Hey you guys.

Thank you so much for the reviews!
And to the new followers; welcome and thanks for supporting me!

It took a while before I was able to update because damn, a lot of shit was happening at the same time.
Some good, some bad, but don't worry, I won't bother you with the details.
And when I finally had the time to write again, I had to overcome a major writer's block, even though I have the whole storyline mapped out in my head, I even know how it's gonna end.
Still.
Sometimes, it's the details that are being a pain in the ass.

But, when I finally got back in the flow, I really enjoyed writing this chapter.
Actually, I really enjoy writing this story, for it feels different than my previous ones...
Anyway, I'll stop talking and let you guys read in peace XD

Feel free to leave a review, but no pressure :)
Again, thanks for your support and till next time.

Later dudes!

Ps: go read SpaceFlora's stories, they are epic! :)

Chapter 21

'Sometimes, the end justifies the means.'

...

In the meantime, Vinnie wasn't the only one of the famous trio who was having a restless night.
The only difference was that Throttle did manage to fall asleep but instead of being somewhere peaceful, he got caught in that horrible place between sleep and being awake, his brain treating him on restless dreams that didn't make any sense but felt so real at the same time.
Kind of like fever dreams without a fever.
They were mostly about Carbine dying in front of him in the cruelest ways, over and over again, while he just stood there, watching, unable to help her.
The pain he felt by each time seeing her taking her final breath right before his eyes while hers were filled with accusations took away tiny pieces of his already damaged soul and yet, he couldn't wake up, even though there was nothing in this world he wanted more right now.
So, he was kind of relieved when someone whispered his name in his ear, even if it almost made him jump out of his fur at the same time.
"Throttle, wake up…"
His eyes flew open as he jerked upright, grabbing his glasses in the process, a thing he'd learned after years of practice.
When the world around him became sharp, he looked straight into Charley's green eyes and the first thing that hit him was that she was upset about something.
"Charley, are you…", but she didn't let him finish his sentence.
"There are people here on the verge of invading this camp because of that goddamn bounty. So rise and shine, macho mouse. You've got some work to do."

Throttle blinked a few times as his still dazed brain processed her words, still feeling the burning look of Carbine's accusing eyes.
His gaze wandered to the bed next to him, expecting to see his youngest bro lying in one of his characteristic and most uncomfortable positions but, much to his surprise, the bed was empty.
After inhaling the air he concluded that it was empty for a while already, since Vinnie's scent was hardly perceptible.
His eyes landed back on Charley, who was looking grumpier than he'd ever seen her before and he felt a pang of worry.
"Where's Vinnie?"
"Saving the day, being the hero, you know, doing what he probably always does. Putting everyone on the sideline so he can bask all the glory", she murmured back.
Throttle couldn't help himself but smile, for it was now clear to him why she was being this cranky and oh boy, did he know how annoying that white-furred loudmouth could be sometimes.
"I can see that you're starting to know him."
"Well, it ain't that hard."
Throttle shook his head in agreement and even though he suddenly felt that nagging feeling of jealousy after realizing that Charley had been alone with Vinnie, he was glad that his young bro had stopped her from tagging along with whatever it was that was going on.
Apparently, the white-furred youngster did have some working brain cells left in that swollen head of his after all.
However, it also meant that Vinnie was chasing the bad guys on his own, which was a bad idea for many -and in his opinion obvious- reasons and his smile vanished like snow in the sun.
The woman was right.
There was, indeed, work to do and the tan-furred leader slid out his bed, carefully avoiding touching Charley in any way, for he knew it would only distract him.
"Tell me what happened."

But when she didn't answer, he looked up at her, only to see her staring at him with a blush on her cheeks and the tan-furred leader suddenly realized he wasn't wearing any clothes.
Well, except for a pair of underwear, that is.
And where he usually wasn't ashamed of his body, for he knew it was in good shape, he now felt extremely uncomfortable under her intense look and he quickly grabbed his pants and put it on.
That seemed to snap Charley back to reality and she quickly turned around.
"I'm sorry, I uh… I was just uh… I dunno, just… a bit distracted I guess", she stuttered and Throttle could only feel flattered by the fact how he seemed to affect her, just like she did to him.
But it soon got overshadowed by the agonizing guilt as Carbine popped up in his head, her helpless voice echoing through his head and his ears drooped.
"Just… tell me what happened", he repeated toneless, straight through Charley's weak attempt of explaining why she had been staring at him the way she did.
He didn't miss her flinching, but he quickly focussed on getting dressed while the young woman did what she was told.

As he listened to the sound of her voice, he noticed that his body wanted to relax, to give in, but he pushed it away and used his tail to wake up his beloved grey-furred bro, who immediately flew upright with his arm cannon already popping out.
"Whoa, easy big fella, it's just me", Throttle breathed as he held up his hands.
Modo blinked a few times and then relaxed again.
"Whoops, my bad. Thought you were one of those ugly sewerbreaths", he chuckled while scratching the back of his head with a sheepish look on his face.
"Why, thank you. That doesn't hurt my feelings, at all", Throttle replied dryly, but then he grew serious again and he filled his bro in on the situation.
"So, the bottom line is that Vinnie is out there on his own with about a thousand opportunities to get carried away. The good news is that it's still very quiet outside, so perhaps we're on time to stop him from burning down the camp by himself because of his… enthusiasm", Throttle finished the explanation.
"We better hurry then", Modo partially joked as he already walked outside, knowing his friend and leader was right.
Unleashing that boy usually meant even more trouble.

"Hey, and what about me? I'm just gonna sit here while you save the day? Again?! Is this gonna be a thing now? This is my camp, those are my people! It's my job to protect them, not to just do nothing", Charley protested when Throttle wanted to follow his bro outside, but he now turned around to face the stubborn and brave young woman.
"You need to get ready to leave. I thought we had more time but, clearly, I was wrong. We can't stay here, every minute that we do we're putting innocent lives at risk, but I don't need to explain that to you. You wanna help? Then get ready. Let us handle this, so you can use the time to say a proper goodbye. I know you and your people need that. If you still wanna come, that is...", he added a bit insecure, not knowing if it still was a good plan for her to tag along, which was nothing more but self-preservation and therefore most selfish.
By the Gods, he had never felt this confused, it was like he got ripped apart and the pain was unbearable.
But what choice did he have?

Charley's lower lip started to tremble, but she nodded anyway with her green eyes burning in determination and he could only admire the strength she had in her.
"Of course I'm still coming. You're not gonna get rid of me that easily."
Not entirely sure whether she was joking around or actually being serious, Throttle just gave her an uncomfortable smile and turned around in another attempt to leave, but a warm hand grabbed his to stop him again.
"Throttle, wait…"
He already knew what was coming, even before she said another word.
He wanted to tell her that now wasn't the time, even though he knew that it was the exact right time.
Who knew what would happen out there?
She wanted answers and that was her good right too.
But was he able to give them to her?

After bracing himself, he turned around again and looked into her sad but burning eyes.
"Look, if you wanna talk about what happened, we were both upset and..."
"Is Vinnie telling the truth? Is she your girlfriend?", Charley cut him off and he fell silent again, for a moment not knowing what to say.
The image of the hurt look on her face when he turned her down this afternoon flashed before his eyes and sheer sadness washed over him when he realized what he was doing to her.
She deserved so much more than this.
He couldn't keep her on a leash, that wasn't fair.
Perhaps there had been something beautiful blooming between him and that amazing creature with her marvelous green eyes, but everything had changed from the moment he knew that Carbine was still alive.
Hearing her voice today had brought him back to reality, had woken him from this thing that now felt like a dream.

"Please… I need to know", she breathed, looking at him with pleading eyes and he turned his gaze the other way when the pressing guilt got accompanied by an aching heart, deep down knowing what he had to do.
No matter how much it pained him, he couldn't be with her as long as Carbine was still there.
Not as long as he was stuck in this prison that had nothing to do with love, but was love at the same time.
Incomprehensible love.
He couldn't expect her to understand, for even he hardly did.
So, he wasn't even going to try to explain.
There was only one thing to do and only one way to do it.
Even if that meant he needed to lie to her, a thing he had promised not to do.
Sometimes, the end justifies the means.
Driven by guilt, he made one of the hardest decisions he'd ever made and after taking a deep breath, he looked her straight in the eye.
"Yes. He's right. I should've told you, I'm not sure why I didn't. I'm sorry, but whatever it is that is going on between us… it can't happen. We can't be together. I belong to her. I always will."
And without waiting for an answer, he turned around as tears burned behind his eyes, much to his annoyance.
He knew he had made the right decision, that this was the right thing to do.
Then why did it feel so wrong?

...

'Sometimes, solutions aren't so simple...
Sometimes, goodbye's the only way…'

…

"You think she's gonna hand them over, boss? Just like that?"
"If I need to believe Sam, she will. And you wouldn't lie, now would you, Sam? It's your life that's on the line, after all."
"Thanks for the reminder, as if the gun in my face ain't no message itself."
"Watch the attitude, pal."
While listening to the conversation, Vinnie silently climbed through the open window in the back of the tower and took a quick look at the situation.
There were five people in the room -including the two guards who were both tied up to a chair- all with their back towards him.
It appeared that John had brought two people to hold the guards at gunpoint instead of getting his own hands dirty, a thing Vinnie already suspected after hearing two voices he hadn't heard before.
Such a tough guy.
Not.
His two-colored eyes now landed on the back of the man from which he assumed was the big boss himself, but he didn't look like one.
Not even close, actually.
His clothes were ragged and dirty and by seeing the way they hung loosely on his body, Vinnie concluded that the man didn't have an ounce of fat on his body, let alone a few muscles.
Still, never judge a book by its cover, or perhaps better said; a criminal by his appearance.
Even the skinny ones could be dangerous.
Crazy.
Vinnie hoped he was.
As in; insane in the membrane.
Insane in the brain!
That would make this whole thing even more fun.

While looking at the scene in front of him, the white-furred youngster folded his arms with a grin on his face.
Even though he hated sneaking, he abso-fucking-lutely loved a good surprise attack from time to time and he leaned back against the windowsill, highly amused by the fact that they still weren't aware of his presence.
Suckers.
"You better be right, Sam. I want those mice and nothing will stop me from getting what I want. Not even killing you", John continued as he still looked outside at whatever it was that he saw and Vinnie rolled his eyes by hearing this uninspiring threat.
Surprise attack or not, there was no way he could listen to this blabbering any longer and so, he decided it was time to make his presence known.
"Be very, very careful what you wish for, John, because you might as well get it."
Their response was priceless and proved that they were, indeed, clueless about him being here, because they all almost jumped out of their skin.
One of John's friends even let out a high squeak as he turned around, although he was still clear-headed enough to keep the gun in place, so was his friend.
But that was okay.
Otherwise, it would be too easy.
And easy was boring.
John turned around so quickly that he almost fell face forward on the floor and Vinnie shook his head in disbelief because of these amateurs, still leaning against the windowsill while casually spinning one of his ray guns around his right index finger.
"I think the question is… are you up for it if you do?", he finished his welcome speech as he looked at John from under his lashes as if he was Mister Innocence himself.
It was more like a rhetorical question, for it was obvious that they weren't.
Not even close.

For a moment, John just stood there, looking like a complete idiot with his brown eyes as big as saucers, but then he narrowed them as his ears already turned red, clearly not amused by the fact that he had been blindsided.
"What?! How dare you to just barge in here as if you're in control of this situation?!", he spit out as he grabbed his gun and aimed it at Vinnie, who was far from impressed.
Well, perhaps he was impressed, but not by the gun.
He simply couldn't wrap his mind around the stupidity of this man.
Judging by John's reaction, this was the last thing the guy had expected, which said a lot about his experience as a criminal and the young mouse immediately knew that this man was nothing like Dante.
No, this man was nothing more but an amateur.
Which was good.
Otherwise, this whole plan would be compromised.
And that would be such a shame.
Such a waste.

"Hm, do I detect a little hostility here?", Vinnie asked so-called puzzled as he arched a brow.
"I mean, I heard that my great presence was required here, so here I am to brighten your day, just like you wanted. So what's up with the attitude, man?"
But John didn't seem to be in the mood for his smart mouth, just as Vinnie had hoped for.
"Shut up! I'm the one who asks the questions around here. Where are the other two?!"
"Other two?", the white-furred mouse responded surprisedly and he quickly looked around him as if he was searching for something before he gave John an ignorant and almost sheepish look.
"It's just me, man. There's no one else."
"Nice try, but I've been told that the bounty is for three alien mice, not one! So tell me, where are they?"
"Humans… So slow on the uptake. Well, you're lucky that I'm such a nice guy, so here's a small word of advice: don't believe everything you hear. It makes you look stupid."

John's head got even redder now and if a human could breathe fire, he would have, much to Vinnie's joy.
So far, so good.
"You have a pretty big mouth, mouse. Like I said; I'm calling the shots here! Or did you forget that I'm having two hostages here? So cool it, before someone gets hurt."
"Oh, yeah, about that…", Vinnie started as he pushed himself off the sill, the tip of his tail dancing but still with a slightly mischievous smile on his face.
"You won't be needing them anymore, so why don't you just let them go, huh?"
His voice gave away a hint of a threat, so did his body language, but John still didn't seem to know where he was getting himself into.
He was visibly irritated by the lack of respect that Vinnie showed him, but that was exactly what the young mouse hoped to achieve.
The guy obviously missed the fact that he was being played here, but then again, he didn't look like he actually had brains.
And since Vinnie was so familiar with this game, he already knew that John was going to deny his request, because they always did.
Well, this was the first time he tried it on a human, but why should they be any different?
Okay, okay, Dante excluded.
But that was just a whole other story.
And indeed, as if on cue, the man shook his head.
"Do you think I'm stupid? The moment I let them go, you'll kill me. So, drop your weapons and surrender. Then we'll see what will happen next."

Vinnie heaved a sigh, pretending to be disappointed as he walked over to John and laid a hand on his shoulder as if they were besties instead of enemies.
"Oh, John… And here I was, thinking you were smart enough to understand..."
Which was a lie, obviously.
Even though John was clearly confused by this so-called friendly behavior, he clenched his teeth and slapped Vinnie's hand away, but that that only encouraged the white-furred mouse.
Knowing he was pushing the right buttons, Vinnie now put an arm around John's shoulders and pulled him closer.
"Lemme explain. You're far from having control, with or without hostages. So, here's what you're gonna do and puhlease, do me a favor and listen carefully, because I'm not gonna tell you twice, even though I love to hear myself talking... You're gonna be a nice little criminal and let these two innocent people go. Then you'll call back your minions and that includes the ones outside, in case you thought I hadn't seen them."
He then turned his head closer to John's ear.
"And for fuck sake, grow a pair and deal with me yourself instead of putting on this freakshow. It's pathetic, really", he whispered before pushing the human away.

After stumbling a few steps, John turned around to face Vinnie again, who studied him carefully.
And, much to his joy, there was a glance of insecurity visible in John's eyes that wasn't there before.
The hand that was still aiming the gun at him now slightly trembled, another sign that good ol' John was about to break.
But Vinnie already knew that action soon was required.
To give the final push.
Certain action, one he didn't like but was sometimes necessary.
Sometimes, the end justifies the means.
It couldn't be more true.
It was important for the young mouse to keep in mind that these people were the bad guys.
That they played with their lives by following this path.
And that he was a Freedom Fighter, who had vowed to do whatever was necessary to protect the innocents, even if it made the line between good and bad even more blurry than it already was.
Growing up in a broken family and a war, Vinnie hardly knew what the definition of good or bad was.
He had his own way of looking at things and he stuck to it, for he truly believed in it.
So, he knew what to do to get through to John.
It was risky, though.
Difficult.
Dangerous, too.
Ha!
Sounds like a perfect way to spend this restless night, to blow off some steam after all the things that went down between him and his beloved leader because of Charley.
Sweet Charley.
Sweet, sexy Charley.
Sweet, sexy and feisty Charley…
Focus, macho mouse.

Right.
Back to John.
Who now seemed to have found the way back to his manhood, because the insecurity in his eyes got replaced by determination and hatred as he straightened his back.
As expected, of course.
Stupid, but expected nevertheless and the young mouse braced himself.
"No. I…"
But before he could say another word, Vinnie already came into action.
In one smooth movement, he grabbed his other ray gun and aimed it at one of John's comrades.
Without blinking, he pulled the trigger and the head of the poor guy exploded with a sickening crack and a rain of blood.
It was crazy, what laser did to a head.
Dishonorable.
The guard -the one who was held at gunpoint by the unfortunate fellow- let out a scream in horror, clearly rattled by this sudden and unexpected turn of events.
Perhaps even by the risk that the young mouse had taken just now, for there were about a thousand things that could've gone wrong with him paying the price.
The shower of blood probably didn't help either.
But Vinnie wasn't worried, at all.
He knew exactly what he was capable of and he happened to have quick reflexes.
The guy never stood a chance.

With the gun in his right hand still pointed at John, Vinnie now aimed the still smoking one at the man who was standing behind Sam, who already closed his eyes, probably knowing what was next.
John's minion gave him an almost pleading look, however, he didn't lower his gun.
He was clearly loyal to John, but fear seemed to work its way through his body now.
And the sad truth was that scared people were unpredictable.
Because of that fact and that fact alone, some would say that the young mouse was putting innocent lives at risk, like Sam's, for instance.
But Vinnie knew John wasn't going to kill Sam, simply because the guard was the only reason why he was still breathing.
Well, that's what he thought.
And exactly what Vinnie wanted him to think.
To protect Sam.
That John could open fire at him didn't really occur to him.
He was used to putting his own life at risk, he even loved it and moments like these made him feel almost invincible.
As if nothing could get to him.

"Still feeling in control, John?", the white-furred mouse asked sweetly as he reloaded the gun with a loud click, adrenaline now rushing through his veins.
Oh, how much he loved to play this game.
It was a good thing that Throttle wasn't here.
Or Modo.
They would've stopped him.
As if he didn't know what he was doing.
But he did.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
He knew every risk, perhaps that was the reason why he enjoyed this so much.
It was risky as fuck.
Insane.
It made him feel alive.
In fact, he needed this to feel alive.
Well, not the killing, of course.
That was just… collateral damage.

John stared at the dead body for a little while, but then he looked up at Vinnie with fuming eyes, his whole face twisted in some kind of grimace.
By the looks of things, the human still hadn't learned his lesson.
Such an idiot.
"How dare you…", but again, Vinnie stopped him by shooting the other guy in the head too.
"Wrong answer, John. Try again."
John now stared at Vinnie, gasping for air like a fish out of the water as he lowered his gun.
Even though he was beyond furious, he finally seemed to realize that he wasn't exactly in control of this situation and that he'd lost this battle.
One for the baddest mamma jammer in the universe...
Zero, nada, niente for the angry little criminal.
But, probably much to John's surprise, Vinnie lowered his weapons too.
"This was just me evening the odds a little bit. Using innocent people to get what you want is both sickening and stupid. Look where it's gotten your friends", and he pointed at the two dead bodies.
"Their blood is on your hands and yours alone."
As he was talking, he walked closer to John and by each step he took forward, John did one backward, until he was standing with his back against the wall close to the open window in the front.
Vinnie poked a finger in his chest.
"You want me, John? Then you'll have to catch me first. So, what are you waiting for, huh? Come at me, punk."
It felt strangely satisfying to use the nickname that Stoker always used for him on someone else and the left corner of his mouth curled up into an arrogant but amused smile, he just couldn't stop it.
Oh man, what a night.

But instead of attacking, John climbed on the windowsill and Vinnie heard a loud click.
It wasn't the characteristic sound of loading a gun though and the young mouse soon realized what it was.
It also answered his question about how they got in here in the first place.
A zipline.
Clever, he had to give him that.
Not that he was going to say it out loud, of course.
Neither was he going to stop John from escaping.
It was all part of the plan, after all.
"This ain't over, mouse! Mark my words, you're gonna pay for this!", and without waiting for an answer, John jumped out of the window to disappear in the dark with a zooming sound.
"Don't be a stranger!", Vinnie called after him before he turned around as one of his knives slid out of his sleeve.
"Shouldn't you go after him?", Sam broke the silence as he rubbed his sore wrists after Vinnie had cut the ropes.
"Yeah, he's getting away. Or worse, he's gonna attack the camp", the other guard agreed while he tried to rub away the blood on his face, but he only made it look worse.

Vinnie shook his head, still not even close to being worried.
"Nah, he won't. You guys okay?"
After sharing a look, both of the guards nodded.
"Thanks to you. You took one hell of a risk, though", Sam breathed, but with a smile around his lips.
"Hey, what's life without taking a few risks? Boring, if ya ask me", Vinnie snickered, but then his sensitive hearing caught the one thing he had been waiting for.
"Ah, sounds like my fans are calling for me. Gosh, I love it how predictable you humans are. Later fella's!"
And he too jumped out of the window into the dark night, but not without hearing Sam saying something to his fellow guard, something that made him smile.
"Crazy or not, I like his style."
Hehe.
Nailed it.

…

As Modo and Throttle rushed towards the garage to get their bikes, the grey-furred giant glanced at his bro and leader, almost feeling the waves of distress radiating from his body.
He had thought that the tan-furred mouse had been off before his call with Carbine, but little did he know.
The poor guy was obviously chewing himself up on the inside and Modo had a nagging feeling why.
"Charley still coming?", he asked to open the conversation.
For a moment, it seemed as if Throttle hadn't heard him, but then the tan-furred mouse shrugged.
"To be honest? I don't know. Not after what I said to her…"
The pain in his voice made Modo's heart heavy and he heaved a sigh, for he already knew what was going on here.
Guilt.
Guilt was Throttle's worst enemy, it always had been.
The guy would deny his own luck to please the ones he loved, to a certain level, that is.
It wasn't that he didn't have his own will or his own path to follow, because he had, and he sure as hell wasn't submissive.
But when it came to Carbine, all bets were off and the familiar sense of powerlessness washed over the grey-furred giant when he realized what Throttle had done.
He had chosen Carbine.
Again.

Modo wasn't one who was resentful, unlike some of them, but Carbine always seemed to bring out the worst in every person she encountered and knowing she was doing it again made him furious all of a sudden.
But it soon got replaced by sadness.
She wasn't always like this.
There had been times that she was a warm and caring person, but the war had taken away pieces of her soul until there was nothing left.
She was damaged beyond repair, a classic case of bitterness after living in a war for too long.
After seeing and doing things one didn't even wish upon his worst enemy.
It was the same reason why it was so hard to hate her.
She was a victim, just like anyone else.
But, sadly enough, she knew that too.
And she used it to keep Throttle close, even though there wasn't any love left inside of her, not even a spark.
She was dead inside.
And if Throttle wasn't going to be able to break her chains, he soon would be too.
There was only so much a mouse could take.
There was always that point of no return, and since Modo knew Throttle so well, he knew that the tan-furred mouse was close to that point.
Too close.

"She doesn't deserve you, bro", Modo sighed, almost paralyzed by that awful feeling of being powerless, for it was all too familiar.
He knew that it didn't matter what he said.
Throttle wouldn't listen.
He never did.
The grey-furred giant had learned that the hard way.
Even though his friend and leader was fully aware of the fact that Carbine was like poison to him, he still didn't leave her side.
Modo had hoped that Charley was able to break this stupid and negative spiral, but he was wrong.
Obviously.
She had been close, closer than anyone probably would ever get, but again, Carbine had put a spanner in the works.
It was tempting to think that all of this would be so much easier if she had just died in that crash, but that was a step too far for the warm and loving grey-furred mouse.
Still, it had crossed his mind and not because he wanted her dead.
No, only because he wanted the best for his bro.
His bro and leader, who deserved a shot at happiness more than anyone in this world.
His bro and leader, who -by the way- ignored his comment.
Nothing new.
But when he wanted to change the subject, a loud bang broke the silence and the two male mice shared a look, both knowing how firing a Martian ray gun sounded like.
"That doesn't sound good", Modo mumbled.
It soon got followed by another bang.
"Nope, not good, at all", and Throttle quickened his pace, so did his grey-furred bro.

When they reached the bikes, Throttle immediately put his helmet on and activated the radio.
"Vincent, what's your 20?"
Another bang in the distance was the only response and the tan-furred leader jumped on his bike, shaking his head in annoyance.
"Why is it so hard for that kid to stay in line?", he grumbled as he sped out of the garage, followed by Modo.
His annoyance grew even bigger when the banging swelled to the characteristic sound of a firefight and he clenched his teeth.
"Vinnie, come in."
Relief rushed through his veins when Vinnie's high-pitched voice finally came over the speakers.
"Heeeeeey fearless leader! Finally awake to join the party?"
The excitement wasn't really that hard to miss, for it almost blew up his eardrums, and Throttle's relief already got replaced with anger again.
This whole thing could only mean trouble.
"Yes, so I want you to stand down until we're there, you hear me?"
"Loud and clear."
Throttle tightened his grip around his handlebars, trying very hard to stop himself from exploding.
"I wasn't being literal, Vincent."
Suddenly, he heard some static noises but it was clear to him that it was Vinnie himself who produced them and that there was nothing wrong with the radio.
"Sorr… can't... ear ya, I'm… iving into... tunnel, gottagobye!"

Throttle didn't even have to try to reach him again to know that the young mouse had turned off his radio and he slammed his tan-furred fist on the tank of his bike, which beeped back angrily in return, but the tan-furred leader ignored it and gave Modo a helpless look.
"What am I doing wrong here, Modo? Why does that boy never listen to what I have to say?"
Modo gave him a sympathized look, knowing the only reason why his bro was reacting the way he did was because of everything that was going on right now.
Because even though Vinnie was the most stubborn mouse in the entire universe, most of the time he did listen to the tan-furred mouse, simply because he respected him.
He even looked up to him.
And most of the time, he meant well.
He was just… a bit rebellious from time to time and who could actually blame him?
After everything he'd been through.
So, the answer to this question was actually quite simple to him.
"Has it ever occurred to you that he's doing these things to make you proud?"

Taken back by this answer, Throttle slowed down a bit as he processed the words.
To be honest, he had never thought about it like that.
It did make sense, though.
But as much as he appreciated the effort, he just wished that the young mouse would try to earn his respect in a different way instead of just diving in without thinking about the possible consequences.
Then again, perhaps he just wished that the young mouse didn't have the feeling that he needed to make him proud in the first place, for he already was.
Proud.
Just as he already respected him.
Maybe he just never said it enough.
Another thing to feel guilty about.
Letting out his breath, he opened the gas again.
"Let's just follow the trail of wreckage and see if we can do some damage control, okay, big fella?"
"I didn't say this to make you feel guilty, bro, I just…", Modo started when he saw Throttle's look, already regretting his words, but the tan-furred mouse held up his hand to stop him.
"Let's just… go. Our first priority is keeping this camp safe, so that's what we're gonna do."
And without waiting for a response, Throttle closed his visor and hit the accelerator again, leaving a worried Modo behind in a cloud of dust.
Oh, momma.
It seemed that he had been right.
His tan-furred bro was about to break.
And the question was; would he ever be whole again if he did?
Or would he be past the point of no return?

...

'Take me down to the river bend...
Take me down to the fighting end.
Wash the poison from off my skin...
Show me how to be whole again.'

...