Hey you guys...

Thanks for the reviews.

Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy and feel free to leave a review once you're done.
Keeps me motivated to write.

Later!

Chapter 32

Here we go... indeed…
Throttle heaved a sigh as well as he looked at Pip, to see how she was going to take this not so warm welcome back.
She came back.
That, in fact, she did.

The human girl immediately raised her hands defensively in front of her body, with the palms facing forward as her eyes grew big by hearing Vinnie's offensive tone of voice.
"Whoa, easy with the accusations here, Mickey Mouse. I was just…", she started her explanation, but Vinnie wasn't having any of it.
He never really had.
He just let his emotions take over, like he always did.
"Spare me the bullshit, pretty lady. I know a traitor when I see one", he snapped back before she could finish her sentence, his tail swaying back and forth, giving away his anger.

Throttle frowned a bit annoyed, not liking Vinnie's attitude at all.
He was being more than just rude, even for him and it seemed to affect the till now unflappable human girl.
Well, he almost missed it.
She had a good mask, he had to give her that.
But he saw it anyway.
A sudden and somewhat unexpected glance of pain in her peculiar eyes.

At the same time, he felt Charley tense in his arms, and when he looked down, he saw her looking over her shoulder with a furrowed brow, telling him that he wasn't the only one who didn't like the way Vinnie treated Pip.
Another sigh escaped his mouth when he realized that it was time to step up.
That wasn't really the problem.
The problem was that he had to let go of Charley while he was at it.
He didn't want to let her go.
But the moment was over.
It was time to get back to reality.

And so, he reluctantly removed his arms, but his right hand slid down to her hand and their fingers entwined with a certain ease.
As he gave her a reassuring smile, he helped her back on her feet before his eyes darted back to Vinnie.
"Cut the crap, Vincent and let her talk. I'm sure she has a logical explanation for all this", he told the white-furred youngster sternly, hoping it would be enough.
But it wasn't.
Because instead of just doing what he was told, Vinnie swirled around in outrage and now pointed his burning eyes at the tan-furred leader.
"I should cut the crap? Are you for real?", he asked with disbelief as he pointed a thumb at himself.
He acted like he had misheard Throttle's words, which was nearly impossible with his big ears and perfect hearing.
Or maybe he just didn't like what he was hearing, which was more likely the case here.

Without giving Throttle the time to react, Vinnie now pointed an accusing finger at Pip, who folded her arms in turn to show her discontent, though she said nothing.
"It was her who bailed on us!"
"All I know is that she tried to stop us and that we didn't listen. Like I said, let's give her a chance to explain herself", the tan-furred leader responded imperturbable, realizing that he was still holding Charley's hand at the same time.
What was happening here?

But Vinnie wasn't done yet.
Of course, he wasn't.
It wasn't really a surprise.
No one ever said that the young mouse wasn't predictable once you got to know him.
And Throttle knew him well.
Very well.
At least well enough to know that this was far from over.
"That doesn't change the fact that she bailed on us. Just like I told ya she would! I told ya we couldn't trust her, but no one ever listens to me", the white-furred mouse continued his rant, stubborn as he was.

Throttle shared a meaningful look with Modo, who stood closest to their outraged little bro and the grey-furred giant walked over to Vinnie and laid both hands on his tensed shoulders.
"Chill, adrenaline mouse. Just let her explain…", but Vinnie already yanked himself free again, too riled up to calm down and he adjusted his hoodie as he looked up at Modo.
"No. I'm not gonna chill. She's dangerous…"
He then slowly turned his head to look at Pip again and Throttle narrowed his eyes behind his glasses.
He didn't like the look on his face.
Or the position of his big ears.
This was about to get out of hand.
Big time.

"You keep telling me that she's an asset to the team, but she's not. She's a damned burden and we need to ditch her now we still can…"
Both Throttle and Charley flinched because of these harsh words, so did Modo.
But not Pip.
No, she just stood there, arms crossed.
Her two-colored eyes narrowed.
Maybe she wanted to give them the impression that she wasn't affected by this mean attack, but it was clear that it did something to her, Throttle could tell.

She looked a bit lost, actually.
Lonely.
It seemed to affect Charley in turn, because the human female took a few steps into her direction and her hand slid out of his.
The cold emptiness that stayed behind was almost overwhelming, so he quickly put both hands in his pockets as his eyes followed the woman that had him under some sort of spell.
"Don't listen to him, Pip. He doesn't mean it. He just talks before he thinks. I'm glad you came back. I can use the girl power around here", Charley told the still frozen girl and the tan-furred mouse smiled for a moment.
She was just so friendly.
So… warm.
She was perfect.

Pip glanced at Charley out of the corner of her eye and one corner of her mouth came up a little, probably to thank her for her kind words.
Vinnie was a little less subtle, but hey, what's new?
The young mouse stared at Charley for a moment, his eyes as big as saucers, but then he raised his hands to heaven.
"Oh, come on! Are you kidding me? What does it take to let you guys see that she can't be trusted? Are you really that blind? No offense, bro…", he quickly added, suddenly a bit nervous as his eyes jumped from Pip to Throttle and back.

"None taken", the latter sighed a bit tiredly, squeezing the bridge of his nose.
This was most frustrating.
"I think we get the point, Vincent. You don't like her. Fine. Noted. And now back to Pip…"
But Vinnie just didn't know when to stop.
"Of course I don't like her. After what she did to me… to us", he grumbled as he folded his arms, glancing at Pip with fuming eyes.
Ah.
There it was.
The real problem.
A bruised ego.
And an aching heart…
Wait, what?

Enough.
Throttle opened his mouth to warn the stubborn young mouse one last time, but it was Pip who beat him to it.
Clearly, she had enough of this.
Which was her good right.
This was ridiculous.
"You keep whining about what I did to you, but come on! What would you do if it was your brother that was kidnapped, huh? Would you let the one and only opportunity to get him back just walk away?", she started the counter-attack as she took a few steps into Vinnie's direction, her small hands clenched into fists.

Vinnie narrowed his eyes as he shrugged his shoulders, but he said nothing.
Or maybe that was because Pip didn't really give him the time to respond.
It was probably a rhetorical question anyway, for they all knew that the young mouse would move heaven and earth to get back those he cared for.
Even he couldn't deny that.
"He's my brother. The only family I have left. I'd do anything to get him back. I'm sorry if I bruised your precious ego, but you know what? It ain't personal."

As she was talking, she walked closer to Vinnie and before he knew it, she was standing right in front of him.
And even though she was like two heads shorter than the white-furred mouse, even though she needed to put her head in her neck to look him straight in the eye, there was a certain threat that her body radiated.
Vinnie must have felt it too, because he did a step back, probably subconsciously, but still.
If the situation wasn't what it was right now, it would've been funny.
But it was all but funny.
In fact, it was about to get even worse.

"But things are different now. We made a deal. We called it a truce. We're on the same team now. Though one thing hasn't changed and that's that you are still my only chance to get him back, so tell me, wiseguy — why would I bail on an opportunity like that?", Pip asked him between clenched teeth as she poked a finger in his chest.
"You tell me. You're the one who ran off, after all. So why don't you answer that question yourself?", the white-furred youngster retorted as he slapped her hand away in annoyance.

Throttle shook his head almost invisible before he let his gaze wander back to Pip.
Unlike Vinnie, he did trust her.
But he had to admit that he too was curious about why she had fled.
As far as he knew, she was a fighter.
That's what she had shown them, that is.
She wasn't one who ran away when things got tough.
She would stand right in front if he was any judge of character.

But instead of telling Vinnie the truth, instead of putting him in place, her anger seemed to vanish like smoke in the wind.
Her shoulders slumped.
Her arms fell limp next to her body.
She turned her gaze away as a blush colored her slightly tinted skin red and there was clearly fear written upon her face.
Perhaps even shame and the tan-furred mouse tilted his head in confusion by this sudden change in behavior.
Somehow, it made a bunch of alarm bells ringing inside his head.
She did, however, answer the question.
Much to his surprise, she did.

"I fled because I know these people. I… I know what they do. I already told you that I had a run-in with them, once…", she said with a trembling voice, which seemed uncommon for the sassy girl she was.
But it was the way she looked at Vinnie that made it even stranger.
Because she looked at him with an almost pleading look on her face.
As if she was begging him to put the pieces together.
That he wouldn't force her to say it out loud.

A soft, almost hissing sound made Throttle look at Charley, and he saw how she put her hand over her mouth, shock clearly written upon her face.
But there was also sympathy.
Perhaps even recognition.
It was then when it hit him and a heavy feeling washed over him when he realized what Pip was trying to say here.
Or maybe even better said; what she didn't say.
Not out loud.
A trauma.
Oh, man.

Of course, it took Vinnie a bit longer to add one and one together, but the hostile look on his face now changed into suspicion.
Perhaps even concern.
"What do ya mean, you know what they do?", he asked, his voice a bit raw and his left ear twitched in unease.
It was clear to Throttle that the young mouse was slowly connecting the dots and oh boy, he didn't like it.
No, he didn't like it all.
They all didn't like it.
It was the worst thing that could happen to a woman.
And each time it happened, a piece of their soul died.
It was degrading.
Beyond that.
It was a feeling neither man nor mouse could ever understand.

Throttle glanced at Modo, who stared at the ground, his fists clenched.
He knew exactly how the big guy was feeling.
Powerless.
Angry.
An almost burning need for retaliation.
There were certain lines that weren't meant to be crossed.
This was one of those lines.

Pip didn't seem to know how to handle all this, because she quickly cleared her throat to break the heavy and loaded silence.
Or perhaps more to the point — to change the subject.
"Anyway, I ah… Well, I decided that I wouldn't be much of a help around here… Or at least, not at this range…", she mumbled as she put her hands in her pockets, clearly having no idea what to do with them.

Although she still was a bit fuzzy about her motives, this time, the penny dropped immediately.
And so was Vinnie's jaw.
If it was biologically possible for it to end up on his knees, it would've happened.
Throttle only shook his head in disbelief, giving himself an inner scolding for not seeing the connection.
For not seeing what was so obvious.
Luckily, he wasn't the only one who missed it.

Both Charley and Modo were also staring at Pip, but no one was as shocked as Vinnie.
The poor guy's eyes almost popped out of his sockets and for a moment, nothing happened.
But eventually, he found back his voice.
Or well, at least something that came close to it.
"That… that was you?"
Pip nodded so-called nonchalant as she pointed at a black and red sniper gun that was attached to the left side of her bike.
"Yup. I have many talents, if I may say so, but I specialize at sniping."

Throttle wondered why they hadn't noticed the gun before, it wasn't exactly small, after all.
Next to that, he was curious about this brother of hers, assuming that it was him who taught this girl how to remain intact while living in a broken and unsafe world.
He had done quite a good job.
But right now, it didn't really matter.
All that mattered was that his instinct turned out to be right.
Pip was reliable.
She really was on their side now.

This was the proof he so desperately needed, especially to convince a certain white-furred member of their team.
To convince him that he, as their leader, had made the right decision by taking her in.
Thank the Holy Mothers of Mars.
He still had it.
What a pleasant turn of events.
What a boost for his wavering self-confidence.

That same white-furred member was still staring at Pip with his mouth wide open, but what do you know, he didn't even make the slightest noise.
It was kind of good to know that there were still ways to get Vinnie quiet.
But it wasn't just shock, Throttle could tell.
No, there was also a glance of admiration visible in his two-colored eyes and the tan-furred leader of the on Mars famous trio suddenly felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, simply because he saw that Pip officially had proven her usefulness to Vinnie.
Finally.

Now all there was left to do was picking up the pieces.
Because he had made a mess, alright.
Nothing new.
But this time, it was his mess and his alone.
Therefore, all Throttle had to do was wait and see how his youngest bro was going to save his own skin.
And so, he leaned back against his bike as he folded his arms with a somewhat amused look on his face.
Showtime.

Without noticing that he had an audience, Vinnie arched a brow as he finally closed his mouth again, but a blush was already visible under his white fur.
It wasn't just that.
His whole appearance literally breathed unease.
The twitching left ear, his waving tail, the way he tried to make himself small, as if he just wanted to vanish into thin air, right here, right now…
Yep.
Their white-furred friend was embarrassed.
And not just a little.
"Oh. So that was you… Okay… Well… I ah… I just… Ya know... ", the rebellious mouse stuttered as he turned his gaze away, desperately searching for words.
When he saw his ray gun lying close to his feet -the one that fell on the ground when Modo had pulled him into a headlock-, he bent over and picked it up, probably because he had no idea what to do with himself.

Pip watched him from a small distance with a slightly amused look on her face.
But the pain was still there.
Throttle could see it in her eyes.
That was probably the reason why she didn't say a word, having no intention of making this easier for the white-furred loudmouth.
No, she just let him struggle.
And so did the rest.
Yeah, well.
He kind of had it coming, actually.

After carefully putting his gun back into his leg holster, Vinnie let out his breath.
He probably had tried all the excuses he could come up with inside his head, but the thing was — there wasn't really an excuse for his behavior.
He had been beyond rude.
Mean, even.
And so, there was only one thing left to say.
A thing he usually never said out loud and up until this moment, Throttle didn't expect he would.
But he did.
Much to his surprise, he did.
"I owe you an apology, sweetheart", Vinnie said softly as he glanced at Pip from under his lashes, his tail now wrapped around his leg to comfort himself.
"Me and my big mouth…"

Okay.
This was… mindblown to say the least.
Even though Throttle knew that Vinnie was a good guy, that he had his heart at the right place, he couldn't be more surprised by the fact that his young bro told the human girl that he was sorry,
He usually never said sorry.
Hm.
There were clearly higher powers at work here.
And he slowly started to believe that Stoker was right.
About everything.

Pip's face softened as soon as the open-hearted words left Vinnie's mouth while shifting her weight to her right foot.
"Your foot fits inside it very well, if I do say so", she snickered with wiggling eyebrows, her hand resting on her right hip.
She obviously wanted to lighten up the mood.
'Not that much of a talker.'
Well, she wasn't kidding when she said this, back in the barn.
That just became painfully obvious again.

Vinnie only rolled with his eyes in response before he whistled between his teeth to call his bike.
It was probably because he knew that there was nothing left to say.
Or maybe because he just wanted to forget this moment as soon as possible, to proceed with the order of the day.
Whatever that might mean in times like these.

After his bike stopped next to him with a roaring engine, the white-furred youngster took place on the leather seat and grabbed his helmet.
"This doesn't mean that I like you now, pipsqueak", he told Pip, but he winked at her as the left corner of his mouth curled up into a little but arrogant smile.
A charming smile as well.
And now it was Pip's turn to blush.
It didn't stop her from responding, though.
"Same goes for me, mister Know It All."

And here we go again…

"You probably mean mister Magnificence", Vinnie retorted as he put on his helmet, still glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.
Something had changed.
Throttle wasn't sure what, but it was there.
A soft feature.
A warm glow in his two-colored eyes.
Pip didn't notice it, though.
Or maybe she just decided to ignore it.

Either way, she pulled a face as she too mounted her bike, softly shaking her head.
"Before I puke inside my mouth, how about a rematch? And this time without cheating."
"Using Martian resources, you mean."
"That's the same as cheating since we ain't on Mars."
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it…"

"You really shouldn't mumble like that, I can't hear a word you're saying", Pip cut him off with a smug smile on her face and she too put on her helmet.
"I didn't mumble, I…", Vinnie protested, but again, she cut him off.
"Mumbler."
"But I…"
"Mumbler."
Vinnie closed his mouth with a frown on his face, but after looking at Pip for a short while, his lips curled up into a challenging smile.
"Ready-set-go!", he exclaimed completely out of the blue, almost stumbling over the words before he hit the accelerator, laughing loudly.

Pip's eyes grew big, but she soon recovered and started the pursuit.
"Hey, here on Earth we call that a false start! Come back here!"
"You will have to catch me first, sweetheart."
"You're mumbling again, cheese face."
"No cheese, no cheese, I hate cheese!"

The sound of their voices slowly faded as they got further away, so were the sounds of their bikes and Throttle looked at Charley and Modo a bit baffled.
"Okay, what just happened?"
"I dunno, it looks like they're friends now?", Modo shrugged, scratching the back of his head a bit confused.
"Define friends", Charley chuckled as she shook her head.
"They're more like a married couple."
"Or brother and sister."
"How about two stubborn teenagers?"
"Or maybe they're just two young people in love while living in a broken world."

Both Modo and Throttle fell silent and looked at the human female with surprise written upon their face.
Charley raised her hands with lifted eyebrows.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? We were all young once, right? Or in love?"
Modo rubbed his chin before he shrugged and walked over to his bike.
"Fair enough."

But Throttle said nothing.
He just stood there, staring at Charley as if he saw her for the first time.
She knew something.
He could tell.
This wasn't just a comment.
No, it was more than that.

More to the point; she just said, out loud, that Vinnie might be in love with Pip and there wasn't even as much as a flinch.
She didn't even blink.
She obviously didn't care.
Well, not in the way he had expected.
And the world suddenly looked a little bit brighter.
The air suddenly smelled a little fresher.
The sun suddenly felt a bit warmer.

Life.
It wasn't an easy road.
But damn, it could be good.
Yeah…
Life was good.

…

After catching up with the two young rascals, the group finally managed to make some progress without too many distractions.
A thing Throttle was more than grateful for because even though Stoker had told him that there was no rush now Carbine had found some medications that seemed to slow down the infection, he still wanted to get to LA rather sooner than later.
He would never forgive himself if Stoker would die because they were too late to save him.
That was simply not an option.

After a long drive, the sun already long gone, his bionic eyes spotted a group of trees a few meters away from the road, surrounded entirely by bushes.
Not only was he still getting used to all the green Earth had to offer and so he looked at it with awe, but it seemed to be the perfect place to camp for the night as well.
They all could use some rest after everything that happened.
And with the progress they made, there was some time to spare.

Besides, they wouldn't be of any use to Stoker if they could barely keep their eyes open.
He whistled between his teeth to get everybody's attention.
"Let's make camp beyond that tree line, bro's and ma'ams."
And so it happened.

...

About an hour later, they were all sitting around a warm and comforting fire, surrounded by trees and bushes.
It was actually kind of cozy, with the warmth of the fire and the soothing light of the moon shining down on them.
Charley was studying the map she had brought with her from Camp Hope and Modo, who sat next to her, leaned a bit to the side to take a closer look.
"How far are we from LA, Charley ma'am?", he asked with his deep baritone voice and Throttle looked at Charley as well, curious about her answer.
The human female followed some lines on the map with her finger before she answered the question.
"About 65 miles."

The tan-furred leader nodded before he looked around the group.
Vinnie was obviously not listening, too busy with staring at this weird thing that was called an apple.
He clearly had no idea what to think of it, for there was no such thing as an apple on Mars.
Charley had told them it was a fruit that grew on a tree, which made it even weirder because on Mars, all plants were toxic in their own unique way.
Eating something that came from a plant or tree was practically the same as committing suicide, but clearly, not here.
Still, it went against everything they ever learned, though Throttle had to admit — this apple thing was rather tasty.

But Vinnie wasn't convinced.
Obviously.
He was looking at the reddish thing in his hand with a frown on his face, not reassured by the fact that both Modo and Throttle had eaten the small fruit without dropping dead afterward nor by Charley's explanation that it was perfectly safe to eat.
It somehow surprised Throttle that he hadn't pulled his gun to blow the thing to the seventh galaxy, but the thing was, even their beloved adrenaline junkie was tired.
He seemed to lack the energy to do anything else than staring at the food, as if it would come to life and tell him that everything was okay.

Pip sat next to him, her legs pulled up with her arms tightly wrapped around them. With her cheek resting on her knees, she watched the white-furred mouse at her left with a somewhat amused look on her face.
But the pain in her eyes was still there.
It hadn't left ever since it appeared, right after she kind of told them what happened to her the last time she ran into that devious group of people.
Again, her loneliness struck Throttle, but not just him.
No, it soon became obvious that he wasn't the only one who wanted to let her know so badly that she wasn't alone.
Not anymore.

Because Vinnie suddenly glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
When he caught her gaze, the right corner of his mouth came up a bit, giving him a somewhat innocent but reassuring and warm expression.
Pip lowered her gaze with a faint blush on her cheeks, but a small smile appeared on her face as well.
It all happened in a split second and the signs were beyond subtle, but they were there and Throttle lowered his head to hide his smile.
It was crazy how fast some things could change.
How fate seemed to take over, to make it all alright.

That reminded him of the fear he had felt today, the fear that had almost paralyzed him.
The fear of losing Charley.
His body had told him how important she was to him.
He simply couldn't deny it any longer, even though it still felt like it wasn't real.
Like a fantasy.

'Then make it real. Take her on a Mind-Walk. Talk to the punk.'

Stoker's voice echoed through his head and as he glanced at the human woman, who was still studying the map with a small frown between her brows, he made a decision.
Finally, after struggling for so long, he made a decision.
And this time for real.
It wasn't only because of this unbearable fear he had felt today.
No, it was also because the sensation of holding her in his arms had given him the feeling he could handle anything in this cruel yet beautiful world.

Yeah.
With Charley in his arms, he felt invincible.
And invincible felt good.
Definitely something he could get used to.
All he had to do was make it real.
To turn this dream into reality.

Because today, he had learned another valuable lesson.
It wasn't the destination that mattered.
Nor was it the journey itself.
No.
It's the company that made the difference.
It's the company that made life bearable.
It's the company that taught him how to love.
And it's love that taught him how to live.

'When life leaves us blind…
Love keeps us kind.'

Oh, yeah.
He needed to take action.
And he would.
For love.
How noble.
But as Vinnie would say; 'noble schmoble'.
So, he made a plan.
A plan for tonight.
There was no need to waste any more time.

But first things first.
"I suggest we use this moment of peace and quietness to get some rest. We need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when we arrive in LA tomorrow."
Truth be told, he was being hypocritical here.
Because he had no intention of going to sleep.
And neither were his bro's, not really, although they didn't know that yet.
But for now, that was his little secret.

"Say, speaking of LA, do we even have a plan? Ya know, when we finally get there?", Modo asked as his eye darted from the map to Throttle.
The tan-furred mouse rubbed his chin a bit thoughtful.
Usually, he would've planned the whole thing out already, but the thing was, he wasn't really himself these past days.
Therefore, he hadn't thought things through, but perhaps that didn't matter.
There was only one step that was most logical to take.
"I suggest we first try to find Stoker and the rest, then we'll see."

Modo cocked his head a bit confused, probably because this was one of those rare times that he, as their leader, didn't have a plan in place.
Or perhaps it was because he only mentioned 'Stoker and the rest' instead of 'Carbine and the rest'.
Well, that didn't matter.
His grey-furred bro was going to find out soon enough what was going on.
All Throttle had to do was to wait for the girls to go to sleep.
After that, he had a clear path.

And so, he gave Modo a reassuring smile, telling him that he had it all under control.
Which he had.
He finally had the feeling he had it all under control again.
"We need more information about this Limburger clown, so we can make a proper plan to take him out", he explained his intentions.
That took Vinnie's attention.
And that while he had finally scraped his courage together to take a bite from the apple.
Such a shame.
"Wme dwon't nweed a pwan", he mumbled with his mouth full, a frown on his face.

"You're mumbling again, Bouncy Ball", Pip sighed supposedly tired as she poked with a stick in the fire, but her eyes were twinkling, the pain for now vanished into thin air.
Irritated, the white-furred mouse scowled at her as he quickly swallowed the food.
"I am not. All I'm saying is that we don't need a plan. We just find that stinkface and go in guns blazing. Like we always do."
"Usually, I'd say you have a point, but not now. Now, my brother's life is on the line, so I say; we do need a plan. And a good one too. And in order to make a good one, we need information. It's as simple as that, macho mouse", Pip retorted calmly but firmly without taking her gaze away from the fire.

"She's right, Vin. We can't take the risk. Not this time", Throttle agreed with the human girl, happy that it wasn't him for a change who told the white-furred rascal they needed to play this smooth and subtle.
The young mouse rolled his eyes, but probably knew they were right because he focused his attention back on his apple.
Still, he couldn't help himself to make one last comment to show his displeasure.
"Ugh, fine. But as soon as we know where that piece of shit is hiding, it's on."

"It sure is", Modo nodded as his eye flickered red a couple of times.
"He gave us enough trouble already and we don't even know the guy."
"Right. So let's make sure he knows who we are. Down and dirty. That will teach him to put a price on our head", Vinnie said with a low voice as he threw the apple over his shoulder, clearly done with it.
"Man, I sure miss those hotdogs…", he then muttered under his breath.

"I hear ya, bro's. We shall give him an introduction he will never forget", Throttle agreed with his two best friends with a soft chuckle.
Even though they needed a plan to minimize the risk of Pip's brother getting hurt or even worse, killed, he too was looking forward to showing that Plutarkian stinkfish what happened when one crossed the Biker Mice From Mars.
Pip looked at them from one to another before she smiled.
"I love it when you guys talk like this."

Vinnie immediately turned his head to look at her.
"You should hear my dirty talk. Success guaranteed ", he snickered with wiggling eyebrows.
Pip's eyes grew big because of the sudden turn this conversation took and she shook her head in denial.
"Wait, what? No! I like tough talk, not dirty talk. There's a difference…"
"Nah, not really."
"Yes, there is."
"No, there isn't."
"Yes, there is!"
"No, there…"

"Okay, okay, enough, you two", Charley cut them off, shaking her head in both annoyance and amusement.
"You two are worse than a couple of six-year-olds, honestly…"
"Do six-year-olds know how to talk dirty here on Earth?", Modo asked a bit baffled.
The stunned look on Charley's face was priceless and Throttle let out a chuckle before he clapped in his hands.
"Okay, troops, time to go to bed. We've got a busy day ahead of us."
Modo was the first to stand up, clearly ready to catch some z's, but not everyone went along that easily.
"Ah, do we have to? I don't wanna go to bed...", Vinnie whined as he grabbed Modo by the leg to stop him.
"Me neither. Can't we stay up a little while?", Pip joined him, looking at Throttle with puppy eyes.

The tan-furred mouse blinked a few times before he looked at Charley, who held up a finger with a cheeky smile on her face, telling him she would handle this.
When he gave her a nod, she took a deep breath and raised her voice.
"Last one in bed is a nasty pair of Plutarkian underwear!"
And what do you know, it worked.
Vinnie let go of Modo -who was still trying to get rid of the white-furred hot air balloon hanging on his leg- and ran to his home-made bed, determined to win this competition like he always did.

But he wasn't the only one who had a slightly competitive side and soon, a hand grabbed his tail and pulled on it in an attempt to slow him down.
"Ouch!", Vinnie yelped before he looked over his shoulder, straight into Pip's exuberant face.
"You play dirty, pipsqueak."
The words hadn't left his mouth or a smug smile appeared on his face and he winked at the human girl that was still holding his tail.
"I love it!"

With cheeks as red as a fully grown tomato, Pip jumped on his back to slow him down, for he was still on the move.
"You talk too much, pancake ears", she breathed, but as soon as she noticed that hanging on his back had not the desired result, she simply tried to climb over his shoulders.
"Don't act like you don't love it because I know you do…", Vinnie huffed as he tried to stop her from jumping over his head, but despite being small, the human girl was surprisingly agile.
Strong, even.

There was a short struggle, but she managed to get her feet on his shoulders and with a smile so big, she launched herself forward.
After a smoothly executed somersault, she landed on her feet and quickly ran further, thereby avoiding Vinnie's hand.
"You're slower than a herd of stampeding turtles, mister mouse", she laughed a bit out of breath.
"Haven't you heard? Slow is the new fast…", the white-furred mouse panted as his tail lashed through the air, still with a smile on his face.
Which basically meant he was up to something.
"... and awesome too."

And indeed, his long tail wrapped around her ankle and before she could even process what was happening, Pip was already lying face forward in the grass.
But Vinnie made a critical mistake by not running in a circle around her, and so, when he passed her, she pushed herself up and managed to grab him by the pants.
The sudden weight did not only slow him down, but it also forced him to stop, simply to prevent her from pulling his pants off.

Despite the fact that he adored his body, there were limits.
And not even he, the king of show-offs, wanted to end up on the ground with his pants around his ankles.
Even his coolness couldn't handle that much embarrassment.
But Vinnie wouldn't be Vinnie if he wouldn't use this to his advantage and he looked down on Pip with his most charming and arrogant smile.
"If you wanna see me naked, you only have to ask, doll. I'm here to please you."

Truth be told, for those who were close to Vinnie knew that even so much as suggesting to take off his clothes had its consequences.
Pulling on his pants was nothing but a slam dunk.
Too easy.
Pip, however, didn't know him that well.
In fact, she obviously needed to get used to this whole other side of him, a side he hadn't shown her until this afternoon.
And so, she let go of his pants like it was on fire with again, her head as red as a traffic light.
"Talk about a wasted opportunity", the white-furred mouse chuckled and after winking at her, he quickly continued his path to his bed.
"You don't know what you're missing."

"Oh, but I think I do", Pip mumbled as she already followed him again and when she got close enough, she tried to push him away so she could take the lead again, but Vinnie didn't budge.
Probably knowing that strength wasn't the solution here, she hooked her left leg between his.
The young mouse stumbled a few passes but managed to stay on his feet.
Not just that, he now tried to make her fall as well.
And so, bickering like two children, they stumbled to the blankets that were carefully hidden in the shadows of the trees, functioning as their bed for tonight.
Well, at least they didn't try to kill each other anymore.
And that, my friends, is the real win.

…

Finally, after another hour, everyone was fast asleep.
Everyone, except for a certain tan-furred mouse. And after waiting for a little while longer, Throttle slowly came upright and leaned on his arm as he first looked at Pip.
The young girl lay close to Vinnie, wrapped in a warm blanket and completely out.
At least she felt safe enough to close her eyes and give in to the tiredness he had seen in her eyes.
He then spotted the tip of a white tail resting on her legs somewhat protectively and it made him suddenly doubt if he needed to continue this plan of his.
Perhaps it was already solved.
Just like that…

No.
There were still too many unanswered questions.
Questions that kept him busy.
Besides, the fact that Vinnie's tail was lying there could be completely innocent.
It didn't have to mean anything.
It probably didn't.
It was probably just a coincidence.
Nothing more, nothing less.

After all, Vinnie wasn't just restless while being awake and it wasn't the first time that his tail did things in his sleep without him knowing.
And Throttle could tell, after being slapped in the face for about a thousand times already.
The mean pain wasn't easily forgotten and so it was a perfect reminder.
A reminder that this whole thing didn't mean anything.
Or perhaps he just wanted so badly that it did, for that would make things a whole lot easier.
But life wasn't easy.
It never was.
And he highly doubted if it intended to start now.

His gaze wandered over to Charley and his heart swelled up when he saw the peaceful look on her now relaxed face.
She too was sound asleep, which was good.
Because it was time to execute phase one of his plan.
No more doubt.
No more fear.
It was time to get some answers.
He was on the verge to risk everything and he needed these answers before he would.
That wasn't fear.
That was simply self-preservation.
And right now, there was only one who could give him these answers without putting everything he had built at risk.

Almost entirely noiseless, the tan-furred leader of the Biker Mice climbed out of the warm and comforting cocoon that was his blanket and after waiting for a short moment, to make sure he hadn't woken anybody, he tiptoed over to Modo.
The big mouse was snoring loudly, which was actually quite dangerous in times like these, for it could give away their hiding spot.
But strangely enough, that wasn't what worried Throttle.
Now, he was worried about Modo's reaction.
But there was no turning back now.
No, the time for lingering was over.

And so, he reached out his hand and softly laid it on Modo's shoulder.
"Modo… Modo, wake up…", he whispered so softly that only Martian ears could hear it.
The grey-furred giant let out a loud snore before he turned around, smacking his lips.
Despite everything, Throttle smiled by the innocence his older bro suddenly radiated.
He suddenly looked ten times smaller.
And so peaceful.
Unfortunately, the tan-furred mouse needed him.
And it couldn't wait.
Oh no, it couldn't.

Again, Throttle gently shook Modo's shoulder.
"Come on, big guy, wake up…"
Without any warning, Modo's eye flew open as his flesh hand already reached for Throttle's throat, but the latter wrapped his tan-furred fingers around his bro's wrist to stop him.
"Chill, bro, it's just me."
Modo blinked a few times before he pulled back his hand.
He then looked around him before his gaze landed back on Throttle.
"What's going on?"
"I need your help with something…", the tan-furred mouse answered, perhaps a bit evasive, not really sure what to tell his older bro and what not.

In turn, Modo gave him a confused look, which was more than justified.
And so was his next question.
"Can't it wait until morning?"
"No. It's important."
The grey-furred mouse slowly got upright as he quickly looked around him.
When he saw that everyone was still asleep, his one eye locked with Throttle's bionic ones.
"Okay, what is it?"
Throttle took a deep breath.
Here goes nothing.
"We need to talk to Vinnie."