Wauw, thank you so much for your kind words!
Really, when I feel like shit, I just go read all the reviews you gave me and it always brings a smile to my face. It's so nice to hear you guys enjoying the story! I also have a lot of fun writing it. Using the old episodes is a lotta fun, also thinking about the way how to fit Kiwi in and how to give it my own twist. It's not always easy, but that's okay.
Easy is boring.
But your support means so much to me. Keeps me motivated. Keeps me happy. Makes me realize the thing I love the most right now, is writing. I gives me energy. I really hope I can turn this hobby into more, someday, somehow…
Well, I already published my first book. Who knows, one day…? I'll just keep my dreams. Without dreams, life is empty.

Anywayz, enough with the chit chats. On to the next chapter.

Enjoy! ^^

Chapter forty one

"So, this is it. This is where we spend most of our time", Throttle said, gesturing around him. He'd showed Carbine the house and they were now standing in the guesthouse.
Carbine was impressed.
"I sure do understand now why you don't wanna come back to Mars. This is heaven compared to what we have…", she said softly.
"Oh, Carbine… This not because I don't wanna come back and you know that. But as long as Limburger is out there…" Throttle grabbed her hand and pulled her in his arms.
She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his strong shoulder.
"I'm sorry… For my behaviour. Really, I am. I just… God, I just feel so frustrated all the time…", she whispered.
Throttle strengthened his embracement.
"It's okay, babe. How can I stay mad at you? I'm just so happy you're here. And hey, the house is still standing! I'm proud of you… It could've been be a lot worse."
Carbine smiled against his fur.
"Yeah… But still, I should've trusted you. Well, I do trust you, but you're right, you have a good right to make your own decisions."
"Sssshh… let's just look forward from now on, okay?", Throttle whispered while his hands slowly worked their way up and he cupped his hands around her head.
He looked at her face, the scar on her snout, her soft and shiny fur, those beautiful eyes… Slowly, he bend forward and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back, her hands still on his back. Carefully, he slid his tongue into her mouth, enjoying the fact he finally could taste her again. He let go off her head, gently lifted her and carried her to his bedroom. He didn't stop kissing her, he just couldn't get enough of her.

Once inside the bedroom, he set her back on her feet. Her hands crawled under his leather vest and she slowly took it off. His breathing became heavier and their kissing became more passionate. Throttle took off her shirt, only breaking off the kiss to pull it over her head. His hands slid over her body, starting by her breasts. Slowly, they slid further down and he unbuttoned her pants. She breathed in sharply and broke off the kiss, quickly kicking out her shoes and pants and Throttle smiled. Always so impatient. But he did the same and soon, they were both naked.
He lay his hands on her waist and gently pushed her on his bed. She lay down on her back, her black hair fanned out around her head. She'd never looked this beautiful and he still had a hard time believing she was really here, lying on his bed, on Earth. But she was. He climbed on top of her, claiming her mouth again. Carbine grabbed his hips and pushed his lower body against hers, making them both moan softly. He felt one hand grabbing his longer hair at the back of his head and the other slowly made its way down. And when she touched him, his whole body trembled. God, how long has it been since a woman had touched him? He'd no idea. He'd lost count. After all, it's kinda pathetic to count your sexless days.
When he was ready, he slowly made his way inside of her. She moaned his name against his lips and he leaned on his elbows, her head between his arms.
"I love you…", he whispered in her ear while making love to her.
Slowly.
Gently.
Lovingly.
"I love you too…", she whispered back, her eyes closed, her arms around his neck.
And Throttle knew, there was no other place where he wanted to be than here. No matter how many times she'd treated him like shit, no matter how stubborn, bitchy or mean she could be, he loved this girl with his whole heart, body and soul. No one could give him this feeling she gave him. As if he was finally complete again. And he vowed to himself, he was never gonna let her slip through his fingers again. But the look on her face told him she wasn't going anywhere. For now. Because he knew she needed to go back to Mars soon.
But that was only a physical distance. Right now, their souls connected, he could feel it. And they were gonna be together forever.

Vinnie gently cleaned the blood off her face.
Kiwi was looking at him while sitting on the closed toilet in the bathroom. His eyes were a little narrowed, the tip of his tongue was between his buck teeth in concentration. She smiled. He could be so cute sometimes.
But when he touched her nose, she let out a soft yelp and backed away from his hand.
"Autjs, that hurts!", she called out, while punching Vinnie on the arm.
The white furred mouse hardly felt it. He was studying her nose.
"What? Is it broken?", she asked, feeling a pang of worry because of the look on his face.
"Well, I hate to tell ya this, sweetheart…", he started, his voice low and Kiwi tensed.
"... but I have no idea. I ain't no doctor, remember?", and he smiled his most charming smile.
Kiwi growled in frustration.
"God, you really think it's funny to scare me like that? What if it is broken?"
"Where's Ruby when you need her?", Vinnie muttered under his breath, continuing cleaning her face.
Kiwi fell silent. Right. After all the commotion today, she almost forgot about Ruby. Great.
"There ya go, doll", Vinnie said lovingly while looking at her face from a small distance. "At least you don't look like some kinda serial killer anymore. Listen, let's just wait till tomorrow, okay? If your nose still hurts like hell by then, I'll bring ya to a doctor."
Kiwi nodded, but quickly stopped. Her neck was killing her.
"Maybe you should take some painkillers?", Vinnie carefully suggested.
"Watch it, macho mouse, before you're starting to get good at this", Kiwi warned him playfully while slowly standing up. He was right, though. She could use some.
He quickly grabbed the bottle of aspirin and gave it to her. Seeing her like this, with her bruised face and the cut in her lip made his blood boil.
"I should kick her ass for what she did to ya…", he said softly, his tail lashing through the air.
Kiwi quickly swallowed the aspirin and shook her head.
"Nah. After all, she didn't do this on purpose, remember? And I don't wanna end up homeless because you blow up everything in sight in anger. Let it go, okay?"
Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest, putting his chin in the air. But he gave her a small nod.
Good. Message received.
Kiwi studied her face in the mirror. The cut in her lip had stopped bleeding, but that was the only good thing she could find. Her nose was swollen, so were her eyes. She could already see a glimpse of a bruise that was forming under her right eye.
Great. Just great. Tomorrow she probably looked like she'd tried to tickle a kangaroo or something.
"But hey, at least she gave her permission", she said, trying to cheer them up.
Vinnie snorted.
"Pfuh. As if we need it…"
"We do, Vin. I know you don't see her that way, but she is the leader of the Freedom Fighters right now. NO, let me talk", she quickly added when she saw Vinnie was already opening his mouth. Vinnie crossed his arms before his chest again, but gave her a small nod, a sign to her to continue.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't like her either. But her permission makes things a lot easier in the future. So, at least we reached our goal."
Vinnie rolled his eyes, but said nothing, making clear to Kiwi he thought she was right. She turned around and lay a hand on his arm.
"And I'm sorry about what happened to Rose", Kiwi said softly.
Vinnie let out his breath.
"Don't be. She made her choice."
"Yeah, but still... "
Vinnie shrugged.
"It's done. We can't change the past. Let it go, sweetheart. I did."
Kiwi saw in his eyes he didn't, but decided to let it go for now.
"Man, she sure packs a serious punch", she moaned, feeling a little dizzy all of a sudden. She wobbled on her legs and Vinnie quickly grabbed her and scooped her in his arms.
"Come on, doll, let's get you to bed. You need to rest."
"But daddy, I don't wanna go to bed", Kiwi cried, her voice sounding like a small kid.
Vinnie looked down on her and grinned.
"Aaaooww, you can call me daddy everyday, sweetheart", and he winked playfully at her.
Kiwi giggled and when he lay her down on her bed, she dragged him with her.
"Why don't you stay here for a while, macho mouse?", she whispered against his lips. She saw them curling into that smile she loved so much.
"Sure, why not? I think I got some time…"

Modo walked into the stalkership, looking around him. It was a nice ship, he had to give them that. Luckily it was now in the hands of the Freedom Fighters. Behind the cockpit was a huge space, with couches and even a table. He spotted Amira, who was holding a small animal. She looked up when she heard a noise and when she saw it was him, she gave him a warm smile.
Modo smiled back and looked at the animal in her arms. He'd never seen a Martian Squirrel Bat before, but it looked a lot like a Earth Squirrel. Except for the wings, that is. Two small, leather looking wings came out of his back. And the ears were also bigger. Oh, and as far as he knew, Earth Squirrels also didn't had two little red antenna's between their ears.
"The poor guy doesn't look so good", Modo noticed.
"No, he's sick. He needs that plant. Otherwise he's not gonna make it... ", Amira answered, gently petting the soft fur.
"Well, when my bros are ready, we will go get that plant, Amira ma'am. Don't worry, we'll make sure this little fella is gonna pull through."
"I believe you. I heard you three are the best soldiers the Fighters has. I have nothing more than faith in you."
Modo scratched behind his right ear, always a little embarrassed when someone was saying this about them. He knew it was true, but he wasn't Vinnie. He didn't like to brag.
"Ah well, we're just doing our job, Amira ma'am. Nothing major."
Amire smiled.
"You're far too modest, but that's okay."
She gently lay the Squirrel Bat back in his cage, closing the door with a tenderness Modo thought was special. This girl must love her job very much.
"I eh… I just came to check on ya after the whole thing that happened in the kitchen. It wasn't really a nice welcome for ya... ", Modo mentioned.
Amira stared at her hands.
"Well, no, but it was clearly something that needed to be discussed. But I gotta admit, hearing someone talk to the General like that, it was… Everybody respects her, ya know? For what she's doing for Mars. We all look up to her, she's a good leader and very devoted. This whole thing was… let's just say; new to me", she eventually said, still staring at her hands. It was obvious this subject made her feel uncomfortable. Luckily, she was already gone when the fight had started.
"Well, I'm sorry you had to witness that, Amira ma'am", Modo said polite.
Amira looked up at him, her eyes almost looking like deer eyes behind that big glasses of hers. Her long, curly hair was now tied into a ponytail, giving her a somehow nerdish expression.
"Is it always like this? I mean, ehm… never mind, it's none of my business anyway", she quickly added, a blush on her face. Modo lay a hand on her shoulder.
"You're a Freedom Fighter. It is your business. To answer your question; no, it isn't always like this. It's just that Vinnie and Carbine aren't exactly best friends and Vinnie isn't scared to show his displeasure. Plus, we go way back. I met Carbine right before the war, when Throttle introduced her to me as his girlfriend. There was no war, no army, no Freedom Fighters… We were just friends. Vinnie met her later on, but back then she was only a soldier in the army. I do respect her, I also admire her devotion, but I sometimes have a hard time to see her as my leader, ya know what I mean? When I look at her, I still see that shy teenage girl I met years ago. But I don't have problems with listening to her, following up her orders and stuff. I ain't no leader, and I know someone has to be. But Vinnie only listens to two people and that are Throttle and Stoker. He sometimes listens to me, from time to time. But even with Throttle and Stoker, he's a big mouth. He's a real piece of work", Modo explained.
Amira was listening to him, now understanding a little bit better why somebody had the nerve to talk to her General like that white furred mouse had done. But she still didn't like him.
Modo saw the look on her face and smiled.
"Just give him some time, will ya? It also took me a while to get used to him. But once you get to know him, you'll warm up to him, I promise ya."
Amira shrugged, not sure if she ever was gonna like that loudmouth, but decided to wait and see.
"So, how is it to live on Earth?", she asked, while writing something down in a notebook.
"Well, it's okay, actually. As you could see for yourselves, we've a good place to stay and Kiwi ma'am, well… she takes good care of us."
"She seems like a nice girl. You guys are lucky you've found her. You miss Mars?"
"Well, I miss my nephew, Rimfire. But…", but Amira interrupted him.
"Rimfire is your nephew?", she asked surprised.
"Oh eh, yeah… You know him?"
"Oh, I know him, alright. Boy doesn't know how to stay outta trouble. But really, he's a good kid", Amira smiled.
"Yeah, my sis raised him well…", Modo answered lovingly, but also a little sad.
Amira patted his arm to let him know her sympathie before continuing writing in her notebook.
"Well, I'm gonna go look for my bros, then… to see if they're ready…ya know… To get that plant...", Modo stuttered, suddenly uncomfortable with the silence. Amira nodded and waved absently at him, still focussing on her notebook.
Modo turned around and walked away, thinking about his sister. He hadn't really thought about her for a while now, since there was only room for one person to grieve for and that was Cami. But mentioning he had a sister, brought back the pain of losing her. War. It destroyed everything you had. But it also made the things you still have stronger. Like the bond with your friends. Yeah, luckily he still has his bros. Without them, he wasn't sure if he was capable of continuing this fight.

Eventually they were ready to go after dinner. Kiwi had insisted to come with them, and Vinnie had insisted that she stayed home after what happened at the same time. After a long discussion, Throttle had intervened and decided to go tonight, so Kiwi could grab some rest before they would leave.
Vinnie finally agreed, albeit reluctantly.
Carbine had left her bike back on Mars and Kiwi didn't want her to drive one of the bikes in the garage, so they decided she could join Kiwi in the car to follow the guys. Amira told them she was gonna stay behind, so she could monitor the Squirrel Bat.
"Sure, great idea, but does anyone besides you know how that plant even looks like?", Vinnie asked while mounting his bike.
"Hate to say it, but he does have a point…", Modo nodded.
Amira grabbed a device that looked a lot like a tablet and after typing a few things, she showed them a picture of a beautiful looking plant. It wasn't that big and the flowers had a beautiful orange colour and big seeds came out of the center of the flowers.
"This is it. Not that hard to miss, even for you, right?", she snapped at Vinnie, who studied her for a moment, not sure why she was being that bitchy.
Not that he was impressed.
"She likes me", and he elbowed Modo, who rolled his one eye.
Vinnie closed his visor, but not before he winked at Amira and gave him his most charming smile.
A huge blush became visible under her fur and her bravado was suddenly nowhere to be found.
"No worries, doll face. We'll be back before you know it with that plant", he smiled at her and he revved his bike.
Modo somehow felt a little bit jealous about this whole interaction, but he wasn't sure why. He knew Vinnie didn't mean anything with it, he just loved to see how girls reacted on his charms, plus being the center of the attention was something he somehow needed. Maybe it was because Amira obviously was susceptible to his charms that made him feel a little annoyed. But why? He had no idea. He shook off the unpleasant feeling.
Throttle, who was sitting on his bike next to Kiwi's car, raised his hand.
"Alright, Freedom Fighters. Let's ROCK... "
"...and RIDE!"
Vinnie popped a wheelie and blew a hand kiss towards Amira, who wished she just could sink into the ground right now. Vinnie laughed and sped away, shaking his head. She liked him, he could tell. But hey, who wouldn't? He was the most skilled and sexy mouse alive, after all.

Carbine was sitting next to Kiwi, who was following the mice. Carbine had seen the interaction between Vinnie and Amira and she was glancing at Kiwi from the corner of her eyes, searching for a sign the human girl was upset about it. But she looked relaxed. Carbine took a deep breath.
"You don't mind him doing that?", she asked curious.
Kiwi turned her head to look at her for a moment, before focussing on the road again.
"What?", she asked, a little confused.
"Him flirting with Amira?"
"Oh, that. No, I don't mind at all. I know how he is. Really, it's just a lot of hot air. I trust him and I don't doubt his love for me", Kiwi answered casually, turning up the airco a little.
Carbine narrowed her eyes for a moment. But the girl gave no sign of discomfort.
"You really love him, do you?"
Kiwi only nodded, not in the mood to talk about this with the mouse who just punched her in the face only a few hours ago, even if it was an accident.
Carbine sighed.
"Look, I owe you a apology. I overreacted. I'm sorry."
Kiwi also sighed.
"It's okay, I guess… Although I gotta admit; you did say a few things that really hurt my feelings…"
"I know. I really am sorry."
Kiwi nodded.
"I know. But lemme tell ya one thing; what Vinnie and I have is real. I know that is maybe hard to believe for you, but it's the truth."
Carbine said nothing. She still wasn't convinced, since Rose had told her the same thing when Carbine tried to tell her Vinnie was not the most loyal mouse on Mars back then.
Kiwi noticed her doubt.
"Guess you'll just have to wait and see then", she smiled.
"Guess so…"
There was a long silence, but then Kiwi suddenly reached out her right hand to Carbine.
"Hi. I'm Kiwi", she said, a little hesitant.
Carbine looked confused at the hand, but then suddenly realized what Kiwi was doing. She was giving her a chance to start over.
She smiled and shook the human girl's hand.
"I'm Carbine. Nice to meet ya."
"Likewise", Kiwi smiled.

After driving for a while, Throttle stopped his bike. His bro's stopped at his right, Kiwi on his left. Throttle opened his visor, looking at the building in front of him. It looked kinda like a warehouse and it was standing close by the Limburger Tower.
"So that's where Limburger keeps his museum, huh?", the tan furred mouse said.
"Well, there's one of his buildings we never trashed", Modo pointed out.
"Hey! Some minor detail", Vinnie protested.
"Good thing too", Carbine said through the open window of Kiwi's car. "The last living examples of a lotta species are in there."
"So, Rimfire told ya this is the building?", Throttle asked at his girl.
"Yeah. He's gotta Pink Seed Plant in there, alright."
"Well, give us two seconds", Throttle smiled, revving his bike.
"Are you guys sure about this? I mean, what if it's a trap?", Kiwi asked.
"Sweetheart, no sweat!", Vinnie cheered while looking over his shoulder.
"Yeah, we smash in, grab the plant…", Modo started, closing his visor.
"...and bail before the big cheese even knows were there", Throttle finished.
"Just like in the heroes aim book", Vinnie smiled.
"Throttle, wait…", Carbine started, knowing Kiwi could be right. But the guys were already gone.
"Men…", Carbine sighed, looking at Kiwi.
"They're the same everywhere", the latter smiled.
"Unfortunately…"

"Short…", Modo smiled while driving towards the building.
"...sweet…", Vinnie nodded, driving next to him.
"... and simple! No problem", Throttle agreed.
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, my dear Biker Mice", they suddenly heard Limburgers voice.
Laser guns and rocket launchers suddenly popped up everywhere around the building, all automatic.
The mice stopped, looking at the screen which showed Limburgers hideous face.
"I'm afraid there's going to be a very large problem indeed…"
Vinnie studied the weapons, knowing there had to be something why the big cheese was so happy.
"Uh oh, bro's… They all got heat sensors…", he warned, knowing this complicated the job.
Lasers shooting randomly, no problem. Lasers shooting while locked on target… Well, that was a whole different story.
And missiles fired while locked on target… Well, he could only be excited about it.
Destruction, chaos, a chance of getting killed… Sounds like his kinda party.
"Split up!", Throttle ordered, right when the lasers started shooting at them. The mice sped away, all in a different direction.
Vinnie tried to avoid the shots, but even for him it was a challenge. And since the guns kept firing, he was too busy with avoiding without having time to shoot back. That was a fact he wasn't amused about. Come on, he needed to blow something up, alright.
"Hate to say it, bro's...", he said over the radio. "...but I gotta feeling this surprise attack ain't exactly a surprise anymore…"
His eyes spotted a rocket that was coming from behind and he hit the accelerator right before it exploded behind him. The shockwave made his bike fly into the air, but he quickly took over control and after a few somersaults, he landed on his tires again and sped to his bro's.
"I think you might be right, Vincent", he heard Throttle's husky voice in his ears.
"Ya think?", Modo added dryly.
Vinnie grinned while zigzagging to avoid the lasers.
"Regroup", Throttle ordered and they drove away from the building.
Kiwi was already outta range and Carbine was standing on the roof of the car, firing her laser gun to cover the guys.
The mice turned their bikes and tried to attack again, but right before they could do that, a huge wall of steel suddenly came outta the floor, surrounding the whole building.
"Uh oh… Look alive, bro's!", Throttle warned them.
They quickly turned and drove alongside the wall. Modo reached out with his metal hand, scratching against the steel.
"Plutarkian steel… No way through it…"
"Ah man, you mean we gotta bail?", Vinnie asked disappointed.
"We got no choice, Vincent, we're sitting ducks here", Throttle answered, a little annoyed.
"And as my dear old gray furred momma used to say; best to find a better way and whip some tail another day."
"That doesn't make it any better, ya know that, right?", Vinnie sighed, but followed his bro's when they turned around and drove away.

Back home, the mice drove into the garage. They'd decided on the way back to upgrade their weapons on the bikes and replace them with a little bit more heavy munition.
Meanwhile, Carbine decided to take a shower. Kiwi quickly explained to the light gray furred mouse how it worked before leaving to give her some privacy. Carbine slowly undressed herself and stepped under the hot beam. She let out her breath in surprise. This was great. Exactly what she needed after this stressful day. Some people may think she didn't care about anything else than war. But she did. And she hated it to fight with Vinnie. She hated it to tell Throttle he'd crossed a line. It's not that she enjoyed doing that. But sometimes, a leader needed to do things that weren't easy. But that didn't mean it didn't cost her anything. It was stressful, alright. So this shower thing was amazing to relax. And she did.

After two hours, they were standing by the building again. The walls were gone and the peace was restored. As if they'd never been here before.
Throttle looked behind him at the girls in the car.
"Hang back, ladies. Guard our rears", Throttle smiled at them.
Vinnie wiggled his butt while winking at Kiwi.
"You lucky thing, youz…"
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but smiled. Typical.
The mice sped away.
"Battle mode, bro's", Throttle ordered. "Be ready for anything!"
Vinnie popped a wheelie, all hyped up and ready to fight. He hated it when they needed to bail. That was so not cool. So, he sure was ready for round two. Let's get this show on the road!
But when they came closer, nothing happened.
But like, really nothing. The place was deserted. The mice hit the brakes and Vinnie threw his hands in the air.
"Hey, what is this, a fucking ghost town? Where are the guns?", he spit out, clearly not amused. A normal person would be happy not to have a welcome reception with lasers and missiles. Vinnie, on the other hand, wasn't.
But so weren't his bro's.
"Yeah, we were ready for anything, but we weren't ready for nothing", Modo stated, looking around him. This was weird, alright.
Vinnie pushed a button on his bike and a laser came out, blowing up the wall from the building.
"Come on! Take a shot!", he yelled, but still no response.
Throttle looked through the hole Vinnie had made.
"Well, there it is, bro's…", he said, pointing at the Pink Seed Plant that was standing in the middle of a empty room.
He quickly drove inside, grabbed the plant and drove back out.
"Yeah, but this was too easy…", Modo said, a little suspicious. "No goons, no fighting…"
"No FUN….", Vinnie growled annoyed, his arms crossed before his chest.
"Yeah, Limburger is up to something, alright you guys. Check it out!", Throttle suddenly said, pointing up. Three huge cages were hanging on the ceiling in the building, ready to catch them if they were gonna grab the plant. But that failed, obviously.
They were still debating what could be wrong, when Kiwi's voice came over the radio.
"Guys, back to the house, pronto! I think I know what's going on here…"
The mice gave each other a puzzled look, but then shrugged.
"We're on your tail, sweetheart"

When they came back by the house, the yard suddenly looked way too empty.
"Oh no…", Modo sighed. The ship was gone. And where was Amira?
Kiwi and Carbine jumped outta the car, looking at the tv that was standing at the place where the ship used to be. It suddenly came to life and the bro's joined the girls to listen to what Limburger had to say. .
"Oh but yes, you bombastic Biker Mice! You may possess your precious plant, but I have your spaceship…", Limburger sang the last words evilly.
"Oh no… without that…", Throttle started, but Limburger interrupted him.
"Precisely. You now have noooo possible way to get the Pink Seed Plant to Mars. But I am, as ever, a reasonable fish. Always willing to make a deal. Permit me to propose a trade, Biker Mice. I'll turn this ship over to your female companion, if you turn yourselves over to me… Muawahahahaaaa!"
Vinnie rolled his eyes.
"Here we go again…"
"I'll await your decision. You have three hours. Ciao!"
Throttle suddenly jumped forward and parked his fist into the tv, making the whole device catch fire.
"Ah man, we blitz right, he fix left. That slimeball is predicting our every move", he growled furious, his fist now into his other hand.
"Guys…?", they suddenly heard a weak voice behind them. They all whirled around.
Amira stumbled towards them, holding the Squirrel Bat in her arms. Carbine quickly ran towards her and supported her.
"Amira, you okay? What did they do you?", she asked worried.
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. A guy as big as a building leaking oil hit me on the head…"
The guys shared a look.
"Greasepit…"
"But I managed to escape with this little guy before they took the ship… I'm sorry, General, I wish I could've done more to protect the ship, but…", but Carbine stopped her.
"It's okay, Amira, I'm already glad your safe. I know you're no soldier, there was nothing you could do."
Kiwi quickly helped Carbine support Amira.
"Come on, let's get you inside."

Amira dropped on the couch, closing her eyes for a moment.
Kiwi quickly grabbed a glass of water and gave it to the honey coloured mouse.
"Thank you", Amira sighed, taking a sip.
The Squirrel Bat was lying almost lifeless in her arms.
"Poor little guy… Don't look like he's lasting much longer…", Modo said worried.
"Yes, he will", Carbine said, walking inside with the Pink Seed Plant. "I think we can spare one seed of this plant."
Amira nodded.
"Yeah, we can. Please, give him one, before he dies."
Carbine did what she asked and the Squirrel Bat stretched his small arms to the seed when he smelled it. He took it in his little hands and ate it. Soon after that, his eyes flew open and looked a lot more clear.
"Heeeyy…", Vinnie smiled lovingly.
"The little fella is perking up!", Modo added.
"Oh my god… It worked!", Kiwi called out.
"Yeah... ", Amira nodded. "But if we don't get the Pink Seed Plant to Mars, the others won't be so lucky…"
There was a silence for a moment. The bro's shared a quick look and nodded.
"Well, that's it then…", Throttle eventually said, cracking his knuckles.
"Yep… We gotta turn ourselves over", Modo nodded.
Kiwi's eyes grew big.
"What?!"
"Are you crazy?", Carbine joined her.
"That cheeseball will eliminate you!", Kiwi yelled, a hint of panic in her voice.
"Ah, sweetheart… It's all part of being a hero…", Vinnie said softly.
"Yeah, we're not gonna let a whole species wiped out on the count of us…", Modo stated.
"No, no, no! Why not attack, do what you always do?", Kiwi pleaded, looking at Vinnie with tears in her eyes.
What the hell? They couldn't just leave her like this. No way.
"Oh, the big cheese is plenty ready for that", Throttle answered firmly.
"Yeah, lose us and the ship both…", Modo added.
"Guys, come on, you can't be serious about this… I can't lose you, I…", Kiwi stuttered, clearly on her way to having a panic attack.
But Carbine lay a hand on her shoulder and Kiwi looked up surprised.
"Easy, girl. We're not gonna give up that easily. Aren't there any other ways in?"
Kiwi tried to calm down enough to use her brains again.
"Ehm, well, I eh… WAIT! The sewers! They run right under the building!"
"Limburger will have guards in there, Kiwi…", Throttle pointed out.
"Not if they're distracted…", Carbine smiled.
The guys faces lit up.
"There's a thought... ", Throttle rubbed his chin.
"A double fake", Modo smiled.
"He did it to us", Carbine nodded.
"And we'll do it to him!", and Kiwi smashed one fist into her other hand.
Vinnie was so hyped up about the plan he forgot his anger against Carbine for a moment.
"Aaaooww! Music to my oversized ears!"
"And that's why she's a General", Throttle said lovingly while pulling Carbine in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling against his fur.
Vinnie rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue, but luckily for him nobody saw it. Well, Kiwi did. But she had other things on her mind.
She was somehow still upset he even thought about leaving her like that. How could he… But she quickly realized she was being selfish. They were soldiers. They were heroes. Nothing could jeopardize their mission, namely stopping the Plutarkians. Saving Mars.
Man, living in a war was hard, alright. She still needed a lot to learn, she could tell.
Carbine untangled herself.
"Amira, you need to come along with this one. Once we got the ship back, we need to leave immediately, before Limburger is gonna pull more stunts to keep us here. And we need to save those Squirrel Bats, right?"
Amira nodded so violently, her glasses almost flew off her nose. She quickly grabbed and it set it back.
"Yeah, we got no time to lose."
Kiwi looked at Throttle and Carbine, a pang of sadness in her heart. She'd wished they had more time to spend together here on Earth. But by the looks of things, that was too good to be true. They both seemed to realize that too.
She cleared her throat and grabbed Vinnie's hand.
"Come on, everyone. Let's give them a little privacy now."
She dragged Vinnie with her and Amira and Modo quickly followed, leaving Throttle and Carbine alone.
Throttle looked at Carbine, the love of his life. Saying goodbye always came too soon.
"This isn't a final goodbye, babe…", he said softly when he saw the pain in her eyes. She sighed and he pulled her in his arms.
"I wish you could come with me…"
"I wish you could stay here…"
They held each other tightly, both completely sucked into this moment.
Time suddenly was just a ticking clock, nothing more.
And they both wished they could stay here, in this moment, forever.

Amira, Kiwi and Carbine climbed outta the car, that was parked close by the sewer. The Squirrel Bat was sitting on Amira's shoulder, looking around him with awe.
Kiwi climbed inside the big tunnel, but quickly noticed it was way too dark.
"Wow, it's dark in here… Kinda like the inside of Vinnie's head", Kiwi giggled, taking over the Pink Seed Plant from Carbine so the light gray furred mouse could climb into the tunnel.
"We can't risk a light…", Carbine mused when she was standing next to Kiwi.
"Ahum, a little help here?", they suddenly heard Amira's voice coming from behind them.
"Oh right", and Kiwi quickly helped the Martian biologist inside the tunnel.
"Wow, dark indeed…", Amira whispered, but then gently took the Squirrel Bat off her shoulder.
"Luckily, fuzzy here can see in the dark. He'll guide us."
The Squirrel Bat made a cute noise and spread his wings. He flew into the tunnel and the two mice used their sensitive hearing to follow the small animal. Carbine had grabbed Kiwi's hand to make sure the human girl wasn't gonna get lost.
After a while, they suddenly saw light at the end of the tunnel. They slowly sneaked closer, making sure not to step into the light.
"That's that guy who hit me", Amira suddenly whispered, pointing at Greasepit who was standing close by the entrance to Limburger Plaza.
"That's Greasepit. He's dumb, but strong and sometimes even dangerous", Kiwi whispered back.
Carbine looked at Kiwi.
"You and Amira are gonna distract him, I grab him from above", she said softly, pointing at the stairs that were closeby. Then, she looked at Kiwi.
"Time to prove your place in the team, Kiwi. Don't let me down."
Kiwi rolled her eyes, but saluted. Come on. She was born to do this.
Hmmm… She realized she was starting to sound like Vinnie. Bad news.

"Geez, I never sees no action…", Greasepit sighed, looking around him.
"Hey grease stain…"
He whirled around and looked straight into the faces of Kiwi and Amira.
"If you're looking for action…", Kiwi said nonchalant, studying her nails.
"... you just got it", and Carbine jumped down, landed smoothly on her feet and whirled around, kicking Greasepit right into his face. The guy was knocked out immediately.
"Good job, ladies", Carbine smiled. "Now, let's go get that ship."

Meanwhile, the guys arrived at Limburger Plaza. Guns popped out everywhere, opening fire on the mice.
"AAAOOW! Hostile confrontation! Now that's more like it!", Vinnie cheered, bouncing on his bike in excitement.
"Good to see the place back to normal", Modo agreed.
"Kick it, bro's! Let's ROCK…"
"...and RIDE!"
They popped a wheelie and threw themselves into chaos. Soon, the weapons were either exploded or disabled and the mice made their way inside the building.
They drove full speed, well as far that's possible inside a building, down to the garage.
Once down, they stopped their bikes with shrieking tires right in front of Limburger, who was standing in front of the ship. Vinnie noticed the guy had a way too smugly look on his face. Now what?
"Give it up, cheese face…", Throttle said, his husky voice even lower.
"Yeah, we're taking that ship…", Modo continued.
"...and we're taking you with it", Vinnie finished, but as expected, Limburger started laughing.
Vinnie saw the girls climbing outta the sewer under the ship. He suppressed his smile, to avoid Limburger was gonna see it too. He focussed his attention back on the stinking Plutarkian.
"But I don't think so, my dear mice. It would appear that you have entirely the wrong grasp of the situation. You have not trapped me… Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, noooo… hehehe. In fact, it is I that entrapped you… Muawhahaha! Meet an old friend..."
The mice looked in the direction he pointed at.
"Lectromac!", Karbunkle's voice echoed through the garage and the mice saw that annoying robot standing close by.
"Oh shit… here we go again…", Vinnie sighed when he saw the robot raising his hands, firing his green light at them.
They flew into the air and crashed against the ceiling.
"Ah man… how uncool…", Vinnie managed to squeeze out.
The pressure was almost unbearable. But luckily, Lectromac moved his hands and they flew through the air again.
Limburger was watching it, a happy smile on his face.
"Ahhh… How utterly enjoyable!"
The mice got crashed against the ship and Throttle looked inside. He saw Carbine and Amira sitting in the cockpit, making the ship ready to leave.
"Hang in there, handsome", Carbine smiled at him.
"Sure, it's not that I have other things to do", Throttle chuckled.
Suddenly, they got pulled away from the ship and crashed against the wall with their backs.
Because of the magnetic powers, they were completely helpless, being pushed against the wall.
Vinnie saw Kiwi sneaking behind Lectromac, who was standing next to Limburger and Karbunkle. He tried to shake his head, to warn her to stay outta this, but he couldn't.
Kiwi grabbed a iron pipe from the ground that had come down when Lectromac had crashed the mice against the ceiling.
Throttle saw it now too, but there was no way to stop her.
"Hey! Metal mouth!", she yelled, holding up the pipe.
Lectromac turned his head and she hit him full in his face. The robot fell on the floor, and the mice were free.
At that point, a lot of things happened at the same time.
Carbine had started the engines, and nose of the ship slowly rose into the air.
Limburger saw it.
"What! No! Not in here!"
At the same time, Vinnie scrambled on his feet and started running to Kiwi, who was looking at Lectromac with a satisfied look on her face.
"Sweetheart, move, NOW!", Vinnie yelled, seeing Lectromac slowly rising on his feet again.
Kiwi's face suddenly darkened, realizing she was in trouble now.
Vinnie ran as fast as he could, but she was on the other side of the garage.
He whistled between his teeth and his bike roared into action. But they both weren't fast enough.
Dammit.
The ship's engines became louder and louder, ready to launch.
Lectromac raised his fist. Kiwi slowly walked backwards, her hands in front of her body in defence.
"Kiwi, NO!", Vinnie screamed in fear when he saw the fist of Lectromac starting its way down.
Impact seemed unavoidable. But help came outta surprising corner.
A laser was fired, and Lectromac flew away, landed a few meters away and stopped moving.
Vinnie finally reached Kiwi, almost crashing against her because of his speed. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, and looked into the direction the laser had come from.
"This still doesn't mean I lika ya, Vincent!"
Carbine tapped with the gun against her head in goodbye and quickly climbed back into the ship.
Vinnie's jaw was almost reaching the ground in surprise. But he quickly recovered and saluted at Carbine, who nodded back through the window.
"I still don't like ya either, General", he mumbled, but with a small smile on his face.
The ship fired its jets and crashed through the walls outside, launching into space.
The mice quickly jumped at their bikes, Vinnie grabbed Kiwi with his tail while speeding away.
The whole tower crumbled into dust right after they sped out and they stopped once at safe distance.
"Well. We did it, bro's", Throttle smiled, but it was a sad smile.
Of course he was proud of them, but Carbine was gone. Man...
"Saved the day", Vinnie nodded.
"And also two entire species of wildlife!", Modo added.
"Yep! And so you know what that means..", and Throttle closed his visor, trying to shake off the sad feeling.
"Bet ya."
"Sure do."
"What?", Kiwi asked curious.
"Lunch!", the mice answered in unison.
"Oooohhh, honestly….", Kiwi shook her head. Lunch at midnight, sure thing. Why not?

"That sure was a close one, sweetheart", Vinnie mentioned, while stepping off his bike. He pulled off his helmet and gave her a meaningful look.
Kiwi shrugged.
"Yeah, but Carbine saved me. I'm sure that means something. And it's also a good reason for you to give her a second chance."
Vinnie narrowed his eyes.
"When did you two became besties?", he asked suspiciously.
"When I offered her the chance to start over. And she took it with both hands. Throttle is right. We need to fight this war together. You said it yourself; we can't change the past. But lemme tell ya something; we can change the future. Give her a chance, macho mouse."
Vinnie glanced at Throttle and Modo, who were so called busy with their bikes, but it was obvious they were listening to this conversation.
Kiwi gently grabbed Vinnie's chin and turned his head towards her. She looked into his beautiful ruby red eyes, and he looked back into her sprankling ocean blue eyes.
"Just think about it, okay? That's all I'm asking", she said softly.
Vinnie leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Okay."
He left the garage and Modo followed him. Kiwi noticed Throttle was still busy with his bike and walked over to him. She lay a hand on his shoulder.
"You okay, Throttle?"
He remained silent for a moment, but then sighed.
"Yeah, sorta. I just wish she could've stayed longer. But of course, Limburger had to interfere…"
He turned around and Kiwi gently took his hand.
"I'm sorry, Throttle. I also wished you two had more time…"
He smiled at her, ruffling through her hair.
"Ah well… You seemed to get along with her in the end, kiddo. Thank you, for that. It means a lot to me."
"Everybody deserves a second chance", Kiwi smiled back.
"So, lunch?", she joked.
Throttle chuckled.
"Great idea."

"Sweetheart, come on… Make your choice! This is taking forever!", Vinnie whined, looking at Kiwi who was staring at the bikes in the garage.
Her leg was healed, so Throttle had suggested to start training.
"I can't… I can't just chose, Vinnie! God dammit, they were all my father's bikes. It comes with a certain emotional eh… I dunno, it just makes me feel sad, okay?!", Kiwi called out, her hands in her hair. She was staring at the bikes for like fifteen minutes now and she still had no idea which one to pick.
Vinnie sighed, but with a compassionated look on his face. He walked closer to her and lay his hands on her shoulders.
"Okay, okay, easy doll. I'm not saying this is easy, but staring at them for hours isn't gonna make it easier. Do you want me to pick one?"
Kiwi turned around with a pleading look on her face.
"Can't I just use your bike to learn? I mean, she would never let me fall or anything…"
"No dice, sweetheart. You need to learn to ride your own bike. Otherwise you're never gonna learn. And I'm sorry to disappoint your, but falling comes with the proces. You can't learn to ride a bike without falling. So, get used to that idea."
"But…"
"No sweat, I'm gonna be there and make sure you don't break anything. Like a nail, or something…", he teased and Kiwi elbowed him.
"Since when do I care if I break a nail?"
"You're a girl. Of course you do."
"Talk about being black and white."
Vinnie chuckled and let her go.
He rubbed his chin while walking between the bikes, looking at them one by one. On some of them he took place, testing some things. But he didn't seemed satisfied. Until he reached the last one. Kiwi's heart sank. That was the bike her father had bought for her mother. But she'd never rode on it. It was just two days before they died...
"A Honda Rebel. Perfect", Vinnie smiled. He looked at Kiwi, waving at her to come closer.
"This is a perfect bike to start with. Chopper model, saddle close to the road what makes the driving experience a lot more pleasant for someone who's just starting…", he trailed off.
"Long story short, this is the perfect bike."
Kiwi slowly nodded.
"Okay…"
She looked at the bike. It was beautiful. Black paint, beautiful chrome parts, new tires… She noticed her breathing became faster, she clenched her fists and her muscles started shaking. Riding with Vinnie was something she was used to by now. But riding her own bike, a bike that once belonged to her mother… She started to feel the panic taking over, but then…
A soft hand touched her cheek, the oh so familiar scent filled her nose… she looked up into Vinnie's eyes, who were filled with concern.
"It's okay, sweetheart. Breathe…", he said with that low voice that always calmed her nerves.
She tried to do what he asked, but all she could see when she closed her eyes was her mother's body that crushed against the truck.
"Open your eyes…"
She did what he said. His both hands cupped around her face.
"Sssshhh… it's okay, babe. I'm here. We're not gonna do anything if you're not ready. But we need to find a way to get you ready. I mean, this is what you wanted, right?"
His voice. God. She could feel her body starting to relax again. She kept staring into his eyes.
"I'm not gonna force ya, okay? But I know you want this. So, tell me. How are we gonna make this work?"
The vibrations of his low voice gave her goosebumps, it almost made her muscles completely relax.
Almost.
Vinnie took a deep breath, knowing there was only last push she needed.
"Kiwi…"
She breathed in sharply and shook her head, as if she woke up from a trance.
"I can do this. I can do this. I just… yeah, I can do this", she mumbled and she slowly swung her leg over the bike and took place on the soft, leather saddle. Her hands made their way to the handlebars. It felt good. She felt her body completely relax now.
Vinnie saw it and gave her a proud smile.
"Very good, sweetheart. Come on, that's enough for today, we can continue this tomorrow…", but Kiwi shook her head.
"No, I… I can do this…"
"Ya sure?"
"Yeah. You should know… This was my mothers bike…"
"I eh.. I just.. well, your mother would be very proud of you, doll. I just know she would be."
Kiwi looked up at him, a surprised look on her face. But that soon changed into a loving expression.
"Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"No biggie. Just telling it like it is", Vinnie answered, clearly not at ease. He cleared his throat.
"Anyway. Listen carefully now…"
He explained to her how the bike worked. How to handle the heavy machine.
Kiwi listened carefully, a concentrated look on her face. Vinnie suddenly stopped talking while looking at her. She was so beautiful. So devoted. So strong. He really admired her. Her fighting spirit. No matter how many times she fell on her face, she always found the strength to scramble on her feet again after. That was what he admired the most. He knew how hard it was.
She was a small built human girl with the strength of a Martian Mouse. That's for sure.
"Vinnie?", he suddenly heard her ask. He shook his head and gave her his most charming smile.
"Sorry, babe, I zoomed out for a moment…"
"To where?"
He looked at her, biting his lower lip for a moment.
"I probably should say this a lot more often, but sweetheart… I love you. Only looking at you makes me happy. Ugh, that sounds so cheesy and mushy, but it's the truth…", he trailed off again when he felt her hand on his arm.
He saw the loving look she had on her face and he suddenly pulled her off the bike, right into his arms. He buried his nose in her hair and let out his breath.
"I love you so much, Kiwi Lavandor…"
"I love you too, Vincent van Wham. So much... "

Oh my god, how cute :D

Well, I think it all came to a good end after all. Carbine and Vinnie will probably never like each other, but Carbine did a pretty smart thing by saving Kiwi. The best thing to earn Vinnie's respect is protecting the thing he loves the most. Smart thinking, General!
It's a shame Amira and Carbine had to leave this fast, but Mars needed them. The Pink Seed Plant needed to get back as soon as possible.
And what about Modo and Amira? I think it's not really surprising I added her to the story not only because I needed a biologist… ;) That's all I'm gonna say. Time will tell how this will develop.
So, I decided the next chapter that I'm gonna use, is my favorite chapter of all time. And I'm really looking forward to give it my own twist.

Feel free to leave a review! :)
Till next time, you guys! Thanks for your support, can't say it enough!

Later dudes!