I had half of this chapter written out AGES ago when the sudden inspiration for a scene hit me... Hence why this chapter is done so soon.
The first sensation that returned to Charley was her hearing, where she heard a constant beeping of a heart monitor. The second thing she noticed was that she was lying on what felt like a hospital bed, just that side of uncomfortable that these beds usually are. The last thing she noticed was the unbearable sensation of what felt like a tube that was running down her throat. She gagged and the sound seemed to have stirred someone laying their head next to her arm. She heard the sound of sheets rustling before she heard an indrawn breath.
"Charley-girl, you back with us?" She recognized Throttle's voice, despite it being roughened. Charley's heavy eyelids fluttered in an effort to open them, and soon enough, she saw her brother's face. His blue eyes were red with what she could only assume was hours' worth of crying, and he had bags under his eyes from minimal sleep, but his face currently held the brightest smile she had ever seen on him as he looked her over. "Oh sis, you have no idea how happy I am to see those eyes of yours."
Charley went to say something, then gagged on the tube in her throat once more. Throttle frowned and gave her hand a squeeze, before standing. She held onto to him as he did so, not wanting to be alone. As if he read her mind, he leaned back down and gave her forehead a kiss.
"I just need to let Harley and the medics know you're awake, so maybe they can get that tube out for you. I'll be back in two seconds, promise." He whispered to her, and with a final squeeze to her hand he dashed out of the room. Charley watched him leave, mind wandering.
Her visions of her Uncle Jake, her future bros… it all left her with a poignant sense of grief that she wasn't sure how to deal with. Regardless, she was glad she was still alive.
Memories from her meeting with Tynan, who she now doubted was ever a real Monk, began returning to her.
The numbness in her hands, choking on her breath. She could vaguely remember Throttle finding her, and the terror on his face was something she never wanted to see again. She was sure there was someone else there, but her memories faded after that.
Throttle walked back into the room, followed by a mouse she recognized as Blaze, the head medic, and Harley. She wished she could give them a reassuring smile, but the tube in her mouth was kind of inhibiting her at this point.
"Good to see you back with us Charley." Harley said as she came to her bedside, while Blaze started checking the monitors. "I'm guessing you want that thing out asap?" Charley rolled her eyes and Harley giggled, knowing it was good-natured.
"Alright, let's get right to that then." Blaze said as he switched of the ventilator, before moving to take the tube out. Charley squeezed her eyes shut and fought against her gag reflex as the tube slipped out of her mouth. She felt Harley give her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Once the tube was out, she coughed a few times, finally free of the unbearable sensation. Harley stepped back when Throttle approached, taking her place and holding Charley's hand again. Charley took her first unassisted breath, and turned her head to her brother.
"Hey…" her voice was raspy from days of misuse and the ventilator, and her throat pained her when she spoke. She must have flinched because Throttle shook his head at her and brushed her hair back.
"Easy. Take your time." He said.
"Yes, you have had quite the ordeal these last few days." Blaze stated as he tended to the ventilator, "Though, I will say this, Miss Threemane. If the Council ever tries something again, they will have to deal with us Freedom Fighters. You've certainly proven your metal after this." He gave her a wink and a smile before leaving the room. Charley's eyes widened and she turned back to Throttle. His brow was furrowed as he nodded.
"You were poisoned three days ago. Turns out, Tynan wasn't a real monk but an assassin, probably sent by the Council." At this, she nodded remembering Tynan's word to her about the Council wanting her out of the way. Throttle's face hardened at that, but he shook his head to continue. "He used something called Berlock Root. It's undetectable for a short time in water, but will start to give off a faint white smoke eventually. It's…usually fatal to Mice." Throttle's voice wavered a little there, and Charley reached out to cup his cheek. A single tear fell, and he gave a shuddering breath. "I was… so afraid we'd lost you."
"We all were." They both turned at the new voice. Stoker stood in the doorway, raising an eyebrow in question, and Charley gestured for him to join them. Stoker closed the door behind him and came to stand next to the bed. "Thankfully, it seems Berlock Root affects humans slower than Mice. Which gave Primer some time to cook up an antidote." Charley let out a little gasp, and the three mice in the room chuckled.
"Yup, she's been quite popular here in headquarters since yesterday. Modo has been bragging about his brilliant niece all day." Harley added, before rolling her eyes and raising her voice towards the door. "So why don't the four of you come in, instead of hanging around out there?" Charley heard the tell-tale exclamation from Modo and Vinnie followed by two thumps that made her wince, but before she could think on it further, Rimfire and Primer entered the room. Primer held a vase filled with beautiful flowers, and Rimfire held a basket covered with a cloth.
"Hi Aunt Charley." Primer said as she placed the flowers on a table, before coming over and standing next to the bed. Charley gave her a look and held out her arms. Primer grinned and gave her a hug, taking the opportunity to whisper in her ear. "You were right. My knowledge of plants was a huge asset." Charley couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her as she pulled back and gently brushed her nose against Primer's, causing the young mouse to giggle. Rimfire was next, leaning down to give her a one-armed hug.
"I'm so glad you're ok, Aunt Charley." He said, before pulling back and placing the basket on the bed, removing the cloth and taking out two thermoses. "Grandmomma sent me with this. Klerumon soup and Eclotus tea. She says it should help with the sore throat, and get you back on your feet faster." With a glance to Harley, who gave an ascending nod, he twisted open the first thermos and poured a little in the cup, while Throttle and Harley helped her to sit upright. Modo and Vinnie finally entered the room, blushing a little from being caught out before as Rimfire handed her the cup. The tea had a southing scent that reminded her of chamomile and lavender, and the warm liquid soothed her aching throat far better than any she had had on Earth.
"Thanks, you two." She rasped, and the twins beamed at her. She smiled back before turning to Harley. "Though I'm guessing the medics are gonna keep me in here a little longer?"
"We want to monitor you for a few more days, just to be sure you're in the clear." Harley shrugged apologetically.
"Which means we'll probably have less than two weeks to get you ready for the Trial of Orthos." Throttle groaned. Charley looked at him in surprise.
"We? Who's we?" she asked. Vinnie and Modo chuckled.
"Who do you think, Charley-ma'am?" The grey-furred mouse questioned.
"We were kinda jerks to you, before all this…" Vinnie added. "The least we can do now is help you survive the trial." At this, Stoker rolled his eyes and gave the white-furred mouse a smack upside the head, causing him to yelp.
"Not helpful, mudpuppy." He groused, making Charley giggle. Stoker turned at the sound and gave her a soft smile, one that set lose butterflies in her stomach, and raised a blush to her cheeks. She averted her gaze, only for it to land on Throttle who was wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively. She rolled her eyes and gave his shoulder a punch. He winced and rubbed at it.
"At least you still have your strength."
Four days of recovery and monitoring later, Charley was finally being released from the medical wing. She sat on the edge of the bed with Modo, Vinnie and Throttle, studying a book that lay across her lap while Harley went to get her some new clothes. Her old ones had been lost after the assassination attempt.
"Ok, so Arch Povar's are pretty agile and fast, so we're gonna have to work on your reaction times and your dodging skills." Throttle pointed to its tentacle tails with the spikes. "You're gonna have to watch for those the most. They're pretty deadly."
"Yeah, like the spikes don't give that away." She grumbled, before raising a hand to stop Throttle from speaking. "I know, I know. This is nothing to joke about."
"Actually, I was gonna say that the Arch Povar will likely use those to grab you. Spikes first." Charley recoiled and closed the book.
"You know what, why don't we save the rest of the lesson for training?" The bros released chuckles just as a knock came from the door and Harley poked her head in, new clothes bundled in her arms.
"Here ya go, Charley. Already took care of the tail hole for you." She said as she handed the items to her. Charley took them gratefully as the bros stood.
"We'll wait in the training ring for ya." Modo said as the four mice left the room so she could get dress in peace. This time, Harley had grabbed her a white tank top, along with a long-sleeved tortilla colored button-up shirt, which she rolled up to her elbow. For pants she now had umber colored army fatigues with a hickory brown belt, and some new black combat boots to go with them.
Charley heard the door close as she was fiddling with the last button on the shirt. She rolled her eyes but didn't turn.
"I thought you guys were gonna wait for me at the training ring?"
"Gotta say…" Charley froze for a split second then spun around to see Mace leaning against the door, smirking at her, "I was mighty impressed when Stoker said you survived. That little twerp of Modo's has more brains than I thought." He ended with a chuckle that made her sick. She stood tall as she stared him down.
"What do you want, Mace?" she growled out. Mace's smirk grew as he pushed off of the door, striding towards her.
"Oh, am I not allowed to be worried about our fearless new recruit's wellbeing?" he asked in an oily manner. Charley clenched her fists.
"We both know you don't give a shit about me, Rat." She barked. If Mace was surprised that she knew, he gave no indication. Instead, he placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt.
"Ouch, vulgar. And here I thought you were a sweet talker. I mean, how else could you have cruised your way into the ranks?" Charley watched as he removed the glove on his right hand, revealing the clawed, rough furred hand beneath. Charley spotted the gold ring on his finger and her lip curled in disgust. Mace raised his hand to his muzzle, scratching at his chin as he closed his eyes as if in thought. "Although, judging by the looks Stoker gives you, I can think of another way that you managed it." He opened one eye and leered at her. Charley fought the urge to flinch.
"You're disgusting." She spat. Mace merely shrugged.
"Like you said, I'm a Rat. It's part of the deal." He moved to fiddle with the 'Get well soon' flowers Primer had left her. Charley scoffed at him. She shouldn't let this excuse of a rodent get to her.
"I could blow the whistle right now. Go to Stoker and tell him you're a spy. He'd believe me." She informed him. Mace nodded, acquiescing.
"Oh, you could. But you won't." he stated, making Charley raise a brow.
"Why not?" she countered. Mace glanced at her from the corner of his eye, not turning away from the flowers.
"Who do you think smuggled Brother Tynan into the monastery?"
Her blood ran cold.
Mace continued.
"The Council was so eager to be rid of you, and Deep Pocket was oh so happy to help." He turned around with a look of disappointment on his face as he stalked towards her.
"Of course, Tynan failed, so he was a lose end that…had to be tied up. But…who's to say the next assassin won't target that little brother of yours? Or our fearless leader? Or maybe even sweet little Primer. The little pup just made an antidote for Berlock Root. Black market dealers won't be too pleased with that." He got right up in her face, and Charley fought to control her breathing as he stared her down.
"So here's the deal, Sweetheart. You keep your mouth shut…"
Charley gasped as her jaw was suddenly caught in the grasp of Mace's hand, his claws digging into her flesh ever so slightly. He sneered at her viciously as he drew her face closer to him.
"And I'll keep your little secret. I don't know how you got to Mars, but it certainly wasn't with the Plutarkians. And now, thanks to your lies…all I'd have to do is whisper in the right ears, and I can turn the entire base against you." Charley's eyes widened while Mace smirked. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Footsteps interrupted them as Mace dropped her in a split second and replaced his glove just as the door opened, revealing Stoker.
"Mace, wasn't expecting to see you here." Stoker exclaimed. Mace turned with a saccharine sweet smile on his face.
"Just checking in on our resident human, General. I was hoping to ask her for help with my weapon if she's up to it." He turned back to her, the gleam in his eye returning and Charley knew he wasn't asking about the weapon. She glanced to Stoker, who had a puzzled expression on his face and was on the verge of telling him before biting her tongue.
There was no doubt in her mind that Stoker would believe her if she told him what Mace really was. She knew that he trusted her. But what if Mace could indeed make good on his threats? Her survival had been a fluke. The only reason she wasn't six-feet-under right now was because she was human.
She already had one death on her hands. She wouldn't, couldn't, risk anyone else.
So, instead, she smiled and nodded.
"Sure. I'll do it." Mace smirked and nodded.
"Great. I'll see you around, Charley." She suppressed the shudder at the way her name sounded on his lips as he cruised out the door, nodding to Stoker as he passed him. Stoker watched him leave before turning back to her.
"Everything ok?" He asked her. Charley stared at his eyes for a moment, before she nodded again.
"Yeah. Everything's fine." Stoker watched her for a moment longer before holding out a hand to her. She accepted it, stepping closer till they were only inches apart.
"You know you can tell me if something's wrong, right?" he said softly. Charley closed her eyes, giving his hand a squeeze in response.
"I know." She raised herself onto her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, lingering for bit longer than necessary. "Thank you, Stoker." Stoker released a small breath, using his free hand to cup her cheek, before giving her a kiss on the forehead.
"Any time." He gave her a smile before stepping to the side. "Come on. You're gonna be late for training." He didn't let go of her hand. Together, they stepped outside.
Hehehe...I really like writing Villain monologues...
...don't know what that says about me...
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