You guys, thanks for the reviews!
Yeah, Kiwi can be feisty, alright ;)
And okay, I'm just gonna stick to the story line :)
I promise, there'll be more Martians later on in the story. :D
Right, let's continue :D
Chapter thirty
"God dammit, Ruby, PICK UP!", Kiwi cursed loudly when she got voicemail, again, for like the twentieth time now.
Vinnie lay a hand on her shoulder to calm her nerves. Kiwi looked desperate up at him.
"What if we're too late?", she whispered in fear.
Vinnie shrugged.
"We don't know that yet, sweetheart."
"I just wish I knew where she works…", Modo sighed.
"Yeah, well… It's a secret department of the government. No way we're gonna find it", Throttle said, his ears twitching.
Everybody was on edge. They had no idea how to reach Ruby if she wasn't gonna pick up her phone.
"Maybe I should go to the City Hall and just ask…", Kiwi mused.
"Sweetheart, honestly… Even for a smart girl like yourself, this is the most stupid thing I ever heard ya say. You just gonna walk in and ask about the most classified department in Chicago? What do ya think they're gonna say; Oh sure, ma'am, just down the hallway, first door at ya right?", Vinnie chuckled, shaking his head.
Kiwi's head jerked up and she was about to retort, but then she realized how stupid it was indeed and she smiled with a blush on her cheeks.
"Yeah, okay… Point taken."
Modo suddenly jumped at his feet.
"Oh momma, all this waiting just drives me crazy. I'm gonna go look for her."
But before he could walk away, Throttle stopped him.
"And where are you gonna look? We have absolutely no idea where she is right now…"
"I know, but I can't just sit here and do nothing", Modo said, his low voice shaky.
"Big fella, I understand your concern, but there's nothing more that we can do right now…"
The tension rose. Everybody was on edge, especially Modo. The gray furred giant opened his mouth…
*RING RING*
Kiwi almost threw her phone in the air because of the sudden sound. She quickly looked at the screen.
"It's Ruby! Thank god…" and she picked up.
"Ruby! Finally we…", but before she could say anything further, Throttle snatched the phone outta her hands.
"HEY!", Kiwi called out startled and confused.
But Throttle only gave her a apologizing smile and held the phone by his big ear.
"Ruby, it's Throttle. Is this line secured?"
Ah. Right. Kiwi had to admit, she never thought about asking. Guess that's the difference between soldiers and citizens.
"Throttle? Yeah, it is. What the hell is going on?"
"Listen to me, it's very important you're not gonna dig for Limburger at your work, you hear me?"
"Eh, yeah, I hear you loud and clear. Care to share what's going on?"
"Not over the phone. Please tell me you haven't started yet?"
"God, who do you think I am, some sort of super woman? I have work to do, you know. I don't have the time to sit on my ass and read old and dusty files all day. These kinda things cost time. Gosh, and I thought you were the smartest of the three."
Throttle smiled. That's Ruby for ya.
"Copy that. Abort the mission, alright?"
"Yes sir", she answered sarcastic, but then her voice softened.
"How's Kiwi?"
"She's fine, giving everything that's happening. Why don't you come over tonight, so we can explain everything?", Throttle asked, meanwhile glancing at his gray furred bro. His whole face lit up when he heard Throttle saying those words.
"Are you asking me for another dinner?"
"Eh…", Throttle hesitation, and looked one more time at Modo before he continued. "Actually, Modo is…"
There was a silence for a moment.
Modo's eyes grew big and a blush was clearly visible under his gray fur. Throttle gave him a reassuring smile.
"Okay. Let's just do it over. But tell Kiwi no fuzz this time, okay?"
"Yeah, sure. See ya tonight."
Without responding, Ruby hung op.
"Throttle, I can't believe you've just said that, bro…", Modo said, still blushing and looking very uncomfortable.
"HA! Someone is love, alright!", Vinnie snickered.
Throttle chuckled.
"Modo… Bro… I dunno how to say this friendly, so let me just say it. If we have to wait till you finally find the courage to ask her out…"
"We'll all be old and wrinkled and you can call Ruby 'ma'am' all day", Vinnie finished with a big smile. "You really need a little practise, bro."
Kiwi giggled. The look on Modo's face was just priceless. Throttle smiled too. Even if he still had a little trouble in accepting his bro's being with a human girl, he'd decided to let it go. They deserved to be happy. Let's just see where it goes.
"Alright, you lummoxes. Leave the big fella alone", Kiwi said quickly when Vinnie opened his mouth again. She figured he had enough for now.
"I'm gonna go do some groceries for tonight. You guys hold the fort and please, don't break anything", she warned, looking at the white furred mouse, who looked back innocently.
"What? I never break things…", but he flinched when he saw her warning look. "Well, not on purpose, that is…"
Kiwi shook her head. Honestly. She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek and left the house.
The bro's looked at each other.
"Well, now we have the house for ourselves…", Vinnie started.
"Let's watch the ballgame!", his bro's finished and they dropped on the couch, cheering loud.
"So, you're saying we can't even try to figure out who's behind the accident that killed Kiwi's parents, because it's too dangerous?", Ruby asked.
They were sitting in the kitchen, eating hot dogs and drinking root beer. No fuzz.
"That's right", Throttle nodded. "If they find out someone is digging, you'll be the next having a 'accident', babe."
Ruby looked at Kiwi.
"And you agree with this?", she asked, somehow having a hard time believing that.
But Kiwi nodded.
"Yeah, don't really have a choice, now do I? I don't wanna lose you too. And like someone very wise told me, killing someone isn't gonna bring them back", and she winked at Vinnie, who blushed.
"Yeah, that may be true, but still… You just gonna let them get away with it?"
"It's not gonna make any difference, I guess… Things just are the way the are…", Kiwi said slowly, but doubt was clearly hearable in her voice.
Vinnie heard it. And he somehow got the feeling this whole thing was gonna get a follow up. Later on. When the anger was gonna come back, after summering for a while. But time would tell. He just needed to keep a close eye on her.
"Kiwi is right, babe. It's too dangerous. And it's not gonna change anything…", Throttle said, looking at Kiwi, who nodded at him.
"Okay…", Ruby said slowly, clearly not convinced. But she decided to let it go for now.
"So, Ruby ma… RUBY. How was your day at work?", Modo asked, polite as always.
Kiwi quickly took a bite from her hot dog to hide her smile.
Ruby stared at Modo, clearly still having no idea how to deal with this gray furred creature.
"Eh, good. I guess… Thanks…"
Modo smiled at her and she smiled back, although a little hesitant. Kiwi studied the red headed woman. She was clearly not at ease. And that was weird, giving the fact she was always so… steady. Maybe she was feeling something too, just like Modo. That would be so cool.
Ruby cleared her throat and looked at Vinnie.
"Listen, bouncing ball, I'm sorry for the way I talked to you last time. It wasn't my intention to judge you, but I did. And for what it's worth, I do understand you."
Vinnie stared at her for a moment, but then a blush appeared on his cheeks. He fiddled with his fingers under the table and shrugged.
"It's okay…", he said softly.
Kiwi almost melted. Dammit, he could be so cute sometimes. Behind all the bravado, there was this shy, insecure guy that had no idea how to handle this kinda situations. Gosh, it was touchy.
Ruby sighed, rubbing her belly.
"I'm gonna explode if I'm gonna eat one more hot dog. Honestly, how is it you guys can eat this all day?" But before anyone could say something, she already shook her head. "Don't answer that."
She rose on her feet.
"I'm gonna go home. I'm exhausted. Thanks for dinner, Kiwi. This time, it was nice."
Kiwi wanted to get up, but Ruby was quicker.
"Stay where you are, I know the way out. Have a good night, gentlemice. You too, Kiwi."
And she walked away. Modo was sitting a little lost at the table, clearly battling with himself what to do.
Vinnie sighed exaggeratedly.
"Honestly, Modo… go after her."
Modo jumped at his feet and quickly followed the red headed woman. She was already outside and he ran after her.
"Ruby! Ruby, wait!", he yelled and Ruby turned around, a questioning look on her face. Modo stopped in front of her, suddenly completely blacked out. Great idea, Vin. Now what?
"What is it, big guy?"
"I eh… Well… I…", he stuttered.
Ruby smiled. Poor guy. She took a deep breath and grabbed him by the shirt (yes, he was wearing his shirt again for dinner). She pulled him closer and pressed her lips against his.
He breathed in sharply, but soon recovered and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. Very gentle. The feeling of her lips against his, her scent, the warmth of her body… It almost made him wanna cry. Finally. After all these years…
She broke off the kiss and smiled.
"I must say, I never thought kissing a mouse would be this good", and she winked at him. He smiled and let her go, feeling very uncomfortable. Ruby turned around and without saying a word, she drove away in her car, leaving Modo behind on the driveway, with a dazed smile on his face.
Oh momma… What a woman.
A few days past in peace. Modo was clearly with his head elsewhere, and when they weren't talking to him, he was staring into space, still with that dazed smile. Throttle was happy for him, but was feeling slightly concerned what was gonna happen if they needed to get back into action. What if he was too distracted?
At the same time, he was worried about Kiwi. She was just way too… relaxed. Given everything that had happened the past few days, like finding out that her parents were killed by the government… Her first reaction was the one he'd expected. Anger. But now… Throttle couldn't lay his finger on it.
He'd tried to talk to Vinnie about it, but as always, the white furred mouse just waved it away. Honestly, having a normal conversation with that mouse was still impossible. Sometimes, he had these bright moments, but they were still rare. But Throttle knew his younger bro, sometimes even better than himself. And he'd seen in his eyes he was also concerned about his girl. So, Throttle decided to keep an close eye on her.
The sun was shining. Throttle was lying in the grass in the yard, his eyes closed and enjoying the warmth on his fur. Luckily, it wasn't summer yet. Then it would be way too hot to lie in the sun. Unlike Modo and Vinnie, his tan coloured fur was longer. And thicker. But for now, it was great.
He was thinking about Carbine. Right before Rimfire took off back to Mars, he had gave him a letter. A letter he wrote for Carbine. He missed her. So much. Seeing his bro's in love wasn't making things easier. And having no contact at all with the love of his life, was making him feel frustrated and sad at the same time. But he tried to keep his head straight. He couldn't afford to get too distracted. If he was gonna make mistakes, there was a possibility his bro's would pay the price. And he would never forgive himself it that would happen.
He peeked through his eyelids and saw Vinnie doing his exercises in the grass. Modo was busy with his bike. Throttle closed his eyes again.
Ahhh… This was living.
He slowly felt how sleep was clouding his mind and he just let it happen.
But all of a sudden…
"YIIAAOOOWW! Keep that thing away from me!"
Throttle jerked upright and grabbed his gun. But when he saw what was wrong, he put it away with a big smile on his face and walked over to the scene.
"What? Why? Look how cute he is!", Kiwi exclaimed and held up a black and white spotted kitten. "Come on, you're not gonna tell me you're scared of a cat? I mean, I get the whole cat and mouse thing, but I think this is not the same..."
"No, no, no", Vinnie shook his head and scrambled backwards.
Kiwi looked at Throttle, who smiled. He opened his mouth, but before he could explain...
"Ha… Ha… Hatsjoe!"
Vinnie sneezed, still walking backwards.
Kiwi stared at him for a moment, but then she caught on.
"You're not saying…"
"Bingo, Kiwi ma'am", Modo smiled, who was stopping Vinnie.
"You're allergic to cats?", she asked in disbelief.
"Hey! Why're you saying it as if it's a weird thing? It's not like I… ha… ha… hatsjoe!"
Vinnie sneezed again. And again. Kiwi just stared at him, the kitten still in her hands. The poor mouse just kept sneezing, his eyes were red and tears escaped through his lashes.
"Ah… well, that sucks…", she eventually said.
"Where did you find it?", Modo asked.
"I spotted her in the bushes closeby. She was all alone, and I just thought… Well, I got enough space and… But clearly, this is outta the question. I will bring her back, maybe she wasn't alone after all…"
Kiwi was clearly disappointed. But Vinnie's reaction wasn't a joke. This was not gonna work.
"Sweetheart, get that thing outta here, please…", Vinnie managed to squeeze out with a nasal voice. His eyes were almost as red as his ruby red irises and his eyelids were so swollen, he could hardly keep them open.
Kiwi finally landed back into the world of the living.
"Oh my god, yeah, sure. Jesus, Vin, I'm sorry, I'm already gone!" and she quickly ran away, the kitten still in her hands.
Vinnie quickly grabbed a bottle of water that was standing on the table and emptied it over his head. He rubbed his face, still sneezing.
Throttle and Modo looked at each other, trying very hard to keep their faces in check. But it was no use and they burst out into laughter.
Vinnie froze and opened one bloodshot red eye.
"HEY! This isn't funny!", but his voice was still sounding weird and he sneezed again.
Throttle and Modo were holding each other to avoid they were gonna collapse, since they laughed so hard.
Vinnie shook his head in annoyance. Great. Just great. A kitten. God dammit. Why did he never tell her he was allergic? Jesus. Luckily, probably thanks to his quick Martian Mice healing system, the symptoms were already ebbing away. He took a few deep breaths. Ah. Better. He shook his wet head and opened his eyes, glaring at his bro's, who were still laughing.
"Did you see the look on his face?", Modo rumbled, holding his belly.
"Oh man, I wouldn't have missed it", Throttle chuckled.
Okay. That's it. Enough is just enough.
Vinnie clenched his teeth, launched himself at his bro's and tackled them in one movement, using his feet and tail at the same time. His bro's let out a surprised yell and Vinnie pushed them on the ground. But his bro's fought back and soon, a big ball of three rolling, big Martian Mice made his way through the garden.
At that point, Kiwi came back and stopped in front of them. They stopped with what they were doing and smiled at her.
"Oh, you're back already", Modo smiled.
"Hey babe. We're just doing our… exercises. Yeah, that's it", Throttle quickly added, realizing how weird this must look, lying all over each other. His bro's smiled and they quickly untangled themself, so they could start their push ups.
Kiwi giggled.
"Honestly, you guys don't need to explain yourselfs. Vin, you okay?", she asked, looking at the wet face of the white furred mouse. But his eyes were almost back to it's normal color, and when he answered her, his voice sounded normal.
"Ugh, yeah, I'm fine. Let's just forget about this whole thing, alright?"
"Sure thing", Kiwi quickly said, smiling. "I'm sorry, by the way. If I knew…"
"Yeah, yeah", and Vinnie quickly jumped at his feet and pulled her in his arms. Before she could say anything further, he claimed her mouth and gave her such a heated kiss, she could only stare at him when he broke it off. He winked at her, with that arrogant smile. He sure knew how to shut her up.
His bro's, still lying on the floor, whooped. Kiwi's head turned into the colour of a fully grown tomato and she cleared her throat.
"I eh… I got the mail, by the way…" and she held up a letter for Throttle and a cardboard tube.
Vinnie snatched the tube outta her hands and Throttle the letter. It was from Carbine. But… how in the world is that even possible? She was on Mars. He was on Earth. How… Never mind. He couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and started reading.
"Ah YEAH! It's finally here!", Vinnie cheered, opening the tube. A human sized poster fell out and Vinnie quickly unrolled it.
Kiwi stared at it, looking at the huge photo of Vinnie. What the…
Modo looked at it and laughed.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"All I had to do was sending one of my wallet sized pictures to this place advertising on the late show and VOILA!"
Kiwi picked up the bill that was lying in the grass. Typical.
"Voila? You just charged me with 53 bucks for this…", Kiwi said slowly, shaking her head.
"Oops… Oh well, you just can't put a price tag on pure art, now can ya, sweetheart?" and he winked at her before looking at the big poster again, a admiring look on his face while looking at himself. Honestly…
"Who could argue with logic like that? It's not too small, is it, Vinnie?", Kiwi asked, looking at the white furred mouse.
"Hmmm", and Vinnie rubbed his chin. "A little. But hey, the wall is only so big. Gotta remember to stop by the frame store later…" and he rolled the poster back up and put it in his bike.
Kiwi shook her head and looked at Throttle, who was done reading the letter. He carefully put it in his pocket. Kiwi opened her mouth to ask him about it, but then…
A loud cracking sound took their attention. The ground was shaking for a moment, but after a loud bang, it stopped and silence dawned back on them. Throttle quickly looked at the road outside the fence and saw a big crater. What the…
"Hey bro's. You two playing hammer tag outside again?"
His bro's joined him.
"WOW! Somebody stole the road…", Vinnie called out, but then he wrinkled his nose, realizing how stupid that sounded.
"Yeah! And everything under it…", Modo added.
Kiwi rolled her eyes.
"Geez. I wonder who could be responsible…"
"A certain land logged salmon comes to mind…", Vinnie said, rubbing his chin.
"This is weird, alright. He normally need weeks to rebuild his tower... ", Throttle mused.
"Yeah… Well, time to go dig up some answers", Modo said, putting on his helmet.
His bro's followed his example, but Vinnie quickly kissed Kiwi before he did. Again, it was a passionate kiss and Kiwi just wished she could drag him with her to her room, but unfortunately; duty calls.
"Stay safe, macho mouse", she whispered against his lips and he smiled arrogant, looking down at her.
"No sweat, sweetheart. Mucho macho mammajammer hero stuff!" and he jumped at his bike.
"Let's ROCK…"
"... and RIDE!"
They drove to the city, but when they came around a corner, they bumped into a small army of goons, sitting in their buggies, blocking the road. The mice hit the brakes.
"Looks like a unwelcoming committee, bro's", Modo said dryly.
Throttle shrugged, grabbing his handlebars tightly. Vinnie was looking at him with a hopeful glance in his eyes.
"So?", the tan furred mouse said, revving his bike. "Let's mangle them."
Vinnie's smile almost split his face in half.
"Party time!"
They drove towards the goons, full speed, but the weirdest thing was that the goons didn't do anything. One of them was looking at his watch, the other one yawned…
Suddenly, the ground started to shake and they heard that weird, scraping sound again. The road was starting to bubble like water in a hot tub and cracks became visible. The mice had a hard time to keep their bikes under control, but it was too late. The whole road under them just disappeared and they fell down into the deep crater.
"Oh man!", Vinnie yelled, trying to fire his jets, but they already crashed on the ground and he flew off his bike. So did his bro's.
Vinnie rubbed his helmeted head, his teeth clenched. Luckily, he wasn't wounded. They all knew what was gonna happen if he was wounded. His bro's seemed okay too. Good. Probably a big disappointment for Modo, since he was dying to see his Ruby again, but hey… There were more pressing matters to deal with right now. Like the army of goons, that was now standing on the edge of the crater, looking down with a smile on their faces and guns in their hands.
"Hey, bro's! I'd say those hollow heads just got the drop on us", Throttle called out, stating the obvious. "Big time!"
And the goons opened fire on them. The mice quickly jumped into the air, landed on their hands, pushed themselves up again and when they landed back on their feet, they grabbed their guns. Well, Vinnie and Throttle did. Modo raised his arm and they returned fire, aiming on the ground under the goons their feet. That worked and the goons fell down into the crater.
Limburgers minions looked up at the three Martian Mice with blasters in their hand, who were looking back at them with a mischievous smile on their faces.
"Geez. Three of us. Six of them", Modo smiled.
"We got them outnumbered", Vinnie snickered.
"I'd say; let's even the odds, shall we?", Throttle asked, looking at his bro's.
They nodded and he and Vinnie threw their guns over their shoulder.
Vinnie cracked his knuckles, smiling evilly at the goons. The latter were standing in fighting position, but when they saw the smile on Vinnie's face, their eyes grew big.
"Uh oh…", one of them sighed.
The mice launched themselves at the goons and all too soon, it was over.
The mice flew outta the crater on their bikes, leaving the goons tied up behind.
"AAAAOOOWW, pounded and bounded!", Vinnie cheered.
"HAHA! Biker Mice style!", Modo laughed.
They landed and pumped their fists into the air.
"YEAH!"
"We're here in the old town area of Chicago, where archaeologists have determined that all these mysterious craters are actually millions of years old! And just moments ago, this peculiar artifact is found in one of the craters", the news lady said, looking in the camera.
The bro's were watching from a safe distance at the object and used their helmets to zoom in. It looked like a helmet… with initials on it.
"L.I.? That's Limburger Industries", Throttle said confused.
"And that metal thing next to it looks just like…"
"Greaspit's…", they said in unison.
"Time to hit that old war path again, bro's", Throttle said.
"All the way to the tower of sour", Vinnie smiled.
"To lash some scaly hind!", Modo finished.
They revved their bikes and drove to the tower, that was rebuilt. How Limburger had pulled that one of was a mystery, alright. But it wasn't top priority right now.
When they were close, the ground started to shake again.
"Ah man, not again!", Vinnie called out, trying to control his wobbling bike.
"WOW! Heads up!", Modo yelled and they quickly fired their jets and flew away. Just on time, because another crater made a huge hole in the road.
The mice landed a few meters away and stopped.
"HA! I don't care for the race, but the track is kinda fun", Vinnie smiled.
"Ya know, it looks a little bit quiet up there", Modo said, pointing up at LP.
But the words just left his mouth when a camera spotted them. Hedges opened and more camara's came out, and they all opened fire on the mice.
"Split and hit, bro'! HARD!", Throttle ordered and they did as he said.
Modo took one side and blew up the shooting camera's by using his armcannon.
Vinnie was in the mood for a more badass scene this time and when he turned his bike towards the lasers, he climbed on the seat while the bike drove full speed to the building. He grabbed two laser guns, one outta his leg holster, the other one outta the back of his pants and returned fire. The camera's blew up and Vinnie jumped into the air, preformed a perfect smooth somersault and landed on the seat again, cheering loudly.
"Have I got style, or what? HAHAHA!"
Throttle just fired the laser from his bike and when Vinnie and Modo joined him, they drove up and crashed through some walls and doors and came to a halt in the office of Limburger with shrieking brakes.
Again, a camera opened fire and they dodged it, firing back at the same time and, of course, the poor camara didn't had a chance and exploded.
Throttle looked around, but there was only silence.
"All clear!", the tan furred mouse confirmed, putting away his gun.
"We've been through the whole place and not a creature was stirred", Modo said, looking around him.
"Not even a mouse. Mighty, Mickey, or Martian", Vinnie smiled, putting away his gun and pulling off his helmet.
Throttle stepped off his bike and walked to the desk.
"Well, I dunno… We must have missed something…", he said, looking into drawers. But then, a small control panel caught his eye. "Like this, maybe…" and he pushed the red button that was in it.
A huge machine rose outta the floor.
"Something tells me this thing is not exactly your average Plutarkian transporter", Modo said, looking at the machine.
It did look a lot like a transporter, but it was so different at the same time.
Throttle walked over to it, rubbing his chin. Then, he shrugged and pulled a lever. The image of a dino appeared on the small screen in the control panel.
"Mystery solved!", he smiled.
"It's a time machine!", Modo called out.
Throttle turned around to face his bro's.
"So, contestants, outta the category of schemes, the question is…", he started.
"Do you think Limburger is going into ancient history?", Modo continued, a thoughtful frown on his face.
"And is he scooping dirt right outta Chicago's stone age?", Vinnie finished, a proud smile on his face.
"Bingo. That correct answer moves you into the lead, Vincent…", Throttle smiled without thinking, but when he saw the look on Vinnie's face, he sighed. Why did he say that? Dammit. He quickly continued, not giving the white furred mouse the time to brag.
"Now, we gotta stop him, boys, or this city is totalled before it's even been build!"
"HAHA! Only one thing to do then…", Vinnie snickered, already forgotten what Throttle had said. Only one thing could take his mind of himself and that was whippin' tail, or in his words; party.
"One battle in the past coming up!", Modo nodded at Vinnie, also looking happy.
Of course, Vinnie was the biggest adrenaline junkie in the whole galaxy, but his bro's also never backed down from a opportunity to fight.
"Okay, Freedom Fighters!", Throttle's voice echoed through the office and Modo and Vinnie looked at him. He was putting on his helmet. "Let's rock and ride into a space timed paradise!" and he revved his bike.
His bro's quickly jumped at their bikes and when they got their helmets on, Modo laughed excited.
"Oh yeah!", and he and Vinnie high fived.
"Down in history", Vinnie cheered.
"Haha! I kinda like the sound of that!", Modo agreed.
Throttle shook his head with a smile. His worries were uncalled. Modo was focussed alright. Good thing too. This was gonna be one hell of a trip.
They popped a wheelie and drove straight into the machine. Vinnie grabbed his handlebars tightly when he felt how the air around his just became tighter and tighter. It felt like his body was pushed into a tube that was way too small. Breathing was difficult and when he thought he was gonna die in the most boring way instead of having a battle in the past, he suddenly could breathe again. He looked down and saw green land. They fell down with a dizzying speed and there was just no time to turn this into a controlled landing. The tires of their bikes slammed against the ground and because of the force, the mice flew off and landed hard on the ground, their bikes next to them.
Vinnie landed on his belly and slid a few meters and he eventually ended up in one of the most uncomfortable positions, his ass pointing up and his neck crooked into a painful way.
"We just gotta start planning our entrances better", he moaned, pushing himself up.
"Yeah. Watch out for that last step…", Modo agreed, rubbing his lower back.
"Wow, speaking of steps… Let's just hope this one's from yesterday…", Throttle gasped when he saw they were standing in a huge footprint.
But suddenly, the ground vibrated and they heard loud steps coming closer. They slowly turned around and their mouth fell open. A huge dinosaur, a T-Rex to be specific, was standing in front of them. The animal was immens and the mice had to lay their heads in their necks to look at his head. Which wasn't a pretty nice view, by the way. Rows of sharp looking teeth looked back.
"Oh momma…", Modo breathed, still staring.
The T-Rex opened his mouth and growled, while lashing his tail. It hit a tree with so much force, it just flew away like it was nothing.
"Now that's what I call whipping tail…", Vinnie said, somehow impressed.
Modo raised his arm cannon, but Throttle stopped him.
"Easy, easy. You can't blast a innocent creature, Modo! We're in his world now!"
Modo lowered his arm, looking at Throttle with a desperate look on his face.
"More like in his menu, bro…"
They quickly ran to their bikes and jumped on it. Right before the T-Rex wanted to grab them with his mouth, they sped away.
But the animal wasn't gonna let his snack walk, or drive in this case, away without a fight. He followed them, the ground was shaking with every step he made.
Vinnie looked over his shoulder.
"Is it my imagination, big fella, or are you a little on the hungry side?", he asked.
A loud growl was his answer. Vinnie chuckled and spotted a huge pepper hanging in a tree. Well, he just assumed it was a pepper. It did look like one. He drove along it and grabbed one.
"Bon appetit…", he smiled and threw it over his shoulder, right into the mouth of the T-Rex.
Yep. It was a pepper. The T-Rex stopped death in his tracks, making coughing sounds and rubbing with his small forepaws alongside his mouth. He quickly turned around and ran away, searching for water.
"AAAAOOOWW!", Vinnie cheered happily.
The mice stopped their bikes and watched the poor animal running away. But then, something caught Throttle's eye. It was a car and it it was…
"Yo bro's! Got a cheesy source for ya…", he said when he spotted Limburger in the car, that drove by.
"Let's ride!"
They followed the car and spotted it across a weird green river.
"Fire jets, guys!" and they used a big stone as a ramp. But when they were up and halfway, a arrow with a rope shot through the air and flew through their tires. It slammed into a big tree and the rope was pulled tight. The back of the bikes just flew up and threw the mice off, falling down into the weird river. They went under, and when they came up, they were covered in green slime.
"Wow!"
"This stuff is strong!", Modo called out, pulling on the slime that was on his armcannon. It looked like bubble gum or something like that. It was sticky and draughty.
"Yeah, but it's good for pimples… or so they say…", Vinnie breathed, while pulling on the slime on his helmet.
Limburger's evil chuckle took their attention.
"Won't the researchers have a field day when they excavate the three of you in four or five million years… assuming they ever find you… muawahahaaaa!"
The mice looked at him. He was standing at the edge of the river, looking way too satisfied with himself, and Greasepit was standing next to him, also smiling.
They noticed the green stuff was pulling them further down. They fought against it, but it only made it worse. It was like quicksand, actually. The harder they struggled, the further they were pulled down. And soon, the last thing they saw was that hideous smile on Limburgers face.
Luckily they had their helmets on, so they wouldn't suffocate immediately. But come on, this wasn't a cool way to die. Vinnie's words.
Meanwhile, back in the present day, Kiwi was worried. The mice were way too long gone. And it was also way too quiet. And the most disturbing thing… The tower was still standing. Oh, and let's not forget about the holes in the ground that just suddenly appeared outta nowhere. That also didn't stop. So, yeah… there must be something wrong. But what could she do? She was no soldier. Vinnie had said it himself. No, but she just couldn't sit here and do nothing, right? Her computer skills were completely helpless right now. Well, she could use it to bring security down, if necessary. But she could only do that if she was gonna get close enough. Okay. Let's just do this. She was never gonna forgive herself if the mice were in trouble and needed her and she was just sitting here, doing nothing. She quickly grabbed some basic tools outta the garage, in case the bikes needed a quick pit stop. She also took her computer with her and she jumped in her car. You got this, girl. The guys need you. I just feel it.
When she parked closeby LP, it was way too quiet. Brake marks made clear the mice had been here. Obviously. She walked to the tower, keeping a sharp eye on her surrounding. But there was nobody. The only thing that was missing was a piece of tumbleweed and the music of an old western movie. She sneaked inside and used the elevator to go upstairs. She was on edge. But like, really on edge. Every noise she heard made her heart skip a beat. Sweat was streaming down her back. Her breathing was fast and shallow. Come on, girl. You got this. A loud ping made her jump into the air, but she soon realized it was the elevator and the doors slid open. She laughed relieved and stepped inside Limburger's office.
Hmmm…
"G-guys?", she whispered, looking around her.
She saw a weird looking machine. And the same marks she had seen outside.
"No question you guys have been here…"
She walked towards the machine. It was some fine piece of technologie. And she soon realized she was looking at a time machine. Wow… She studied it closely. This must be where the guys went. Oh my god, they went back in time. They just left her here, alone. She quickly gave herself a mental shake. Come on, Kiwi. They wouldn't leave you behind if there wasn't a reason for it. And of course they would come back. Stop whining, god dammit. Go after them.
She took a deep breath and stepped on the small stairs. When she was standing in front of the gate that was gonna bring her back millions of years, she somehow hesitated. Well, not weird, giving the circumstances. She raised her hand and touched the weird looking light. That was a mistake. As soon as she touched it, it felt like something grabbed her and dragged her inside the machine. She let out a scream, but soon, it felt like she couldn't breathe anymore. She clawed to her throat, her eyes wide. Flashes of light were circling around her. She started to panic. Oh my god, she was gonna die in here. What did she do?
But all of a sudden, she could breathe again. And she inhaled fresh air. She noticed she was falling and she looked down. Oh shit. Her mouth opened and she screamed her throat raw. She expected to hear the mice their bikes now, but the only thing she heard was the wind whistling in her ears. The ground came closer and closer and she squeezed her eyes…
BAM.
She landed into the bushes, which luckily broke her fall. She lay still for a moment, giving her brain time to process what just happened. But soon, her breathing became calmer and she slowly got upright. When she looked around her, she breathed in sharply. Oh my… She really was back in time. Bushes and big lawns of grass stretched out as far as she could look. Wow. But where were the mice? It was also way too quiet over here.
She climbed on her feet and stumbled outta the bushes.
"Ugh. These macho mice make this hero stuff look so much easier than it really is…", she muttered under her breath, pulling on her foot that was stuck between some branches.
She took a deep breath when she was loose and started to walk. She had no idea where to go, but her feeling was telling her that this was the right direction. And she was right. She suddenly spotted the cherry red color of Vinnie's bike and she ran towards it. But then, she froze. This was weird. The bikes of the mice were hanging on a rope on their front tires above a green river. Her gaze lowered and she suddenly saw Modo's hand coming out it.
Shit.
"Oh my god, guys!" and she ran to the edge of the river. Shit, shit, shit. How was she gonna get them outta here? She touched the green water, but it wasn't really water. More like… sticky slime. There you had it. No soldier, remember? There was no way that she, a small and slender built girl, could drag three big, macho alien mice out of this. Panic took over and she screamed in frustration. They were gonna die. Because of her. Again, she was helpless. Useless. Again, she could only watch how her family died. And the thought of that, the fear that came with it, paralyzed her.
And the only thing she could do, was stare at the river while silent tears were streaming over her face...
Poor Kiwi. How is she gonna do this?
Puhlease, review! :)