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Later!

Chapter 18

Vinnie reflexively closed his eyes by the sudden bright light, but two gloved fingers pulled the eyelids of his right eye open again.
"Man, are you trying to blind me?", the white-furred mouse complained as he turned his head away in another attempt to escape from the intense light, but the gloved hand now grabbed his chin and forced him to look back.
"No, I'm trying to help you. Now sit still, my friend. I won't hurt you", Ben answered patiently as he shone the light back in Vinnie's right eye.
The young mouse did his best not to punch him in the face, for he knew the man really was just trying to help.
But he had never been one to sit still, plus the light was more than annoying.
"Hmmm…"
It was crazy, how a simple sound such as that one could trigger like a thousand emotions, especially fear.
Fear for his pretty face.
"What do ya mean, 'hmmm'? I'm not gonna lose my eye, right? An eyepatch is so not my style, no offense, bro", the young mouse quickly added towards Modo, who sat at a small table close by the counter in the same chair he had been when Ben stitched his arm, now a few days ago.
"None taken."

Ben, however, didn't answer the question, still studying Vinnie's eye carefully and the white-furred mouse wiggled in the chair as he tried to keep his head as still as possible.
But this was taking like forever and he wasn't sure how long he was able to endure this nagging insecurity of not knowing what was wrong with his eye.
Lucky for Vinnie, he wasn't only one.
"What's your verdict, doc?", Throttle asked worriedly as he looked over Ben's shoulder.
"I'm not sure…", the human mumbled absent-mindedly.
The tan-furred mouse leaned forward to take an even closer look at the now two-colored eye of his youngest bro.
It was the weirdest thing he had ever seen, and yet, it was sort of beautiful.
In a mysterious kind of way, that is.
Three-quarters of the usual ruby-red iris -which was already unique in its kind before this- was now white, but still mixed with small flecks of red.
The result was mind-blowing, to say the least.

But it was clear that the white-furred mouse didn't share his opinion.
"It's ugly, that's what it is", Vinnie grumbled as the tip of his tail danced in irritability, but the hint of pain in his voice didn't elude Throttle.
And he knew it wasn't physical pain.
This whole thing must bring back memories.
Memories that were locked away and should stay there too, thoroughly hidden, for it weren't happy ones.
Throttle straightened his back and rubbed his stinging bionic eyes under his specs.
He didn't like to think back at that day either.
It was a very bad day.
One of the darkest in history.

Ben let go of Vinnie's head as he turned off the small flashlight and then looked at the visibly nervous white-furred mouse.
"I might have an idea, but I need to know something to confirm that theory", he started with caution, probably remembering Vinnie's short answer the last time he had asked a question about this particular subject.
From the moment the human doctor started talking, Vinnie already knew where he was getting at and his heart skipped a few beats as he shook his head violently.
Ah ah.
No way.
"I don't wanna talk about it."
The threatening undertone in his voice wasn't hard to miss and was supposed to force Ben to back down but, unfortunately, it didn't discourage the brave and friendly doctor.
"If you want to know what is wrong with your eye, I need to know what happened", and he pointed at Vinnie's mask, his voice still friendly and devoid of any judgment.
But even though he meant well, he was coming too close.
Way too close.

Blood.
Empty blue eyes staring back accusingly…

No.
"I said; I don't wanna talk about it!", Vinnie spat out as he clenched his fists, shaking his head in an attempt to get rid of the fragments from that day which were now forcing themselves on him.
The necklace suddenly felt like a rock on his neck so heavy, so did his heart.
Ben shot Throttle a worried look and the tan-furred mouse was about to intervene, but Charley beat him to it by simply walking back into the room after being gone for several minutes.
"Say, Modo? I was wondering, where did you get this bionic arm? It might be useful to know if I wanna be able to fix it", she asked when she sat down across Modo and spread the tools she brought from her garage out on the small table.
But when Modo didn't answer, she seemed to feel the tension in the room and she looked up with a frown on her face.
"Did I miss something?"
The silence that followed was close to suffocating, sucking all the oxygen out of the room.

Throttle looked at Modo, who was staring at his arm with droopy ears and dangling antennas.
He then looked at Vinnie, who was looking out the window angrily, his arms folded and fur bristled.
Sadness washed over the tan-furred mouse by seeing their pain, the same pain that now crawled into his heart by thinking back at that day and he heaved a sigh, conflicted about what his next move was going to be.
He knew Ben needed an answer to his question to figure out what was happening with Vinnie's eye.
The same applied for Charley, this knowledge would probably increase her chances and therefore Modo's chances to get his arm fixed, for the laser was still stuck halfway out.
But he couldn't let his bro's relive that day.
Or himself, for that matter.
So, he decided to give them the facts they needed and nothing more.
"An explosion. We got caught in an explosion. The Plutarkians found us first and took us prisoner. A doctor named Karbunkle who worked for the fish gave Modo the arm since he'd lost his real one in the um... accident."
Short and sweet.
Stoker would be proud of him.

Another silence followed as the two humans processed the words and it was clear to Throttle that they both were deeply touched by hearing this thing that was hardly an explanation.
Yet, they seemed to understand the dire situation he and his bro's had been in.
That fact warmed him up from inside all of a sudden.
These people cared.
And after all the betrayal, the pain, the misery… it was like a breath of fresh air.
To know that there were still people in this wild and wooly universe who cared.
And that was worth fighting for.

Without really realizing it, his gaze wandered to Charley, who was staring at the table, clearly deep in thought.
The meeting with Dante had rocked her foundation, he could tell.
They hadn't really spoken about it, though.
After she had taken the deal, Dante had let them go, but the ride back to the camp had been one in total silence.
Well, aside from Vinnie who wouldn't shut up about his eye, which was understandable as much as it was expected.
Either way, Throttle knew Charley's mind was troubled.
He just wished he could take it all away.
To show her that he cared too.
That he, unlike Max, would never violate her trust.
But, whether he liked it or not, Max had been an important part of her life.
The pain he'd caused ran deep and he needed to give her the time she needed to heal.
If only he could show her how to be whole again…

Ben broke him out of his thoughts by clearing his throat.
"Okay, here's what I think. Heterochromia. It means discoloration in the iris", he started his explanation, probably knowing that pity nor words could ease this raw pain from the past, a thing Throttle was grateful for.
And by the looks of things, so were his bro's.
"The cause of this rare phenomenon can be genetic or external, like a tumor in the head, for instance. Or… a bleeding in the eye. Look, it's just a guess, since your body doesn't work the same way as a human, but I think your eye got damaged in that explosion."
"But why didn't it turn white immediately? I mean, this happened years ago", Throttle asked a bit confused, rubbing his chin.
Ben shrugged.
"Hard to tell. It's possible that the bleeding wasn't big enough to cause real damage back then. But it was there all this time and hitting your head like you did today was the final straw, I guess. You know, kind of like walking around with a ticking time bomb that only needs a push on the button to explode."

"It was already there", Vinnie suddenly mentioned and everyone gave him a surprised look.
But the young mouse only looked at Ben, his face blank.
"A few days ago, ya know, when Modo got stabbed by that piece of...", but he suddenly realized that Charley was in the room and he quickly changed his words.
"...work. When Modo got stabbed by that piece of work, hehe", he chuckled a bit nervously as he glanced at Charley, but she didn't respond.
She only looked at him with a blank face and empty eyes and it somehow gave him the chills.
Like she wasn't really there.
Vinnie cleared his throat in unease and his gaze landed back on Ben.
"Anyway… Right before I got under the shower...", but he trailed off again and looked at Throttle now.
"Did I ever tell you about the shower? How super friggin' awesome that was? Ya know, about water coming out of the wall and all...", he babbled excitedly, already distracted again.

The tan-furred mouse smiled as he shook his head in amusement.
So easily distracted, their beloved white-furred bro.
That could be very annoying from time to time, but not today.
Today, Throttle was just happy to see that the pain in his eyes was already gone again.
So was his anger and unease.
One of the benefits of his easily distracted brain.
But, there were more important matters that needed to be solved, matters which had nothing to do with the strange human ritual that was called a shower, so Throttle snapped his fingers to get his young bro's attention.
"Focus, Vincent."

Vinnie stopped his chatter quite abrupt and smiled a bit sheepishly in return.
"Right, hehe. Um, well, what I wanted to say… Right before I got under the shower I was looking in the mirror and I saw this tiny white spot in my right eye. So, um, yeah, it was already there."
Ben ran a hand through his almost grey hair as he took in the words before adjusting his glasses.
"Hmmm… and you're sure it wasn't there before?"
"Yep."
"You seem very certain about this."
"You're saying that to a mouse who loves to spend at least a few hours per day with adoring himself in the mirror", Modo now finally opened his mouth again, his ears and antennas back to their usual position and Throttle chuckled by this comment for it was so true.
Vinnie flashed his grey-furred bro one of his trademark smiles.
"You're jealous. I get it, though. After all, there's only one me."
"Thank the Mothers of Mars there is", Modo muttered under his breath.
"See? Jealous."

Ben stopped them before things could run out of hand by thinking out loud.
"This is highly interesting. Maybe it has something to do with the Earth's atmosphere…", he mused as he looked at Modo's arm with a frown.
Then, his face lit up all of a sudden.
"Your arm. It never failed you before, right? Isn't that what you said?"
Modo slowly nodded, not sure where this was going to and why the doc was suddenly this excited.
But Ben already looked at Throttle with twinkling eyes.
"And what about you? Do you have any Plutarkian parts like Modo?"
The tan-furred mouse gave him a confused look, but answered the question.
"My eyes. I lost my eyes in the explosion. Karbunkle replaced them with bionic ones… But they don't work as they should, I guess. Because without the glasses, I'm blind like a cave rat."
"And are you experiencing any discomfort since you're on Earth?"
Throttle already opened his mouth to say no, but then he froze.
Well, I'll be damned…
"Yeah… they sting. Like, very bad."

Ben jumped at his feet as he clapped his hands in excitement.
"Your bodies are reacting to the different atmosphere! At least, some parts. Your eye", and he pointed at Vinnie.
"I stick to my original thesis that your eye got partly damaged in that explosion, it has to be. But I bet it has something to do with a difference in air pressure that set things in motion. Hitting your head only sped up the process."
He then pointed at Modo's arm.
"Charley, I think all that arm needs is a little oil, for it's probably getting rusty by our humid atmosphere."
Without waiting for an answer, he swirled around to face Throttle.
"Replacing your eyes has affected your tear ducts, meaning they're producing few fewer eye juices. And even though the air on Earth is more humid, from what I know it's colder and more drafty here than on Mars and therefore, your tears evaporate faster than usual. This results in dry eyes. And dry eyes sting."
He walked over to Throttle and pointed at his specs.
"May I?"
The tan-furred mouse nodded and Ben carefully lifted the glasses.
Using the same small flashlight, he checked Throttle's eyes and then nodded satisfied.
"Yes. All you need are some eye drops. You know, artificial tears."
The doc then looked at Modo.
"Your eye isn't giving you any trouble?", he asked, but the grey-furred giant shook his head.
"Nope. Just the arm", he answered calmly, but then he narrowed his one eye in confusion
"Hey, how do you know that my eye ain't one of my own?"
Ben shrugged.
"Well, you know…with the whole glowing red part… Trust me, it wasn't that hard to figure it out."
"Right", Modo smiled sheepishly, scratching behind his big ear.
That was indeed a simple equation, especially for a Big Brain such as Ben.

As the three mice were a bit mind blown by this information and needed some time to process it all, Charley was already checking Modo's arm.
"You're right, Ben. The mechanism is affected by rust, but it's nothing that a few drops of oil can't fix. You're a genius, you know that right?", she added lovingly.
"Hey, and what about my eye? Is there something you can fix it with?", Vinnie asked when Ben didn't come up with a solution to his problem.
The human doc gave him an apologetic look.
"I'm afraid not. But perhaps it's comforting to know that it is completely harmless."
"So you're saying that I will have to walk around with two different colored eyes for the rest of my life?", the white-furred mouse eventually brought out after staring at Ben for a little while, clearly not even close to being comforted.
"I think so, yes. I'm sorry."
"Ah, man…"
It was obvious that this news really upset the young mouse, which wasn't really shocking for his looks were very important to him.
Add that to the fact that this whole thing seemed to be an aftermath of that horrible day...

"Look at it this way, bro. It makes you even more unique", Throttle pointed out friendly in an attempt to cheer his young bro up, but Vinnie only shrugged, clearly not convinced.
Modo glanced at Vinnie and his heart broke a little by seeing the sad look on the young mouse his face.
Despite their differences, he cared deeply for that white-furred loudmouth.
Unconditional friendship, a bond forged by shared pain.
"He's right, Vin. Besides, I bet the ladies will love it."
Vinnie looked up a bit hopeful now.
"You think so?"
It was Charley who answered with a warm smile.
"I know so."

Throttle warmed up from inside for the second time this day when he saw Vinnie's face lit up again, this time not even close to being jealous.
Sometimes, things weren't about ego.
Sometimes, even Vinnie needed loving energy and words of encouragement to keep going.
Moments like these reminded the tan-furred leader how young he actually was.
Young, but already marked by years of war and misery.
The young mouse would never admit it, though.
But Throttle knew he was.
He knew how a piece of his young and positive soul was taken away that day.
How he was scarred, and not just physically.
He knew.
Because they all were.
Scarred for life.
It was important to stick together.
To be there for each other.
To care.

"Well, now we got this all figured out, why don't you tell me about what happened today?", Ben asked as he searched for whatever it was that he needed in one of the drawers beneath the counter.
The mood instantly dropped below freezing point, but Ben hardly seemed to notice for he now held up a small bottle with a content look on his face.
"Found it", and he gave it to Throttle.
"Here, the eye drops I was telling you about. You know how to use it?"
Throttle nodded and took off his specs, taking away his vision at the same time.
"We met Dante", he told the human doc as he tilted his head back.
"Just a few drops should do it", Ben instructed.
Throttle did what he said and as soon as the cold liquid made contact with his eyes, he felt a delicious sense of relief.
What a lovely feeling, to blink without having the feeling like there's the entire Martian desert scraping over your eyeballs.
"Thanks, doc. This helps. A lot", the tan-furred mouse said gratefully as he put his customized shades back on.
Ben nodded with a smile.
"Good. So… Dante, huh? Given the sour looks on your faces, I can tell he's not a friend."
"Oh, hell no. He's lowlife scum and I can't wait to put him on ice", Vinnie growled as he cracked his knuckles.
"For once I agree with Vinnie. He's no good", Modo nodded, his eye flickering red.
Throttle heaved a sigh and braced himself.
"I hear ya, bro's, but we can't."

Both his bro's froze and slowly turned their head towards the tan-furred mouse with their mouth wide open.
"Say what?", Vinnie eventually brought out.
"What do ya mean, we can't? We can handle him, bro, and you know it. All we need is a good plan", Modo told his leader, but the latter shook his head.
"We can't. Think, bro's. He's dangerous, beyond dangerous. Under no circumstances can we underestimate this man. I mean, the guy sacrificed about twenty of his people today only to see us fight. That not only means he's cold, calculated and crazy, but also that he has enough people working for him to play with their lives like this whole thing is nothing more but a game. Trying to take him down is gonna cost too many lives, innocent lives. They only follow him because they don't know what else to do. We can't let them pay for his hunger to power, that's just not who we are. We're Freedom Fighters. We protect the ones who need it, and not kill them because they made a wrong choice in desperate times."
"Now just wait a darn minute", Vinnie started his protest, not amused by the fact that he -by the looks of things- wasn't going to get a chance for some serious payback, but Charley cut him off.
"Is that why you made the deal? Because you think you can't defeat him?"

It was pretty obvious that she was still bothered by his decision and not only because she avoided his look by focusing on oiling Modo's arm.
The tone in her voice said it all.
But even though he felt guilty because of passing her, Throttle stood his ground.
This time, he wasn't gonna let his feelings for her distract him from who he was.
A leader where people could rely on.
And with people, he meant all the people.
Earthly and Martian.
He could only hope she would understand his choices, eventually.

"Partially, yes. Also because, believe it or not, he's not our biggest concern right now."
Modo rubbed his chin, slowly starting to understand where Throttle was getting at.
"The bounty."
"Yes, the bounty."
"Bounty?", Ben gasped in both shock and surprise.
"You heard it. A bounty", Charley sighed tiredly.
But when Ben opened his mouth again, Vinnie held up his hand to stop him from saying another word.
"Oh no, not this again. Besides, this is bullshit, Throttle. As if someone is actually gonna catch us. You really think that little of us?"
"Again, you're not looking at the bigger picture, Vincent. This isn't merely about the bounty itself, but mostly about who put the word out. Our first priority is to stop the Plutarkians and to protect as many people as we can while we're at it. For starters, if we're able to defeat the fish, then Dante will be no longer a threat. Because if we free this planet, we give people hope. Hope for a future. And that's exactly what they need to stand up against people like Dante."
Vinnie folded his arms in annoyance.
"Oh, man… I'm starting to hate this bigger picture thingy. There's no fun in it whatsoever", he grumbled.
"I'm still not sure what exactly is going on here, but I think Throttle is right. As I told Modo, I think you three are here to set us free. And I think that is where you should focus on", Ben joined in.

Throttle gave him a grateful nod and then looked at Charley.
"Where did Dante say this Limburger clown was? Calofina?"
"California. It's another state."
"And that means…?", Vinnie asked impatiently, not in the mood for any more riddles.
"That it's far from here. Why? You wanna go fishing in California?", Charley snorted sarcastically, but when Throttle didn't contradict her, she looked up at him with her green eyes wide open.
"Oh my god, you do. You do wanna go there... "
"It's an ancient war tactic, babe. Destroy the ones on top. The rest will follow", the tan-furred mouse told her.
"But… but you said you would help us. You promised to protect us…"
"And I did."
Charley shook her head violently, but then the words seemed to dawn on her and she froze.
"The deal", she whispered.

"Yes, the deal. Look, you can say a lot about people like Dante, but as long as we give him what he wants, he will keep his end of the bargain. He will protect this camp like one of his own, because it is one of his own, for years already. Your people are safe, Charley."
"Damn. Guess Ben ain't the only smarty-pants present", Vinnie mumbled, despite himself deeply impressed by the quick thinking of his bro and leader.
Throttle hardly heard him for he wasn't finished yet.
"Unless we stay here. Because if Dante is telling the truth and I believe he does, the whole world is gonna come after us because of that bounty and nothing, absolutely nothing will stop them from killing the ones who are standing in their way. Money does that to people. It turns them into wild animals and trust me, I know. As someone who had the 'privilege' to see the consequences of a government selling out its own planet, its own people to the enemy only to get rich, I see myself as quite the reliable witness. I don't wanna bring that kind of danger to this camp. Because if I do, not even Dante will be able to protect it. No one will. The history of Mars is proof of that."

Modo felt his lips curl into a little smile.
Even though he felt a bit sorry for Charley, even though he wanted to make Dante pay for what he was doing to these poor people just as much as Vinnie did, listening to all this told him that Throttle was right.
But not just that, it also told him that his bro and leader was back.
And he couldn't be more proud.
That's Throttle for ya.
He looked at Charley, who was staring at his arm with the small oil can still in her now slightly trembling right hand and without thinking, he laid his flesh hand on hers.
"He's right, Charley ma'am. We can't risk the lives of your people by staying here. What if someone dies because of us? That would make me more than just sad."
Modo felt the muscles in her hand vibrate under her skin, and he wasn't entirely sure why she was so upset.
But if he had to guess, it was because they -by the looks of things- were going to leave this place any time soon.
And by seeing her pain, he knew Ben was right.
His tan-furred friend meant something to this woman.
Ben seemed to realize the same thing, because he suddenly popped up behind Charley and laid his hands on her shoulders.
"Why don't you go with them?"

The silence that followed was even more pressing than the previous one and the mice kept a close eye on Charley, not wanting to miss any sign that could tell them what this question was doing to her.
And while he was at it, Throttle gave himself an inner scolding that it wasn't him who came up with this idea.
It should've been a good way to show her that he cared about her, that she mattered to him.
That he didn't want to leave, but that they had no choice.
That it had nothing to do with her or with what she had established here but all with who they were and what their job was.
Because the truth was, the thought alone of leaving her behind made him sick to the stomach.

As he studied her carefully, he saw how her face lit up by hearing Ben's suggestion
How her green eyes suddenly weren't that empty anymore, but twinkling in excitement and his heart made a little jump.
But then, her face darkened again and she focussed her attention back on Modo's arm again.
"I can't. I can't just leave my people behind. They count on me."
A slap in the face would've been the same and Throttle felt his ears droop a bit.
But he said nothing.
What could he say?
He didn't want to force her to leave her people behind.
That would be more than unfair.
It would be like forcing her to cut off a limb.
There was no way he could expect her to do such a thing.

Ben heaved a sigh, looking sadder than Throttle had ever seen him in the short time they knew each other.
"Oh, Charley. Ever since the Plutarkians came to this planet, you're putting yourself on the sideline. I admire you for that, trust me, and you gave hope to so many people, including me. But I think the time has come to think about yourself for a change. Go with them. You heard the man, uh… mouse; your people are safe. There's nothing left for you here. Your destiny lies with them, Charley. Take it from an old man. Life's too short to live it behind a fence, no matter what is happening on the outside. Besides, I'll be here to keep an eye on things."
"He's right, ya know. You really should go out more often, sweetheart", Vinnie added with a crooked smile as he glanced at her from under his lashes.

Throttle clenched his fists when he heard the flirtatious subtext, but he forced himself to stay calm.
It probably meant nothing.
Nothing but him overreacting, since that happened every time when Charley was involved.
That it made him realize something.
Was he really going to stand by and do nothing?
That was like throwing away what they had -whatever that may be- before it even started.
Was he really okay with that?

No.

He wasn't.
He too always put himself on the sideline.
It was probably part of being a leader and usually, it didn't bother him that much.
But not this time.
This was different.
He had the unexplainable feeling that he needed her.
Selfish, maybe, but then again; her people were safe.
There was enough food to survive another couple of years, even without Dante's part.
And they were protected by people who knew what they were doing.
Asking her to leave wasn't unfair.
Leaving her behind, however…
That would be like betraying himself.
And that was unforgivable.

So, he made a decision.
He was going to fight for her.
Like he always did when he wanted something.
Nothing new.
Freedom, love…
It wasn't free.
It came with great cost.
But he was more than willing to pay the price.
Because it was totally worth it.

"Look, Charley, I'm sorry that I gave you the feeling that I passed you. That I took decisions without consulting you, decisions that concern the fate of your people. You're angry, I get it. You have every right to be. But you need to know that I did it to protect you and this camp. And even though it feels wrong to have them protected by a man like Dante, the fact remains that they're safe…", he started his plea with caution as he walked closer to her.
She wasn't looking at him, but he knew she was listening.
Her heartbeat had increased from the moment he had started talking.
Taking that as a good sign, he continued.
"As much as I admire what you've established here, Ben is right. It's time to think about what you want. Don't get me wrong, you did one hell of a job, babe. You saved so many lives. You gave so many people hope. We may not know each other for a very long time, but I know that all you ever want is to help. You can do that, Charley, if you come with us. You have so much to offer to everyone who is out there, lost and searching for guidance. The people out there need you and if you ask me, they need you more than the people here, for they've already been saved."

The tan-furred mouse now stood next to her and Ben did a few steps back as he gave him an encouraging nod.
Throttle, in turn, shot him a grateful look and after a small hesitation, he laid his hand on Charley's shoulder.
"I'm not asking you to leave your people behind. I'm asking you to follow your heart. If you chose to stay because that's what you really want, I'll support your decision. In fact, I'll support every decision you make, as long as it's one made by heart."
Her heart was now racing in her chest, he could hear it.
It gave him hope, actually.
It confirmed that he'd said the right things.
Now it was up to her.
If she said no, at least he could comfort himself with the thought that he'd tried and, although with reluctance, he pulled back his hand to give her some space.

"Choose wisely, Charley ma'am. You matter too. Don't you forget about that", Modo said softly when he saw how her green eyes teared up, how her lower lip started to tremble.
It was obvious she was involved in a battle with herself about what to do, a thing Modo knew all too well.
It was hard, to not put yourself on the sideline in these desperate times.
To follow your heart.
But sometimes, these small moments of self-care were all that one needed to keep going, even though it initially felt like it would tear you apart.
Unfortunately, no one ever said that living in a war was simple.
Quite the opposite, actually.
Charley closed her eyes for a moment and a tear left her right eye.
"You don't have to answer now. We've got some time. Think about it", and the grey-furred giant gently squeezed her hand before letting go.

The human female let out her breath as she wiped off her face and added the last few drops of oil into Modo's arm.
"Try it now", she sniffed with a voice thick of emotion.
Modo did what he was told and to his utter joy, the gun zoomed back in and out as if nothing ever happened and he looked at Charley with a grateful smile on his face.
"Thank you."
She gave him a nod back and slumped back in her chair, already deep in thought.
Nobody dared to say something, even Vinnie was for once quiet as a mouse.
After a long and almost deafening silence, she opened her mouth again.
"Okay. I'll go with you. But only because it's obvious that you guys need a skilled mechanic such as myself to keep you in one piece. Without me, you'll probably fall apart from the moment you ride through that gate", she added the last part with a chuckle, probably making a joke out of it to laugh away her emotions.
She had no idea that for some of them, this was very close to the truth, but of course, some of them didn't say that out loud.

As soon as the words had left her mouth, Vinnie jumped at his feet.
"Aaaoooww, welcome to the club, Charley-girl! You're so not gonna regret this, gosh, this is gonna be so much fun!", he babbled excitedly, clearly happy that Charley broke the hardly bearable tension in the room.
Modo couldn't hide his smile, for the young mouse's enthusiasm was contagious.
Besides, he too was happy that she was coming with them.
Even though he didn't feel the same way about her like his two bro's did, he did care about her and besides, she was a real asset for the team.
After all, she knew Earth better than them, for it was her home.
They were going to need that knowledge.
Next to the fact that she was a nice person to be around.
Now their biggest problem was two Martian Mice who both had feelings for this woman, one more serious than the other.
What could possibly go wrong?

Even though his two bro's were excited that Charley was going to tag along, nobody was so happy as Throttle.
Not that he showed it, who knew what would happen if he did?
He would probably jump on the table and do a victory dance, which was so not his usual style.
Or perhaps he would drag her out of her chair to whirl her around and kiss her.
Oh no.
That would be way up the awkward scale.
One didn't learn these kinds of things at Cool School.
And now he was starting to sound like Vinnie.
Man.

Anyway, it was there.
A feeling of sheer happiness now rushing through his veins, knowing that he didn't have to leave her behind.
More to the point, he was able to spend even more time with her and it made him almost ecstatic.
And when she glanced up at him, he luckily had enough self-control to just smile at her instead of doing one of the things that had crossed his mind.
But there was nothing wrong with a smile.
In fact, sometimes a smile said so much more than a thousand words.
And much to his surprise, she smiled back.
It was a bit sad, though, but still a smile.
That meant she wasn't mad anymore.
Yes.
Vinnie was right.
This was going to be one hell of a road trip.

It was then when suddenly someone knocked on the door and without waiting for an answer, a human male appeared in the doorway.
Throttle recognized him as Milo, one of Max his friends.
But ever since Max was gone, he had shown nothing more but loyalty towards Charley.
That was probably the reason why he was still breathing.
"Um, sorry to interrupt, but we picked up a signal on the scanner", Milo started a bit insecure, probably not knowing if he had permission to interrupt this meeting.
"I wouldn't have disturbed you if it wasn't important."
Charley gave him an encouraging smile, probably meant to calm his nerves, because that's who she was, Throttle now knew.
Kind.
Willing to give second chances.
"It's okay, Milo. What's going on?"
"Well, it sounded like an emergency broadcast at first, you know, a looping message on the major FM frequency, but when we tried to send a message back, someone responded immediately. She wants to speak to Throttle, as soon as possible and um… well, she was very persistent", Milo told her as his blue eyes nervously wandered towards the tan-furred mouse before his gaze landed back on Charley again.
"When I asked her who she was, she only told me to tell Throttle his General wishes to speak to him."

Charley now looked at Throttle questionably, but the tan-furred mouse stared right through her as he processed Milo's words, his hands already turning sweaty.
Persistent...
He could see how Charley's mouth formed words, but a high beep in his ears prevented him from hearing what she said.
It wasn't that hard to guess, though.
There was only one question that mattered right now.
General…
And there was only one answer to that one question.
One that was linked to about a thousand emotions.

Carbine.