Hey everyone!
Well, I had so many things that I wanted to happen in this next chapter but of course, I can't jam everything into one chapter, and also, since it's still like day 2 in the timeline of this story... I needed some things to happen before the next day arrives (yes, believe me, it'll arrive!) And possibly then we'll go meet some folks back in the Camp and maybe even visit the warzone... But as for now, we stay in the humans' base camp... spoiler alert.
But, the humans' base camp will get soon even more crowded...It's now like the hub of action on Mars apparently...
Okay so, "a few answers to your questions"-section:
To answer Flowangelic's question "will Stoker show up soon?", well...He might XD (and sorry for putting Skyfall ringing in your head in the last chapter, yes indeed I thought it would be funny if Modo's VidCom ringtone would be a James Bond tune...!)
And to Jbrichards77's question is Harley bisexual... Well, I can tell you that the last chapter's little innuendo on the matter was a conscious choice on my part...But like I've said many times, these characters are like running around wild, writing their own stories so, I guess we just have to wait and see...How all this works out in the story in the end...
Okay, so like always, a big massive thanks to you all who have been reading and commenting. Thanks for your continuous support. I can safely say that without you reading and especially commenting and reviewing, I probably wouldn't even be writing so... That said, please feel veeeery encouraged to always leave a review after you've read the chapter. You have no idea how much joy it brings me.
But, back to the story, where the night has finally fallen.
So, hopefully you'll enjoy the chapter,
peace
-SpaceFlora
The Story of Rebellion and Hope
19.
"You know, one thing I don't understand..." Vinnie stated his arms crossed in the dark cold night.
Modo shifted his look on him while leisurely taking a bite out of a desert radish, leaning against a tent pole, still blocking the tent door with his massive frame but remaining silent, letting the young male speak.
"...is that why would any sensible mouse join the Army?" The young daredevil shook his head in a sort of disgusted manner, staring at this big bunch of Army soldiers staring back at them through the sights of their guns which were pointing at these two Fighters who didn't seem to even mind that much.
"I mean, look at them!" Vinnie snorted with a shrug in genuine puzzlement and the soldiers gave small side glances at each other, not sure what the young mouse was after here.
"Ah'm lookin'..." Modo drawled, taking another bite of the radish, squinting his eyes in the hard desert wind, and now even the tent fabric was shaking and flapping violently.
"I mean, they had the choice to join the most badass group in the Galaxy and they chose the Army instead? It puzzles me, bro." Vinnie rubbed his chin but then his brow was raised when a thought entered his mind.
"Then again, their superior officers are not too bad looking…"
He changed his look on the much taller and burlier male.
"So, that badass babe that's currently grilling the humans...she's Throttle's lady?"
"Yup." Modo nodded.
"Oh, man… How did T-man manage to bag her…?" Vinnie wondered out loud and Modo turned his eyes back on the soldiers.
"Throttle and Carbine -ma'am go way back. They practically played in the same sandbox."
"Well, that explains it then… She never knew anything else..." Vinnie nodded, misunderstanding Modo's point entirely and the big male only shook his head silently, taking the last bite of the radish before tossing it out on a black night and it flew in a great arch. Vinnie suddenly looked confused.
"Why are you all getting hitched at the age of ten or something? Are you all part of some weird cult?"
Modo heaved a sigh but the tent door suddenly flew open and Harley came out, stopping there between the males, also unfazed about the soldiers' slightly aggressive stand with their guns pointing at them, their fingers on the triggers.
"Well, we're leaving." She sighed, lifting the bandana to cover her snout.
"What?" Modo and Vinnie asked in unison, staring at the ginger female.
"Well, not yet...But I'm sure we'll be heading back to the Headquarters in no time...I'm positive Carbine's gonna throw the humans in the trucks and haul them to the Army's base. She did not come all this way to just stare at them with that scary look of hers."
"Throttle agrees to that?" Modo asked, a little dubious.
"Yeah, like he'll contradict Carbine…" Harley snorted but thoughtfully bit her lower lip.
"I wouldn't dare either…"
"He also won't betray Stoker." Modo concluded.
"Well, just wait and see. We'll be back at HQ before dawn." Harley nodded, crossing her arms and looking out on the now pitch-dark dunes. She quickly changed glances with Vinnie but it was like they both sensed their uneasiness standing this close to each other and the scents threatened to distract both of them again. Now that it had once lingered into their consciousness the desire seemed to be easily awakened and Harley cleared her throat and nodded, giving the dunes one last look.
"Right. That's...what I came to tell you, guys." She turned in her heels and went back inside while Vinnie followed her with his eyes, a small smirk appearing on his lips while studying the swaying hips before he absent-mindedly turned his look back only to meet Modo's observing gaze.
"What?" Vinnie asked innocently.
Modo glanced back at the soldiers.
"Nothin'."
"Can't I admire the views?"
"Ah think that view's taken..."
Vinnie snorted back.
"Well, not too sure about that..."
"Ya really like to walk on thin ice, don't you?"
"You're just jealous."
The grey-furred male shook his head but then his deep rumbling voice changed the topic.
"Ah also started in the Army, you know..."
Vinnie looked a bit taken aback by this revelation.
"Why would ya ever admit anything like that?" He asked, almost looking embarrassed for Modo.
"Ya do know it's the most common way to enter the Fighters, right?" The grey giant shifted his weight a little while still leaning against the pole.
"Yeah, the lame way… I would never ever become an Army soldier."
"Kinda hard to avoid that since it's mandatory for us to get recruited in the Army..." Modo thought out loud but then gave Vinnie a genuinely curious look, his big ears perking up.
"Where have you lived your whole life?"
Vinnie turned his look away.
"Ya know...Just out there..."
"But not in the Camp?" Modo asked carefully since this was as close to sharing as Vinnie ever allowed it to get.
Vinnie huffed at this.
"No, I most certainly have not lived there, otherwise I'd probably have a wifey too and my whole life over..." Vinnie muttered but then he seemingly got enough of this desert still-life as he let out a childish snicker and took a pebble from the ground before throwing it at one soldier's head who gritted his teeth back in pain while straightening himself up, already ready to attack Vinnie.
"Hey, you've got a problem, kid?!"
"Yeah, I gotta problem and it's your ugly mug..!" More than pissed-off or anything, Vinnie seemed to be joyfully excited to get the attention he so desperately craved for. Modo rushed to grab Vinnie by his bandoliers before he'd do anything stupid but only got a fistful of air as he missed the white-furred Fighter who launched at the soldier and they both landed on the ground fistfighting and rolling in the sand so fiercely it was like a swirling mass of camo and fur.
"Unbelievable..." Modo mumbled to himself, a pang of irritation going through him, as it just wasn't in his nature to constantly seek trouble, unlike in Vinnie's case. But as he began to think this was actually a good way for Vinnie to release some of that built-up adrenaline, he noticed a few soldiers trying to separate the rebel from the soldier, soon succeeding in it and dragging Vinnie away out on the desert now the guns pointing at him like in an executing fire line, so that got a quick reaction from Modo's part as he left his spot, suddenly full of anger.
"Hey, what d'ya think you're doing?!" He bellowed and hurried after them but one soldier pointed his gun at him that only got Modo more in rage as he with a quick and forceful manner snatched the gun off the soldier while with his strong tail pulling the soldier's legs under him causing him to trip and he pointed the gun towards the others.
"Let him go." He growled.
"He's guilty of attacking a soldier! He'll only go in front of a judge!" One of the soldiers stated in an authoritative voice.
"Ah can admit he can be a pain in the ass but he's our pain in the ass so he'll go nowhere if it's up to me." Modo growled back, still pointing the gun at the soldiers.
Vinnie looked at the gun Modo was holding and changed his look to the soldiers.
"Aawhoo! Let the gun sing, bro!"
"Ah'm not gonna shoot 'em…if they just behave themselves..." Modo spoke behind the unwavering gun.
"Oh, heck... All this firepower and not a single shot… Whatta drag." Vinnie whined crossing his arms and sitting there on the sand, not at all distressed about his situation even if there were nearly a dozen guns pointed at him.
The soldier Modo had snatched the gun from tried to get up from the sand but Modo caught that and gave the male a hard look.
"Ya stay down!" His deep baritone ordered as he looked at the male from this giant's perspective.
"O-oh...okay...Sure.." The soldier waved his hands in front of him, showing that he'll not try anything.
"If you point a gun at us, or threaten us, you too are facing court-martial for resisting the authority…" The soldier warned and Modo's ears perked as he turned his attention back on them.
"...and the court-martial judges throw your rebel asses into the pit of everlasting doom!" The soldier added.
"Well, now we're talking…!" Vinnie got excited but then gave Modo a puzzled look.
"What's the pit of everlasting doom?"
"It's not a particularly pleasant place." Modo answered like a dutiful big brother even if right now he was in his mind, cursing Vinnie into the pit himself.
"Oh…" Vinnie only nodded and gave the soldiers a look.
"Well…eh, it was a nice meet and greet and all but I think I'll just… get up and go…" He was to stand up but was pushed on the ground again, a soldier pressing his back with his boot, keeping Vinnie pinned down on the ground, not allowing him to get up but just as the soldier did that, he heard the gun being loaded and turned his eyes on this big grey Fighter who had just loaded the gun.
"Ah would think about the next move real hard…"
"He is guilty of the assault!"
"He is my brother. So you play nice, and let him go. Now!" Modo's voice was packed with determination to go along whichever way this scene might go.
The soldier shared looks with his comrades.
"There's the hard way or the easy way out of this situation...So, choose wisely." Modo added his attentive eyes registering every small muscle movement the soldiers did.
"I choose the hard way!" Vinnie voted while still pinned down on the ground.
But luckily the soldiers didn't go along with Vinnie's suggestion as the soldier pinning Vinnie down with his combat boot only got some shrugs back from his comrades, and he finally eased the pressure off Vinnie and then lifted his boot, allowing Vinnie to get up, brushing and dusting his fur and clothes.
"Damn rebels…" The soldier muttered while Vinnie walked towards Modo, and the soldier spat on the ground, looking after them, showing how much loathe he had for the Fighters. Modo lowered the gun, unloading it and dropping the bullets on the sand, before tossing it back to the soldier he'd taken it away from.
"Thanks for the loan."
The tall Fighter marched back to his spot in front of the tent door while Vinnie spread his arms, stomping after him.
"That's it? No fires, no bombs, no blood? Well, you surely know how to kill the climax…"
"Vinnie, Ah say this with all my heart, you should really pipe down before Ah'll shoot ya myself." Modo grunted back.
"Awww, you're just sayin' that… I mean we all saw ya can't fire a gun…"
"Bro."
"Yes?"
"Ah give ya five seconds to go in the tent before you'll really know the meaning of everlastin' doom…"
"Fine…" Vinnie rolled his eyes and unzipped the tent door.
Modo crossed his arms while shaking his head, still feeling the adrenaline coil inside him. While standing there, blocking the entrance to the tent, he was facing the soldiers who were now mumbling to each other while again taking a stand a couple of meters away from the big Fighter who now pointed his two fingers at his own eyes before pointing them back at the males in Army camos, telling them that now the soldier boys got his attention alright.
X
Throttle tapped a pen against his chin while sitting on a chair turned backward, his arms crossed on the backrest, his eyes studying the scene in front of him behind the dark specs.
That "scene" was Carbine taking notes about the humans as well as taking pictures of them like they were rare exhibits and the humans shared clueless and wondering gazes with each other. Well, Throttle couldn't blame them. Carbine was really handling the alien situation with cold-headed professionalism that borderlined cold-heartedness.
"May I ask what you are doing with all that info?" The big tan male asked, hunching while seated, lowering his chin to rest on his folded arms, his long hair covering part of his face.
"You may…" Carbine answered but then she suddenly left her cold professional side for a brief second as she gave Throttle a look under her brows.
"But I may not need to answer that."
"Oh, c'mon... I tipped you about the aliens in the first place…I thought we were past all the secrecy between us..." Throttle murmured, his voice threatening to drop into a growl while regarding his lady working. It sure was a big task to act professional when she was now here, in flesh and blood and in that body… While her scent currently surrounded him. She was doing a much better job in order to act all cool. Throttle was glad he had the specs on as he could without a shame let his eyes roam freely on her body, even if that didn't really help his all the time wavering desire to push her against the wall and rip off her clothes. That would not be professional.
"And Throttle…" Carbine said while walking up to him, filling the report simultaneously on her little hand computer.
"Yeah..?" Throttle had to swallow the "babe". See? Professional.
Carbine was now standing there next to him and she bent down a little, whispering into his ear, her breath tickling all the small sensitive hairs on his neck.
"Quit staring at my ass."
Throttle met her dark eyes which were penetrating the glasses.
"What's the punishment for insubordination?" He asked, his raspy voice now lower.
"I can always come up with something." Carbine raised her eyebrow before walking back to the humans. Throttle felt his cheeks burning a little and he cleared his throat while turning his head to his right where Harley was sitting on a table, answering his look.
"You two are cute but weird." She chuckled with her husky voice.
"Why are you here?" Carbine crossed her arms and asked Noah who she had come to know was the leader of this pitiful group of humans.
Noah looked directly into those dark eyes that seemed to stare back into his soul.
"We…We're here mainly to see if it'd be possible for humans to live here."
"Why?"
Noah silently studied the others.
"Because…" He turned his look back on this dark-furred black-haired female.
"Our planet won't be inhabitable in the future..."
Carbine narrowed her eyes.
"And how's that our problem?"
Ah, smooth. Throttle shook his head but with a smile even if he kinda felt for the humans. He wouldn't wanna be cross-examined by Carbine either…
"Well, obviously we didn't know there was life…in here…" Noah concluded.
Carbine huffed.
"Well, now you know. Even if you won't do much with that info. Nor does your planet as you won't be going back and telling them either."
"What happens to us? What are your intentions?" Noah asked but gave Throttle a look, maybe even wanting him to intervene here.
"Don't look at him!" Carbine stared at the man and Noah turned his attention back on her.
"He's not in charge here. I am."
"Well…" Throttle knew he was walking on thin ice here and even if facing the threat of maybe hearing about it later, he left the chair anyway and walked to them.
"That isn't entirely true. The Fighters were here first…"
"So, you wanna get a reward?" Carbine asked, puzzled and not liking how he had interrupted her.
"All I'm saying is that we should at least negotiate."
"With what? About what?" Carbine seemed perplexed but pointed at the humans.
"What on Mars would the resistance do with nine humans?"
"Stoker may have ideas about that…"
Carbine snorted.
"The only thing Stoker has is the unfounded belief about his own greatness."
"Is that how you're talking about your Uncle?" They both heard a raspy yet playful voice and they turned their heads to see an older male with hazel-colored fur that had his trademark smirk on his raggedy handsome unshaved face, looking as dirty as his four comrades in his tattered clothes and his old Army vest, his bruised lean yet muscular arms crossed, the long pony-tail dangling from the nape of his neck. The very picture of a bad boy that'll leave broken hearts in every town.
"Stoker?" Throttle and Carbine both let out, the other one in slight relief, the other in mild irritation.
Modo suddenly popped his head inside the tent to watch them.
"Oh, yeah…Stoker dropped by." He announced with a smile.
"Thanks for the heads up…" Carbine mumbled, crossing her arms again but watching as the Commander of the Freedom Fighters walked to them while giving Vinnie a look.
"Hey, kid! Go keep guard too if you ain't got nothing better to do than sit on your ass!"
"Modo said he'll shoot me if I go outside…" Vinnie muttered while kicking a box in front of him in lack of better self-entertainment available.
"Well, life's full of risks… I'd rather have two guards there…" Stoker stated.
"Fine, I'll go… Man, it's like a carousel, go in, out, in, out… Just make up your damn minds!" Vinnie mumbled while going out again.
"So, what's all the ruckus?" Stoker spread his arms when stopping in front of Throttle, Carbine, and Noah.
"There is no ruckus, Stoker. I'm taking the humans back with me." Carbine informed.
Stoker only now took a better look at the aliens, nodding, still having that smirk on.
"Well, they must be excited about that…!" He chuckled knowing full well his niece's way of handling things was intense and scary at its minimum.
"They most certainly don't get to have a vote on the matter!" Carbine huffed in disbelief. This male, honestly…
"No… I guess not." Stoker observed the humans who were looking very alert now, sensing things were…kind of heating up or getting even more intense. And also there was something about this new mouse that gave them all the chills for some reason, maybe it was the way this Martian creature had stepped into the scene like he owned the planet. Stoker's brown eyes were scanning the humans one by one, not ashamed at all of his direct gaze. His look stopped briefly on each human and when stopping to stare Charley directly into her eyes, the auburn-haired woman self-consciously crossed her arms, averting her gaze away.
"But I do." He then put his arms behind his back, looking at Carbine who had her arms crossed still, looking displeased. Throttle was there in between them, feeling a little awkward, but then clasping his hands together, trying to ease up the atmosphere, not really his strong suit either but one did what the circumstances needed...
"Well, ain't it fun when the family gets together?" He chuckled.
"Lovely." Carbine muttered.
"Well, that was enough talk. You can inform the Sergeant, we'll take care of the aliens." Stoker then concluded with a nod.
"Take care…? Like… take us out of our misery…?" Lucas held his breath, his brown eyes glaring behind the metal twins.
"If taking you far away from my niece here, ticks that box, then yeah." Stoker chuckled, giving Carbine a humored glance and the female only stared at him back with an icy look, not even a muscle around her lips twitching.
"Tough crowd." Stoker nodded but then changed his demeanor and let out a sigh, rubbing his face.
"Okay, look." He pointed to the humans.
"We were here first."
"If you wanted to keep them for yourself, why inform us at all?" Carbine asked with a stern face, although curious from inside.
"Changed my mind?" Stoker tried shrugging innocently.
Carbine rolled her eyes.
"Surprise, surprise. But your inability to make decisions doesn't change the fact that the Army got here, and the Army is the law."
Stoker crossed his arms but shook his index finger at the female.
"Dangerous thinking, Carbine. It's war, and war has nothing to do with the laws. In fact, wartime is the right time to rewrite the laws. Just free advice."
"I don't need your advice." Carbine muttered looking away.
"Ah, second miss in the row, darling niece. Never ditch free advice, they may be worth gold someday…"
"Can you stop with the nonsense and say what's on your mind?!"
"Okay. We take the aliens."
"What do you need nine humans for?!"
"What do you care?" Stoker asked and only now noticed Harley a little further away and gave her a nod with a wink.
"Hey, there gorgeous…"
"Hey…" Harley smiled back, kind of hating herself for how weak her knees got when encountering that look.
"You can't just march in here and bark orders at the Army." Carbine muttered, like just patiently waiting for this circus to stop.
"I think I just did?" Stoker smirked back.
"Do you know how infuriatingly obnoxious you are?" Carbine raised her eyebrow.
"Sure. Not to mention ridiculously handsome…" Stoker grinned back and now turned his observing look on Eve, who stared back at him like a tall blonde deer in the headlights but got scared of the level of intensity in the male's look and quickly turned her look away, swallowing, but her mind was racing. What was it with Mars and the excessive amount of damn buff and gorgeous aliens? What kind of weird Hercules genes they all shared?
"You are only scaringly delusional, that's what you are." Carbine squinted her eyes at Stoker, still having her arms crossed, starting to have enough.
"So, have you asked the opinions of your superiors about the alien dilemma?" Stoker asked his arms crossed too, mimicking Carbine's stand, like they were two boxers having a staredown before they would get into the ring. This talk with his niece wasn't going as smoothly as he had hoped for.
"Of course." Carbine answered.
"Like…after you came here and evaluated the situation?"
"Well, no but…" Only now there was a small trace of doubt on the female's face and it was then that Stoker decided to take the wheel.
"Just give Scabbard a call…" Stoker nodded, deciding for her.
"It's Sergeant Scabbard to you." Carbine narrowed her dark eyes again.
"I deliberately left out the words I usually call him." Stoker mumbled.
"Fine. If it makes you finally realize you lost this debate." Carbine took her VidCom while Stoker gave Throttle a look, his smirk never leaving his face. His protege only raised his eyebrow questioningly.
"So, how are things here?" Stoker asked nonchalantly.
"All good."
"Ready to head back and fight the Plutarkians?"
"You just say when." Throttle smiled his voice hoarse.
"That's the spirit."
Carbine got Sergeant Scabbard on the VidCom.
"Sir...I got someone here who wants to have a word with you..."
"Okay, Lieutenant Carbine, let's hear him..."
Stoker grabbed the VidCom and with a wide smile on his face, he saluted the Army officer.
"Hey, there, Scabs. You don't really need the aliens, do you?"
"Stoker?! How unpleasant. "
"Like let's be realistic here, you really don't have the time or the energy to deal with these aliens, right?"
"What do you know about Army's time management?" Sergeant Scabbard looked bored.
"Well, I do know it sucks..." Stoker grinned and gave Throttle a look on his side who only shook his head, rolling his eyes. Quite a tactic to persuade someone.
"These aliens are not free to roam around on our plane."
"Eh, negative. Check again from the golden book of Martian laws, there Scabs. There isn't exactly a law against a human being, well, being on our soil, is there?"
"Well, krhm, of course not, since we never knew we would see the day they would get here! That's why it's not written there per se, but...!"
"So, technically...they cannot be prisoners since they've not done anything wrong. They're merely unfortunate tourists. And we don't lock up the tourists, do we? And since we can't give them visas as Mars doesn't yet have the right protocols and paperwork for doing so for these aliens coming from Earth... All we can do is just keep a good eye on them and see they don't...die?" Stoker shrugged but the last word got worried looks from the nine humans. The rebel leader then chuckled.
"Oh, well, who am I kidding, it's not our job to prevent them from getting killed. But we can still keep our eye on them and see they don't get in our way in any way, or make trouble. Am I correct?"
"Well, erh...I have to check those protocols and laws about alien immigration and the proper and needed visas and..." Scabbard stammered.
"Just wasting your time, chap, I know the good ol' book of law. Just happens to be one of my expertise in the long list of things that bring mice joy and pleasure..." Stoker flashed a smile and raised his look to give Harley a flirtatious glance that seemed to make Harley blush.
The Sergeant cleared his voice.
"Only thing you bring is a constant distraction...I will look into the matter myself. I will tell you my conclusion in the morning. In the meantime, you Lieutenant stay there and inform me if there's anything...peculiar."
"Where to start...?" Carbine muttered.
"I'll contact you in the morning."
"Great!" Stoker nodded and gave Carbine a radiant smile along with her VidCom.
"Well, I guess we'll have a slumber party here then, hu?"
"I'll sleep in the truck." Carbine stated and turned in her heels and walked outside.
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Okay, there it was!
Hopefully, you all enjoyed it as much as I did enjoy writing the chapter...
And again, feel free to leave a comment!
And like I said earlier, I've started to write the next chapter already...so hopefully, I'll be able to upload it in the near future...
Thanks to you all!
-SpaceFlora