needed every able body to keep her Pultarkian free. He tried, too many, times to explain that if the, fishheads, took over the Earth it would just make them strong enough to try and reclaim Mars. Not to mention all the innocent that would be slaugther on this world as well.

He slipped off the nuke-knucks as Harley had refered to the brown powerful gloves he wore and tossed them on the near by dresser. Then he untied the red bandana from around his neck and slipped off the well worn leather vest and place them on the over stuffed chair that was in the nearest corner. Sitting on the bed he tugged until his boots gave way and freed his feet letting them breath. The metal knee pads, green ultility belt and hip hoster were the next to go and finally he snatched the thick brown strip of leather that held his long golden hair back in a managable style, allowing it to cacade down his shoulders to the middle of his back. With that he fell back on the bed just unsnapping the top of his jeans and finally letting sleep sooth away all the things that burned his heart. His final drifting thoughts were of his lady love. The woman that he couldn't live without, but saw no way to live peacebly with with.

Back on the porch Charley realised who quiet things had become and the silence caused her to open her eyes. She smiled feeling the gentle raise and fall of Vinnie's sleeping chest and his arm securly holding her around the shoulders. She sighed contently before lifting her hade up slightly to see if the others had gone in. Her eyes popped opened and her jaw dropped when she saw her mother embraced by Modo both sharing a kiss that said so much. Her mother never said anything about even wanting to find someone to be with and after her reaction about Vinnie the last man she wouuld imagine her falling would be a martian.

Then again why wouldn't it be. Modo was so much like what she remembered he father to be. Strong, gentle, kind, and most of all tender and loving with her mother. And Modo had only loved one woman in his life from what he's told her so why wouldn't he be drawn to a great lady like Claudia. She could understand and accept that he would alway love his first wife and know it would not take away from any feeling he would have for her. She giggled to herself thinking about Modo being Vinnie's father in law if things went that far. She saw her mom's arms slide up and around Modo's huge neck and his flesh arm hold her waist just a little more secure. "Be happy, Mom. Nobody deseves him more than you," she whipered contently before settling back to sleep in the loving arms of her own Martian hero.

The morning silence was shatter by the rubble of space engines landing in the field just over the ridge near the end of Claudia's property. Claudia who was always up early looked out of the back door to see the large gleeming alien craft making a smooth landing. Maybe someone else would have been, either screaming for dear life or making tracks in the opposite direction, but Claudia merely smile wondering whom from the Red Planet was about to decend upon them.

Vinnie partially dress in nothing but his jeans, bounded down the stairs and jumpimg barefoot on his bike toward the ship.

Modo and Throttle soon followed both only having time to drawn their pants but at least got their boot on as they got on their bikes and were in close pursuit of Vinnie.

Before they even gotten close to the ship they immediately recognized it as the Stakers ship that Carbine had commandered and turned into to her private vehicle having it painted a sleek black and trimmed with gold and red flames running down the side.

Modo and Vinnie started to go back to the house to leave Throttle to what ever welcome he and Carbine were going to have, until the door opened and Rimfire stood at the door instead of the firey ebony haired young general.

The three biker mice walked up to him and saw the look of despair on his face, "What's up youngster, and how did you get Carbine to let you bring her pride and joy out for a joy ride? Vinnie tried to joke.

"This isn't a joy ride,Vinnie. I got real bad news, Throttle. It's about Carbine."

Before Rimfire could explain. Throttle heard a soft moaning coming from the back of the ship. He rushed inside to see Carbine laid out on a stretcher. He ran to her side, fell on his knees and held her face paniced by how weak and lifless she looked.

Modo and Viinnie turned to Rimfire waiting for an explaination, "She was attacked by a red sand viper while on patrol. She shot it and went over to make sure it was dead, but there was just enough life left in it to bite her on the leg."

"Why didn't they give her the anti-venom?" Throttle asked while storking her sweaty brow hoping to get her to at least open her eyes.

"We gave her all we had, but it wan't enough. The Stinkfish took most of the snakes back to Plutak to use in making some kind of posion gas. We got just enough from the dead one to keep her alive this long but we can't find any more. So Stoker send her here hoping maybe there might be some kind of Earth snake that will be close enough for it's anti venom to save her. It's the only chance she's got. It's good your bikers have those homing devise so I could locate you. If she doesn't get more, her chances of surving are pretty slim."

Throttle said nothing. He unstrapped her, wrapped her in the blanket that covered her and head back to the house. Modo was two steps ahead of him already heading toward the house to tell Claudia and Charley what had happen and to get a room ready to care for Carbine. Rimfire engaged the ship's cloking devise hiding it from any unwanted planes that might flew across the area and hopped on the back of Vinnie's bike to ride back to the house.

By the time Throttle got to there, Claudia had fixed her own bed to accomadate the sick young woman. Throttle carried her like a newborn up the stairs and gently laided her down. During the trip to Earth Carbine had sweat her clotheing to the skin so Claudia asked Throttle to leave so she and Charley could change her into clean dry bedclothes. He didn't want to let go of her but Charley knelt down by his side and told him she would be much more comfortable.

He took Carbines face lovingly in his hands and kissed her, "I'll be back as soon as their done, Beautiful."

He looked at Claudia with pleading eyes, "Please if there is anything you can do....?"

The older woman held a hand under his chin reasurrring him, "We'll do whatever we can, darlin'. She's in good hands."

He hugged Claudia, glanced a trusting smile at Charley and hurriedly left the room.

"What can we do, Mom?" Charley asked her mother while beginning to remove Carbine's uniform.

Claudia got a white nightgown from her dresser and placed it on the bed, "Everything we know how to do, Sweetie.

I'll finish getting those sweaty clothes off her and you go down in the kitchen and get me a large plastic bin. Bring it in the bathroom and fill it with cool water and soap. I'll sponge her off and clean her up then we'll get these dry things on her. Charley quickly did as her mother instructed. Claudia went to the linen closet in the hall and got some clean towels along with her first aid kit. She would have to clean the wound after seeing if it were infected.

She pulled off the young woman's pants and saw a makeshift bandage that had been put around her upper thigh. She gently unwrapped it and saw the ugly swollen dark green area that shown right under Carbine gray fur. She breathed a worried breath and ran to the door, "Charlene, bring me that large bottle of peroxide in the emergency cabinet in the back hall and hurried."

Throttle had taken a seat in the living room looking like a truck had just hit him. Vinnie just watched Charley rush around the kitchen getting everything that her mother would need then ran back up to the bedroom. He knew there was nothing he could do so it was best to just stay out of the way.

Modo walked over to his exhausted young nephew and put a proud hand on his shoulder, "You got her here in good time, son. Why don't you get a shower and catch a few winks in my room."

"Thanks, Uncle Modo. It's been a while since I've slept. Stoker said to use the radio in the ship to let him know what going on."

Throttle momentarily looked up and gratefully smiled, "Yeah, Thanks, youngblood, for getting my lady here safe."

"No problem, I wish I could have done more."

"It's the second door on the left. You go rest." Modo walked him over to the stairs pointing him in the direction of the room.

He nodded and began to go up the stairs, but stopped turn for a moment, "Umm...Uncle Throttle. She was askin' for ya and she said to tell ya that she loved ya just in case she...she...," He didn't need to finish the thought and continued up the stairs.

Throttle's head fell in his hands, "... she diesw," he sorrowfully whispered.

Modo put an arm around Throttle's shaking shoulders, "Don't give up hope so fast, bro. Carbine ain't no ordinary lady, she couldn't have done all the things she's done without a lot of fight in her. When their done, go up and tell her how much you love her she'll hear ya. Give her that much more of a reason to fight."

Throttle looked up into the comforting eye of his trusted friend. "Thanks Modo, I'll do that. I guess I'd better get dressed while I wait."

He stood and took a few steps then turned and throw his arms around his bro. Modo returned the brotherly hug. They didn't share affections often, but when they did it was with a love and loyalty that most could never understand.

To be continued....