Whew...It's been a busy month for me!
And that's all I have to really say on the subject XD
Please review! I allow anonymous reviews!
DISCLAIMER TIME! I don't own the bros, sadfaces abound. Please don't sue me, I'm poor. And please don't use any of my characters (Copper, Silver, Alloy, Lani, etc) without permission.
Chapter 11
Modo woke up to the sound of the communicator in his arm buzzing like an angry rattler. Trying to ignore it, he snuggled closer into Copper's back, burying his nose in her hair. Copper murmured and turned her head slightly so she could look up at him though her eyes remained closed. "Baby…" she said in a drawn-out and sleepy tone. "Turn off the alarm…It's too fuckin' early…"
"Sorry darlin'," Modo said. "I can't turn it off."
"Than get ridda it and lemme get back to sleeping," she said, pulling away and burrowing under the blanket, sticking her head under the pillow for good measure. She was always cranky after being woken up instead of being allowed to wake up on her own. Modo growled and turned onto his back, letting the communicator screen extend out of his arm. Carbine's face glaring out at him was not the best way to wake up in the morning.
"General," Modo drawled, instantly becoming more awake. "How can I help you?"
"Sorry to wake you so early, Modo," Carbine said, her tone grim. "We've got a problem here."
"Vinnie get his tail tangled in a wheel spoke again?" Copper muttered, pulling her head out from under the pillow to glare at Carbine's image. "Seriously Carbine, it's too fucking early."
"I'm sorry Copper," Carbine said, her expression softening slightly when she saw Copper's sleep-mussed hair. "But we need Modo here at base."
"Carbine…" Copper whined. "We just moved in last night. It's-" she glanced at the windows, seeing the barest streak of pink in the sky, "-just dawn. What is so important?"
The grey female sighed and pushed raven-dark hair out of her face. "Last night our scanners picked up a signal from the edges of our space. The signature matches that of a Catatonian battle cruiser."
"Oh mama…" Modo said, sitting up quickly and pulling on his pants. "I'll be there as soon as I can." Turning off the comm link, he moved around the room gathering his clothes while Copper watching him with unreadable eyes.
"Modo baby…" she said, sitting up and pulling the sheet close around her chest. "Did that mean what I think it did?"
"Could be something else," Modo said. "They could just be passing by and got a little too close to our defense grid."
"Then why did Carbine want you to rush over so early in the morning?" Copper pulled her legs up so she could rest her chin on her knees, her arms encircling her legs so she hugged herself. "This is nothing good and you know it."
Modo frowned and sat down next to her on the bed. "Darlin', it's not like I won't be comin' home."
She worried her lip between her teeth, staring down at her knees. "You sure about that?"
"Hey now," he murmured, tilting her chin up with his fingers to make her look at him. "Nothin' is gonna keep me away from you this time. I'll come right back home as soon as Carbine's done yellin', alright?"
Copper's brown eyes were unreadable but she nodded her head and pulled him in for a hug. "You'll let me know when you're on your way?"
"I will," Modo smiled and kissed her. "I'll even finish building the table as soon as I get home."
She smiled and kissed him back, fighting off her inner feeling of worry. "Ok baby. You take care, drive safe."
"I've got something to be safe for," he said. Giving her one more hug, he left their room and went to the one right next door. Silver was still asleep, sprawled at the foot of her bed with her head hanging over the side. He smiled and picked her up, setting her back the right way. She stirred sleepily, her garnet eyes opening slightly to look at him.
"Mister Modo?"
"Well hey there li'l Silver Star," Modo said, gently pulling her blanket up around her shoulders. "Didn't mean to wake ya."
"Where you going?" Silver asked, sleep making her voice soft.
"Just gotta run to base for a little while. I'll be back soon though, ok?"
"'kay," Silver murmured, already falling back asleep. "Bye bye."
"Bye bye, my li'l star," Modo said. He kissed his daughter on the forehead, gently smoothed back her burgundy hair, and then left before he decided to forget about Carbine and just stay with his girls.
Modo rolled in to Resistance Headquarters soon after, parking his bike in its usual place next to Vinnie and Throttle's. Taking off his helmet, he balanced it on the handlebars and took a look around, a frown coming on to his face. There was a lot more activity than there had been in the past year: soldiers ran about with purpose, mechanics worked to get bikes and weapons ready and officers stood around barking orders at the throngs. With a sigh he headed towards Carbine's office situated in the center building of the base. As he passed the plaque dedicated to Stoker, he grinned and gently touched his fingers to the older male's likeness. "Come back soon, coach. We miss ya."
"Speak for yourself," Vinnie muttered, coming up behind Modo. "I hated it when he would yank my chain."
"Like it's hard," Modo said, slinging an arm around Vinnie's shoulder. "Any idea why Carbine wants us in this early?"
"No clue, bro," Vinnie said, rubbing his temples. "But I was up all night helping Alloy unpack his stuff. I'm not awake enough for anything."
"Better be awake enough for this, bros," Throttle said, poking his head out of Carbine's office door. He had heard Modo and Vinnie's voices through the door. "It's bad."
"How bad?" Modo asked, all traces of a smile gone.
"Looks like an invasion," Throttle sighed, pushing his bangs out of his face.
"What the hell do those cats want?" Vinnie snarled, his tiredness gone now.
"The Regenerator," Carbine's voice came from the interior of the office. "Get in here." The bros all stepped into the office, Modo closing the door behind him. Carbine's office doubled as center of security and storage for the Regenerator; now that she was more or less in charge of the thing, Carbine didn't want it out of her sight. The spacious office, decorated in shades of orange, was utilitarian. Carbine kept one sad-looking plant in the corner in an attempt to try and make the place homier. The raven-haired general was behind her desk, pouring over a sheaf of papers. She nodded to the bros, gesturing towards a few chairs. "Sit."
Vinnie and Modo sat in the offered chairs, Throttle taking up his station behind his girl and gently resting a hand on her stooped shoulder.
"What's the situation, Carbine ma'am?" Modo asked, ready to get this meeting over with so he could go home to his girls.
Carbine sighed and sat up a little straighter, one hand covering Throttle's. She looked drawn, like she had not gotten enough sleep for weeks. "At about 0400 hours we detected a Catatonian battle cruiser at the edge of our space. The Catatonians have been after the Regenerator for a while now, probably prompting Stoker to go underground. Their planet is in need of resources, just like ours is. Stoker's built at least two Regenerators, one that you see here and one on Earth with some businessman. I assume the Cats don't know about the one on Earth or they would have headed there first since they don't know about life on other planets. Except for a select few, of course," she added with a slight grin: she knew how much Charley meant to the bros. "We've sent a few of our battleships up into space but our armada isn't what it used to be. There's little chance they can stop the Cats. We're going to see a massive invasion force here on Mars in a matter of hours, maybe a day if we're lucky."
"Oh mama," Modo said, sinking weakly back into his chair. Throttle looked drawn around the eyes, as did Carbine. Vinnie just looked excited.
"Aahwoohoo, more tail to thrash!" the white mouse crowed, gleefully rubbing his hands together. "It's been way to quiet around here."
"Speak for yourself, Vincent," Modo growled, his eye flashing red. "Not all of us have nothing to think of but your amusement."
"Modo's right, Vinnie," Throttle said, glaring at Vinnie from behind his specs. "So why don't you keep yer yap shut until Modo cools down? Unless you want your ass handed to you on a platter."
Vinnie at least had the decency to look chagrined. "Sorry bros. Quiet as a mouse over here."
"And keep it that way, cheese-for-brains," Modo growled. He glanced in Carbine's direction, his expression pleading. "General…Carbine, are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes, Modo," she sighed, pained at the expression on Modo's face. "I know you and Copper just moved in together-"
"And Silver's really starting to treat me like her father," Modo interrupted. "We've had so little time together!" He stopped there, aware his bros were staring at him with the strangest looks on their faces. Carbine looked away, partially hiding her face behind her hair and holding on to Throttle's hand like he was her last line to the planet.
"I'm sorry, Modo. But we need you out there."
"Yeah, bro," Throttle said. "Who's going to watch out for us out there if not you?"
"And who's gonna watch out for my girls if I'm not there?" Modo asked.
"Um, bro, you HAVE seen Copper shoot, right?" Vinnie said, feeling he could put in his two bits without being punched. "I'm pretty sure she can handle herself."
"That's not the point, Vincent," Modo growled, making Vinnie's ears go slightly flat. "I wasn't there five fuckin' years! I want to be there now! And why is it as soon as I get some happiness, something happens to take it away!" By the end of this speech he was practically roaring, making the others in the room shrink back slightly from him. Even Throttle looked edgy: in all the years he had known Modo, he had never seen the male this incensed. And Modo hardly ever swore…it was just freaky.
Modo took a breath and released it slowly, letting oxygen circulate and calm down the raging adrenalin. He stood up and gave a slight nod in Carbine's direction. "Excuse me, general." With that he left the room, gently closing the door behind him.
"Ah man," Vinnie breathed. "I don't think I've ever seen Modo so pissed." He looked up at Throttle. "Where do you think he's going?"
"I have no idea," Carbine said, her expression bleak.
Modo had never driven so fast in his life. Even when Copper had been captured by Sand Raiders or when he was a teenager and Ratchet had fallen off a rock and broke her leg trying to best him in some game. Now he rode like time itself was after him and waiting to devour his future even more. Skidding to a halt in front of their home, Modo threw his helmet onto the couch and took the stairs three at a time, shedding his boots and chestpiece as he did so. Slamming open the door to their bedroom, he dove under the covers and roughly grabbed Copper to him, burying his nose in the juncture of her neck and shoulder and breathing deep.
"What the ever-loving fuck?!" Copper gasped, coming awake to her male almost strangling her with his hug. "Modo? What are you doing back so soon?" Modo responded by kissing her, his hands cupping her sides and his thumbs gently rubbing circles on her ribs just under her breasts. Copper gasped, giving Modo the chance to slip his tongue into her mouth. She responded then, kissing him back just as hard, her hands clutching at his shoulders, back, neck, ears- anything she could reach. Modo groaned and possessively nipped Copper's neck, making her gasp again and pull away panting.
"Modo, what's gotten into you?" she panted, trying to get her breathing back under control. Modo was never this aggressive, even when she had been provoking him. He was always slightly restrained to keep from hurting her on accident, his kisses always just a little soft to keep from bruising. But his last kiss had stung, a ravishment of lips Copper had never expected from her lover.
Frankly, it scared her.
He must have seen something in her eyes because he backed off, turning away from her and lying back against the pillows. "Nothing," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and staring up at the ceiling. "Nothing's wrong."
She sat and contemplated his profile for a moment before punching him where his metal arm met his shoulder. He gasped at the sudden pain, head whipping in her direction with eye wide. "What was that for?!"
"For lying to me," she hissed. "We promised, no lies and no regrets. You're regretting something big and don't you fucking try to tell me otherwise."
Modo sighed and looked away from her again, not able to meet her smoldering brown eyes just yet. "I left the Resistance. I'm not a fighter anymore."
"What about the Catatonian cruiser?" she asked.
"What about it?" he grunted. "It's not my problem anymore."
"Are you fucking kidding me? Of course it's your problem!" she growled. "And it's gonna be all of our problem if those damn Cats come down after us!"
"And I'll be here t' protect you and Silver," he said, still refusing to meet her gaze. "I won't leave you two alone again."
"So you're going to turn your back on the rest of the planet?" she hissed, not believing what she was hearing. "You're going to hinder one of the best chances this planet has if it comes to war? Why?"
"You and Silver are my world, my entire existence," he said quietly. "I can't leave you two again."
"But Mars needs you. Vinnie and Throttle need you."
"My family needs me more."
Copper looked away from him then, unable to hold back her tears. "So you're going to leave your brothers out there to be killed when Silver and I will be perfectly safe here or back in the caves with Alloy. Leave one family in the dust for another."
"It ain't like that, Copper," Modo growled. "They had me to watch their backs for years-"
"So, what, now they've lost their turn because you found out we had a baby?" Copper said, her voice dripping sarcasm and stinging Modo like sand in his eye. "Wow. Didn't know you cared so little for them."
"I'm doing this because I care for you! And for Silver!" Now he was truly angry, sitting up to glare at her, his eye burning crimson.
"You've picked a fucked up way to show it! Vinnie and Throttle are my brothers, too! And you're leaving them out there too rot!"
"They can take care of themselves!" he roared.
"And they can take care of themselves better with you!" she screamed back, swinging a punch at his nose. Modo caught her arm and pulled her to him, pinning her by wrapping his arms and tail around them so they were both kneeling on the bed in a mass of limbs and emotions.
"Why you actin' like this, Copper?" he asked, a little quieter now that she was so close. "I did this for you."
"It wasn't the way I wanted it," she hissed, wiggling to try and break his grip. "You're abandoning them and the rest of the goddess-damned planet for me. I can't stand that, Modo!" Soft sobs shook her, making it hard for her to concentrate on breaking free. She was so angry with him! She wanted to make him understand…"I don't want you to leave me again," she sobbed. "But I can't sit by and watch others get killed just because I want you to stay."
Modo was quiet for a moment before loosening his grip, letting her lean against him instead of having her pinned against him. "I just want t' be here for ya and Silver," he said, gently nuzzling her ear.
"What?" she asked softly. "I can't hear you…"
"Did ya turn yer implant down?" he asked, smiling despite himself.
"Yeah…" she muttered. "Could hear ya yelling just fine, though."
"I'm sorry," he said, letting go of her completely so she could make adjustments to the implant in her damaged ear.
"Yeah, me too," she said, sitting back on her heels and looking up at him sadly. "You need to go back, Modo. They need you."
"You need me too," he said, rearranging himself so he was sitting tailor-style in front of her.
"I do," she nodded. "But right now, they need you more. And I'm not going anywhere."
He sighed and rubbed his scalp, making the fur between his ears stand on end. "Oh darlin'…Why's it gotta be so hard?"
"I don't know," she said, leaning forward to capture his face between her hands. "But I can't let you just sit next to me and let yourself go to waste. You would resent me for it sooner or later."
"I could never resent you," he murmured, rubbing his cheek against her slightly calloused palm. She smiled sadly and knelt between his legs, cradling his head against her chest and resting her chin on his head. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly as his body shook.
"I love you, Modo," she said, gently stroking his back. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I don't want to leave you again," he whispered, a tear streaking down his cheek. "What if something happens to you or Silver? I'll never be able to forgive myself."
"Shh…" she said. "We'll be fine, love. And when you come home to us, we'll be waiting."
AN: I've already started on the next chapter, I'll try and have it up before Christmas. Hope you all liked it and thanks for reading! Again, please review! =D