Planet: Mars
Location: Freedom Fighter Alternate Post 14
Time: 16 Hours since the Battle of Tharsis Rise
The sun rose steadily over the horizon as Vinnie revved Sweetheart's engine and launched himself over the edge, knocking the massive boulder along the way. He delighted as it tipped over, rolling along behind him as he zoomed to the incomplete loop-di-loop and landed back on the track, headed straight for the boulder.
"Rockin' and a rollin'! Crashin' and a cruisin'!" He cheered as he fired Sweetheart's lasers at the rock, demolishing it in its path. He drove through the dust and debris and landed back near the entrance of the cave, and removed his helmet as he watched the rocks crumble. He caught sight of his new look in his mirrors and sighed. Still a good looking guy. He thought, trying to distract himself from the current situation. He had no idea what to make of the new information of Charley's past…future… argh the whole thing was hurting his head. He could only imagine how Throttle felt right now. He didn't count Stoker, he had the last 6 months to get used to it.
"Letting off a little steam, huh, hero?" He jumped and turned to see Harley strolling up to him, amused smile on her face.
"Wha- ehehe. Nah, I just don't wanna blow a gasket, that's all." Vinnie grinned back, before sighing again. "Tell you the truth, my head is still spinning from all that." He admitted. Harley hugged herself and nodded.
"Yeah, I get what you mean." She gazed out at the sunrise, looking lost in thought. Vinnie's brow furrowed as he leaned over, taking hold of her chin gently and turning her back to him.
"Hey, you ok, babe?" He asked softly as Harley leaned into the touch. Harley couldn't meet his gaze, and he knew something was up. Charley had really emphasized recognizing when his girl (or anyone really) was feeling down. Vinnie could honestly say that his social skills had improved a lot since she started helping him. "What's eating you?"
"It's just… The twins mentioned seeing you in Charley's memories, as well as Carbine, Stoker and Rimfire." She said, reflecting with some insecurity. Vinnie remained silent as she tried to find the right words. "From the sounds of it, Primer wasn't a Freedom Fighter originally, so it makes sense why Charley never met her. But then…" She trailed off, and Vinnie cupped her cheek and made her look at him. Harley's breathing turned shaky.
"Why did she never meet me?"
Vinnie's heart jumped to his throat, making his mouth go dry. Harley was right. Logistically speaking, Charley should have met Harley at some point in the future. If she hadn't – No! He shook his head trying to push out the unwanted thoughts and quickly pulled Harley into an embrace, which she readily leaned into and hid her face in his neck.
"Hey, I'm sure you were just keeping all the Freedom Fighters in tip-top shape. You were probably just too busy to meet her." He said, though he was sure he was trying to convince himself more. They both ignored the fact that 3 years is a long time to not meet someone… even if they were on different planets. Not to mention the other 7 that would pass before the bros met her. Harley pulled back a little, and Vinnie took the opportunity to give her a reassuring kiss. After a few moments, they broke apart, leaning their foreheads together… but the moment was interrupted.
The roar of engines made them turn to the horizon and Harley gasped. Vinnie snarled as he saw several Sand Raider vehicles approaching on the horizon. Footsteps echoing behind him made him turn, and he flashed a grim smile to his comrades as they raced out of the cave, having heard the engines themselves.
"Hey Bros! Wanna come out and play?" he drawled. Stoker whistled and the bikes all roared to life from within the cave, racing to their respective riders. They Carbine and Harley returned to the cave taking the twins inside with them as the Freedom Fighters mounted up. A blast from above them startled them as rocks suddenly descended on them.
Mace chuckled gleefully as he watched the rocks tumble around the mice above. Stilton had not been impressed by the mice's disappearing act, and he had taken the brunt of his ire. He was sick of those mice always getting away with everything, and it was time for payback.
"Do ya think that did them in?" A Raider asked him. Mace rolled his eyes at the dumb question.
"If I know them, which I do, probably not. So be ready." He had barely finished speaking before battle cries resounded and the Freedom Fighters launched themselves from above, Stoker and the 'bros' in the lead. Mace snarled. "Take them out! Take them all OUT!"
And with that, the gunfight began. Not all of the Freedom Fighters were present. Sweet Charley was still missing. He couldn't help the grin. At least that problem was taken care of. He turned to look at the cave. Harley and Carbine had not joined the fight. Perhaps he would take the distraction of the battle to pay them a visit.
Harley tended to the cut on Rimfire's forehead from where a stray rock had hit him as they had raced inside. The battle was going on full force outside. Primer jumped at a particularly loud blast and shifted closer to Harley. The mechanic smiled reassuringly and patted Primer's hand from where it held onto her arm. She wished the sweet girl wasn't involved in all this, but she was proud of her regardless.
"Is it gonna leave a scar?" Rimfire asked excitedly as she placed a patch on the cut, finishing up.
"I don't think so." She hummed.
"Oh man! Boggus!" Rimfire groaned and turned away. Harley and Primer giggled at the boy's actions. Harley noticed Carbine moving towards the wall of weapons as she grabbed a gun.
"What's the plan, Carbine?" she asked, standing. Carbine twirled the gun as she turned to them.
"I'm gonna treat this rabble to the gentle feminine touch." She stated with a smile. "Stay here."
"Yeah, good suggestion." They all gasped as Mace suddenly appeared behind her. Carbine spun to try and wrestle with him, but Mace knocked the butt of his gun hard against her forehead and shoved her away. Carbine collapsed against the wall with a groan and sagged. Mace turned to the three of them, and Harley shoved the twins behind her, eyes wide in terror. Rimfire glared darkly at the traitor, as though he could take him down with just his eyes.
Stoker dodged another laser fire and hid behind some rocks, waiting for the buggy to pass him before firing. The vehicle burst into flame as its occupants fled. He let out a smile before a scream startled him. He turned back to the cave entrance to see Harley facing off with Mace, the twins behind her. The rat must have snuck past them in the confusion! He snarled and raced towards them, seeing the bros not far behind.
Rimfire and Primer both tried to help Harley, racing around them and grabbing onto Mace's arms in an attempt to wrestle him away from her. Unfortunately, he was physically stronger. He pulled away from Harley briefly to swing Primer off him, knocking her into her brother. Stoker watched in horror as Mace kicked both of them off the edge, sending them falling to the ground.
"Rimfire! Primer!" Modo's horrified cries kicked them all into gear.
"Jet n' Net 2!" Throttle called out. He and Vinnie slid to a stop and launched two cables each, crossing them over. Rimfire managed to flip and land on the net, launching himself into Modo's arms. Primer missed the net. She screamed as she fell. Stoker revved Purpose's engine and ramped a nearby rock, catching her in his arms. Primer squeaked as she registered what happened, and tears sprang to her eyes as she hugged Stoker around the neck. Stoker could only croon softly to her as she sobbed.
"I got you, you're ok." He pulled to a stop as the bros neared them. Modo and Rimfire raced over to him, pulling Primer into a hug. Stoker smiled at the exchange when Throttle suddenly gasped.
"Charley?" He spun to see that it was indeed Charley, leaving Comet behind and grabbing one of the cable guns. She launched it at the ledge to the cave entrance, where Harley was still struggling with Mace, and tied it around her waist. Before he could call out, Charley was swiftly being propelled up towards the ledge.
"C'mon bros!" he called out, and they raced back to the cave.
Harley cried out as she fell hard on the ground. She pushed herself onto her elbow and held her arm, where she could still feel it smarting from Mace's earlier kick. "You rat fake!"
"True," he drawled, aiming a gun at her, "But better make that rich rat fake." He laughed, before a whipped suddenly yanked the gun out of his hands. Harley gasped when she turned to see Charley.
"You sure those Gold Gills were real, Mace?" she droned, twirling Mace gun in her fingers.
"What the? You're alive?" Mace yelled. Charley laughed.
"You really thought sending five measly rats would be enough to take me out? Aww, you're losing your touch Mace." She teased as she threw the gun aside, arms raised in a ready position. Mace snarled and copied her stance as they began to circle each other. Harley heard Carbine groan and she crawled over to the fallen mouse, as she slowly came to.
"Well at least I managed to keep you away from the battle. Your darling Mice think you're a turncoat, just like me." He added spitefully.
"Here's the thing, Rat. I may not have told them the whole truth. But I never betrayed them. And I never sold them out. Unlike you, I will always have friends, and a purpose. Meanwhile, the Plutarkians will eventually get bored of you and throw you away the second you are no longer useful to them. Not unlike your people did to you, I'm guessing." She chuckled when Mace growled. "Did I strike a never?"
"You bitch!" he yelled and swung at her. Charley ducked, and spun on her heel, returning the blow and landing a solid right hook to Mace's face. He fell sideways and groaned, falling silent. Charley let out a breath, before grabbing her knuckles.
"Ow, how hard of skull does he have? Blockhead!" she flexed her fingers a few times before turning to Harley and Carbine. "You two ok? Not gonna tackle me and accuse me of being a traitor again, right?" she added jokingly, and Carbine winced.
"Look, Charley, I…"
"Don't." Charley cut her off with a raised hand. "I get it. I take it you guys know the truth about me now?" she asked, and they nodded in response. "Good. That means I can say what I think now." She approached them slowly and kneeled down. "The trouble with being from the future? Irony is everywhere." She smiled before changing her expression to something more serious. "You two have two of the most amazing men I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I KNOW that they love, and will love you, unconditionally. Which is why I'm asking you to, no matter what happens in the future, trust them. Never doubt that they would do anything to hurt you, or Mars, no matter what you hear. No matter what anyone says! Can you both promise me that?"
Harley shared a glance with Carbine, who's brow was furrowed in concern. This felt an awful lot like a final request. Charley's face did not change as they looked back at her.
"I promise." Harley nodded solemnly, and Carbine echoed her, mostly in confusion. Charley's face turned into a bright smile as she stood, holding out her hands to them to pull them up. The roar of engines made them all turn as Stoker, the bros and the twins arrived. Throttle tore his helmet off fixing Charley with a glare as if he were seeing her for the first time. For a moment, Charley looked anxious about his reaction. She needn't have worried though. Throttle's face crumpled as he dropped his helmet. He raced to Charley, grabbing her and pulling her into a bear-hug, which Charley all too eagerly returned.
"I was so worried about you! What happened to you? Why did you stay behind?" He murmured, pulling back and inspecting her for any injuries before looking her in the eyes. "Why didn't you tell us?" Charley paused at his final question, letting out a rueful smile.
"I got held up by some of Mace's friends before the battle… I-I shouldn't have left. The entire thing was a set-up. The module getting left behind, all of it. Mace wanted to make sure I wouldn't interfere. Lucky for me, I had three great mentors when it comes to combat." She winked at the bros and they smiled, "I needed more time to figure out the Tug-Transporter. I thought I could hack it but it's useless. Stilton is the only one who can activate it." She sighed. "As for why I didn't tell you…short answer is I was an idiot. I should have told you all the truth from the start, but I was scared of the consequences… and then… everything just went wrong." She muttered, avoiding Throttle's gaze, before taking a shaking breath and meeting his gaze again. "I'm sorry that I didn't. I hope you can forgive me, even after…" she trailed off as she glanced at the bros new injuries. The bros all glanced at each other before descending on her, wrapping her up in a group hug.
"There's nothing to forgive, Charley-girl." Throttle muttered.
"Yeah, you been looking out for us from the start. I'd say we owe you thanks." Modo added.
"Besides," Vinnie pulled back with a smirk, knocking against his mask with his knuckles, "I kinda like the heavy metal mug here. Adds to my street cred."
Charley rolled her eyes with heavy sarcasm. "Trust me Vinnie, you will carry that look really well." That sent all of them laughing. Stoker approached them, and Charley extracted herself from the group hug to embrace him. Harley smiled as the two of them held each other for a long moment, before Stoker pulled back.
"What's the plan, beautiful?"
Please Review!