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Love you all!
Barpon: Thanks for your advice and your very kind words, I really appreciate it. I feel like a stubborn teenager when I say: but… But I'm still gonna do it. ;)
I do re read my chapters, mostly like four times. Most of the chapters are written a week before updating so they do have some time to breath. But still, the small typo's are very hard to find sometimes, especially with my focus and concentration being affected by medication. I sure hope it's not too annoying while reading my story. Again, I really appreciate your advice!
As for the rest (and also for Barpon of course); Thank you so much for your kind words, for your support and for taking the time with almost every chapter to write a review. Really, without you guys this story wouldn't have come this far. Can you believe it's already has 450 pages? And over 250k words? It's amazing. Thank you guys so much.
Well, let's get continue the story. The arrival of General Carbine. Oh dear, shit is about to get real.
I had a real struggle with writing this chapter, DAMN YOU huge ass writers block, but thank the holy Mothers of Mars, it's finished!
Enjoy, hope you guys like it! ^^
Chapter forty
Throttle was sitting in the yard, staring at the blue sky, deep in thoughts. The heat was doable today and Throttle needed some fresh air. So, he'd taken place on the lounge set that was standing in the shadow closeby the house. His heart was racing in his chest. Only one thought kept haunting him.
What will happen when Carbine set foot on Earth?
He sighed heavily, trying to keep his calm. But even for him, that was hard. This was gonna be a disaster and he had no idea with how many consequences. And on top of it all… He had absolutely no control over it.
"Hey bro, we're back", he suddenly heard Modo's heavy voice from behind him.
He looked up surprised. He'd been so deep in thoughts, he hadn't even heard the engines of the bikes of his bro's.
Vinnie jumped over the back of the couch and dropped next to Throttle.
"Hey there, fearless leader. How was your talk with your lovah lovah? Did you clean the camera afterwards?", he teased his tan furred bro.
Throttle rolled his eyes, but said nothing. That concerned Kiwi, who sat down next to Vinnie.
"You okay, Throttle? You look… worried…"
The tan furred mouse took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. That simple movement allermed them all. Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Modo, who was sitting on his other side, shared a worried look with Kiwi.
Vinnie studied his bro.
"Yeah, what's eating ya, bro? Carbine didn't kiss ya back or something?"
Throttle put his glasses back on, clearly annoyed.
"Well, now you mention it, Vincent… She didn't."
Vinnie heard the sharp tone in his voice and looked at Modo.
'Poor guy', he mouthed at his gray furred bro, who shook his head and gave him a warning look before his gaze landed back on Throttle again.
"You better just tell us what's wrong, bro. As my old gray furred momma used to say; never hold back bad news, it only makes things worse. Just spit it out, like you rip off a band aid. Because I know you bro, and you do have some bad news to tell… Is it… about Rimfire?", he added hesitantly, in fight with himself if he even wanna know the answer.
Throttle jerked upright, giving himself a huge inner scolding. Dammit, grab yourself together and just tell them. Modo was right, he needed to spit it out, they were living in a war, for fuck sake. No wonder Modo was scared something may have been happened to his nephew. Stupid move, Throttle. This was no time to hold things back.
"No, no, no, Rimfire is fine, don't worry, big fella. It's about Carbine. She's on her way to Earth as we speak."
"WHAT? Ah man! You've gotta be kidding me!", Vinnie blurted out, but Throttle held up his hand to stop him.
"That's not all. She eh… She's not really amused by the fact that we made Kiwi part of the team…"
Kiwi narrowed her eyes in confusion.
"What? Why?"
Throttle threw his hands in the air in frustration.
"I really have no idea. I told her what happened and she just… well, she made herself very clear she wasn't happy with it."
"Oh come on! Knowing Carbine, you probably mean; she's not just 'not amused', but on her way to Earth like a nuclear mass destruction missile that's gonna wipe out whole civilization", Vinnie exclaimed.
"What? Jesus, Vin, you really are good in exaggerating, aren't you?", Throttle snapped at him, but Vinnie had already seen the look on his leaders face. And he knew that look. He was too familiar with it.
The General was angry.
"Am I right?"
Throttle tensed, but then let out his breath in defeat.
"Yeah. She's pissed, man."
"Man… Really something to look forward to, Carbine on a murder mission. Such a good vibe for the ambiance. Ugh, what is wrong with that woman?"
Throttle jumped at his feet so fast, Vinnie only just realized it when the tan furred mouse grabbed him by the bandana and pulled him closer, his snout almost touching Vinnie's.
"I know you and Carbine have a history, but that woman is still my girl. Have a little respect, bro…", he hissed between clenched teeth.
Vinnie knew he was on dangerous grounds now. Throttle didn't get angry that easily, but beware for the ones who mess with his girl. You do that, you mess with him. Vinnie knew that all too well by now. He'd found out the hard way. And somewhere deep down in his with adrenaline overwhelmed brain, he could understand the guy stood up for his girl. Heck, he would do the same.
But this was Carbine they were talking about. The mouse who had 'Ice Queen' as a nickname. Vinnie hated her. And he hated to see what she was doing to his bro. The guy deserved better. Much better. But he didn't say all of this. Although many wouldn't agree, he did have some self preservation. He knew he had to stand down, otherwise he was gonna get his ass kicked. Not that he couldn't handle that. I mean, come on. He was Vinnie van Wham, after all. But he'd learned the hard way that fighting about this wasn't gonna solve anything. It would only cause Throttle ignoring him for days.
And if there was one thing he hated, next to cheese, it was being ignored. So, he raised his hands in defeat.
"Okay, okay, chill bro. Geez… Before you give yourself a heart attack, man", he sighed, but his fur bristled.
Throttle let him go and Vinnie adjusted his bandana, his tail giving away his annoyance.
Kiwi was watching the scene with growing worry. What the hell was going on here?
Modo cleared his throat.
"Throttle, you happen to know why she's so upset? I mean, I don't get it… I thought we could use all the help we need..."
Vinnie opened his mouth, really, it was a reflex, but Kiwi pulled his tail to stop him. He let out a yelp and gave her a angry glare, but did manage to keep his mouth shut.
"I was curious about that too", she added, now looking at Throttle.
"To be honest, I have no idea… My guts are telling me she's angry because I didn't ask for her opinion first and took the decision on my own. Well, with you guys, of course. But without consulting her first."
Modo had a thoughtful frown on his face.
"Okay… So, she feels like we passed her?"
"Maybe… Look, I really have no idea, she suddenly yelled she was coming to Earth and broke the connection. I guess we'll just have to wait and see when she gets here."
Kiwi was still confused.
"But… I thought you guys weren't in the army, but fighting this war from a rebellious resistance? How is it she's having so much power?"
"Oh hell no, we're no army! Never been and never will be", Vinnie opened his mouth again. He crossed his arms before his chest.
"But our beloved Carbine is taking her job as a General very serious. A little too serious, if you ask me. I mean, we're the Freedom Fighters. We fight for freedom. And I prefer to do that in freedom, without being treated as if we're some dumbass soldiers whose only job is to follow up orders without asking questions. If I wanted that, I would've joined the army, for fuck sake. But the army fell apart during the war, no surprise there, suckers, and joined the Freedom Fighters. Which was a good thing, 'cause we needed the numbers. But Stoker put Carbine in charge for the moments he was busy with other things, god knows what... Big mistake."
The last two words just slipped out and he quickly looked at Throttle, but the tan furred mouse chose to ignore it.
"So, where is Stoker now?", Kiwi asked.
"Last I heard he's a prisoner in a Plutarkian work camp. Rimfire and his team are working on a plan to get him out. But till then, Carbine is the one who gives the orders. Look, no matter what everybody is saying about her, she is a good leader. Despite her temperament, she already did a lot of good things for the Fighters and for Mars", Throttle explained.
Vinnie snorted, but said nothing.
Modo shrugged.
"Well, all we can do is wait and see, just like you already said, bro. When she's gonna be here?"
Throttle thought about it for a moment, making a few calculations in his head.
"My guess, tomorrow morning."
"Fine. Vinnie, come on. We're gonna go for another ride", Modo ordered and rose on his feet.
Vinnie looked at him, a little puzzled, not sure why the gray furred giant was proposing that.
Modo saw the doubt on his white furred bro's face, but knew exactly how to get him into motion.
"I still want a rematch for that time you won in the sand dunes by foul play", he pointed out casually while walking to his bike. A white blur flew past him, cheering loudly. Modo shook his head with a smile. So easily to convince, that white furred younger bro of them.
Kiwi watched them go and looked at Throttle, confusion written on her face.
"What just happened here?"
"I guess Modo wants Vinnie to blow off some more steam before Carbine arrives. Ya know, so he's not that hyped up."
Kiwi bit her lower lip, not sure if she could ask this. But fuck it.
"Look, I know what happened to Carbine's niece. I know that gave a lot of trouble. But is that really the reason why he doesn't like Carbine? And why Carbine doesn't like him?"
"It's one of the many reasons. You need to understand; Vinnie is the complete opposite of Carbine. Carbine expects discipline and obedience. Vinnie, of course, lacks those two character traits, as you know too well by now. I personally think it's because Carbine wants to have control. And she can't control Vinnie. And that's driving her crazy. And she somehow refuses to see that all Vinnie wants is to be treated with respect, getting the recognition he so desperately needs from time to time. He can be a huge pain in the ass, but he's loyal. Once you've earned his loyalty, he's really not that hard to control. And he's a great soldier. One of the best. Don't tell him I said that", he smiled at Kiwi, who smiled back. "Look, I don't wanna say that it's all Carbine's fault, because that's not true. Vinnie did nothing to earn her respect either. He disobeys her, to a certain level that is, but still… Well, a lot has happened in the years we were living on the base with each other. I don't think they ever are gonna get along."
The last part came out a little sad. Kiwi took his hand.
"It must be hard for you, to stand between them."
"You have no idea, babe. I tried everything to make sure they were at least able to be in the same room without blowing each others heads off, and that worked for a while. But then the whole thing with Carbine's niece happened, Vinnie who doesn't know when to stop pushing her… To be honest, I just don't know how to get this fixed anymore. I can't talk about it with Vinnie, because that always ends up with broken furniture or worse and Carbine, well.. they're both stubborn as hell. And now she's on her way over here... "
"So ehm… Am I still gonna have a house when this is all over?", Kiw asked, trying to sound nonchalant while studying her fingernails.
Throttle chuckled, despite his worries.
"I hope so, babe. But let me promise you this; I'll do everything in my power to let this whole thing go smooth and subtle. I just hope it's gonna be enough…"
Kiwi heard the doubt in his voice.
Oh boy….
Maybe Vinnie's right. Maybe Carbine was a nuclear mass destruction missile. Hmmm... This was gonna be very unpleasant.
Kiwi couldn't sleep. That had two reasons, actually.
One; she was nervous because of Carbine's visit.
Two; she still was upset because of Ruby's sudden leaving.
She slid outta bed. Sleeping was clearly outta the question right now. She quickly put on some clothes and tiptoed down the stairs. The whole house was silent. She could hear the crickets twitter loudly outside and she decided to go take a look in the guesthouse. She opened the door in the kitchen and walked outside. It was still warm outside, even at night. It was crazy, this whole heatwave thing. But at least the airco still worked. Sometimes Vinnie's temper tantrums were kinda coming in handy.
She sneaked into the guesthouse, pricking her ears when she was inside. She could hear Modo snore, even from here. God, it was so loud. How the others could sleep with all that noise was a mystery to her, alright. She tiptoed to Throttle's room and softly opened the door.
The tan furred mouse was deeply asleep, lying on his side, snoring softly. The sheets were loosely wrapped around his body, his tail peeping out as a lifeless snake. Kiwi smiled and closed the door. Modo was still snoring loud, so she skipped his room. It was obvious he was asleep.
Before she opened Vinnie's room, she suddenly remembered what Throttle had said. Waking up a soldier with trauma could be dangerous.
But, after a small hesitation, she opened the door and walked inside. A smile appeared on her face when she saw the white furred mouse lying upside down, his feet where his pillow used to be, but was now lying on the floor, so were the sheets. He was lying on his belly, in his characteristic sea fish position. She just stood there for a moment, watching him sleep. Should she wake him up? She wasn't sure. After looking at him for a while, she made a decision.
She grabbed the sheets and the pillow and threw it on the bed. Vinnie stirred and let out a soft growl while turning on his side. But he didn't wake up. She quickly took off some of her clothes and crawled next to him, the feeling of his soft fur under her fingers already calming her nerves. Vinnie froze for a moment, but then wrapped his strong arm around her waist and pulled her against his strong torso. His tail wrapped around her ankle and he buried his nose in her hair, letting out his breath. Kiwi smiled and closed her eyes. It didn't took long before she was asleep too.
The next morning, Kiwi woke up because of movement next to her. She opened her eyes and saw Vinnie standing on the bed, looking outside.
"Hey there, macho mouse. Whatcha doing?", Kiwi yawned, rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms after that. Vinnie turned around and looked down at her with a grin.
"I could ask you the same thing, doll. If I remember it right, I was alone when I went to sleep."
He dropped down next to her and kissed her.
"Not that I mind waking up next to you", he whispered against her lips.
Kiwi wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. But she suddenly heard a loud noise outside, it sounded like the engine of a plane.
She froze.
Vinnie felt it and ruffled through her hair.
"Oh, right. I can proudly announce to you that the holy General Carbine has arrived", he said sarcastic, his ears twitching.
"Oh… Maybe we should stay here. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this talk…"
Vinnie grinned.
"Ain't gonna happen, pretty lady. No worries, I got your back."
Kiwi buried her nose in his fur, holding him tightly. But Vinnie untangled himself and gently pushed her head up with a finger under her chin. She looked up into his twinkling eyes. How the hell could he be so cheerful on a day like this?
"Come on, cover that beautiful body of yours. The General expects us."
He said the last sentence with a low voice, his eyes fuming for a moment. Ah, so he wasn't that cheerful at all. He probably pretended to be, to calm her nerves. But he was hyped up, she could tell. She saw it in his eyes.
"Vinnie, uhm…", she started, but she had no idea what to say.
What could she say? That she wanted him to stay calm? That he needed to behave? As if that would help. Throttle tried that for years now. Besides, this was something between him and Carbine. She didn't wanted to be that meddlesome and bossy girlfriend. Vinnie looked up while pulling on his sweatpants.
"What, sweetheart?"
"... Never mind. Just try to make sure my house is still standing after all this, okay?", she quickly said, while sliding off his bed.
"Sure thing…", he answered absently.
Kiwi watched him while pulling on her own clothes, seeing how the sweatpants was hanging low around his hips and felt a tingle in her belly.
Vinnie saw her looking and smiled that crooked arrogant smile she loved so much.
"Enjoying the view, sweetheart?", and he wiggled his eyebrows.
Kiwi suddenly figured this maybe could be a way out and she smiled back seductively, waving her eyelashes.
"Well, now you mention it… I do…"
Vinnie's eyes became darker for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
"Nice try. Come on, let's go. I know, despite everything, Throttle wants us to be there. And you really don't wanna piss that guy off, trust me."
He grabbed her hand and dragged her outside with him. Throttle and Modo were already standing closeby the grass, looking at the big ship that was now turning off its engines, giving a welcome silence in return.
"Morning, bros. What a lovely way to start the day, ain't it?", Vinnie asked when they joined them, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Throttle looked next to him, at Vinnie who was only wearing his sweatpants. He was holding Kiwi's hand, who also only wore a small pyama thing/outfit. He lifted one eyebrow and just when he wanted to ask how it was even possible they both came outta the guesthouse at the same time, the loading dock slowly opened.
He turned his gaze back on the ship, his breathing fastened. Slowly, she came into view and there she was.
Carbine.
He felt his heart made a jump in his chest and he suddenly forgot everything and everyone around him.
Despite the reason she was here, he was still so happy to see her. He felt his lips curling into a big smile, he just couldn't stop it. Finally, he had the chance to hold her in his arms again. He started to walk closer to her, when another mouse popped up next to her, making him stop death in his tracks.
She hadn't told him she was gonna bring company.
The mouse next to Carbine was also female, but smaller than Carbine. Her fur had the colour of honey, same as the long hair that was waving in curls over her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and clear, looking back at him from behind glasses, making her eyes even a little bit bigger. The outfit she was wearing had the same colours as Carbine's, making clear she belonged to the Freedom Fighters. But Throttle had never seen her before. And by the looks on his bros faces, they hadn't either.
Throttle recovered himself and walked closer to the ship, his bros and Kiwi hanging back.
"Carbine…", he said softly, still that smile on his face.
Carbine was still standing on the loading dock, a stern look on her face. But that soon changed. No matter how angry she was, seeing Throttle standing in front of her, alive and kicking, also brought a big smile on her face.
"Hey there, stranger. Missed me?", she winked at him, walking closer.
Throttle spread his arms and finally… finally he was holding her again. His heart made another jump and he wrapped his arms around her, sniffing up her lovely scent. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the pure happiness of this reunion.
"You have no idea…", he said softly.
Then, he looked down at her. Into her beautiful brown eyes, who looked back at him, twinkling from joy. He gave her a little smile before pressing his lips on hers. A shiver went through his whole body. God, he had missed her so much. And he was so glad that, despite their differences, she was clearly also very happy to see him.
Modo and Vinnie elbowed each other, whooping at their bro.
Throttle smiled against Carbine's lips and gently broke off the kiss.
"Welcome to Earth, babe", he whispered, his voice even more husky.
Carbine smiled and touched his cheek.
"Thanks, gorgeous."
Throttle let her go in reluctance, knowing it was time for someone to introduce herself. He looked at the honey coloured furred female, who was now standing behind Carbine.
It was as if Carbine only just now realized she'd brought someone with her.
"Right! Throttle, meet Amira. Amira, meet Throttle."
Amira raised her hand and Throttle shook it, surprised by the firm grip.
"It's nice to meet you. I heard a lot of things about you and your friends and yes, only good things", and she smiled at him. Her voice sounded like Christmas bells.
"Can't say the same thing about you, ma'am", Throttle answered polite. "But before you tell me who you are…", and he turned around, signing to Modo, Vinnie and Kiwi to join them.
Modo walked closer with a firm step, followed by Vinnie who almost needed to drag Kiwi with him.
"This is Modo", Throttle pointed at the gray furred giant who now was standing at his right. "Modo, this is Amira."
"Nice to meet you, Amira ma'am", Modo answered, nodding at the small female mouse. Then, he looked at the light gray furred General.
"Carbine ma'am, it's good to see you", he smiled.
Carbine smiled back and patted the big mouse on the arm.
"Good to see you too, big guy."
Throttle would've made a vow before he continued, if he was a religious mouse, that is. But he wasn't. Let's just hope for the best.
"And this is…"
"Vinnie van Wham, baddest mamma jammer for this side of the asteroid belt, the Velocity Atrocity. An honour, I'm sure", and he winked at Amira.
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the smile that curled her lips. Honestly….
Amira was staring at Vinnie for a moment, obviously not sure what to say. Throttle quickly used this moment to take the attention away from Vinnie.
"And this is Kiwi."
Kiwi nodded at Amira, who was now staring at her. Probably the first time she sees a human, Kiwi thought.
"Amira is our biologist, and she insisted to come with me on this mission. I'll explain later", Carbine said almost toneless, looking at Kiwi.
Kiwi grabbed Vinnie's hand without thinking, a blush on her face. Well, this was awkward. The look in Carbine's eyes made her feel very small all of a sudden.
Damn, she could understand why she was a General and why people listened to her without blinking. She probably could let a cow sing "Jingle Bells" by only using that look.
Carbine's gaze lowered and landed on their entwined hands.
Kiwi could feel Vinnie tense and she quickly let go off his hand.
"Why don't we go inside and talk there?", she blurted out.
Carbine put her chin in the air, but then nodded. Kiwi was already on her way, almost running away from that horrible moment. How was it even possible that she stood up against this woman back then on Mars? Well, that was kinda in the heat of the moment. But now… This was different.
Ah man…. This was gonna be a loooong day.
Carbine and Amira were staring at their plates with pancakes. Kiwi smiled, this was a deja vu, alright. They had the same suspicious, almost scared, expression on their faces as the guys back then, when they first saw a pancake. But when the girls saw the guys enjoying theirs, they hesitantly took a bite. Amira smiled when she swallowed.
"This is amazing. What is it?"
"They call it a pancake, Amira ma'am", Modo answered. "It's typical Earth food."
Amire nodded enthusiastic, taking another bite.
Carbine said nothing and she even had a slightly arrogant look on her face while eating the pancake.
Kiwi was playing with the food on her plate, not hungry at all. Vinnie saw it and pointed at her pancakes.
"Are you gonna eat that, sweetheart?", he mumbled with his mouth full.
Kiwi sighed and shove the plate towards the white furred mouse, who stuffed another pancake in his already full mouth. Kiwi quickly glanced at Carbine, who was rolling her eyes.
"I see some things never change", Carbine said with a disgust look on her face while watching the white furred mouse eat, or maybe better said, gormandizing his breakfast.
Vinnie quickly swallowed his bite and let out a burp.
"Guess so. Looking at you, know so", he answered, a challenging look on his face.
"What's that supposed to mean?", Carbine snarled back.
"You're still that cold hearted bitch since the last time I saw you. No offence…", he added with a arrogant smirk.
Amira breathed in sharply, looking in shock at the white furred mouse.
Modo squeezed the bridge of his nose.
"Here we go…"
Carbine clenched her fists, but Throttle intervened.
"Vincent, stop talking. Carbine, chill. You know how he is."
"What? I said; no offence!", Vinnie protested, but then continued his breakfast after one more glare at Carbine.
Carbine took a deep breath, probably trying not to let Vinnie get under her skin. But Kiwi could see it took her a lot of strength to hold herself back.
"Anyway. Amira, how did you end up with the Freedom Fighters?", Throttle quickly asked to change the subject. He knew a explosion between these two was unavoidable, but the least he could try was to buy them some time. Maybe, just maybe, this whole mess would be forgotten.
HA. Who was he kidding?
"Well, before the war, I worked for the government as a biologist. Me and my team protected the wildlife and fauna on Mars while doing research. We let the nature take its own course, but intervened when necessary. Mainly to save species from extinction. When the war started, I was protected by the army and tried to my job as far as the war let me, but eventually, the army needed all their manpower to fight against the Plutarkians and the plants were the least of their concern. I disappeared for a while, lived under the ground with a few mice. It was safe. But after a while, I was starting to feel useless. And I hate to be useless. Right at that point, I ran into Stoker while going out for some fresh air. He told me about the Freedom Fighters and I offered my services as biologist. I mean, someone needs to protect the planet's wildlife and fauna. If this war is over, we need to rebuilt. And we can't rebuilt a planet that is completely dead."
"Interesting. And why did insisted to come with Carbine to Earth?", Throttle asked curious. This girl was no fighter, he could tell. There must be another reason.
Amira's face darkened.
"The reason I came along is because of the Martian Squirrel Bat. They're vital to the Martian ecosystem, and they survive by eating the Martian Pink Seed. But the plant is gone. Destroyed by the Plutarkians. And now, there are only a few Squirrel Bats left. If they extinct, Mars is done."
"So?", Vinnie asked, a little bored, slurping at his rootbeer.
"So, I heard there is a Martian Pink Seed plant here on Earth", Amira answered patiently.
"What? How is that even possible?" Modo almost spit out his root beer in surprise.
"Limburger has one in his museum."
"That stink breath has his own museum?", Vinnie asked surprised. They never knew.
"Yeah, Rimfire heard about it when he was captured in the tower", Amira explained.
The guys shared a look.
"Well, then I guess we need to go grab that plant, right boys?", Throttle smiled.
"Hero time!" and Vinnie jumped at his feet, but Carbine shook her head.
"Later. First, I wanna talk about something else…", and she looked at Kiwi, who shrunk a little.
"Ah man, such a buzzkill", Vinnie moaned while dropping back on his seat, his tail twitching. "You're right, some things do never change…", he added, glaring at Carbine, who decided to ignore him. She was still looking at Kiwi, her eyes narrowed. Kiwi braced herself.
Here we go…
"So you think you have what it takes to join the Freedom Fighters?", Carbine asked, a patronizing tone in her voice.
Kiwi slowly nodded, not sure what to say. She still had no idea why the General was acting so hostile.
"You're a human. You can't ride a bike. You can't fight. You know nothing about war, strategy… It's pathetic, really."
Kiwi froze.
"Carbine, please… I already explained why Kiwi is a good gain for the team. She even made it possible to make contact with Mars… I mean, doesn't that alone give the girl enough credits?", Throttle protested, not liking the way Carbine was talking to Kiwi. What was wrong with her?
"Well, maybe if she was a mouse? But come on, guys. This isn't even her war. Everybody in the Freedom Fighters has a story, a story that makes sure they're devoted to this war. What's hers? Besides being Vinnie's little slut, that is."
Kiwi's eyes grew big and she jumped at her feet, but Vinnie stopped her by pushing her back on her seat. He looked at Carbine, his eyes fuming.
"What did you just say?", he asked. His voice was so low, it sounded more like a growl.
Kiwi felt goosebumps by hearing it.
"Guys, come on…", Modo started, but Vinnie ignored him, still staring at Carbine, who looked back with a very smugly smile on her face.
"I must have hit a sore spot here... ", she said softly.
"What is your problem?", Kiwi suddenly blurted out, anger slowly clouding her vision.
Carbine gave Vinnie one more look before she turned to Kiwi.
"You are my problem. Look, I really appreciate what you did, to make it able that Throttle and I can talk now. But that doesn't make you a soldier, you know?"
"Why are you so against it? And I never said I was a soldier, I wanna join because I can do other things, things with computers. Just like your biologist over there, who also joined the Fighters with another purpose than fighting!", Kiwi snapped, pointing at Amira who looked as if she just wanted to vanish into thin air, right here, right now.
"Please, leave me out of this…", she mumbled and she quickly stood up from her seat. "I'm gonna go check on that Squirrel Bat", and she almost ran outta the kitchen.
"She's a mouse. You're human", Carbine stated.
"Well, thanks, Captain Obvious. But that's still no answer to my question. Why are you so angry and why are you so against me joining the team? Please, do tell, because I have no idea!"
Carbine clenched her fists and Vinnie tensed, ready to jump into action if Carbine only though so much about touching Kiwi.
"One. You're a human. Humans are weak, fragile and not to be trusted. Two. You're with Vinnie and I made a promise to myself that no girl is gonna get heartbroken under my watch because of that white furred so called Don Juan. That almost sounds as if I wanna protect you, but that's not the case here. I wanna make sure that this time, I did everything to avoid another girl is gonna kill herself because of him. Three. You're stubborn, hot-tempered and you have a big mouth. I already have to deal with one Vinnie, two is gonna be too much. Four. No one ever asked me for my opinion…"
"Geez, I wonder why", Vinnie snarled, clearly not amused by the fact how she was talking about him.
Did she really now just blamed him for Rose her death? What the...
"... and five… You flirted with my guy!"
Kiwi's jaw fell open. Well, she definitely didn't see that one coming.
Throttle looked at Carbine, a confused look on his face.
"What? What the hell are you talking about, Carbine?"
Carbine took a deep breath to calm herself a little and looked back at him.
"You remember that video that was send by Brie? I never got the chance to watch it till the end, until a few days ago. I saw her, hugging you, touching you…"
Vinnie burst out into laughter, he just couldn't help it. Not because he was having the time of his life right now, but because he just couldn't believe his oversized ears. Everybody turned their heads to look at him. He took a few breaths before he looked at Carbine.
"Wauw, and here I was, thinking you couldn't sink any lower. You ever heard of being friends? Nah, don't answer that. Of course you don't."
Carbine narrowed her eyes, but Throttle quickly grabbed her hand.
"Babe, I would never do anything behind your back. Besides, I love you. I also love Kiwi, but as a sister… Don't doubt my love for you. Ever."
"I don't doubt you, babe. I just don't trust her."
"Carbine ma'am, I just wanna say something here…", Modo intervened. "Kiwi ma'am has done a lot for us since we crashed here. A few times even saved our tails. Without her, we would be dead by now. After all the things we went through, we grew closer to each other. We're like this little family. She's like a sister."
"A sister, huh?", Carbine asked with a cold voice, looking at Vinnie. "Right…"
"Well, she is to me and Throttle", Modo said unperturbed.
Carbine looked back at Kiwi, who looked back challenging. Gone was the fear. There was only anger left. Frustration. Pain. Nobody ever talked about her like that. And although she would never say it out loud, it made her heart sore. It somehow confirmed her thoughts she always had about herself. The thoughts that slowly had made their way to the back of her mind since the mice were here. But now they were back, as if they never went away. She was weak. A nobody. She was better of dead…
"Okay, I will give you the benefit of the doubt about flirting with my guy and I'm truly grateful for what you did for them. But you're not gonna join the team and that's final."
"Babe…", Throttle said softly.
"As if we listen to any word you're saying. She's already part of the team, whether you like it or not. And we're gonna stay here, fight our fight with Limburger, with Kiwi by our side. And that's final", Vinnie stated.
Carbine's eyes spit fire and she jumped at her feet.
"For once, you're gonna do as I say, Vincent, or…", but Vinnie slammed his fist on the table and also jumped at his feet.
"Do NOT call me Vincent! You have no right, you hear me?", he growled, his ears flat next his head in fury.
They were both leaning forward over the table, staring threatening at each other.
"Vincent…Carbine...", Throttle started, but it was too late.
Carbine grabbed Vinnie in his neck and slammed his head against the table, pushing him down.
"Now you listen to me…", she started, but Vinnie exploded.
He wrapped his tail around her wrist of the arm that was holding him and squeezed with so much strength, Carbine had no other choice than to let go. Vinnie pushed himself up and launched himself on the General in one movement. They both fell on the floor and after a short struggling, Carbine ended on her back with Vinnie on top of her. The white furred mouse was overwhelmed with anger, a red haze in front of his eyes. He clenched his fist and raised it.
Forgotten was his promise to himself to never hit a woman.
"Vinnie, NO!", Kiwi yelled, knowing this was only gonna make things worse. She ran closer to them, avoiding Modo's grabbing arms when he wanted to catch her to make her stop.
Vinnie froze for a moment and Carbine immediately took advantage of it. She wiggled to get loose, pulling her legs up and set her feet against Vinnie's chest. She pushed him away and the white furred mouse landed on his back, but before he could stand up, Carbine was standing next to him and planted her right foot between his legs, without giving too much pressure at first. Vinnie stopped moving, and looked up at her, breathing heavily. Carbine looked back at him with a triumphant smile on her face and slowly shifted her weight to the foot that was still parked in Vinnie's balls.
"Now, if you still wanna use that one thing you always follow without thinking, you better start listening to me. I…", but she suddenly felt someone pulling on her arm. She turned around, a surprised look on her face when she looked straight into the face of a very upset human girl.
"Keep your filthy paws of my guy!", Kiwi growled, before she tried to hit Carbine in the face.
But Carbine saw it coming and ducked. That movement caused more pressure on her foot and Vinnie moaned in pain. That made Kiwi even more angry and she pushed the General with all her strength. It maybe didn't let her fall on the floor, but she needed to let Vinnie go to avoid she was. Kiwi ran towards her, her teeth clenched and Carbine raised her hands to stop her, but hit Kiwi full in the face in the process. The human girl's head snapped back and she fell on the floor, knock out.
"No, Kiwi!", Vinnie called out and he crawled to his girl. He quickly checked her, but by the looks of things, she was only out cold. Blood was dripping out her nose, her front teeth had made a cut in her lower lip and was also bleeding. Vinnie looked up at Carbine, pure hatred in his eyes.
"Why you…", but Carbine raised her hands again.
"Vinnie, I'm sorry, I didn't do that on purpose, I…", she stuttered, a defeated look on her face.
Vinnie jumped at his feet, but this time Modo intervened. He grabbed the white furred mouse and stopped him before he could do something he knew he was gonna regret later on. Vinnie struggled to get loose, but Modo held him without too much effort.
"Happy now?", Vinnie snapped at her, giving up his fight to get out Modo's hands. He knew he was never gonna win that.
"I already told you, it was an accident, I wanted to stop her, but…"
"But she just ran into your fist, right!", Vinnie snarled.
"That's enough!"
Throttle's husky voice echoed against the walls. The tan furred mouse stepped between Carbine and Vinnie.
"You guys are acting like two goddamn kids. Why, for fuck sake why, can't you two at least TRY to get along? This is ridiculous!"
Vinnie stared at the floor, almost hanging in Modo's arms. Throttle almost never cursed. He was mad alright. Yeah well, then he should've put that girlfriend of his on a leash, god dammit.
"Throttle, I'm sorry, I…", Carbine started softly, but Throttle shook his head.
"I don't wanna hear it. Look, I know you're our General, and it was never my intention to give you the feeling your opinion doesn't matter to me, because it does, but this is one decision I made on my own. I think I deserve that trust. Kiwi belongs to us now, and that's final. Believe me when I say she has enough good reasons to fight this war with us. She lost her parents because of the Plutarkians, next to the part they're trying to do the same to Earth as they did to Mars. You said it yourself; where the Plutarkians go, we go. To stop them. Stop letting your own problems clouding your judgement. We can use all the help we can get. We need to fight this war together, side by side and not with each other!"
Carbine let out her breath, knowing he was right. She'd crossed a line. That somehow happened a lot when she was around Vinnie. He knew exactly how to get under her skin. She hated his guts, but he was a good soldier, she knew he was. The Freedom Fighters needed him. Throttle needed him. And truth to be told,she didn't even tried to get along with him indeed. Not that Vinnie tried either. But someone needed to be the adult here. But that was hard. This was personal. He'd messed with her niece, who was now dead, because she couldn't carry her pain anymore. And that was on him. She knew it was on him. And that wasn't the only thing he did. But everything else looked so small compared to what he did to Rose.
But she was projecting her anger on the wrong person. She looked at Kiwi, who was still lying on the floor. Even if she was Vinnie's girl, she deserved a honest chance. Even if she was human. And no fighter. But she had enough fighting spirit, she could tell. And she was smart. Throttle was right. She could be a good gain for the team. She just wished she wasn't with Vinnie. But she was. So, that's something she just has to deal with.
She suddenly realized what Vinnie's reaction was when she, accidentally, hit his girl. The look on his face… Hmmm… Maybe she was more to him than just a fling. Maybe…
"You're right. I let my emotions take over, that was wrong. It won't happen again", Carbine said to Throttle, who nodded at her. Then, his gaze landed on Vinnie, who was staring at Kiwi, still hanging in Modo's arms.
"I think you can let him go now, big fella", the tan furred mouse said softly and Modo did what he said.
Vinnie, who was deep in thoughts and hadn't heard Throttle give the order, dropped on the floor because Modo let him go all of a sudden.
"Hey man!", he called out outraged, pushing himself up.
"Whoops, sorry", Modo responded dryly.
Vinnie gave him one more glare before kneeling down next to Kiwi, who was showing signs she was waking up.
"Hey sweetheart", he said lovingly when she opened her eyes.
Kiwi moaned.
"Ugh, what hit me?", she mumbled, slowly coming up. She squeezed her eyes because of the pain in her neck.
"Eh, I did", Carbine said sheepishly.
Kiwi looked up at her, a little surprised. She never expected that Carbine would actually hurt her.
Carbine gave her a little smile, a faint blush on her face.
"I'm sorry, it was an accident, but still… Sorry."
Kiwi grabbed the towel that Modo handed over and held it against her nose, not knowing what to say. There was a uncomfortable silence for a moment. Carbine cleared her throat.
"So uhm… welcome to the team!", she smiled, trying to sound happy, but that failed. Not because she still was against it, but because she was ashamed she'd let it happen to let it come this far.
Kiwi looked at Vinnie, who gave her a encouraging smile. But it didn't reach his eyes. He was still very upset, she could tell.
"What made you change your mind?", Kiwi asked, looking back at Carbine.
"Throttle", she simply answered, giving the tan furred mouse a loving smile. He smiled back.
"Okaaayyy…"
"Look, I was wrong, I judged you before I even knew your story. I let my own emotions get in the way and that's wrong. I projected the anger I feel for Vinnie on you, and that's not fair. You deserve a honest chance, okay? Just… don't let me down."
Kiwi gave her a small nod. She normally was a rather forgiving person, but this needed a little bit more time.
"I never meant to hurt her, you know that?", Vinnie suddenly said, looking at Carbine.
"Rose", he added when he saw the surprised look on her face. "She was just there when I needed it and… well, things got outta control…"
Carbine took a deep breath.
"What do you mean, outta control?"
Vinnie stared at his hand holding Kiwi's hand for a moment, clearly not at ease to open up about this. Worse, to open up in front of Carbine. But he knew he had to. Because Carbine didn't knew the whole story. Obviously. If she did, she would never had the nerve to accuse him for being responsible for her death.
"She was obsessed. I mean, I get it, with this perfect body…", but Kiwi shook her head at him, her way of letting him know that this was the time to be serious for once.
Vinnie sighed.
"Okay okay. Look, I met her in this bar and well, it was just a one night stand. I made that very clear to her before we.. well... ya know… but she told me she was okay with that. That she wasn't searching for a relationship. But soon, I found out she was everything but okay with it. She really was obsessed. She followed me everywhere, popped up next to me outta nowhere, kept radioing my bike, wrote me letters… Gosh, even for me it was too much attention, ya know? It just wasn't healthy. It was downright scary sometimes. Everywhere I was, she was too. I tried to tell her she needed to leave me alone, that I didn't feel the same way, but she refused to listen. When she left a engagement ring in front of my door on the base, I was done. And I made myself very clear that I didn't want her…"
"You never told us, bro…", Modo said.
Vinnie stared at him.
"What is it with you repeating that stupid sentence over and over again, every time I tell you guys something? You should know me by now. I'm not really much of a talker. Jesus…"
Modo chuckled, scratching the back of his neck with a blush on his face. Vinnie was right, it was a stupid thing to say.
Carbine rubbed her chin, looking at the white furred mouse.
"Well, she never told me either… How do I know you tell truth?"
Vinnie's face darkened.
"I should've known you wouldn't believe me. You can say a lot about me, but I ain't no liar. But if you want prove, fine…" and he jumped at his feet and left the kitchen to the garage.
Within a few minutes, he was back and he pushed something in Carbine's hand.
"There ya go. Happy now?"
Carbine opened her hand and looked at the ring. It was a silver ring with a red diamond in it. She would recognize it everywhere.
"This… this is my grandma's ring…", she stumbled, looking at Vinnie.
The white furred mouse made a face.
"Ugh, that makes it even worse, she really expected me to wear a old woman's ring? Come on, what about my reputation?", he muttered under his breath.
"How is it you still have it?"
"Look, I may be a guy, but even for me it was very clear it was important to her. I tried to give it back, but she wouldn't let me. I decided to keep it with me, till she was ready to move on… That moment never came..."
"That's unusual thoughtful of you…", Carbine said slowly. She never had seen this side of Vinnie. She maybe, maybe, was slowly starting to understand why Throttle had managed to not to kill him after living with him so many years.
"Yeah well… I eh… yeah…", Vinnie stuttered, suddenly loss at words.
"This doesn't mean I like you now", he finally managed to say. "But I thought you had the right to know the whole story. Yes, I broke her heart. But I had no choice. And I refuse to carry the responsibility for her death. That was her choice, not mine. I already have enough to blame myself for…", he trailed off.
Harley.
Carbine knew he was talking about Harley.
"I still don't like you either. But thanks. For telling me."
Vinnie saluted and grabbed Kiwi.
"Come on, let's get you clean, sweetheart…", and he dragged her with him upstairs to the bathroom.
Throttle grabbed Carbine's hand.
"Come on, babe, let me show you around."
They left the kitchen, leaving Modo behind.
"Sure, I'll clean up the mess, no problem!", he called after Throttle, but with a smile on his face.
Maybe this was gonna work out better than they ever could've dreamed off.
Who knows… Perhaps miracles did happen after all...
BOOYAH!
Damn, I rewrote the 'kitchen scene' for like a 100 times or so, before I was kinda satisfied with the result. Finishing this chapter will do some good to my sleep, because every time I was lying in bed, I was staring at the ceiling, my brains forcing me to think about this scene the whole fucking time. Not sure why, though.
Anywayz, a lot is about to happen in the upcoming chapters. Something with a Pink Seed Plant, a little romance between Throttle and Carbine… and more.
And how are things gonna be between Vinnie and Carbine? I mean, Vinnie is not the most forgiving mouse in the universe and Carbine is stubborn too.
Well, we'll see!
I'd really appreciate it if you guys leave a review.
Thanks for supporting me, till next time!
Later dudes!