So sorry this chapter took a while, but the reason for that is simple…
I was preparing to come to America. And now I'm Here! As part of a cultural exchange program, I will be living in America for a year, perhaps longer. I do still need to work and study though, so while I can't guarantee regular updates, be sure this story will be updated. Thanks so much for following this story, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
Primer bit her lip as she swirled the blue tincture around, waiting – praying – for a reaction. Two days had passed since she started. She was running out of time. Charley was running out of time. She stopped swirling it and watched for a moment.
…nothing.
She set the test tube down, breath shaky as tears began rolling. She'd failed. She couldn't make an antidote. She couldn't save Charley.
She fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands. What was she thinking? She was just a pathetic little mouse who happen to be able to grow some plants. Where in her right mind did she ever think she could create an antidote to the deadliest poison known to Mars? Charley's faith in her had been misplaced. Clearly, she wasn't even worth meeting in the future, if Rimfire was the only one between them to have met Charley…
She sniffed and wiped away her tears as best she could. She had to pull herself together and give the bad news to the bros. Her heart broke simply imagining the devastation on their faces. Maybe she could tell her Uncle first. He had left to get them something to eat, even though in all honesty, she had zero appetite right now. Maybe he could help her tell Throttle. She grabbed the edge of the table to pull herself up, giving one last glance to the last failed concoction….
She froze, and looked again…
…It had reacted. She'd done it!
Primer gasped and nearly squealed at the sight of the now bright pink liquid in the test tube. She grabbed the tincture and was on her way to shout for Uncle Modo when a thought hit her. She may have gotten a positive reaction from the experiment, but there was the chance that it wouldn't do what she needed it to. She needed to test it first, but how?
Her ears flicked up and she glanced to the corner of the room. One of the last items that had been removed from Tynan's person was a small bag of Berlock Root. Her breath hitched as the idea hit her. It was a bad one, a terrible one. It would likely end with her being grounded for life, if this went well at all. But in her defense, she was currently running on 3 hours' worth of sleep (split over several power naps) and this was the best she could think of in her given time constraint.
Before she could change her mind and come up with a far more reasonable solution, she grabbed a glass of water and added some Berlock to it. Holding the glass in one hand, and test tube in the other, she took a few deep breaths, giving one last prayer (and silent apologies to her family) and drank the glass just as the door opened.
"Hey Primer, I got some…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
Charley was floating again, in an endless dark abyss, but this time, she was fighting against the current. It felt like she was caught in a storm at sea, trying desperately to swim up to the surface for air, each time it felt like she was only sinking deeper. Sometimes she could catch a glimpse of light, but before she could reach it, it would flicker and die. It was disheartening each time it happened.
Charley didn't want to admit it, but she was just so tired…
Throttle was awoken from a sleep he did not remember succumbing to by a series of wild beeping from the monitors. Immediately, he rushed to Charley's side, eyes fliting over her in a panic before they flew to the machines still screaming in his ears. He watched in growing horror as the delicate line on the screen that had been tracking Charley's heartbeat rose and fell one last time before it went flat.
His ears dropped and he ran to the door, really busting it off the hinges in his terror.
"HELP! Someone help me!" his voice cracked as he wailed. Harley was the first to reach the door, Throttle barely had time to move out of the way as she charged into the room, followed by Blaze and several other medics. Harley rushed to the machines, eyeing them for a second.
"Oxygen levels and blood pressure dropping! Start compressions!" She yelled over the monitors and got onto the bed on her knees. One of the medics detached the tube in his sister's mouth from the ventilator as Harley started compressions, manually ventilating her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blaze readying their defibrillator.
His breath caught and he made to rush back into the room when two arms caught him around the middle, keeping him back. He screamed and wailed, tail whipping madly as he tried to break free of the hold. One of the arms released his middle and replaced it over his chest, fighting him.
"Let them work kid." He barely heard Stoker's broken voice over his own sobs. "Just let them work." Blaze returned and began placing the pads of the defibrillator on Charley's chest. Harley paused in her compression for a moment as the medics rolled Charley onto her side to place a final pad on her back, before starting compressions again.
"Hold compressions!" Blaze ordered. Harley stepped down and away from the bed as the machine continued its sepulchral tone. Blaze studied the monitors for a second. "Shock advised, stand clear!" He ordered once more. The medics all backed away as Blaze pressed the button.
Charley opened her eyes (she didn't remember closing them). She could have sworn she felt a tug just then.
A weird sensation hit her. It felt like something was pulling on her chest. Weak, but insistent. She followed the direction of the pull, and saw a flickering light. There! That's the way out!
She began swimming towards it desperately, when something grabbed her ankle from below and pulled hard before she could even let out a scream. She glimpsed at the horrifying black creature that held her. Its form oozed and shifted, and she could vaguely make out what looked like faces forming in its mass.
Greasepit.
Karbunkle.
Limburger, both human and Plutarkian.
Mace.
The Council.
Tynan.
Their eyes and mouths glowed in the dark, and emitted a pale white smoke. Another claw-like appendage burst forth and latched onto her other leg. She screamed and kicked, fighting with all her might. The monster simply created more claws in retaliation to seize her. She gritted her teeth and struggled even as it wrapped around her throat and mouth, threatening to smother her for good.
No, not now…not like this…
Throttle was on the verge of a breakdown, watching as his sister seemed to slip away before his very eyes. Harley was still giving compressions, after the shock Blaze had delivered yielded no results. He could see Blaze give a glance in their direction for a moment before turning back to the defibrillator, as if he couldn't face him.
"Charge to 150, stand clear." He ordered again. Harley nearly leaped back in her rush to step away, and Blaze delivered another shock as the room held their breath. The flat line continued. Blaze's hand dropped from the machine, and Harley snarled.
"No, we are not giving up on her!" She launched herself back onto the bed and continued compressions. Throttle's eyes widened at Blaze's and the other medics resignation and broke free of Stoker's grasp, ignoring his and the other medics cries as he raced to his sister's side. He grasped Charley's limp hand tightly and laid his forehead to hers.
"Please Charley, don't give up. I need you, sis. I can't do this alone. I know you are stronger than this. I am begging you, hang on please." He cried, tears rolling down his muzzle and landing on Charley's pale cheeks. He sniffed, before raising his head and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I love you, Charley."
…need you, sis…
…was that…?
…can't do this…are stronger than this…. begging you, hang on…
…Throttle?
I love you, Charley.
Three hands suddenly grabbed her, but this time they felt familiar and comforting. Her eyes widened as a comforting glow filled the air, and the black mass that had held her recoiled. Her limbs her own again, she began curling up to try and gather herself, but the hands stopped her.
"No time for that, Charley-girl." She gaped at the sight of Throttle before her. It wasn't the Throttle she had grown to love as her brother, but the Throttle of her future, in his shades, black biker vest and blue jeans.
"You got some family to get back to, Charley-ma'am." To her right was Modo, his left eye covered with the eyepatch, and his right arm made of metal once more. On her left was Vinnie, silver mask back in place. All three bros had bittersweet smiles on their faces.
"G-guys?" she murmured. Vinnie smiled and gave her a hug.
"We are so proud of you Charley, but you still have some work to do." He whispered in her ear. Her breath caught as Modo and Throttle also joined in the hug. She squeezed them back, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I- I miss you guys so much…" She whimpered, burying her head in Throttle's shoulder. She felt them pull away, felt herself rising back towards the light. She reached out and grasped Throttle's arms, trying to hold on for a moment longer when she saw they weren't rising with her. Throttle smiled at her warmly, his shades having vanished and showing his tear-filled eyes.
"Goodbye, Charley…"
...beep…beep…beep…
Throttle's ear twitched and he glanced at the room, where everyone stood gaping at the monitors. His own eyes followed, landing on the line that was, once again, jumping up and down on its own. Harley let out a relieved gasp as she practically collapsed off the cot, Stoker barely catching her from the fall. His own eyes were wide and red from unshed tears, and his breath was shaky with his own relief. Throttle wept openly as he stroked his sister hair, pressing another kiss to her forehead.
"We haven't saved her." Blaze's rumble sent chills down Throttle's spine as he turned his head towards the older medic. "This will happen again. How many times do you think we can bring her back?" He shook his head roughly. "All we've done is delay the inevitable. Nothing has changed…"
"Blaze, that's enough!" Throttle nearly jumped at the rage in Stoker's voice, his face expressing an anger Throttle had only seen aimed at Plutarkians and Rats before. "She still has a chance. Primer is working on…"
"There is no cure for Berlock Root, General! We've been on a wild goose chase, prolonging Charlene's suffering for a false hope!" Blaze screamed back, before turning to Throttle. "The right thing to do would be to relieve her of her suffering-"
The words had barely left his mouth before Stoker had him pinned against the wall, teeth bared and snarling, tail whipping like mad. Throttle had never seen the General move like that. Harley's cry in alarm seemed to make General pause. At which point the door burst open again and Vinnie came sliding in.
"She did it! Primer made a cure!"
Stoker dropped Blaze in a second as Primer and Modo came rushing in behind the white-furred mouse, the young teen clutching a test tube containing a bright pink substance. She seemed out of breath but was smiling from ear to ear.
"Sorry it took so long. But this will save her." She said resolutely. Harley was the first to react, racing forward and taking the precious package from Primer's hands.
"Are you sure?" she asked gently.
"Yep, I tested it myself." Primer reaffirmed.
"Yeah, by taking a dose of Berlock Root herself." The medics in the room gasped at Modo's revelation. "What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry! I couldn't think of a faster way to test it!" Primer yelped. Modo glared and threw his hands up in the air.
"And you thought that putting your own life at risk was the way to go?" He shouted, as he marched up to her, pointing a finger to her nose. "You know I'm gonna be telling your parents about this, and Momma! I can't believe you would…." He abruptly grabbed Primer in a tight hug. "I am so proud of you, niece, but you are gonna make my fur turn grey!"
"Ugh. Your fur is already grey, Uncle Modo…" Primer grunted. Modo gave a shaky laugh.
"Grey-ER then!" he set her down, holding her by the shoulders. "You did the Maverick clan proud today, Primer." Primer gave a wobbly smile back and gave her Uncle a hug. Harley took the time to grab a syringe and fill it with the test tube's contents, before returning back to Charley's side.
"How long will it take for the antidote to have an effect?" she asked. Primer turned to face her still in her uncle's arms.
"It shouldn't take too long, but since the poison has been in Charley's system for so long, I can't say for certain." She added with drooped ears. Harley's eyes dropped to Charley and the syringe, before the moved to Throttle, who had silently been watching.
"This is your call Throttle. As her brother, you get to make the decisions about her care."
Throttle focused on the syringe poised in Harley's hand, before turning to look at the other occupants of the room. The other medics all avoided his gaze. Vinnie and Modo gave slight nods to him when his gaze fell on them, and Primer gave him an encouraging smile. Finally, Throttle turned to look at Stoker and Blaze. Blaze kept his eyes towards the floor. But Stoker…Stoker's gaze was on Charley's still form. He swallowed hard, shutting his eyes for a long moment, before opening them and turning his gaze to Throttle, giving a single nod.
Mind made up, he turned back to Harley.
"Do it."
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