Thanks for the reviews! I do re-read my chapters before I upload them, sometimes multiple times. But my concentration isn't at the best right now. So yeah, some typo's and small grammatical mistakes will slip through. I'm sorry about that. But I'm doing the best I can. :)

Chapter twenty seven

At the base, it took them the whole night and day to prepare the attack on Mortem. But finally, they were ready to go. Throttle, Carbine, Modo, Gaya, Stoker, Jake and Violet were riding on front. Behind them, a large group of Freedom Fighters. The plan was that the group stayed outside on safe distant, ready to help when they were needed. The leading group was going inside after they had sedated the guards outside. They all had one gun with enough arrows to sedate a whole army. Once inside, Throttle, Modo and Violet were going to get Vinnie, with Stoker, Carbine, Gaya and Jake having their backs. Jake had found a map from the building and they'd figured out they were keeping Vinnie in the dungeons. Fortunately, the building wasn't that big. So there was actually a big chance of success. Unless they were too late. But they all pushed that thought away.

They arrived at Mortem and splitted up. Throttle and Carbine drove to the right side of the building, Modo and Gaya to the left. Stoker, Jake and Violet took the front. When everybody was in position, Throttle spoke into his radio.
"Okay, on my mark. One… two… three!"
Everybody pointed their guns at a guard and pulled the trigger. With a soft plop, the arrows flew out of the guns. The guards who got hit, jumped at the sudden sting they felt, but collapsed before they could understand what was happening. The others looked surprised, but soon followed. When all the guards were down, the group came together by the entrance.
"Good, fase one of the plan worked", Throttle said, looking around. "According to the nurses, the sedative works for about two hours. Enough time for us to grab Vinnie and get the hell out of here. Everybody ready?" The group nodded.
"Okay. Modo and Violet, you are coming with me. We will go in first. The rest will have our back. Let's rock… and ride!"

Throttle took the lead with Modo and Violet close by. The rest followed. Throttle drove his bike through the door and let go of his handlebars. He pointed the gun at the guards who came running towards them. The rest did the same. They drove to the direction of the dungeons, and knocking all the guards down before they even could react.
Throttle signed. "Stairs ahead" and they drove down. They came in a hallway and stopped at the first door they saw on their left. Throttle kicked it open. Violet looked in the room and she froze. It looked like a scene in a horror movie she knew from Earth. Chains were hanging on the ceiling, in the middle of the room a table full with blood. The floor and walls were also covered in blood stains, some old, some new. "What the…" She saw something glistering on the ground in the corner of the room. It looked like some metal plate… But before she could figure out what it was, Throttle drove further into the hallway. She had no choice but to follow. After trying all the doors and shooting all the guards down, there was only one door to go. Throttle stepped of his bike, closely followed by Violet and Modo. The rest stayed at the door, to make sure nobody could surprise them. Violet could feel her heart pounding in her chest. This is it. He must be in here. Hopefully alive and kicking.

Throttle looked into the first two cells to find out they were empty. He walked to the last cell, feeling nervous. He looked inside and saw a white figure lying in the shadows, with his back to them. "Vinnie!", he said with relief. Vinnie didn't respond. Violet ran to the door.
"Vinnie! Oh my god, Vinnie, are you okay!?" she yelled, pulling desperately at the cell door. Vinnie still didn't responded. Throttle's worry grew.
"Modo, open the door. Violet, you wait here!", he ordered.
Violet protested. "No, I need to see him, I need to know if he's okay!" but Throttle shook his head.
"Listen to me. I don't know in what state he is. If it's bad, I don't want you to see it. I'm saying this to protect you! Wait here, and that's an order." He walked into the cell. He slowly sat down on his knees next to Vinnie. The white furred mouse was a mess. His back was full with mean looking wounds, some very deep. His white fur was turned red from all the blood. His tail was lying in a weird looking position.
Throttle cursed between his teeth. "Oh man, Vinnie… What have they done to you…"
He carefully placed his hand on Vinnie's shoulder. "Vinnie, wake up bro. We are gonna take you out of here…"

Vinnie stirred. Did he really heard Throttle's voice, or was his mind playing some sick game? He slowly lifted his head. "Throttle?", he asked with a small voice, which didn't sound anything like his normal voice.
"I'm here Vinnie. Can you stand up?", Throttle asked while waving at Modo to come help him. Violet was looking like she was gonna lose it, but she remained where she was. Because there wasn't much light in the dungeons, she couldn't see what was going on.
Modo joined Throttle. "Hey there, little bro,", he said, trying to sound confident, but his voice broke when he saw Vinnie.
Vinnie slowly got up, still with his back towards them. Why wasn't he looking at them?
Throttle gently grabbed Vinnie's arm. "Vincent.. Vinnie.. Turn around."
Vinnie swallowed. He didn't want his bro's to see him like this. He placed his hand on the right side of his face and slowly turned around.
Throttle and Modo had already seen the mask was gone. Realization hit. Of course, Vinnie wouldn't want them to see his face. Oh, poor Vinnie. When was he going to understand that they would never judge him?
Vinnie looked at Throttle, despair on his face. Throttle lay his hand on Vinnie's wrist. "Vinnie, it's okay. We don't judge. What did they do to you?"
Modo stood next to Throttle. "It's okay, little bro. We are your bro's. Family."

Vinnie swallowed again, a tear escaped his left eye. He slowly lowered his hand. Throttle was shocked, but he didn't show it. The right side of Vinnie's face was one, bloody mess. The old scars were all cut open again.
"We need to get you out of here. You need medical help. Come on." He grabbed Vinnie's arm to support him and they slowly walked to the door. But then Vinnie saw Violet. He walked back into the shadows, but tripped because he was weak and his broken tail didn't give him any support. He fell with his back against the wall and he covered his face again. "No…", he whispered.
Throttle fell on his knees in front of him. Vinnie grabbed his arm in an iron grip.
"I don't want her to see me like this. Please Throttle, I can't…" his weak voice broke.
"Vinnie, calm down. It's okay. She loves you, no matter what. You know that, right?"
But Vinnie almost panicked, tears streaming down his face, mixing with the blood on his face. "NO!", he yelled with a hoarse voice. Throttle raised his hands.
"Okay, okay. Calm down, bro. Modo, take Violet with you. I will take Vinnie with me. Go!"

Modo ran to Violet, who was pacing through the hallway. "Modo! I want to see him! I need to see if he's okay!", she yelled when she saw him. Modo stopped her. "Not now, Violet. He is in bad shape."
"I don't care! I want to see him! I want to help him!"
"Violet, listen to me. They took his mask. I can't explain right now, but if you wanna help him, then you'll do as I say and come with me!"
His mask… Violet remembered the metal that was lying in that horrifying room. "I know where his mask is", she said and she turned around.
"Violet, no!", Modo yelled, but she was already gone. She ran back to the room, slipping along Carbine and ran inside. She quickly grabbed the mask and ran back.
"I got it! Let's go!" and she jumped at Vinnie's bike.

Meanwhile, Throttle was helping Vinnie on his bike. He took his own place and Vinnie wrapped his arms around Throttle's waist. He was in so much pain with every move he made, he almost passed out. But he forced himself to stay awake. He hid his face behind Throttle's back.
"You ready?", Throttle asked, looking behind him.
"Yeah..", Vinnie whispered. He felt so humiliated. So angry. When they drove through the building, the guards were still out cold. But when they were almost outside, a big, ugly fish blocked their way.
"Going somewhere?", he asked with that evil grin. Everybody raised their gun. But before anyone could say or do something, Vinnie slid of Throttle's bike and grabbed the gun out of Throttle's leg holster.
"Vinnie... ", Throttle warned him, but Vinnie didn't listen. He had a score to settle. He had made a promise, and now it was time to make it true. He stumbled forward, his hand before his face. Adrenaline was taking over his body. The pain was driving away by anger.
"Hey Buddy!", he yelled with a sore throat. It didn't sounded that badass he had wanted to, but it didn't matter.
Buddy looked at him and laughed. "Aahhh, if it isn't our own Phantom Of The Opera! Why the long face?"

Vinnie gritted his teeth and quickly shot Buddy in both legs. The fish cried in pain and fell on the floor. "You stupid mouse!", he screamed and tried to get up. Vinnie stood in front of him.
"I told you I would get you. I've warned you. You were messing with the wrong mouse. But you didn't listen. Even now, you seem to think you can get away with what you have done."
He pointed the gun at Buddy's head. Buddy still had that arrogant look on his face. Vinnie couldn't believe how stupid this fish was. Even with a gun on his head, he still thought he was gonna win, for fuck sake.

"Oh, Buddy?", Vinnie said with a sweet voice. Buddy looked at him.
"The virus in on our base, waiting to be destroyed. Was that the answer you were looking for?" and Vinnie smiled when he saw how Buddy's face twisted in anger.

"Rest in pieces, you motherfucker", and Vinnie pulled the trigger. The gun fell out of his hand and he stared at the dead fish. He won. He always won. Stupid fish. Hope he will burn in hell. The adrenaline quickly faded away and Vinnie could see that the world was turning. He stumbled a few passes and fell backwards. Modo caught him before his head hit the ground. Vinnie's hand slid away from his face and the last thing he saw was Violet's shocked look on her face.

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