You guys... Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad to hear you guys liked it.
Really appreciate it.

So, I won't hold you up any longer, time to read how Vinnie wakes up.
Oh, just one more thing... There is one real heavy scene in this one.

Enjoy! ^^

Chapter twenty

His head was killing him. His mouth was dry. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. His eyes were burning, just like his throat, like he had cried. He was lying on the couch and saw his bro's and Kiwi lying on the floor. He shook his head in confusion, but he just wished he hadn't. It felt like a thousand hammers were slamming against his skull.
Suddenly, the smell of blood filled his nose. His eyes searched for the source, but when he found it, it wasn't what he had expected at all. His precious white fur was soaked with blood. He jerked upright.
"What the…"
He felt the pain in his right arm and saw the bandage that was wrapped around it.
Vinnie almost started to panic, but then he saw a tan furred hand on his shoulder and he looked up at his bro.
"What happened, Throttle?", he asked, his voice raw and hoarse.
"You got stabbed in the bar, don't you remember?", his tan furred bro asked.
Vinnie narrowed his eyes by hearing the tone of his voice. His older bro was upset. But why…
He suddenly remembered the guy that attacked Kiwi, that he indeed ended up with a knife in his arm and that they drove back home. After that… nothing…
"Yeah, I remember… I remember that we came home, but after that… well, it's all getting a little bit blurry…", Vinnie said slowly. He tried to remember, but his head was killing him. He looked at Kiwi, who was sleeping on the floor next to him.
"Is she okay?", he asked. Man. Having a hole in your memorie sure sucked, alright…
"She's fine. A little shaken. But she will pull through", Throttle said softly.
Vinnie looked back at him.
"What did I do?", he demanded. Something was wrong, he could tell.
"You eh… You kinda freaked out when you realized you needed help…", Throttle said slowly, pointing at Vinnie's arm.
Vinnie let himself fall back on his pillow, moaning.
"Oh gosh, please tell me I was at least still cool and handsome…".
Throttle sighed.
"You really shouldn't make jokes about this, Vincent. Let me be honest with you. You cried, yelled, tried to shot us, threw us against walls… Long story short, you totally lost it…"
Vinnie stared at him. Wow. Well, this was awkward.
"Okay… And how did this get on my arm then?", he asked, while pointing at the bandage.
"Ruby came over. She helped you. Stitched the wound."
"Great. Just great. A beautiful woman comes over, probably had to tie me up and I can't even remember… Story of my life…"
"She didn't tie you up. We drugged you", Throttle said drily.
"Oh… But that don't change the fact that I've missed it…"
"Vincent, can you be serious for like five minutes, or is that too much to asked? This is serious, man. You scared the shit out of all of us…", Throttle said, slightly annoyed.
Vinnie thought about it for a second. He looked at Throttle, a hit of panic in his eyes.
"Yeah, it's too much to ask. Let me tell you my point of view; I wake up, having a black hole in my memory, and here you are, telling me I apparently lost my shit, even attacked you guys and I really have no idea what you're talking about! Geez, if I take this too serious, I fucking lose my shit again, man!"
"Calm down, Vincent. Kiwi is finally sleeping. Don't want to wake her", Throttle warned him. "Can you walk?"
"I got stabbed in the arm, not my leg. Of course I can walk, god dammit", Vinnie muttered under his breath, cranky like a old man.
But Throttle ignored his attitude.
"Let's go outside then, before she wakes up."
Vinnie slowly got up, took a few deep breaths and followed Throttle outside, still a little unstable.
"Man, I look like fucking Frankenstein", he mumbled, looking at all the blood on his body.
They sat down in the grass.
"Look, Vin… I don't even know what to say, actually…", Throttle sighed.
Vinnie glanced at him. Jesus, was it really that bad? That even his fearless leader couldn't find the words? Ugh. This was almost humiliating.
"Why don't we just forget about this whole thing, okay?", Vinnie tried, clapping Throttle on the back. But as expected, Throttle shook his head.
"I can't, man. What if it happens again, and you'll die because we can't help you?"
Vinnie fell silent. He closed his eyes and tried to remember. He needed to know. He went back to the moment they came home. He concentrated, but nothing. He suddenly got a idea.
"Throttle, can you do your mind trick stuff on me? Please, man, I need to know.. It's so weird to have this hole in my memory, really, it sucks, big time…"
"I don't know, bro.. Maybe it triggers something…", Throttle said cautiously.
"Well, shoot me if it does, sweetheart. But I need to know."
"Fine…"
"I'll take back the shooting part, though", Vinnie said quickly.
Throttle chuckled and closed his eyes. His antenna's started to glow red and he made contact with Vinnie's antenna's.
He concentrated and went back to the moment they came home. But while he was playing the video for Vinnie, sort of speak of course, he felt something change. He suddenly could feel what Vinnie felt. And he suddenly could see what Vinnie saw. Throttle tried to stop it, he didn't want to look around in Vinnie's head without his younger bro knowing, but it was no use. It just happened. Like Vinnie's mind was desperate of showing him this particular memory. Throttle tried to break the connection, but it was too late.

Flashback

Vinnie slowly opened his eyes. He looked around him, trying to see where he was. It was a lab, he could tell. But a filthy one. There were stains on the wall, the ceiling was moldy and the whole room was filled with the smell of death, combined with disinfectants. Shit. What happened? All he could remember was the explosion. After that, nothing… His body hurted, he could feel the wounds on his legs and arms, but the pain was nothing compared to the pain in his face. The whole right side burned, like it was on fire.
"What the…", he gasped, squeezing his eyes.
His bro's… Stoker… Shit, did they make it? Why was he here, all alone? Did that mean he was the only one who'd survived? Fuck. No. Don't make assumptions. They are fine until proven otherwise. But for now, he needed to get outta here. He tried to get up, but noticed that something was holding him back. He looked at his hands. Big, leather belts around his wrists. His gaze fell on his feet. Same story. Even his tail was tied up. He tensed his muscles, gritting his teeth in a attempt to ignore the pain in his body and yanked at the belts. But he soon gave up. This was no use. The belts were never gonna break. He was stuck here.
Slowly, he could feel panic trying to take over his body. Not really macho mouse cool, but this was scary, alright, even for him. He took a few deep breaths to calm down. Panic never helped anyone. Keep your cool, macho mouse.
Suddenly, the door flew open. He lifted his head and saw a thin Plutarkian walking in. What? There were thin Plutarkians? Who would've thought..
The fish was wearing a lab coat with bloodstains on it and a big glasses on his nose. He looked at Vinnie and a smile appeared on his face. Vinnie stared at the fish. He had never seen a smile that scary. Not that the guy missed any teeth or something, no, not that kinda scary. It was the way how his whole face twisted into this bizarre smirk, in combination with that look in his eyes.
Insanity.
Oh shit.
"Aaahh, you're finally awake!", the fish said happily with a high, cracking voice.
Vinnie could feel his fur standing up straight by hearing the voice. He wasn't that easily impressed by something. But this creature somehow scared the shit out of him.
"It took you long enough, mouse. But it's okay! We can finally start now", the small fish said, still smiling. He was now standing with his back towards Vinnie, preparing something Vinnie couldn't see.
"Start with what?", Vinnie asked, not knowing if he wanted to know the answer.
"Surgery, of course, you silly mouse. I need to practise when my patients are awake…"
"Surge...What? What the fuck are you talking about? Why would you do that?", Vinnie asked, confused. But his heart was already pounding faster.
"Must there always be a reason?", the small fish asked back, but turned around with a eager expression on his face. Vinnie wrinkled his nose.
"Eh… never mind… I think I don't even wanna know…"
"Okay, fine! If you insist! I always wanted to be a doctor. But they always said I wasn't good enough. But with the High Chairman as our leader, I got the opportunity to live my dream. I even can pick my own patients!", and the small fish laughed maniacally while turning his back to Vinnie again. "And you mice are such good patients. Takes so long before you break, hihihihi!"
Vinnie noticed his breathing became heavier. But he couldn't let him see that he was scared.
"You're not gonna break this mouse, sweetheart."
The fish turned around and looked at him, still that spooky smile on his face. He giggled, a weird and unnatural sound that echoed against the walls.
"They all say that, you know? But they always do. Break."
Vinnie shivered. He needed to get outta here… He started to pull on the belts again, harder this time.
But the fish only giggled again.
"You can't escape, silly you. You are mine. Mine, mine, mine!", he sang happily. He grabbed a plate full with scalpels and other tools Vinnie didn't even want to know what he was gonna do with it. The fish was humming and set the plate the table that was standing next to Vinnie.
Vinnie's eyes were flying in every direction, trying to find a way to escape this horrible faith.
"Are you scared, mouse?", the fish asked softly. "You don't need to be scared! I only want to help you… I mean, the wounds on your face look really bad. Don't you want my help?" and he giggled again.
Vinnie spit in his face.
"No, I don't! Let me go. NOW!"
The fish wiped off his face and started humming again. He focussed his attention on his tools again. He sorted them and lay them in a neat row.
"Oh, oh, oh, you… silly you. You can only leave this room when you're healed. Or death… You know, truth to be told… I'm not really a good doctor. No patient has ever left this room alive... I understand now why they wouldn't want me. But it doesn't matter. I'll just keep practising. One day, I will become a fine doctor", he told Vinnie.
"You're crazy, that's what you are!", Vinnie responded with a low voice. The small fish ignored him. But he suddenly turned around.
"Do you wanna know why I've picked you?", he asked, almost bouncing at his feet.
Vinnie rolled his eyes.
"No. But by the looks of things, you're gonna tell me anyway…"
"Oh, you're funny, hihihi! Well, I saw you lying between the other wounded, and…", but Vinnie interrupted him.
"Other wounded? What do you mean? Are you talking about my friends?", he demanded.
The fish looked kinda disappointed.
"I guess… But who cares about your friends? I was just gonna tell you why I've picked you!"
"I don't care why you've picked me, but I do care about my friends. Tell me, are they alright?"
"No, no, no, you, you, you silly you!", the fish sang and giggled. Vinnie tried to get up as far as his bounds let him.
"I asked you a simple question, sweetheart. Are they alright?", he spit out in anger.
"One lost his arm, the other his eyes and the last one his tail, but they are in good hands with Dr. Karbunkle. He teached me some things, Dr. Karbunkle. He's a true genius. He will fix them. Really fix them! Hihihi!"
"What do you mean, fix them?"
"You are sick in the head, he told me. You're fighting us like we're your enemies. But all we want is to fight side by side. He's gonna make your friends better. So they will join us. You will too, when I fixed you!"
Vinnie dropped back on his back. Shit. He was fucked. Just like Modo and Throttle. And Stoker.
"Well, one thing is for sure. You're the one that ain't straight in the head, you fucking moron."
But the small fish only giggled and turned back his attention on his tools.
"Let's begin. First, I need to give you a local anesthetic. But since I don't have that, I will only pretend" and he grabbed a huge syringe with an even bigger needle on it.
Vinnie's eyes grew big and he tried to get out of range.
"No, no, no! Get that thing away from me!", he yelled, but it was no use.
The fish grabbed him by the chin. Vinnie tried to get out of his grip, but he was surprisingly strong for the small fish he was.
"Hold still, hold still, otherwise this will end up in your eye", he giggled.
Vinnie froze and looked at the needle right before his eyes. This couldn't be happening, right? But it did. The fish pushed the needle into the right side of his face. Vinnie opened his mouth and let out a scream in pain. The small fish almost bounced on his feet, still pushing the needle further into Vinnie's face. Tears jumped in Vinnie's eyes and he suddenly felt the needle pricking in his tongue.
"Whoops, too far, too far", the fish hummed and pulled the needle back out.
Blood filled Vinnie's mouth and he spit it out.
"God dammit, fucking idiot!", he moaned.
"Things can go wrong, it's okay. You need to make mistakes to learn from them", the fish smiled and again, he pushed the big needle in Vinnie's face. Vinnie clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes. Jesus, this whole thing just felt like a bad dream. Not real. But the pain was real.
The small fish pulled back the needle and started over. After ten times or so, he lay the syringe back on the plate. Vinnie was breathing heavily and looked at the small fish with fuming eyes.
"Tell me, you little shrimp. What's your name?", he asked between clenched teeth, his voice dangerously low.
"Jester. Why do you wanna know? Are we going to be friends?" and Jester looked hopeful at Vinnie. But the white furred mouse slowly shook his head.
"No. I just wanna know your name, because if I get outta here, and believe me I will, I know who to look for. Because I can promise you one thing... Jester. You are gonna pay for this. I will look for you, I will find you and I will fucking kill you. Slowly. Painfully. You, my friend, are messing with the wrong mouse…"
Jester fell silent for a moment, but then giggled.
"So we are friends?"
Vinnie felt his stomach turning upside down by hearing that giggle again.
Jester focussed on his task again.
"So, now that you're sedated…", but Vinnie roared in anger.
"I'M NOT SEDATED, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"
"... we can continue the surgery", Jester continued unperturbed and he grabbed a huge scalpel.
Vinnie could see old blood sticking at the blade.
Holy fucking moly.
"We need to remove the burned flesh, because that's gonna die off sooner or later. After that, we can maybe stitch it together. Otherwise, we will just have to let it heal, but that will give some major ugly scars… hihihi."
Panic took over. This stupid little fish was about to cut in his face. HIS face. And the only thing he could do was lying here, completely helpless. He couldn't stop him. Man, this was crazy, alright. Beyond crazy. Tears filled his eyes.
"Please, don't do this, please…", he said softly, shaking his head. He felt the salt of his tears burning on the right side of his face. His pretty face. No…
"Oh, stop it, you. I'm trying to help you", Jester said and raised his hand with the scalpel.
Vinnie's eyes grew big and followed the scalpel down.
"No…", he whispered.
The pain was unbearable. He could feel the scalpel cut through his flesh, blood splattered around. Jester was humming and giggling and Vinnie screamed in pain. But the fish didn't stop and suddenly, Vinnie saw him something holding up in the air.
"Look!", and he waved it before Vinnie's face. "I did it! Burned skin, precisely removed, hihihi!"
Vinnie could feel something click in his head. He went ballistic. He screamed until his throat was raw and his voice hoarse. He was pulling on the belts with so much strength, he could feel them cut into his flesh. But it was no use. It was no goddamn use.
Jester waited patiently till he was done.
"Easy now, mousie. Things will be okay!"
But Vinnie shook his head. The pain in the right side of his face was unbearable. The fact that this crazy ass fish was holding up a piece of his face like it was some sort of trophy, made him sick to the stomach. The sound of the humming and giggling made him wanna jump off a cliff. He could feel his stomach turn and he gagged. But nothing came out. He spit out the blood that was streaming in his mouth, before he would choke in it. But dying suddenly sounded so good. So peaceful…
Jester grabbed his head again.
"Let's continue. We're far from done here. You're face got pretty banged up in this explosion", and he started cutting again.
Vinnie moaned, the pain was too much. He felt the world was starting to fade away. And with the humming of Jester echoing through his head, Vinnie lost consciousness.

Present

Throttle landed on his back, breathing heavily. He still felt the pain in his face, his heart was almost exploding in his chest. He raised his hand and touched the right side of his face. He felt something wet, but no blood. Tears. Shit. Slowly, the pain started to fade away and he stared at Vinnie.
His white furred bro looked just as shocked, but probably because he'd just seen what he had done last night. Throttle knew he was the only one who had relieved this memory. He was still breathing heavily, in shock about what he'd just seen and felt.
Vinnie looked at him, his eyes wide open.
"I eh… ", he started, but closed his mouth when he saw the look on Throttle's face.
"Jesus, Vin…", Throttle breathed, still lying on his back, staring at his bro. He slowly sat up straight, trying to calm down. But that was hard. He had just relived the most traumatizing moment in Vinnie's life. Holy shit. No wonder his bro wanted nothing do with medical help anymore.
Vinnie narrowed his eyes, looking at his bro.
"Throttle, are you okay?", he asked, studying his bro's face. His bro was there when he freaked out, right? So why was he so shocked of seeing it again? Unless…
"What did you see?", he suddenly demanded, grabbing Throttle by his leather jacket.
Throttle took a few deep breaths, still very upset.
"Throttle! What… did… you… see?", Vinnie growled between clenched teeth.
Throttle looked at him, and finally found his voice again.
"I… I'm sorry, I… holy shit…"
Vinnie knew enough. Throttle didn't get upset that easily. Seeing him like this, made very clear what he had seen.
"God DAMMIT, Throttle! Why would you do that?", he spit out and pushed his older bro away. Throttle grabbed him by the arm.
"Vincent, listen. I'm sorry, okay, but I didn't do this on purpose. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't… NO, listen!", he called out when Vinnie wanted to say something.
"I'm really sorry, but I understand now. It all makes perfectly sense now. God, Vinnie, I am so sorry that this happened to you… That I wasn't there to protect you. And I will promise you one thing; if we ever find that stinkface, we will kill him. We will make him pay, you hear me?"
Vinnie stared at him, somehow impressed by the intensity Throttle was talking to him.
"O-okay… okay…"
Throttle let him go, still in shock.

"Vinnie?"
Kiwi.
Vinnie turned around and saw her standing in the doorway, a worried look on her face. He took a deep breath and smiled at her.
"Hey, sweetheart…"
She slowly walked towards him, not knowing how he was gonna react. She sat down next to him, but Vinnie pulled her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She crawled against him, pushing her nose in his fur that was still clean.
Throttle looked at them and smiled, still a little sad though. He climbed on his feet.
"I'll go check on Modo", and he walked inside.
Kiwi started to cry again, holding Vinnie tightly. God, she was so scared he was gonna be mad at her.
"Hey, hey, hey, sweetheart. Why the tears?", he whispered, stroking her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Vinnie", she sobbed, grabbing his fur.
"Sorry for what?", he asked, confusion in his voice.
"For drugging you…"
Vinnie gently untangled himself so he could look her in the eye.
"Sweetheart… it's okay…", he breathed and wiped away her tears with his thumb.
"But you… you said… and then…", Kiwi stuttered, overwhelmed by emotions.
"Hey, hey. I know what I said. And I should be the one to say sorry. I didn't mean it, doll… I wasn't exactly in the world of the living", and he chuckled nervously.
But Kiwi couldn't stop crying. She felt so sorry for him, that he was damaged this bad because of a war. A useless war. She couldn't get the image of him as a baby out her mind. He was so full with love, so pure. He just didn't deserve this shit. His major panic attack also brought back memories she didn't want to think about. The traumatic loss of her parents. Her suicide attempt. God, why did all this stuff happened to her? And to him? Live could be so unfair sometimes…

Vinnie pulled her back against him and just held her tightly. He stroked her hair and buried his nose in it. Her scent made him feel calm. He loved it. Like he loved everything about this girl. It broke his heart that she had to see him like this. He never wanted any of this. And now Throttle knew… Gosh… He felt naked. Vulnerable like never before. The walls he had build around him so nobody could touch him, were slowly crumbling and there was nothing he could do about it. God dammit…
Kiwi slowly calmed down a little bit. She looked up at Vinnie, who looked down at her with a sadness she hadn't seen before.
"Vinnie… What happened to you? What happened to you that you are…", she trailed off, not sure if she would trigger something again. But she had to ask.
Vinnie's muscles tensed. She quickly lay her hands against his cheeks..
"You don't have to tell me, Vinnie. If it's too much, if it's gonna drag you back, then don't…"
Vinnie lay his hands on her hers and slowly pushed them down. But he held them. He didn't look at her. But he did answer her question.
"I was tortured by a Plutarkian fish named Jester. And one day, I will end his miserable life", he said with a toneless voice. But the message was loud and clear.
Kiwi felt a shiver going through her spine. Jesus…
He suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and Kiwi breathed in sharply. She looked him in the eye and the look in his eyes took her off guard.
"Please, don't force me to talk about it, I just can't okay? This is the first time I even say his name out loud and only that small detail… I… ", he stuttered, already on his way to another major panic attack.
Kiwi quickly shook her head.
"You don't have to, Vinnie, sshhh… It's okay. Easy now…"
Vinnie was staring at her, breathing heavily. And before she even could process it, he pressed his lips on hers and kissed her with a hunger that immediately fired her desire. She kissed him back eagerly and he lifted her up and lay her down on her back in the cool grass. He pressed his body against hers, leaning on his arms to avoid his weight was gonna crush her. Pain jolted through his right arm, but he hardly noticed. She moaned and grabbed his lower body, pushing him even harder against her. His hand crawled under her shirt and Kiwi gasped against his neck. She reclaimed his mouth, feeling goosebumps all over her body because of his hand touching her naked skin. But again, he stopped. Dammit. They both opened their eyes and Vinnie sighed.
"Damn, you sure know how to drive a guy crazy, sweetheart…"
Kiwi smiled at him.
"Yeah, well… You do the same to me…"
Vinnie slowly got back on his feet, lifting her up. He sat her back on her feet and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Go shower, sweetheart. You got my blood all over you. I'm gonna do the same."
"Can't we just go shower together?", she asked, her voice shaky. She couldn't believe she just said that.
Vinnie smiled.
"Oh, if only you knew how tempting that offer is… But no. We've agreed to take things slow. And I just know I can't control myself if you're standing naked in front of me", and he gave her that charming, arrogant smile she loved so much. "I can already hardly control myself when you're dressed, soooo…"
She sighed, disappointment written on her face.
"But maybe I don't want you to control yourself…", she whispered, but Vinnie kissed her gently on her lips.
"Oh yes, you do, sweetheart. Believe me. Now, go."
Kiwi looked at him one more time and turned around to walk back inside. But then, she turned around and pointed at the bandage.
"You need to keep the wound dry."
Vinnie nodded and saluted.
"Yes ma'am!"
Kiwi rolled her eyes and walked back inside, while Vinnie walked to the guest house. When she walked up the stairs, she smiled at herself. This was one fucked up day. A lot could happen in just one day. But no matter how fucked up it all was, it was a good day. She finally knew how Vinnie felt about her. She finally knew what had happened to him, sorta. And no matter how bad she felt for him, no matter how it broke her heart that he had to go through all that, she was glad she knew now. Because he finally had opened up to her. And that was a good thing. It could be the start of something beautiful. Oh boy. If only she knew…

The next few days, the mice and Kiwi took it slow. They needed some time to process everything that had happened. Throttle, the first day still very upset, slowly recovered and transformed back into his usual calm self. Modo, who hadn't seen the memory, was already shocked enough after what Throttle had told him. But they both were somehow glad they finally knew now. It helped them understand. And even if there still wasn't a solution for the problem, they all let it rest for now.
Vinnie was also a little bit more quiet than usual, but that was a perfectly logical outcome after everything that happened. He tried to take it slow because of his wound, but he had a hard time doing so. Kiwi was there by his side to prevent him from doing something stupid. Nothing more had happened between them, and when they weren't alone, they even behaved like nothing had changed. But there were small signes. Signes only they understood. But they just weren't ready to tell Modo and Throttle yet. They wanted to keep it for themselves for now.
Two weeks later.
Vinnie's wound was all healed and the stitches were gone. Luckily, Ruby had been smart enough to use soluble sutures, so they didn't had to be removed. Kiwi was trying to tell him that he needed to take things slow for at least another two weeks, but Vinnie didn't want to hear it. He was fine. The pain was gone. He just wanted to forget about the whole thing, the faster, the better.

That night, Limburger was up to something. They didn't knew what, but Kiwi had found out he had a plan. So, the mice jumped at their bikes and drove to LP. They were greeted by a huge army of goons, so that kinda confirmed the big cheese was indeed planning something.
After they won the first round, the mice high fived.
"Hahaaaa, leading the lead!", Modo rumbled.
"In both skill and good looks", Vinnie laughed.
But a laser hit the floor closeby them. Looks like the goons were ready for round two.
"Please, please, autographs later, bro's", Throttle smiled. "We gotta go get to the big cheese."
The mice turned their bikes and faced the goons that were sitting in their buggies, right in front of LP.
The mice revved their bikes and drove towards them.
"What kinda scheme you think is old stinklips up to now?", Modo asked.
"You know it's gotta be bigger than even Limburger's fat old…", but before Vinnie could finish his sentence, a laser hit the floor and he needed to focus to avoid he was gonna crash.
"That's it. Nobody's allowed to interrupt me when I'm saying my lines", he growled when he had his bike back under control and a huge rocket flew through the air. The goon who had shot the laser, quickly left his buggy and ran away. The rocket exploded and the explosion was deafening. It took out most of the goons.
Vinnie smiled very satisfied, but suddenly something caught his eye. He pointed up.
"Looks like the big cheese is bailing, bro's."
Throttle and Modo also looked up and saw a helicopter leaving the rooftop from LP.
"Uh oh… and I think I know why…", Modo said. A huge asteroid was slowly coming closer to Earth.
"Man… Limburger has pulled some big stunts in the past…", Throttle said, staring at the sky.
"...but this one is sure to make a major impact!", Vinnie finished.

Suddenly, a loud voice asked for their attention.
"Come on, yous mice! Me and my goons are gonna flatten you!"
They looked in front of them and saw Greasepit standing with the leftover goons.
"Looks bad, bro's…", Throttle said with a low voice.
"The only thing that's bad around here, is us!", Vinnie protested, looking at his leader.
"And nobody pound Chitown while we're around!", Modo agreed.
"Let's do it! It's time to ROCK…", Throttle started, but before they could finish, they suddenly heard Kiwi's voice through a megaphone.
"WAIT! Hey, goony goons!"
The mice looked beside them and there she was. She was pointing at the sky, her face twisted in anger.
"Look at the sky, you stupid dirtbags! Your boss is bringing down a ice asteroid…"
The goons and Greasepit looked up, shock on their faces. They looked at the helicopter that was leaving the roof.
"See? He's already getting his oversized butt to safety… How 'bout you?"
Greasepit stared at her for a moment, but then grabbed his pocket watch.
"Geez! Whatta you know… Break time, yous goons!" and they all fled the scene.
The mice stared at Kiwi, who walked over to them, a smile on her face.
"Eh… Thanks… Kiwi. I guess…", Throttle said drily.
"Guess we're not gonna go down in a blazy glory after all…", Modo said, a little bit disappointed and pushed his cannon back in his arm.
"Yiiiaaaoowwww! MAN! What am I gonna do with all this adrenaline?", Vinnie yelled, his body almost shaking.
Modo and Throttle smiled, shaking their heads.
Kiwi smiled too and jumped behind him on his bike, putting on her helmet.
"The usual. Save the city", she smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist. She could feel how tensed he was. Poor guy.
"Come on, hotshot. Before we're all gonna be frozen street pizza", and she closed Vinnie's visor. He looked over his shoulder and winked at her.
"I heard that. Let's ROCK…. and RIDE!", Throttle yelled and they fired their jets. They drove up and stopped at the roof of LP.
"There's the trouble", Throttle said, pointing at a machine that was standing on the roof. It had a huge magnet on it and it was obvious this was the machine that was pulling the asteroid towards Earth.
"Well, I've got a trouble shooter right here", Vinnie cheered and cannons popped out of his bike.
"VINNIE, NO!", Kiwi yelled before he could shout and jumped off his bike. She forced him to look at her.
"Listen, blowing the machine won't help. That asteroid is already falling towards us. We need to find a way to reverse it", and she kneeled down next to the machine. Vinnie sighed heavily and leaned on his windshield.
"Ugh. First the megaphone. Now this. You can be so frustrating sometimes…", but then he stepped off his bike and tried to help her to find a way to stop this.
Modo was standing on the other side, rubbing his chin. He saw a handle, now standing at 'forward'. But at the bottom; 'reverse'.
"Hmmm… I wonder… My momma always said; 'follow directions…'" and he switched the handle. The machine made a lot of noise, and suddenly, the red light that was pulling on the asteroid, turned blue and shot the huge ice fragment back into space.
Throttle, Vinnie and Kiwi stared at it and then at Modo, who was smiling very smugly.
"You did it! Nice save, bro!", Vinnie cheered and gave his bro a high five.
Throttle agreed, just like Kiwi.
"Good, now that threat is gone… Kiwi. Why are you here? What were you thinking? You could've got hurt with that stunt with the megaphone!", Throttle lectured the human girl. But she smiled. She was getting used to Throttle's lectures. And she didn't care anymore. She knew now it wasn't because they didn't want her. It was because they cared about her. But she wasn't stupid.
"Oh come on, Throttle, lighten up. I knew what I was doing. I just figured, as soon as I found out what Limburger was up to, you could use a little help. And I was right on time!"
Vinnie snickered. That was his girl. Although, Throttle was right. She did could've get hurt. But she didn't. And the fact that she was a star in disobeying direct orders, well… He could only appreciate that.

But before anybody could say anything, the helicopter flew towards them and opened fire. They quickly jumped out of the way.
Vinnie grabbed Kiwi and forced her to look at him.
"Sweetheart, as much as I like your stubbornness, now is the time to listen. Go get yourself into safety, now!", and he quickly gave her a kiss. He pushed her towards the door that led to the stairs.
"Wait downstairs at safe distance, okay? We will come get you when we're done here."
Kiwi nodded. But when Vinnie turned around, she quickly grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around. She gave him a short, but passionate kiss.
"Go get them, tiger", she purred and pushed him away. Vinnie winked at her and quickly ran to his bike.
"Yeah! Looks like we got us a fish to fry!", he cheered happily and revved his engine.
His bro's joined him and they fired their jets. They flew into the air, straight towards the helicopter, who was still firing at them.
"AU! Faster than a speeding bullet…", Vinnie started.
"Leaping tall buildings in a single jump!", Modo continued.
"Is it a bird?", Throttle asked, a smile on his face.
"Is it a plane?", Vinnie snickered.
"Nope! It's…", Modo laughed.
"...TAIL WHIPPIN' TIIIIME!", they sang in unison, pumping their fists into the air.
They were finally close to the helicopter, but it took a sudden turn and the mice missed.
Vinnie looked over his shoulder.
"Looks like the big one is getting away!"
"Not when we got lines to cast!", Throttle said.
"YIIHAAA! Time to set our hooks into that stinkfish!", Modo cheered.
They all pushed a button and ropes flew out of the back of their bikes. The hooks clung to the helicopter and the mice started to climb up.
Vinnie, still overwhelmed with adrenaline, tried to be there first.
"AAOOWW, race ya to the top!"
"You wombats are starting to get above yourselves! It's high time you got back down to earth!", they suddenly heard Limburger yelling. They looked up and saw him standing in the opening from the helicopter with a gun in his hand. He opened fire.
"Wooaoow, this chunky cheese ball wants to ground us!", Vinnie yelled, while he avoided the shots.
"Yeah? Well, ain't no Plutarkian bringing me down", Modo growled and fired his armcannon. He hit the gun in Limburger's hands and the fish flew back inside because of the force.
The mice climbed further, and when they reached the helicopter, Vinnie wrapped his tail around one of the rods of the landing gear.
"We gotta get this bird back on the ground", he smiled and let go off the rope.
"Hey, how about a leg up, bro? If you don't mind sharing the glory, that is…", Throttle chuckled, still hanging on the rope.
"Hey hey! Let go off my ego", Vinnie cheered. "One leg up, coming up!" and he cupped his hands.
Throttle swung towards him and set his foot in Vinnie's cupped hands.
"Alley… oop!" and Vinnie pushed him up. Throttle landed on the top of the helicopter.
"Ah, I wonder if I still have a… delicate touch with machines", he said while activating his knuck knocks. He clenched his fist and punched a hole into the the roof. The blades stopped spinning and the helicopter started to fall down.
Vinnie finally saw a way to release a little bit of his adrenaline. He unwrapped his tail and dove down.
"Heeeee diiiiives!", he yelled and made a somersault before grabbing the robe.
"The women swooooooon", he laughed while whirling down the rope to his bike. He jumped on the seat. "Aaooww, am I inspiring, or what? HAHA!"
He fired his jets.
"Bikes! FIRE!", he laughed almost hysterical at his bro's bikes and they did what he ordered.
Vinnie steered his and the other two bikes towards a building and landed on the roof. Throttle and Modo quickly jumped off the helicopter and the whole thing crashed against the building. Karbunkle flew out and landed on the ground, but Limburger was still lying in the cockpit.
"This hasn't been a very good day…", he sighed.
Modo and Throttle climbed back on the helicopter and Modo grabbed Limburger and pulled him out of it.
"Yeah? Well, it's about to get worse!", he growled, shaking Limburger.
"Bingo, cheese face. We got you at last..", Throttle said, his voice low.
"And you're going back to Mars, to face the music!", Modo finished.
Limburger looked up at him, sweat dripping of his face.
"Oh my…"

The mice picked up Kiwi, who was waiting for them at the pavement closeby LP. Vinnie wrapped his tail around her and gently set her behind him. He squeezed his tail softly and looked over his shoulder, giving her a teasing smile. Kiwi saw something was up, she could see it by the look in his eyes, but she decided to ask later. She wrapped her arms around him and that was when she saw Limburger sitting in Throttle's sidecar.
"What the...?", she asked and looked at Throttle, a questionable look on her face.
"Yeah, we finally caught ourselves a fish, babe…", Throttle said, smiling. But he also had a strange look on his face.
"Yeah and now we are gonna take him back to Mars. For trial!", Modo added. The gray furred giant was so caught up in the moment, he didn't thought about for a second what these words meant for the human girl that was sitting behind Vinnie.
Kiwi breathed in sharply and the shock jolted through her whole body.
"T- to Mars?", she stuttered. "You're really going back?"
"Well… That's the plan, sweetheart. It was what we always meant to do… All we need is old stinkface his transporter…" Vinnie swallowed, trying to keep his cool. "Why? Gonna miss me?", he asked, looking over his shoulder with a arrogant smile on his face, but so much sadness in his eyes.
"Are you crazy? It would be like a vacation around here… At least, till you'll get back… You are… coming back… right?", Kiwi tried to sound calm, but her throat squeezed tightly because of all the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her.
"I don't know…", Vinnie said, biting his lower lip.
Kiwi felt tears jumping in her eyes and she held Vinnie tightly, trying to control her emotions. Vinnie lay his hand on hers, their fingers entwined. He squeezed softly, to let her know he felt the same.
Throttle looked up at the sky, his thoughts with Carbine. Was he gonna see her again? He sure hoped he did. But then he sighed. Like things were different now. She had made her choice…
"Life… It never ain't a straight road…", he sighed.
Kiwi almost started to hyperventilate. She knew that this moment would come, one day. But she didn't expected it to be so soon… The thought alone that she was gonna return home without the mice, that she was gonna be alone again… it was literally taking her breath away. How was able to pick up her own life again? She was nothing without the mice. How was she gonna live without Throttle's calm and understanding words, spoken by that husky voice? How was she gonna live without Modo, who always tried to take care of her, like the gentleman he was? And… she couldn't even think about living without Vinnie. Her soulmate. He was the only one who completely understood how she felt. He was the only one who could calm her down. He was the only one who… God… How was she gonna live without her family?
The last thing she wanted, was to stand in the way of them going back home. It was their home, after all. Their own people needed them. They had Limburger now. Chicago was safe again. Their presence was needed elsewhere. And no way she was gonna stop them. That would be the most selfish thing to do. But what she didn't told them, was that she already knew one thing...
She wasn't gonna survive this. There was absolutely no way she was gonna be able to go back to her life without the mice. This was gonna kill her. One way or another…

Pfeewiee... That was one tense chapter, alright. But it does explain a lot, right?
Please review! :)