Harley Remembers-Chapter 10
"You can't do this to me!" Ratchet cried out.
Shadow had gotten the upper hand and had now tied his brother with a thick rope to a large boulder.
'Oh, I think I can." Shadow replied.
"We're family."
"You didn't think about that when you drew your blaster on me! It's amazing how Plutarkian gold fins can suddenly make family turn on each other." Shadow said, regarding his brother with disgust.
"The Plutarkians are the greatest thing to happen to this Martian!" Ratchet retorted.
"You backstabbing rat! I should kill you where you stand!" Shadow spat out, aiming his blaster at Ratchet's head.
The latter took a deep breath. Shivers went up his spine. Is he really gonna finish him off? He was shaking like a leaf.
''But even you aren't worth it." Shadow said, drawing his weapon back.
"The latter gave a sigh of relief.
"Now I have to let Harley know we let the human female get away." He muttered, "The whole plan is ruined! Hope you're happy."
"Giddy with excitement." Ratchet replied, flatly.
"Keep that attitude when you face the Council." Shadow said, gagging him with his large neckerchief.
...
Meanwhile, at Martian Command, Harley sat in her cell. She had time to think about how she had become an enemy and a traitor to the Martian Mice Freedom Fighters.
They were her people before they gave up searching for her. Before Mace took her away, she was the Martian Military's army medic. The best. She knew more about medicines and herbs than any doctor.
Harley could still picture how she looked then: pretty and petite.
Flashback...
Dressed in her army medic outfit of tan and long brown boots. The outfit showed off her figure. Her long, honey-blonde hair hung down her back in a thick braid tied with a green hair band. The kind of woman most guys flock to like a moth to a flame.
And Vinnie Van Wham was no exception. The tall muscular white mouse constantly flirted with her. Harley had heard a lot about him. She had heard other Martian Mice girls say he was really cute. She felt cute was an understatement. The guy was hotter than hot! Big, chiseled features and he was incredibly sexy. Harley tried to ignore him. But that didn't work because he made it a point that he wouldn't be ignored.
"This mouse never runs out of gas!" He crowed.
"Yeah, right." Harley muttered, as she went on with her work.
Her head was down but she watched him out of the corner of her eyes. He'd pose and flex his muscles. Harley was trying hard not to look but she couldn't pull her eyes away. His rock hard abs and biceps took her breath away.
"See anything you like, sweetheart?" Vinnie teased, knowing she was checking him out.
"You wish." She replied, sarcastically.
Stoker had approached her.
"Harley, the other soldiers need your help." Stoker told her.
The old command leader's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Coming, Stoke." Harley replied, mentally shaking her head. He walked away.
"So, you and Stoke..."Vinnie began, trying to find out if there was something between Harley and Stoker. Vinnie had seen the way the old command leader sometimes glanced at Harley.
"No. There are no ties that bind and Stoker knows that." She explained.
She believed wholeheartedly in the Martian Mice Freedom Fighters and their cause. The Mice lost their homes, their planet, their very way of life stolen by the Fish Faces. She also heard when Vinnie, Throttle, and Modo were injured by Greasepit and taken to Carbunkle's lab along with other Freedom Fighters. It was the worst day of her life. She feared for Vinnie. Afraid he was badly hurt or worse. She was relieved when they escaped and came to one of their secret outposts. It was hidden and they only went to it when their headquarters were discovered by their enemies and compromised.
At that time, a romance developed between her and Vinnie.
Half of his face got blown off and his head was wrapped in a white bandage. He was very depressed.
"You okay, flyboy?" She asked, walking up to him after watching him ride his bike up and down the large mountanous hills of Mars.
"Letting off a little steam." He replied, trying to smile, but failing and looking away from her.
Harley suspected he didn't want her to see the wound on the side of his face. She knew the white mouse was very proud of his looks as well as his physique. Having his face scarred was a huge blow for him.
"Mind if I check under the hood?" She asked, turning the mirror on his bike toward him.
'Oh, uh, sure if you want." He replied, as she undid the bandage wrapped around his head.
"Wait here and try to stay out of trouble." She replied, after taking one look at his wound.
"No problem." He replied, cheerfully, "Just stay here and guard these rocks."
She had invented a silicon metallic mask in case anything happened to any of the Freedom Fighter vehicles but she had used on patients, too. She placed this same mask over the damaged part of Vinnie's face. It adherred to it like it was part of him or made just for him.
Harley never forgot the look of gratitude he gave her. He swooped her in his arms and they shared their first passionate kiss. His lips gently touched her. Then they both laughed. Vinnie blushed and tried to murmur his thanks.
"You're welcome, cutie." She purred, cupping his cheek then walking away.
The Mice had won.a huge victory in the war by getting the Martian Military on their side. They drove back the Fish Faces. Everything was perfect till Mace, the rat who betrayed them, grabbed her from behind. It happened so fast. She was picking up rolls of gauze and bandages when he held her. She was so scared she screamed. Vinnie and everyone came running.
"Something to remember me by, mousies!" He laughed, as he disappeared with her.
The last thing she remembered was being teleported to a cliff. She fought with Mace after he mentioned selling her to the Plutarkians. The gun in his hand went off injuring her and killing him. Harley put her hands to her face. The pain was terrible. She felt to the ground weak. She expected the Freedom Fighters to come at any minute and find her.
If not them then she felt in her heart the Biker Mice would come instead. Especially Vinnie. He would find her. They would find her. It was only a matter of time. But as minutes dragged on into hours, she began to wonder.
"Where are they? Vinnie, are you out there?" She asked.
Then hours dragged into days. Days into weeks. No Freedom Fighters or Biker Mice. She began to lose hope.
"How can they do this to me?! After all I've done for them..." She said, angrily.
Suddenly, she was surrounded. Hovering over her were a dozen Martian Rats. Fear took over her anger. She felt her eyes closing. Her head was about to hit the ground when a tall, muscular black rat caught her. She faintily made out his gentle smile and ruby eyes before she blacked out.
She woke up on a bed with her face bandaged. Someone had cleaned and treated her wounds. Then she saw that the Rats had done it. She discovered they were the Nomad Rats. They took her in and showed more love and compassion than she had ever known. She was so shocked that they would care for her so much. Someone who had been their enemy. She couldn't believe her own people gave up on her. She trusted them and they betrayed her. She hated them including the Biker Mice.
End Flashback...
"So that how it started." She said to herself.
But in her heart of hearts, she still loved Vinnie even if she was angry with him. But then she met and began to develop feelings for Shadow, the black rat who caught her when she fell unconscious. It was he and his brothers who found her hurt and dying. He took her in and nursed her back to health. This simple act of kindness was not forgotten by Harley.
She saw a people no different from what her own people were. They wanted peace like she did plus a place to be able to raise their families without the threat of having their land taken from them.
Harley was determined to help them and pledged herself to their cause. It fed something inside her. She was making a difference. She was helping a people that needed and trusted her. Her old life with the mice was gone. She now had a new life. Her and Shadow began seeing each other. She was determined to forget Vinnie. And she had. But now seeing him after all these years? Old feelings came to the surface. She tried squashing them. She had a mission: to get the Regenerator for the Nomad Rats.
She felt bad about tricking Vinnie into thinking she was on their side but this was war. Her people were dying as well as the planet. But did she really feel that way? He had told her he had moved on with someone else when she had revealed her true feelings for him. She had told herself to do the same. But she couldn't.
She heard a small pebble strike her window. Then a low familiar whistle. She recognized it and whistled back.
Then the large rat appeared in the window.
"Shadow? What are you doing here?" Harley replied.
"It's all ruined. The human got away. You can thank Ratchet for that." He said.
"I know."
"We can still win, Harley. I'll bust you out." Shadow said, "The Regenerator can still be ours."
'How, Shadow?"
"Leave it to me. Think of it. You and me marrying and raising our children on Mars' surface instead of underground."
Harley kept quiet. Marrying Shadow and having children with him? Now she suddenly didn't want to do it. Why did the thought of that suddenly sadden her?