The One I Really Wanted -Chapter 11
"Harley, what's wrong? You okay?" He asked.
That brought her out of her thoughts.
"Great. I'm fine. I just..."
"Freeze!" cried a voice.
Shadow and Harley turned and looked startled to see a search light suddenly flash on them. Several Martian Military Freedom Fighters surrounded the prison. They now had their weapons trained on them.
"Surrender or be taken!" Carbine called out.
"Gotta catch us first, General!" Shadow replied, throwing down a bomb that produced a smoke screen. Carbine, Charley, and the other guards coughed up a storm. When it cleared, both mouse and rat were gone.
"Search the area! Find them!" Carbine cried out. Everyone spread out and began a search.
...
Shadow and Harley ran off and got away thanks to the cover of night. The three large moons of Mars shone like giant diamonds across the dark, velvet sky.
"C'mon, I know a secret path that'll take us to Rat Hole City." Shadow told her.
The Nomad Rats built an underground city made up of stone caves and caverns. These were made into homes. Life there was very hard because of the war. But they made it a home in spite of it all. Many of them did farming and gardening. But there was hardly any water for their crops. The Rats had to dig for water using pick axes. Harley often helped them. It had stopped raining on Mars many years ago due to the Plutarkians' invasion.
The Fish Faces used massive digging machines to strip mine the planet reducing it to a desert. They even stole the few ice caps on Mars. This resulted in the planet having a high humidity. There was no water anywhere.
It hadn't rained on the planet in months. As a result, many of the inhabitants had to find different ways to get water.
That was why when Harley heard about the Regenerator from spies she had stationed outside of Martian Command, she knew she had to act fast. Now sitting in a prison cell gave her lots of time to think about the past. Something she hadn't wanted to do. It was too painful. Thinking about her life, thinking about Vinnie made her have second thoughts about the whole thing. Only one question occupied her thoughts.
"Why didn't he come for me?" She wondered.
...
"General Carbine, we lost them."A young soldier told her over their communicator.
She swore under her breath.
"They had to have gone underground." Charley told her, "To Olympus Mounds."
"Of course! Those volcanoes have been extinct for years. It would be the perfect place. They were there the last time they kidnapped my troops and stole the Regenerator from us."
"Once the guys come back from Plutark with the Regenerator, everything will be okay." Charley said.
"I hope so. Our water supply is running out fast." Carbine replied.
With Stoker's help, the Mice had been able to harness water from one of the ice caps before the Plutarkians could get their hands on it. It provided them an adequate supply of water. But it was running out. Now they barely had enough to keep the Garden of Hope alive. Carbine worried for the welfare of her people. If the Garden died, they'd die. The food from it fed them. She had been wondering what they were going to do once their water supply ran out.
But now hearing that her uncle had built a device capable of supplying them with all the water or any other resource they could ever want? She was determined to get it.
She knew their enemies would try to get it before they did. The Nomad Rats. The Fish Faces would see it as a way to make them greedy for power. It upset her. Her uncle's creation was meant to be used for good like saving the Garden of Hope as well as all of Mars. Not as a way to make money.
Carbine, come in, general!
Her communicator came to life as she heard Penella's voice over the airwaves.
"What's going on, Penny?"
"The guys are back! Put their transmission through?" She asked.
'Yes."
"Hey, beautiful. You're a pleasant sight to sorer eyes.."
She brightened up at seeing her husband's face on the vid screen.
"Hey, yourself. One of the Rats just busted Harley out of her cell."
"Cell? What're you talking about?"
"Harley and her boyfriend kidnapped me. They intended to trade me for the Regenerator." Charley replied.
"You okay, sweetheart?" Vinnie asked.
"Fine, Vin. Thank goodness the Rats aren't the most attentive. Harley's boyfriend and another rat got into a fight. They were so busy fighting they didn't even notice I escaped."Charley replied.
"Any idea where Harley is now, Miss General Ma'am?" Modo asked.
"We tracked them to Olympus Mounds." Carbine said.
"Hold on, we'll be right there." Throttle said.
Within twenty minutes, the Biker Mice rode their bike out to Olympus Mounds.
"Where's the battleship you guys left Mars in?" Carbine asked.
"We hid it outside of Martian Command and came here." Throttle replied, "The Plutarkian alles will need medical attention. Have sick bay bay stand by."
"All medical staff help our Plutarkian allies." Carbine called out to Martian Command on her communicator.
Throttle embraced his wife.
"You're a gem, babe."
Carbine hugged him and then reluctantly let him go. They had come there to do a job.
"Duty calls."
"Besides...I can welcome you back better...when we're alone."
She whispered that last sentence in Throttle's ear. He glanced at her with a surprised look on his face while she smiled as a faint blush shown in her cheeks. Her sudden seductiveness was something he hadn't expected but it delighted him none the less. A slow smile came on his face.
"Uh, where's ..." Modo asked.
"Penella's at Martian Command monitoring our airspace for Invaders." Carbine explained, out loud, "You'll see her shortly."
"Let's get this over with." She blurted out, to everyone.
"Whatever you say, general." Throttle chuckled.
Vinnie held Charley longer than expected. Then he pulled away to look at her.
"You sure, you're okay, Sweetheart? If that Rat did something..." Vinnie began, worry itched in his face.
"Yeah, I'm okay, Vinnie. It's so sweet of you to look out for me."She replied, rubbing gently behind one of his furry ears.
Her touch which was very gentle made the white mouse blush profusely.
"I'd do anything to keep you safe." He said, giving her his most gentle smile. One that reached his eyes and from his heart.
"Hate to interrupt this tender moment. But Harley and her companion are on the move."
...
"I think we're safe now." Shadow told her.
They had traveled many miles down to one of many underground caves. It was to this particular cave they went to. Shadow had been planning to make it a home for him and Harley once he could convince the Council to agree to their marriage. It was against their law for a Rat to wed and mate with a Mouse. The Martian Mice felt the same way about the Rats. Both groups believed either group carried disease.
"You don't know where they've been. Those Rats are nasty." Different mice said.
"The Mice are full of disease and their blood is filled with poison." The Rats would say.
Shadow was sure he could convince the Council to approve of their marriage. He couldn't use Ratchet as a best man since the Council kicked him out of their city for ruining their chances of getting the Regenerator.
"Wait here." He told Harley.
"Why? Where are you going?" She asked.
"To get us a Regenerator." He replied.
He ran through one of the caves and through a hole that led to daylight when he saw something that stopped him dead in his tracks Ratchet was standing on a stony cliff. From that distance, he could look down and see the Biker Mice, Charley, and Carbine on their bikes combing the area.
"What are you doing?" Shadow asked.
Ratchet took a large stick and began dislodging a huge boulder being held in place by a small rock.
"You ruined my chances of being rich. Because of you I have no home. If I can't have what I want, neither will you."
Shadow knew he'd start an avalanche and it would crush the mice.
"No! You can't! Harley told us not to kill anyone." He replied.
"Wrong! You agreed. This is war. It's us or them." Ratchet replied back
Shadow grabbed his arm to stop him. Harley came out to help. She grabbed Ratchet's other arm.
"I thought I told you to stay put. Harley, get out of here!" Shadow yelled, "Run!"
"No, Shadow, I'm staying with you." She cried out.
'Stupid b-! Let go!" Ratchet screamed.
She held on screaming. Shadow was yelling at her to let go. She wouldn't.
The mice heard the struggle as well as Harley's screams.
"Up there!" Throttle exclaimed, pointing at the cliff.
"Give up! It's over." Vinnie cried out.
"Never! We Rats will be the ones to save Mars!" Shadow replied.
"Starting with killing you." Ratchet said, pulling out a blaster.
He fired.
"NOOO!" Harley screeched, jumping in front of Vinnie.
Harley lead out a loud gasp as the laser fire penetrated her shirt, fur and flesh. A large crimson spot soiled her chest. She slowly looked down as her own blood began pouring out of a small hole. Harley began feeling very weak as she fell her knees buckle and go out from under her. Vinnie quickly caught her cradling her in his arms.
"HARLEY!" Shadow cried out.
"She...I..." Ratchet said, in a daze over what he had just done, "Stupid Mouse."
Shadow socked him in the jaw knocking him out cold.
"Sweetheart..."Vinnie whispered.
Harley turned her head to look into Vinnie's crimson eyes. Eyes as beautiful as rubies. Eyes that now filled with tears.
"Why...?" He began to ask.
"I couldn't let him hurt you. It..was... always...you." Harley managed to get out, as her eyes began closing and everything started going black, "The...one...I...really wanted."