Lies, Deception, and Love - chapter 5
"You don't still have feelings for him, do you?" Shadow asked.
"I would never betray my own people!" Harley said.
"That isn't what I asked and you know it."
"I'll always care for him. He was my first love, but he told me he's with someone else. He's moved on."
Harley noticed Shadow's face looked more relaxed.
"As I have." She said, putting her arms around Shadow's neck. The latter took her in his arms as they kissed.
"Okay, but I still don't trust him." He said, " I don't like him."
"Jealous, are we? " Harley teased.
"He's an playboy and an egotist. Not somebody you could take seriously." He frowned.
"Oh, he's not that bad." She giggled, ""I'd better get back before I'm missed."
"She got out of his embrace.
"You remember this rendezvous point where we transport the Regenerator?" She asked.
"We'll be there. Already downloaded the coordinates to this place. Our people will be here. Just say the word once you've got the Regenerator."
"I gotta warn the guys!" Charley thought.
Before she had a chance to take one step, her hand accidently hit a small boulder next to the one she hid behind. Small pebbles loosened and moved startling the large rat and the small beige mouse. Their ears picked up the sounds.
"Someone's here! Watching us!" Shadow said to Harley who looked around.
Charley's face became pale and she froze.
"Let's get out of here!" Harley called out loudly.
"Great idea!" He quietly motioned Harley to go left while he went right.
Charley let out a big sigh when she saw they had left when suddenly she felt something wrap around her waist and lift her high in the air. She looked into the dark to see a pair of red eyes staring back at her.
"V-Vinnie? Is that you?" She ventured to ask.
Her blood ran cold at the almost sinister look in the eyes.
"You wish."
Then the person came out of the shadows to reveal it was Shadow.
"Hello. Charley, is it?" Harley smirked, appearing next to Shadow, "You shouldn't be so nosy."
"You really think we'd leave just like that? Get wise, lady." Shadow said.
"I knew you couldn't be trusted." Charley said to Harley.
"Sorry, Charley, but we're in a war. Only the strong survive." Harley explained.
"So what do you wanna do with this little snoop? Kill her?" Shadow asked.
"No. There's a change in plan except we have the incentive we need to get the Regenerator." Harley explained.
"Once that's done, I slice and dice the white mouse with the loud mouth?" Shadow said, brandishing a big knife.
"I won't let either of you hurt Vinnie!" Charley cried out.
Shadow laughed.
"What are you gonna do about it? You ain't going anywhere, girl." He said.
"Oh, yeah?" She questioned, grabbing a small boulder and swinging with her body sideways kicking the rat in his muzzle. He loosened his grip dropping her.
"You little b-!" He screamed, holding his nose.
Charley tried to run when suddenly she was engulfed in a huge net.
"I thought you'd try something like this. And don't worry, we have no intentions of hurting Vinnie or the others, do we, Shadow?" Harley glanced, at the large rat who hesitated in his answer.
"Shadow? You promised. No killing." She said.
"Whatever you say, boss lady." He murmured.
"Boss Lady? So that story about the Plutarkians invading the Nomad Rats was false." Charley said.
"We had to find a way to gain the trust of the Freedom Fighters and find out who had the Regenerator." Harley explained, "Once the Mice get it, I'll ransom you back to them for it."
"You'll never get away with this!" Charley said, "The guys will find me."
" Oh, they'll give it to us for your safe return."Harley smirked.
She then got on her bike.
"Keep her here till we get the Regenerator. But don't hurt her." She told Shadow.
Harley rode off.
"Lucky for you, we need the Regenerator. Otherwise, I'd pay you back for kicking me." He told Charley.
...
"Primer is making great progress." Penella told Modo,watching the happy young lady mouse joking around outside her office with her brother and Trey. Modo looked a little concerned at thetway she gazed at Trey.
"Suppose so." He replied.
"You okay, sweetie?" She asked him.
"I still remember her as that little girl that used to play in the mud with her brother." He sighed, "Time sure changes. Now she's a young lady."
"She still loves her family. The Sand Raiders haven't taken that away." Penella replied.
"Yeah. 'Wanna have lunch with me? Just made some dogs." He asked.
"Sure."
...
"I heard about these from Carbine. Earth hot dogs." She said, eying the thin oval-shaped reddish brown meat inside the larger golden brown bun Modo handed her.
They were sitting under a huge tree at Olympus Mounds.
"It smells wonderful." She said.
"They even taste better especially with ketchup and mustard." Modo said, taking out two plastic bottles of the said condiments and pouring some on her hot dog.
She took a bite and smiled.
"Umm. I see why you guys like them so much."
"That's one of the things I missed about Earth. The fishing was the second."
"I have heard they have blue oceans and rivers. I wish I could see them." Penella breathed.
"Once we get the Regenerator, Mars will have their own rivers and oceans." Modo told her.
"It's finally happening, isn't is, Modo? Mars is finally going to be saved." Penella said.
"When we get to Plutark and get the Regenerator, we'll bring life back to this planet."
Penella moved closer to Modo.
"My love, promise me one thing." She said.
"What, darling?"
"That you'll come back to me safe and sound." Her hand cupped his cheek.
He had his arm around her waist. His metal one. His gloved one caressed her cheek.
"That's one promise I intend to keep." He smiled, kissing her lips.
She kissed him back, urgently. She pressed her lips against his. Her hands on his chest. Within minutes, they were in a liplock. They began kissing each other passionately. She was on top of him her hands rubbing his back and shoulders. His body responded to her touch. An erotic growl escaped his mouth as he was now on top of her. His body pressed against hers. His hands touching every inch of her as she cried out moans of delight. Two souls enfused as one.
...
"Charley? Sweetheart? Hey, you guys seen Charley?" Vinnie asked.
"No. Someone saw her ride off on her bike." Stoker replied.
"Come to think of it. Harley's gone, too." Throttle said, "'Wonder where she went?"
"And Modo. Now is not the time for people to take off for parts unknown. We have a mission." Carbine fumed.
"Not to worry, babe. Modo told me he was going to Olympus Mounds with Penella. Wanted to spend some time with her."
"Yeah?" Vinnie grinned, "Didn't know he had game! When he gets back, I want all the juicy details."
"Could you get your mind out of the gutter for once?" Carbine told him, "Harley and Charley are both unaccounted for."
"Not true."
Everyone looked up to see Harley approach them.
"Sweetheart, you seen Charley?" Vinnie asked.
"I was on my way here when I met her. She told me to tell you she was going to look for spare parts for a ship." She lied, "She said to go on to Plutark and get the Regenerator. She said she she'll meet up with you."
"That doesn't sound like Charley-girl." Throttle said, forefinger and thumb under his chin, thoughtfully and speaking out loud.
"We don't have time to wait. We need to get Modo back here, pronto. We got a planet to save." Carbine said.
"I'll wait here at Martian Command. You guys get Modo." Harley said.
...
"I love you..." Modo said, gazing fondly into Penella's eyes. The blue-grey eyes became a deeper hue. She kissed his waiting lips then kissed the tip of his nose.
"I love you, Modo Maverick." She replied, staring lovingly at him. They were wrapped in a blanket. Their clothes scattered everywhere.
Suddenly the vidcom on his bike came on.
"Modo! It's Throttle! Come in!" The voice said.
The large gray mouse jumped up hastily putting on his clothes.
"W-why 's up, Throttle?" Modo asked.
"You need to get back to Martian Command and fast."
"Uh, bro, why are your pants unzipped?" Vinnie asked, then seeing Penella, buttoning up her shirt, "Looks like somebody decided to get their freak on!"
"Really, Vinnie? Seriously?" Modo said, frowning at him while zipping up his pants.
"What? C'mon! You can't tell me you guys weren't doing it?" Vinnie questioned.
"Bros, focus here. We gotta a Regenerator to recover." Throttle reminded them.
"What about Charley?" Vinnie asked.
"Something's happened to Miss Charley ma'am?" Modo asked.
"Is she alright?" Penella asked, shirt buttoned up and fully dressed.
"We don't know. Harley said she went off looking for machine parts." Throttle explained.
"Why did she go away to find them? She knew we had plenty from wrecked Plutarkian Destroyers we recovered and stored in a hangar off to the side of Martian Command." Penella said.
"Something isn't adding up." Modo said.
"You saying Harley lied? She wouldn't!" Vinnie said.
"Being raised with Rats, we don't know what nasty habits she picked up from them." Penella said.
"She isn't like that!" Vinnie argued.
"How would you know? She lived with them. They're filthy and disgusting. They're total perverts!" She spat out.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't the one caught with my shirt open or my fly." He replied, sarcastically glancing at her and then Modo who looked away hand behind his head.
"And how many women have you bedded down all over this planet? Heck, the whole universe! If I tried to count them all, I'd run out of fingers and toes!" Penella retorted.
Modo and Throttle snickered. Vinnie glared at them.
"You make me sound like an escort! I mean, can I help it if women find me irresistible?" Vinnie asked, posing and flexing his muscles.
"But there comes a time where you have to commit yourself to one person." Modo told him, putting his arm around Penella's shoulders, "That's what we've done."
"You guys getting married or something?"
"We are."
"Modo..." Penella glanced at the large mouse, tears in her eyes, "Are-I-mean...?
"Give us a second, bros?" He told them.
"Take all the time you need, big guy." Throttle replied, grinning and slapping him on on his back.
Throttle and Vinnie rode a few feet away from the loving couple. They watch their large bro get on one knee before his beloved asking for her hand in marriage while presenting her with a gold bracelet. In the center of it was a heart shaped charm. Penella's hands went to her face in shock and she cried tears of joy. She took the bracelet and put it on her wrist. She and Modo then kissed passionately. The two mice whooped and cheered. They were happy for their oldest bro and his betrothed.
Vinnie watched his bro and while he was happy for Modo, he wished it was him proposing to Charley. When he lived on Earth, he began falling for her. Part of him hoped that someday she would see that they belonged together. The other part of him sometimes felt he was not good enough for her. She knew how flirtatious he was. How you can't really take him seriously. I mean she couldn't count the many doors and windows he broke when he lived at the Last Chance Garage with his bros. In spite of all that, she didn't kick them out into the cold.
"Sweetheart, I'll find you and tell you how much I love you." He thought.
...