Held off writing this chapter because I had no idea how to start it….

Proceeds to come up with massive amounts of world building in the span of a weekend. O_O

That is not an exaggeration, I literally wrote this entire chapter in three days.

Massive thanks to my beta reader & editor (honestly co-writer at this point really), Glazier Blue for helping me out with this chapter!

Enjoy Folks!

Edit* I realized I made a slight miscalculation in my timeline, had to fix it

Planet: Mars

Location: Serene Monastery

There was only the sound of scrolls wrinkling and padded footsteps within the Serene Monastery's library. Charley sat and studied the text in front of her. She may have claimed to know what being a Matriarch was all about, but honestly the only thing she knew for sure was that it was a title held by the leader of a clan. Other than that, she had zero idea what would be expected of her.

Thankfully, the monks from the Serene Monastery above the headquarters had graciously allowed her access to their translated texts after she explained the situation to them (she would have to figure out a way to start learning Martian at some point). From what she had been reading, it looked like there were two factions to the Martian Government. The Council typically had nine members, each holding the title of Chancellor and lead by the High Chancellor. They were in charge of upholding the laws of Mars, in charge of the judicial system and had to be elected into the position.

The Conclave of Ancients, on the other hand, were made up of the various Matriarchs and Patriarchs of the Martians clans. The position could only be inherited, and she wasn't quite sure based on the texts, but when two clan leaders married, it looked like the first born would be the one to inherit the seat of their father's clan, unless otherwise stated, with the second born inheriting the mother's seat in the Conclave. If the couple only had one child, the remaining seat would revert back to the Matriarch's family members upon their passing.

Mice who married into other clans lost their original clan name, adopting the name of the family they married into. The decision of which name they would take fell to the couple. Charley assumed this is what happened with Nitro and Primrose. As the first born, Primrose was set to be the Matriarch of the Maverick Clan. Nitro's parents both held seats in the Conclave, but he had been the youngest of 3 siblings, and thus was not in line to inherit either seat. Thus he had decided to take the Maverick name. When the time came, Rimfire would take the position of Patriarch from his mother. Unless something happened, Modo was not set to be the Patriarch of his clan.

Thinking of the big fella made Charley sigh. The confrontation with the Council had been two days ago, and if she had thought it was over after the Council had left, she had been proven wrong.

Flashback

"So be it. The Trial is set for three weeks hence." The High Chancellor announced to the room, turning on his heel and motioning for his group to follow, casting one last glance back at them. "Good luck, Miss Charlene." Charley tried not to twitch at the thinly veiled disdainful tone. Scabbard seemed to want to say something, then seemed to think better of it and walked away.

Once they were gone, she felt a hand clasp onto her shoulder and spun her around so violently that if it weren't for the two hands that came down on her shoulders, she would have fallen over.

"Charley, you…you don't know what you've done! You CAN'T do this! It's insane!" Throttle was attempting to shout, but it was as if he was being strangled mid-sentence. For a mouse she had always known to keep his cool, it still unsettled her to see him so freaked out. But she shook him off determined to stand firm.

"Throttle, I'm not letting these old farts bully you out of your own community." She countered as though he was being the irrational one. "They don't scare me. If I have to complete their stupid trial just to get them to leave you alone, I'll do it." She wanted to reach out to him in hopes of reassuring him, but her words didn't seem to have any effect. In fact, it looked like he was shaking even more than before.

At this point Modo stepped up, fear lighting his eyes. "Charley-ma'am, you don't get it. This…this is way too dangerous." Charley had to supress a groan. Heard those words one too many times in the future. Something's never change…Even when they haven't HAPPENED yet. She had figured the Trial was not going to be anything like her battle with Comet. If it was something the Mice were worried about, then it had to be bad. But could they not see why she was doing this? What was at stake?

"I have no doubt it's dangerous, but I can handle myself Modo. We can't just let the Council get away with this." Throttle groaned as he put his face into his hands.

It was now Vinnie's turn to step forward. "Charley-girl, these guys don't play fair! They're the reason the Plutarkians are on Mars in the first place. Heck, the High Chancellor could have picked any trial for you, but he-"

"Vincent!" Vinnie winced when Throttle shot him a warning look, and stepped back with his head hanging. Throttle turned back to Charley. "Charlene, please. Don't do this for my sake. I don't…I don't care if I lose my clan status, it-it doesn't matter." From the way his voice shook, she could tell that was a blatant lie. This time she stepped closer, confidently cupping his face in her hands.

"I take my role as your sister seriously, Throttle. I am going to protect you. You would do the same for me." She looked him in the eyes before continuing with a no nonsense tone. "This is happening. Now you can either help me prepare for this, or I'll go at it alone." She finished in what she hoped was a tone stern enough to show she was serious.

But Throttle's eyes widened reflecting only horror. He couldn't stop her, and he knew it. He flinched back in shock and fled from the room. Modo and Vinnie followed after a short confused pause. She caught the looks of Carbine and Harley as they watched the bros retreat before glancing back at her. Both of their faces were filled with worry, whether for her or Throttle she wasn't sure. She could tell Harley wanted to say something to her, but Carbine shook her head before signalling to Harley to follow the others, leaving the Human alone. Charley ran her fingers through her hair as her world started to come crashing down around her once again.

She turned to see the remaining Fighters all flinch before quickly returning to whatever they had been doing before. Finally, she turned to Stoker. He had been silent since the Council had left. He couldn't even look at her. Instead he kept his focus to the floor, face blank. She sighed before turning to head to the garage, Comet slowly trailing her.

End of Flashback

Charley groaned dropping her head against the table. The bros had been giving her the silent treatment ever since. She knew it wasn't out of malice. Even back in her time, they had always had issues when expressing their feelings. They were much more comfortable with blowing things up, busting up goons… Sometimes even each other! Thinking and talking didn't get them the results they wanted, at least not fast enough. Stupid big Mice with their stupid big muscles and no brains. She knew they were worried for her, but hell, wasn't she allowed to worry about them? As per usual, they were either too proud or too awkward to try and explain what was wrong. Heaven forbid they should use words to express themselves.

Vincent's statement of the existence of other trials had peaked her curiosity though. If they wouldn't give her some answers, she would do some digging amongst the translated texts in the library herself. There were quite a few, and surprisingly, they seemed to be based on the Martian Pantheon (and wasn't that a shock to learn about). The Trail of Manos was ridiculously romantic in her opinion, and the Trial of Serene seemed like great way to test out how quickly to give someone a heart attack, really.

Frustratingly, however, she could not find ANYTHING on the Trial of Orthos. There were no texts on it, or at the very least no translated ones. It didn't help that no one was willing to explain what the Trial of Orthos even was to begin with. The monks actively avoided the topic, and even the Fighters were unwilling to speak to her about it. So this was clearly something that rattled them all…

It begged the question: what could scare Mice so much?

Heavy footsteps thudding broke her train of thought as they came closer to her. When they came to a stop, she glanced from her position still on the table recognizing Stoker's boots.

"We need to talk." He declared, though she did not miss the hesitation. Charley frowned as she raised her head, deliberately not looking at him.

"Oh, so now I'm worthy of conversation. Thanks, but no thanks" She grumbles audibly making a point to focus harder on the texts in front of her. It's not like she didn't know why he was here. He was gonna try and talk her out of this. Well, he could say his piece, she was not going to change her mind.

She didn't see the sudden shift until it was too late.

A gasp escaped her as a familiar sensation of a tail wrapping around her waist broke her musings as she's suddenly lifted from the chair. Her world was suddenly flipped upside down as she was unceremoniously hoisted over Stoker's shoulder.

"Hey!" She exclaims indignantly, starting to kick her legs and smash her fist against his back. "Put me down, ya lummox!" But Stoker ignores her as he marches for the exit. They encounter two monks walking through the hallways, but both of them take one look at the scene before them and walk away. She growls again, shoving against the mouse. Was this how he treated all his fighters? Not likely. "Let go of me!"

Instead Stoker bursts through the door of the Monastery and lets out a loud whistle. Comet and Purpose come racing around the corner. Charley feels herself placed down on Comet's seat. Instantly she goes to get up again, fighting against Stoker's hold.

"Help me out here please, Comet." She pleads, but instead she's yanked down into the seat by a metal belt. She looks at it in shock before glaring at the handlebars.

"Traitor." She mutters, the bike beeping apologetically, but doesn't release her, instead offering her helmet. Stoker meanwhile mounts his own bike in silence as he secures his own helmet and takes off. Comet dutifully follows once Charley is ready, whether she likes it or not. She can do nothing but pout as Stoker takes them back to the familiar path to Fair Grove. This was becoming a habit. Once there, he just dismounts his bike, removing his helmet with a warning glare, before walking up the hill to the edge of the cliff. Clearly he hadn't heard about her incident.

Releasing a groan of frustration, she follows suit once Comet releases her. There was no point in trying to leave now. Even if she tried, she had a feeling she wouldn't get far. Marching up the hill, she comes to a standstill next to him. He's watching the horizon with his arms crossed. She narrows her eyes as she mimics his stance. There is silence for a few minutes before she finally snaps.

"I guess you didn't drag me out here just for the view. So you're either going to try and talk me out of this… or force me too by pushing me off this cliff?" At that, he looked at her sideways. "It's counterproductive, yes, but it's the only way you're going to stop me." She sees him stiffen, but he gives no verbal response. Great! Another mouse that doesn't use their words. The lack of response annoys her even more. "Like I told Throttle, either help me prepare for this, or I-"

"Has anyone ever told you how stubborn you are?" He snapped. Secretly that made Charley smirk. The bros had told her that many times… It was the one thing they all had in common. Stoker growled before continuing. "I don't think you realize what you've gotten yourself into."

Charley snarls and throws her arms wide in frustration. "You know shockingly I did get the memo, but since no one cares to fill me in, and I can't find any information, I'll be somewhat stuck on the gravity of it until I am facing it."

"Because the Trial of Orthos is so barbaric, its only used in grave circumstances." He finally turns to her, arms at his sides, hands curled into fists as he glares at her. "Charley, if you do this, it will kill you."

Gee thanks for the vote of confidence, Stoker!

"How is that any different from what I do now? I could die anytime we face the Plutarkians."

"That is not the same and you know it. This is you willingly throwing yourself into danger. Think about Throttle."

That just made her see red. "I AM thinking about Throttle. I'm sure as hell not doing this for myself. This is for HIM!" She shouts, getting up in Stoker's face but he doesn't back down.

"You don't have to! Dammit Charley, the Freedom Fighters can protect him, protect both of you."

She scoffs. "You can't stop them from taking his clan status."

Stoker growls as he grabs at his hair. "That is not worth losing your life over. Throttle's already lost one family member, he can't lose another."

Charley's eyes sting at the reminder but she blinks back the tears. "He lost Amelia BECAUSE of me! I'm not going to let him suffer for my mistake."

"Amelia's death was not your fault, Charlene! You have nothing to make up for." Charley grits her teeth to stop the retort from leaving her mouth. He didn't understand… but Stoker's next words left her cold.

"I have contacts in the Army. I can use them to get you both to Earth."

Her jaw drops. It takes her a moment to push down the initial panic and find her words. "Absolutely not." She snaps.

Stoker shakes his head frustrated, not seeing the fear in her eyes. "Why? You had a life there once. Surely you and Throttle could start over." Charley could hardly believe her ears. And they had the nerve to think she was he crazy one. She just shook her head.

"Sending him away to an alien planet where he can never be seen or accepted? Tearing him away from everything he's ever known? His race. His home. From Modo? Vinnie? What about Carbine? You would do that to him?" Stoker visibly flinched, but soldiered on.

"At least you would both be alive. Throttle's a strong kid, as long as he has you he'll be fine."

Charley turned away from him crossing her arms. "No he won't! I'm not enough." She said honestly. "My race doesn't even know there is life on the next planet yet, let alone the rest of the universe. Forget what your government is doing to me, it would be NOTHING compared to what Earth would do to him! He would have to spend the rest of his life in hiding. No friends, no love... no family of his own." It hurt Charley to say these words. It was a different situation in her time. Throttle wasn't alone then, and it wasn't permanent. There was another major problem. "You think he would be ok hiding away over there knowing his friends were fighting in a war over here?"

"It wouldn't have to be forever. Just until the war is over. We don't know how long that would be." Stoker pointed out...

But Charley did know.

"The answer is NO Stoker, I can't do that to Throttle, and I can't go back and leave him."

"Why not?"

She flinched, shutting her eyes tight as the tears threatened to fall. "I can't tell you…"

"So..." Stoker interrupted before gripping Charley by the arms, forcing her to turn back to him, but she still couldn't look. "You are keeping more from us?! What is it that you can't tell us?"

Charley shook her head viciously, trying to hug herself tightly. "You wouldn't understand. I can't go back-"

"For god's sake why?"

"BECAUSE I'M ALREADY THERE!" she cried out before pulling herself free.

Her voice echoed over the plateau. Her heaving breathes were the only sound for what seemed like an eternity. She watched through her blurred vision as Stoker registered what she had said. Charley couldn't look at him anymore and turned away, hugging herself tightly. There was silence for a while longer before he finally muttered.

"What do you mean?"

Well, there was no avoiding this anymore. Charley drew a shaking breath before sighing. Best to get this over with.

"Right now it's 1985, and I am on Earth. I'm an awkward 18-year old teenager who avoids people by hanging out in her uncle's small garage, bothering him about taking over someday. Totally oblivious to the fact that he is hiding his terminal lung cancer from me. For the next two years I watch as he slowly wastes away from the treatments that seem to do nothing to help, until he passes away and I take over."

She looks the mouse in the face before continuing. "For the next 5 years, I stay there. I watch as the neighbourhood slowly falls apart, and people leave until I'm one of the last. But I stay because it's Uncle Jacob's garage. He trusted it to me, and I'm not going to let him down. And then it starts. One by one, the properties around the Last Chance are bought up and dug out. Every day they get closer until HE shows up! An incredibly unpleasant guy… in a purple suit, with a horrendous stench, approaches me with a deal to buy the Last Chance. Any of this ringing a bell?" She adds at the confused look on Stoker's face before continuing. "Of course, me and my stubborn streak I tear the papers in half and tell him to screw off." Charley stops and heaves for breath as the memories she had long supressed start pouring back.

"And so it starts. Suspicious vehicles following me home from the store. Phone calls threatening me to leave. Sometimes, they would even be brazen enough to bang on my door late at night. I would be left with a wrench in hand unable to sleep for fear that someone would break in. I have no one to turn to. The guy I had been dating skips town to pursue his career in advanced technology. I'm alone and I'm scared and I can't tell anyone." She hates how her voices hitches at the end but she carries on after a moment.

"Then, one night, he sends one of his goons with some new documents he wants to force me to sign. I'm scared to death but I can't show any weakness to this guy. It's me and him and I don't know what's going to happen… but things will get out of hand. Then suddenly… this ridiculously confident biker shows up, all big talk and confidence but slightly lacking in the execution." She chuckles dejectedly at the memory. "Then two more guys show up and they chase off the goon… They saved my life. Now you can imagine my surprise when it turns out they're giant MICE. With antennas, and biker clothes, and motorcycles. Roughly the same age as me, maybe a bit older. They explain they come from Mars, and they tell me the story of how they crash landed on Earth and their home was bought up by an alien race known as Plutarkians." She watches Stoker's face as the penny finally drops. "Doesn't take us long to connect the dots. I realize first that the stinkfaces have decided to start a silent invasion of Earth as things have… gotten bad on Mars by now." She looks at him apologetically. He takes the hint. "They don't want what happened on Mars to happen to Earth. They decide to move the battle to Earth. If they could stop them on Earth, they could stop them forever. And the next three years are the happiest of my life… I have a new family again. This time four of us." She trails off, unsure of what else to add at the moment. Stoker finally speaks.

"You're from the future?" She winces at his soft tone, almost worse than when he had been shouting at her. Slowly, she looks up at him. His face has a look of disbelief and she can tell he's reflecting on when he first found her. Eyes flicking as he connects the dots in his head before they land on her again.

"The three guys you told me about…they're the bros? That's how you know them so well." She doesn't need to confirm this. She sees how his face falls as he stares at her. "Why didn't you say anything?" She drops her head and stares at the ground trying to swallow around the lump in her throat.

"I'm not supposed to be here. I don't know how I ended up here… But I knew where I was right away just from what the bros told me. But they didn't tell me everything. A lot was too painful. In my time they are different. They carry many more scars, and not just physical ones. There's so much pain and loss from the war. This war!" Again, she looks at him. "I owed them this! I wanted to try and make things at least a little better for them. Spare them some of the horror I know is coming." This time she sighs. "But instead… I think I've made things worse." She sniffs.

"Amelia."

Charley bites back the sobs as the tears start running down her cheeks. "Throttle still had his clan status in my time, I'm sure of it. If he is losing it now it's because of me." Her breathe comes quicker and she digs her nails into her arms. "I have to fix this, I can't-" she is shocked when she suddenly finds herself in a warm embrace, one hand placed comfortingly on her back, the other at the base of her neck.

"Shh. It's ok. Let it out." Stoker croons softly in her ear. Charley sobs bitterly as she holds onto Stoker for dear life. The last few weeks had been a mess and now it was all catching up to her. Her legs start to feel like Jell-O and Stoker slowly lowers them to the ground. All the while, he holds her, whispering soft words of comfort as she hides her head in his shoulder. After a long time, the sobs finally subside into hiccups, Stoker rubs her back soothingly.

"There we go." He carefully pulls back, not quite releasing her as she starts to wipe away the remaining tears. "You've been holding onto this for a long time, haven't you?" She smiles bitterly.

"You're not the first to know." This time, Stoker can't seem to contain his shock.

"You told someone else?" Charley can't help the soft giggle.

"I was held at gunpoint, literally. Rimfire and Primer figured out I was lying. They thought I was a Plutarkian spy, so I had to tell the truth." That makes Stoker chuckle.

"Of course, the inquisitive Maverick Duo. It looks like I'll have to chat to Modo about keeping his weapons away from his niece and nephew."

Charley smiled softly. "Actually Rimfire is going to make an excellent Freedom Fighter."

Stoker raises his brow. "You er… met Rimfire in the future?" he asks, genuinely surprised.

She smirked. "Him, Carbine…you as well." That made his eyes widen.

"Really? So I'm still kicking. That's good. Though I guess I am bit further along in years."

"Yeah. You've still got your charm though." A devilish smirk crossed her face. "Though I now know where the bros got their irritating macho man handling skills from." She giggled at the look of consternation on his face.

"Low blow girl."

"You started it."

She closed her eyes and breathed for a moment, before a furred hand cupped her cheek. She looked up as Stoker's deep brown eyes gazed into hers.

"Charley… The trial of Orthos is a battle to the death. You'll be facing a creature called an Arch Povar. This thing can kill Mice within a split second. Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked softly.

Charley leaned into his touch for a moment before reaching up and squeezing his hand. "I need to do this. For Throttle." She responds. Stoker watches her for a moment for before sighing, dropping his head. When he lifts it again, his eyes are filled with determination.

"Then we'd better get you ready."

Wow…that's been a long time coming…

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