Ola you guys!

So, same old, same old, but thank you so much for the reviews. Really appreciate it. Can't express in words how much it means to me. Sounds a little dramatic maybe, but what seems a small thing is for me the right motivation to continue my writing.

Talk about motivation. I had this huge ass writer's block, really, it was awful. Everytime that I sat down behind my laptop, nothing happened. I had so much ideas in my head, knowing perfectly well how to continue the story, but I just couldn't get it translated into words.
But, think I got it back on track now.

So, next chapter. Enjoy! ^^

Chapter fifty

"No sweat, sweetheart", Vinnie started when he saw the shocked look on her face. "It's just a formality, nothing major."
"Comes from the guy who lives to put his life into danger because he needs the rush", Carbine snorted. "It's more than just a formality, it's a life bonding commitment to Mars."
Kiwi's heart was pounding in her chest and she fiddled with her fingers, eyes lowered. Was she really ready to commit her life to a unfamiliar planet? She wasn't sure.
"Relax, babe. Take your time to think about it. It's not that you need to make a decision right now", Throttle said soothing, feeling a bit worried about her. Even if she'd practically begged them to take her with them, it seemed she was having a rough time with it.
Kiwi nodded, her gaze still on her fiddling fingers. Tears were burning behind her eyes, but she wasn't gonna break down in front of Carbine. No way. Come to think of it, why was the General acting so hostile anyway? She thought they'd started over again back on Earth. And why was she herself suddenly so scared? This is what she wanted, right? All along. So why was she sitting here, close to a nervous breakdown when she finally got what she desired for all this time?
Determination suddenly flooded through her veins and she looked up, her blue eyes fuming.
"Hadn't we agreed that you would give me a chance?", she asked, her voice low.
Carbine looked up, a surprised look on her face. But before she could say something, Kiwi continued.
"That day, when you came to Earth, ya know, that day you hit me? Well, I remember it as if it was yesterday. I gave you a second chance. You took it. You welcomed me to the team. You told me you were gonna give a me a chance and I promised ya that I wouldn't let ya down. So please... please explain to me why you're acting so bitchy again all of a sudden?"
Silence dawned on them. Carbine blinked a few times, Vinnie had this small smile around his lips, giving him a very smugly expression, Throttle and Modo both sighed at the same time, Rimfire was staring at his feet and Stoker was studying the human girl with interest. Then, he looked at Carbine.
"You hit her?", he asked, slightly amused.
At least Carbine did have the decency to blush.
"It was a accident!", she blurted out and then turned her attention back on Kiwi. "You're right. I did gave you a chance. But I sometimes doubt if you really know what it means to be a Freedom Fighter. This isn't a game. This is our planet we're talking about… Our home."
"Well, it's my home now too", Kiwi snapped at her. "I'll take that fucking oath. I'll do everything that's necessary so I can prove you wrong. So I can prove I'm way more than just a fragile human."
Stoker chuckled and looked at Vinnie.
"Feisty", he mouthed to the white furred mouse, his brown eyes twinkling.
Vinnie snickered, his eyes glittering with pride.
Carbine raised her hands in defeat.
"Fine. Prove it. Then we'll talk further."
Kiwi crossed her arms before her chest.
"Fine."
Stoker was looking at the two girls with a slightly amused look on his face. They were evenly matched, that was for sure.
Good. There weren't that many who dared to stand up against Carbine. This was a good thing.
There was a silence, which was slightly uncomfortable. So, Vinnie broke it. No surprise there.
"Can we go eat now?"

Kiwi was staring at the weird substantial on her plate.
They were sitting in the Main Hall, a big room in the middle of the base. It had enough tables and chairs to seat a whole army, but then again, this used to be a army base. She was still surprised by the ambiance in this building, it was quite cosy actually. Not the first thing that came into mind if you thought about a military base. The red rocks almost gave it a uterine atmosphere, how weird that may sound. With over more than a hundred lights hanging on the ceiling, it somehow reminded her about Hogwarts from Harry Potter.
But at least Harry Potter had food that was still recognizable as food. This… well… it came closest to mashed potatoes, but instead of the familiar white colour, it was black. And it had… pieces in it…
She glanced at Vinnie, who was sitting next to her, from the corner of her eye and saw him eating the weird foot as if he hadn't ate in years. That he hadn't consumed the plate in the process was, to say at least, a miracle to her.
Well, here goes nothing.
No guts, no glory.
And she took a bite. With her eyes closed, she started chewing. Hmmm.. It tasted like… dirt? But it wasn't that bad actually. When she opened her eyes, she saw the guys looking at her with a amused look on their faces.
"So? What do ya think, babe?", Vinnie asked, almost drooling while staring at her plate.
He probably hoped she wasn't gonna eat it. Since food was scarce, the whole base was on ration. That means, a portion per person. Or mouse. Whatever. Details.
"It's ehm… well… it's… it's special. What is it?"
"A combination of plants that only needs sunlight to grow. Since that's the one thing Mars has in abundance, it's kinda the only thing left that's edible", Throttle answered. "I know it's not what you're used to, but…", but Kiwi interrupted him. The last thing she wanted was to look like a spoiled brat.
"It's okay, really, it is."

Vinnie leaned back, clearly disappointed, when a female mouse suddenly popped up next to him.
"Hey, Vinnie! I eh… I see you're back!", she stuttered, a blush on her face.
Wauw. Captain Obvious has entered the building. I repeat; Captain Obvious has entered the building.
Kiwi slowly sat upright and studied the, clearly nervous, female mouse. Her fur had the colour of dirt, almost black. Long, dark gray hair waved over her shoulders and her slender body was covered in a nurse uniform. But not like they had on Earth, no, this was close to the outfit every Freedom Fighter was wearing, but without the soldier touches, like guns, for example. The badge with a yellow cross pinned on the soft yellow shirt gave away the girls position with the Fighters. Her dark green eyes were locked on Vinnie, desire clearly written on her face.
Kiwi narrowed her eyes. She'd already noticed that, from what she had seen so far, almost 80% on this base was male. But the few females she'd seen were all mesmerized by Vinnie, she could tell. Guess it was no lie when he told her he had a reputation here on Mars.
Vinnie looked up at her, at first a little confused, which gave him a somehow sheepish expression.
But then, his lips curled into a arrogant grin, his fur bristled a little, like a puffer fish who made himself bigger to intimidate his enemy. In Vinnie's case; to impress the ladies. He casually flexed his muscles and the tip of his tail started to twitch, almost lazily.
Kiwi saw the transformation happen right in front of her eyes, as if it was some automatic reflex without the white furred mouse knowing. It probably was, though. She also noticed the female mouse almost slithered away on her own drool. Well, sorta speak, of course.
Ugh...
"Yeah, apparently I am."
At least he didn't use his low voice.
The girl was fiddling with her fingers, obviously not at ease.
"Well eh… I just… I eh… I just wanted to say… w-w-welcome back!"
"Thanks, babe."
"Maybe eh… maybe you wanna… you know, ehm… go get a drink sometime? You know, ehm… to catch up?"
Kiwi rolled her eyes and looked at Throttle and Modo, who both gave her a sympathetic smile back.
Vinnie folded his hands behind the back of his head and winked at the girl.
"Who knows, pretty lady, who knows…"
"Okay.. Well, ehm… I ehm… I'll let you eat now… bye!" and the girl quickly turned around and almost ran away.
Well… that was awkward...
Vinnie watched her go and then leaned forward, his expression switching from arrogant to confused while looking at his bro's.
"Who the hell is she?", he hissed, clearly at loss here.
Throttle rubbed his chin, a small smile around his lips.
"I eh… I think… ehm… nope. No idea."
Modo shrugged.
"Don't look at me, bro, I ain't keeping no list with who you've shared your bed with…", but he trailed off, as if he'd forgotten about Kiwi and he gave her a apologetic smile.
The human girl shook her head, letting him know it was okay. But it wasn't. Coming here was already hard enough. And now, her macho mouse was being hunted by estrogen.
Great. Just great.

Vinnie leaned back, clearly digging in his memories to try to remember who the girl was.
Kiwi was looking at him, but he was zoomed out. Could you believe this guy?
It wasn't that she didn't trust him. But the least he could've done was tell the girl there was no chance in hell they were gonna get a drink and catch up, because he was taken now.
Because he'd met the love of his life, who even came with him to a unfamiliar planet, leaving her own planet behind, because she couldn't live without him anymore. He could've told her they even switched earrings, because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
Or, he simply could've told her that he loved someone else. But of course, he didn't. Because he just loves the attention. Because he thinks loving one girl isn't cool, macho and bad for his reputation or whatever reason he had to react the way he did just now.
Deep down, Kiwi knew she wasn't being fair to get all riled up about this. She knew how he was and she knew were she signed up for. And she knew he would never, ever betray her. But she was on edge, alright. Timing couldn't have been worse.
And she suddenly felt lonely like never before.
She abruptly jumped at her feet, tears burning behind her eyes.
"I'm gonna go to my room", and she left the Main Hall before anyone could say something to stop her or worse; to ask her if she was okay.
Because she wasn't. She was everything but okay.
Vinnie watched her leave, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Something I've said?"
Throttle and Modo buried their face in their hands with a sigh. Sometimes… Some days…

Kiwi had to admit, it was a miracle she found back her room without getting lost. The base was big enough to walk around for hours without reaching your destination. But it was as if her brains were guiding her back, because she desperately needed to be alone.

She typed in the code and her door opened. Without looking back, she almost ran inside and dropped down on the bed, the door sliding close behind her. She'd learned the mice used sun panels for electricity, so everything on the base was electrically controlled. Smart.
She buried her face in the soft blanket, made of some kind of fur, and there they were. The tears. But she didn't try to stop them. She just let it happen. She grabbed her pillow (yeah, they also had pillows here on Mars, thank god) and hugged it while her body shook with crying.
God, what a mess. She still wasn't regretting her decision to follow the guys to Mars, but it was now clear to her she'd underestimated the whole thing. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, actually. Perhaps that she would be welcomed with open arms by the whole mice population. That she immediately would fit in. That she would make friends. That she would be useful. That the past from the guys was the past, and nothing more. But it all turned out to be different. Everybody stared at her as if she was a monster, Carbine was still giving her a hard time, Vinnie still had his reputation…
Gosh. She felt homesick. She suddenly yearned back to the time her parents were still alive. But they weren't. The past was the past. But dammit…

After crying for almost half a hour, feeling incredibly sorry for herself, she slowly calmed down a little. She let go off the pillow, that was now wet from her tears and rolled on her back. While wiping off her face, she stared to the ceiling. It wasn't smooth like she was used to at home. Because the building was cut out of a mountain, the ceiling was high and uneven. It was beautiful. Actually, her whole room was beautiful. It had the same ambience as the Main Hall, although it wasn't big. There was only room for a big bed, a closet and a small room with a toilet. Lemme rephrase that; a hole in the ground. But it was good enough. Two doors led to a round balcony, a thing Kiwi was very pleased about when she saw her room for the first time. At least she could get some air if she needed it, without showing her face.
The guys had got back their old room, a room they shared with the three of them ever since they were stationed at this base.
No girls allowed.
So Kiwi had her own room. Honestly… talk about being old fashioned. But then again, this was war. Soldiers couldn't be distracted all the time.
A soft knock on the door broke her outta her thoughts.
"Come in", she rasped with a hoarse voice, too tired to stand up.
The door slowly opened and a very uncomfortable looking white furred mouse came into view.
The door closed behind him and lingered for a while, but when he saw Kiwi's bloodshot eyes, he almost flew towards her and scooped her in his arms.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, please, don't cry, I hate it when you cry because of something I did…", he whispered in her hair, holding her tightly.
Kiwi sniffed up his scent and buried her face into his soft fur while wrapping her arms around his strong body. And before she knew it, she was crying again. God dammit.
Vinnie stroked her back, feeling her pain and sadness and it broke his heart.
Fucking hell, he could be so stupid sometimes. When that girl suddenly popped up next to him, his body had just taken over and he did what he always did; being charming as fuck. He hadn't even thought about what that could do to Kiwi, but honestly, it was something he hardly controlled.
But that didn't made it okay. He knew it wasn't okay.
"I'm sorry, babe, it's just a force of habit, I… I eh… that doesn't make it any better, I guess…", he trailed off, not knowing what to say.
That didn't happen that often. Well, only when it came to opening up.
Emotions. Feelings. Being vulnerable. Ugh.
Kiwi held his fur tightly, crying the eyes outta her head. She hardly heard what he was saying to her, she was just so happy he was here. That she could hold him.
Home…
Home wasn't that far away, after all.
"Kiwi, please, talk to me, I…", Vinnie stuttered, almost feeling panicked because he had no idea what to do.
"I'm the alien now, everybody hates me, Carbine is never gonna let me help, you'll soon be buried by other woman from your own kind, I miss my parents, I miss my life, I... ", Kiwi sobbed a little childish, feeling like a whining kid. But she couldn't stop herself. It just happened. She let it happen. No need to hold anything back. It was just her and her macho mouse.
Vinnie smiled, he just couldn't help it. His poor little human girl.
She looked up at him, her blue eyes watery and filled with self pity.
"Are you smiling?"
Vinnie tried to keep his face in check, but he failed and he gave her his most charming smile.
"Sorry, sweetheart, I really do feel sorry for ya, I know it's hard, but hearing you sulk like that, it's just… cute."
Kiwi stared at him for a moment, but then a small smile curled her lips. He was right. She was acting downright childish.
You make your own happiness, right? She just had to fight for it. But what's new?
"I guess you're right… Sorry."
"No sorry, no sorry. It's okay, doll. Everything's gonna be okay. And don't worry about me getting buried under woman, love your choice of words by the way hehe... but you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You know that, right?"
Kiwi nodded, a warm feeling crept over her. He was here. With her.
Sorry girls. But this macho mouse is taken. Forever.
"But hey! You know what's the good thing about fights?", he suddenly asked, his eyes twinkling.
"No, but I've got me a feeling you're about to tell me."
He pushed her down and crawled on top of her.
"The 'make up sex' after…"
"But we didn't actually had a fight, right?"
"Some minor detail…", he whispered while kissing her neck.
Kiwi smiled and closed her eyes. I mean, who could fight logic like that?

It was late and the Main Hall was almost deserted, except for Throttle, Stoker and Modo.
"I just knew the Fighters were gonna bust me out one day, so I just did what the stinkfishes asked me to do. Ya know, to keep my sorry ass safe. It was a nasty place, not possible to escape on your own. But it was 'bout time someone decided to visit me. I couldn't be more surprised it was Rimfire. The kid's growing up fast, Modo my mouse. He's a good Fighter", Stoker told the gray furred mouse, who was practically exploding of pride. That was Rimfire for ya.
"He's a good kid", Throttle agreed.
Stoker nodded, leaning back and crossing his feet by the ankles.
"So, what about you guys? What happened that you crash landed on a whole other planet? Did you let the punk navigate the ship, or what?"
Throttle chuckled. If one thing became clear in the years they knew each other, is that you didn't want Vinnie to take the lead. Things always ended up messy.
"We went to steal some spaceships, just like ya told us to do. But they caught us in the act and we needed to rock and ab live. So, we decided to take a little detour; through space. The plan was to fly around Mars to lose them. We thought for a moment it worked, but they found us."
"Tried to shoot us to the seventh galaxy", Modo added.
"Yeah, that failed. But they managed to damage the ship and…"
"I don't wanna bring ya down, bro, but if I remember it right, it was you who broke the steering wheel…", Modo casually interrupted him, a teasing smile on his lips.
A blush was clearly visible under Throttle's fur and he chuckled a little uncomfortable.
"Yeah well, I knew I should've gone for the power steering… "
Stoker laughed and clapped him on the back.
"It happens to the best, Throttle, trust me."
"I'm sure it does. Anyway, we crashed on Earth, found Kiwi in the process and after saving her life, we asked her to help us. Luckily, she did... "
"Yeah, it was a risk, alright, but glad we took it. Ain't no sweeter girl on Earth than Kiwi ma'am", Modo nodded lovingly.
Stoker nodded, hearing how the two bro's spoke about this girl, a loving tone in their voice. She must be special.
"Later, we found out about Limburger, a Plutarkian stinkfish who was trying to do to Earth as what they did to Mars. It was then we decided that stopping him was gonna be our first priority instead of finding a way back", Throttle continued.
"But stopping him was harder than we thought. Sure, we stopped his schemes, but catching that fish was a whole different story", Modo explained.
"So, we had a few adventures on Earth. One more fun than the other. And a few were… well, not that much fun... ", Throttle trailed off, thinking back.
Sure, they had a great time on Earth. But there were a few things that happened there he wasn't gonna forget that easily.
"Yeah… But we made it back, bro. In one piece. With Limburger. Mission accomplished", Modo tried to cheer his bro and leader up.
"And you brought a human…", Stoker added. curious about her story. There just was something about her that intrigued him. He wasn't sure what it was. But fact remained there was.
"Yeah, she insisted... and trust me, the girl can be persuasive, alright. Besides, we couldn't just leave her behind. Not after everything we've been through together", Throttle said, sharper than he intended. But he somehow was feeling the need to protect Kiwi. To stand up for her. But Stoker raised his hands in his defence.
"Wow, easy, rookie. I ain't got no problem with you bringing her here. In my humble opinion, everybody who's willing to fight by our side is more than welcome here."
"Guess you're the first…"
"I ain't Carbine, Throttle", Stoker pointed out, knowing who the tan furred mouse was addressing to. "What's her problem anyway?"
"Kiwi is with Vinnie", Modo simply explained.
"I figured. I think he was trying to tell me that when I was introducing myself", Stoker grinned, thinking back at the almost hostile and possesive way Vinnie had interfered.
"Can't blame him. With all due respect, coach, but you seem to have the same taste in woman as Vinnie…", Modo said with cation, referring to the whole love triangle with him, Harley and Vinnie. It had broke Stoker's heart that she'd picked Vinnie, Modo knew that.
But he never had stopped caring about her.
Stoker's grin faded and he sighed.
"Still no sign of her, right?"
He had to ask. Even if he knew the answer already, he had this weird thing they called hope after being locked up for a while.
Maybe, just maybe, something had happened in the meantime.
"Not that I know of, Stoke", Throttle answered friendly.
"So, the punk has found himself a new one, never thought I would see the day", Stoker smoothly took away the painful subject called Harley.
"Yeah, although you make it sound like he's got himself a new bike. She's different, coach. He really loves her. I think even more than he loved Harley. But that's just a guess, since he never talks about her", Modo said, a little sad.
Stoker's face darkened when Modo said Harley's name. But he quickly recovered and rose on his feet, clapping his two best pupils, friends and bro's on the back.
"Well fella's, it's been a treat, but this old mouse is running outta gas. Night, mudpuppies."
"Night, Stoke."
"Night, coach."
They followed him with their eyes.
"He's never gonna get over it, now does he?", Modo sighed.
Throttle shook his head.
"Nope…Guess we all have our demons..."

Kiwi wiggled herself closer to Vinnie, pulling the blanket all the way up to her chin. Jesus, Martian nights were cold, alright. She was happy she'd convinced Vinnie to stay, even if it was for only one night. Her first night on a strange planet. Vinnie had hesitated for a moment, knowing that if Carbine would find out, he was in deep shit. But almost immediately the decision to stay followed up that thought.
Fuck Carbine. Since when did he wat she wanted anyway?
Even if she was almost crawling inside of her white furred macho mouse, she kept shivering. As hot as it had been when they arrived here, so cold was it now. Dammit, this was gonna take some time to get used to. Vinnie pulled her closer against him with a soft growl, clearly having no trouble with the cold and absolutely clueless about her suffering. He mumbled something in his sleep, burying his nose in her hair, but she couldn't hear what it was. She closed her eyes again, trying to ignore the cold. After what felt like a eternity, she slowly drifted off. Finally…

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Her eyes flew open and she almost jumped up against the ceiling because of the loud sound.
Same goes for her macho mouse, who jerked upright so fast, he fell outta the bed. He ended up on his hands and knees, searching for his weapon, clearly still dazed from sleep.
"Jesus, Vin, what the hell is that awful noise?", Kiwi asked a little panicked, holding her hands against her ears.
Why did they make this sirene so loud that it even was killing her, if she had to believe Vinnie, not that sensitive hearing.
Why in the world would you make a alarm this loud when all the people, or mice in this case, who lived here had the same sensitive hearing as a dog on Earth?
Jesus.
Vinnie, now fully awake, jumped at his feet with his gun in his hand, a big grin on his face.
"That, my dearest sweetheart of the whole universe, means trouble."
He quickly pulled on his pants and put his gun in his holster after he striped it around his right leg. He threw his hoodie towards Kiwi who pulled it over her head. Since it was way too big, it was more like a dress for her. A dress with one of Vinnie's sweatpants under it. Not that sexy. But she couldn't care less at this moment and it was not like she had something else to wear.
The question was; what the hell was going on?
Vinnie dragged her with him outta her room, keeping her close to him when they walked into chaos. Every mouse on the base had woke up because of the alarm. Kiwi pulled the hoodie over her head, trying to be as invisible as possible. Vinnie spotted Modo, who was making his way towards them.
"Yo bro, do ya know what's going on?", Vinnie asked when they joined him, but the gray furred mouse shook his head.
"Nope, but I was on my way to get you, since you weren't sleeping in your own bed…", he added nonchalant and Vinnie blushed.
"No worries, I won't tell Carbine. Speaking of which, let's go find her, to see what's going on."
"Where's Throttle?", Kiwi asked.
Modo looked down at her while they were wading their way through the busy hallways.
"Where do ya think he is?", he smiled and Kiwi smiled a little sheepishly.
"Ask a silly question…", she mumbled.
So far the sense of giving the guys back their old room.
No girls allowed. HA.
No, so the boys just went over to see the girls. Funny.
"There she is", Vinnie pointed.
Carbine and Throttle were on their way down and Vinnie quickly whistled between his teeth. That took Throttle's attention and he dragged Carbine with him towards his bro's.
"Hey there, fearless leader. Care to share what's going on?", the white furred mouse asked.
"Apparently, we're missing a prisoner…", Carbine answered that question. Then, she looked at Throttle.
"I need to go to the Main Hall, to turn this chaos into something streamlined, god forbid who activated the alarm without telling me, god dammit."
She gave Throttle a quick kiss and she was gone.
Modo looked at his older bro.
"You have any idea which prisoner is missing exactly?"
"No, but I've got me a feeling deep down we won't like the answer."

The guys and Kiwi stared at the empty cell. The door was still locked. There were no signs of a break out. Nothing. As if he was vanished into thin air.
Modo rammed his fist against the wall in anger, his eye glowing red.
"We had him! We finally had him! How is this even possible?", he growled in frustration.
Throttle rubbed his chin and looked at the guard, who was standing next to the cell, a little lost.
"So, you did your round and noticed the cell was empty? Nothing you heard, or…?", the tan furred mouse asked, not unfriendly.
The guard, a young soldier with a light gray fur, shook his head.
"No sir. When I walked my previous round, he was still here. And then the next round, about a hour later or so, he was gone all of a sudden… I dunno how…"
His voice was shaky, the poor guy was clearly blaming himself for this and scared Throttle or Carbine was gonna be mad at him for this. He had never met the famous trio before, but he had heard about them. They were legends on this base. He had heard about Throttle. He knew he was with Carbine. He knew he was high in rank.
Throttle lay a hand on the shoulder of the young mouse.
"It's okay, soldier. I don't think this is your fault. Unless you let him walk outta here, but I highly doubt that…"
"So? What are we waiting for? Let's go find that cheeseface!", Vinnie suggested, bouncing on his feet in excitement.
But Throttle shook his head.
"No dice, Vincent. We've absolutely no clue where that stinkfish is hiding. Besides, I had a chat with Carbine about how things are done here on Mars these days. The rats joined the Plutarkians, so did the Sand Raiders and there's even a resistance with Martian Mice who are sick of the war and have this weird idea in their head that if they do what the Plutarkians want, they'll leave. Ambushes and boobytraps everywhere… Things are changed. The former army and Freedom Fighters are the only ones who are still fighting against the stinkfaces. The rest of this planet has giving up. We can't leave this base without a plan, not anymore."
Vinnie snorted and crossed his arms.
"I still don't see the problem here. It sounds more like a party to me…"
Throttle rolled his eyes.
"All I'm trying to say is that we can't just rush into things, meaning riding out in the dark, without having a clue where to go. But that doesn't mean we'll let him get away with this. Oh no… hehe… He's gonna pay for this. We'll find him. Trust me. And when we do, you'll get your fight."
Vinnie bit his lower lip, but then nodded.
"Fine. Guess that's fair enough."
Kiwi was studying the cell, not listening to the conversation. She noticed the floor was covered with red sand.
That's good. Sand was a perfect underground for traces. Footprints, to be precise.
"Can you open the cell, please?", she asked toneless, still staring at the floor.
The mice fell silent and she turned around to face the guard.
"Well?"
The young mouse looked at Throttle, who gave his permission by giving a small nod.
Kiwi sighed and stepped aside. So this was how it was gonna be, huh? Well, bring it on. She'd found back strength and she was gonna show them all she was a gain for the team, not a burden. They wanted her to prove herself?
Fine. Let's do this shit.
She walked inside the cell and kneeled next to the marks she'd seen from outside the cell. Her finger followed the lines, a thoughtful frown on her face.
The guys shared a confused look, but shrugged and decided to wait till she was done.

After staring at the floor for almost fifteen minutes, following lines and a lot of thinking, Kiwi rose on her feet again.
Vinnie was hanging against the wall, clearly bored. Throttle and Modo were talking with the soldier, trying to get more information, but the young mouse had told them everything already.
Kiwi cleared her throat.
"I think I know what happened here."
That took everybody's attention.
"I think someone busted him out", Kiwi started, but the young mouse cut her off.
"I already told ya, that ain't possible, I was here and…", but Kiwi held up her hand, her eyes fuming.
"If you just let me talk, you'll understand what I'm trying to say", she snapped at him. The guard studied her, a little surprised, but shut his mouth.
"Anyway, it's clear someone else has been in the cell. If you look at the marks here…", but again someone cut her off. But this time it was Vinnie.
"Sweetheart, get to the point, puhlease."
Right.
She looked at the mice.
"I think it was Karbunkle. He must have used some sort of portable transporter to get his smelly boss outta here."
A silence.
"Are ya sure 'bout this, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo asked.
"Of course I'm not, but this is the most logical explanation. The footprints on the floor aren't only from Limburger, there are also traces of someone wearing pointy boots. I only know one person who wears those awful things…"
"You call this logical?", the guard snorted, but Vinnie pushed him away as if he was nothing more than a annoying fly that was zooming around his head.
"Shut up", he growled and then looked at Throttle.
"Ya see? I told ya! I told ya, I told ya! We should've kicked their asses when we had the chance instead of letting them run of like that!"
Throttle sighed.
"Let's talk to Carbine about this. Come on, guys. Kiwi."
"Let's talk to Stoker, ya mean…", Vinnie muttered under his breath, but the tan furred mouse decided to ignore him.
This whole situation was already bad enough without having a argument with the most stubborn mouse in this whole galaxy about who was in charge right now.

"Are you sure about this?", Carbine asked, looking at Throttle, who looked at Kiwi.
The human girl cleared her throat.
"Well, it's the most logical explanation. Karbunkle is smart enough to build a transportable transporter. And who else would bust Limburger out? I mean, he isn't really a popular guy here, now is he? But his minions took the trip all the way down here with us. They're here. They're loyal to him."
Stoker rubbed his chin.
"Hmmm… We can't just let him slip through our fingers, maybe he ain't popular, but he proved to be a threat to this planet. I'll put up a search team which you will lead, Throttle. As soon as the sun rises, in about two hours, you guys will ride out."
"Two hours? Ah man, what am I gonna do with all this adrenaline till then?", Vinnie moaned, wriggling on his seat, his ears and tail twitching.
"I'm sure you figure something out, punk. Maybe your pretty lady can help ya with that", and Stoker winked at Kiwi with a somehow little dirty smile around his lips. Her cheeks burned and she looked away, biting her lip.
"What if he's back to Earth?", Carbine asked to turn the conversation back on the subject that mattered, namely; a escaped smelly stink fish.
"I don't think so. Look what I found", and Kiwi lay her phone on the table. To her surprise, the thing did work here and with some effort, she was able to find some news items.
"Oversized monstrous alien gerbils riding on motorcycles spotted in Chicago!", screamed the headline.
The article started with a picture of Vinnie, who was standing on the roof of the guesthouse on his bike, spinning the guns around his fingers with that arrogant smile on his face.
"Gerbils? Well, excuuuuuse me? Gimme that!", and Vinnie snatched the phone of the table, right before Carbine could look at it.
When he saw the picture, a arrogant grin curled his lips.
"That's me, alright. The baddest mamma jammer of this side of the asteroid belt!"
"Modest too…", Throttle sighed while rolling his eyes.
"Forget modest. Look at this picture man, how can you be modest if you're that good looking?", Vinnie smiled, showing them the picture.
Kiwi suppressed her smile by seeing the tyring faces around her and grabbed the phone outta Vinnie's hand.
"Okay, macho mouse, enough with the bragging, alright…", and she looked at the picture again. "Hmmm, you do look good on this picture... but a small reminder; it's taken on Earth and that means everybody knows about you now. What I'm saying, Limburger can't go back either because they also know about him…" and she scrolled down.
"Listen to this… The famous and popular businessman Lawrence Limburger, who is seen as a hero in Chicago, apparently had a double agenda. Police has found evidence in his skyscraper that the guy who was paying to rebuild the old neighbourhoods in downtown Chicago, used his image as a cover for his real plans, namely; destroying Chicago. The police has also found numerous mysterious objects, which point out that Lawrence Limburger probably isn't from this planet too. He disappeared the same time as the gerbils… Anyway, the rest is all about interplanetary life, which is just a load of bullshit."
"Interesting… So, that means he's still here on Mars. Or back to Plutark, but that's something I won't believe till my I see it with my own eyes", Throttle said.
"Good job, beautiful", Stoker nodded towards the human girl, who cheeks turned red again, but this time from gratitude.
Stoker turned his attention to Carbine.
"This girl is a good gain for the team, when the guys are out, I'll take her with me to meet the guys from tech. I think that's the perfect place for her to be."
Vinnie folded his arms while leaning backwards in his chair, giving Carbine a smugly smile.
The light gray furred female sighed, but nodded. She knew perfectly well Stoker was back in charge now he was back.
And maybe he was right.
"Okay. Tomorrow, you'll take you oath. Tomorrow, you'll be really one of us. Don't let us down."
"I won't", Kiwi said towards the General, and then looked at Stoker.
"Thanks Stoker. Really appreciate this."
"No problem, pretty lady. No problem."
Kiwi suddenly felt a calmth inside of her. Things were already starting to fall on their place, way sooner than she'd expected. Vinnie was right.
Things were gonna be okay.
"Coach, with all due respect, but I don't think we need a search team. We're used to handle things with just the three of us…", Modo opened his mouth for the first time.
"Yeah, the big guy is right, old man. I mean, who needs a whole cavalry when you have moi?", Vinnie agreed, studying his nails.
"Hate to say it, but the big fella's got a point, Stoke. Besides, going out with a whole army is gonna draw too much unneeded attention…", Throttle nodded.
Stoker laughed, while shaking his head.
"Alright, you mudpuppies. We'll make sure there's a team standby in case you'll need backup."
"Pfuh, as if we need backup. Come on, we're the Biker Mice From Mars! The best! Always have been and always will be. There was no backup on Earth either, but hey, we managed", Vinnie snorted, somehow insulted because Stoker could even suggest such a thing.
Everybody let out a heavily sigh and Throttle rose on his feet.
"Let's check the bikes and make sure they're ready when the sun comes up", he quickly ordered his bro's.
No way he was gonna be able to listen to that walking ego for a minute longer.
He did have point, though, but no way he was gonna say that out loud.
Not today.
He left the room and looked over his shoulder.
"Watch your step, Vincent, it would be inconvenient if your swelled head gets stuck in the doorway."
He just couldn't resist. He quickly continued his way, hearing Vinnie's loud protest coming from the room.
He smiled. It was good to be back.

"Be careful, guys…", Kiwi said softly while the mice mounted their bikes.
They'd changed into the Freedom Fighter attire, but Vinnie was still wearing his black baggy bike jeans. On top of it, a yellow soft shirt (yes, a shirt) with his bandoliers crossed over his chest. A sleeveless green hoodie and the familiar purple bandana around his neck made the picture of a sexy macho mouse complete.
"Ah, sweetheart, you know we will…", the white furred mouse said with a low voice, ruffling through her hair.
"Ya think you gonna be okay here, on your own?"
"Yeah, after breakfast, Stoker promised me to take me with him to meet the team. So, he'll take care of me, no worries, love."
"Telling me Stoker takes care of ya is enough reason for me to worry", Vinnie muttered under his breath.
Kiwi looked at him, a little surprised.
"Are you telling me you're jealous?"
"What? No way, it's just… Nothing. Never mind, it ain't important. Call me if somethings wrong, okay? You know how to reach my bike, right?", Vinnie quickly said, and the tone in his voice told her to let this go for now.
"Yeah, I know. Stay safe, macho mouse", she sighed and wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Safe? Where's the fun in that?", Vinnie answered, but pulled her in a tight hug.
Modo, now wearing a khaki baggy pants with also a soft yellow shirt on top of it, and Throttle, now wearing the same pants and shirt as Modo, but with a green military jacket over it, were waiting patiently till the lovebirds were done.
"Modo!"
A voice soft and tinkling voice like Christmas bells made the gray furred giant look over his shoulder.
"Hey there, Amira ma'am", he said polite when he recognized the honey coloured biologist that was walking over to him.
"Already heard you guys are back! But you're leaving already?", she asked while she stopped next to him.
"Duty calls, ma'am. We've got ourselves a fish to catch."
"Ah, yeah, heard about that too. Well, be careful out there, okay? It can be dangerous."
"Dangerous?", Vinnie suddenly interfered, his arms still around Kiwi. "As in… life threatening?"
Amira looked over her shoulder and shot the white furred mouse a annoyed look.
"Yes, what else should I mean?"
"But you make it sound like there's a problem, babe…"
Throttle chuckled by seeing the expression on Amira's face.
"You'll get used to it… one day. Alright boys, it's time for us to ROCK…"
Vinnie gave Kiwi a short but heated kiss before popping a wheelie and winked at her.
Modo smiled friendly to Amira and closed his visor.
"... and RIDE!"
They sped outta the garage, Vinnie blowing a hand kiss towards Amira who, to her annoyance, blushed.
The white furred mouse laughed out loud and hit the accelerator, leaving a cloud of red dust behind.
Amira and Kiwi were watching them go. Once they were outta sight, Amira turned towards Kiwi.
"So, wanna eat breakfast with me?", she asked friendly.
She could only imagine how hard it must be for the human girl, to follow the love of your life to a unfamiliar planet and the guy already leaving to go on a mission after being here one night. She could use a friend. And the human girl had proven to be kind and friendly.
So Amira didn't just ask her to be polite. She liked her.
Kiwi gave her a warm and grateful look.
"I'd love to."

"AAAAAOOOOWWWW, hell yeaaah, the gang is back!", Vinnie howled happily while firing his jets and making a somersault with his bike in the air. He landed wildly on his tires and his bike wobbled, but he used his weight to get it back on track.
"Gotta admit, bro's, but it feels mighty good to be back", Modo smiled.
"Yeah, but keep your eyes open, bro's."
Vinnie was almost bouncing on his bike, looking around him, but all he saw was desert, rocks and sand dunes.
"Ah, Throttle, lighten up, will ya? There's absolutely no…", but before he could finish his sentence, his bike suddenly stopped and he flew off.
"Yiiaaooww!"
Throttle and Modo hit the brakes, turned around and stopped next to their bro, who got upright while rubbing his lower back.
"You were saying, Vincent?", Throttle asked dryly when he saw what had caused the fall of his younger bro.
"Boobytraps." And he pointed at the bear trap that was now holding Vinnie's bike by the rear tire. His bike wasn't amused and was revving her engine angrily, but the chain was strong enough to hold her.
Modo chuckled and used his armcannon to free the agitated red racer.
Vinnie rose on his feet, still holding his lower back with a sheepish smile on his face.
"Right. Boobytraps", he mumbled.
Throttle stepped off his bike and looked at the trap.
"Hmmm… doesn't look like your average Plutarkian gear… No, this must be from someone else, some low life…", but a sound in the distance made him stop talking and they all looked up.
"Rats!", Modo called out, his eye glowing red when he recognized the silhouettes that were coming towards them.
"How did they even know we're here?", Vinnie asked, mounting his bike while patting her on the side to calm her down.
"There's a sensor in the trap. Must've activated some kinda alarm... "
"So, should we pound them?", Vinnie asked hopeful, but Throttle shook his head.
"Nah, ain't worth the energy. Finding Limburger is prio number one. Put on the scanners on your bikes, bro's, so we can spot the traps before they trap us. Let's ride!"
Vinnie pouted, but pushed a button on his bike to activate his radar and followed his bro's.
The rats weren't fast enough and when they reached the trap, the mice were already gone.

They were driving for hours now, and thanks to the scanners on their bikes, they managed to avoid the boobytraps. They hadn't seen any enemies after the whole bear trap escapade.
Vinnie was starting to get bored.
"Ah man, where's the action?", he sighed while swirling around a landmine that was hidden under the sand.
"Throttle, this is boring! Can't we just activate one little boobytrap, ya know, so we can blow some useless rats to the seventh galaxy?"
"No dice, Vincent. We ain't here to look for trouble. We're here to find Limburger."
"Can't see the difference", Modo smiled.
"At least Limburger knows how to entertain me", Vinnie snapped at his older bro. "Ugh, this is just taking forever", he continued his whining.
But when they drove over a large sand dune, Throttle suddenly whistled between his teeth.
"Wow, wow, wow, bro's, hold up!"
They hit the brakes and Vinnie's face lit up, a big grin almost splitting it in two.
"Now that's more like it!"
A huge building made outta the characteristic Martian red stone was standing between some small mountains.
Throttle narrowed his eyes.
"Guys, is it just me, or does that building look awfully familiar?", he asked, looking at the building. "And it ain't a happy memory…"
"What? Who cares, let's scoop it out!", and Vinnie revved his bike, but Modo grabbed the white furred mouse by the tail.
"Hold it, bro. If you can forget you're need for adrenaline for one moment and use that brain of yours for once, then you'll see what ain't right about this picture."
Vinnie yanked his tail free, but took a few deep breaths and looked a little closer at the building. His heart skipped a beat.
"Wait a minute… that looks a lot like Limburger Tower…"
"Ahhh, the brains finally start to work. Bingo, Vincent. So, I think the question here is, bro's… How is it even possible that that stinkfish has the same building standing on Mars as he had on Earth, while he was in jail till a few hours ago?"
"Even Limburger can't built that fast…", Modo nodded, rubbing his chin. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all.
"Ya don't mean…?", Vinnie asked, his tail lashing thought the air because of his annoyance.
"That's exactly what I mean, Vinnie my bro. I think the big fish had this whole thing planned… and we were nothing more than pawns in his big master plan... "

BOOYAH!

Took me like, forever. But I'm satisfied with the result.
Could the mice be right? That Limburger had planned all this and used the mice for his plan?
And if so, why would he do that?

Anywayz, appreciate it if you guys leave a review.
Thanks again for supporting me by reading my story, much love to y'all!

Till next time!
Later dudes!