An Awkward Situation-Twenty-Six
"Oh, hey, I forgot to put our mugs in the sink."
Charley has just walked back from her bedroom into the kitchen area.
"Could you put out the kitchen light? Viv?"
She looked around and saw her cousin was gone.
"Where'd she go?"
Then she saw it. Glowing lights from the transporter. Charley walked over to it.
"Oh, no. Please tell me she didn't do what I think she did?" She groaned.
"Who did?" Hecuba asked, walking in.
"My wayward cousin just decided to revisit Mars to drop in on an acquaintance." Charley replied, "She set the coordinates and just left them."
"Oh, dear. That girl just doesn't want to give up on your friend. She needs to forget him."
"That's what I've been trying to tell her. I've got to go back to Mars before she does something stupid. Could you...?"
"I'll look after the garage and guard the baby with my life." Hecuba replied, "But you must make me a promise."
"What kind of promise?"
"Look after Modo." Hecuba said, "I'm worried about him. I know he wouldn't want me to. But I do. I...I... hope he's alright."
"I promise." Charley smiled, "And don't worry he'll come back."
...
Back at Martian Command Headquarters, Harley was in her quarters lying on her bed sound asleep. But even in her sleep, the dreams came...They started off as memories.
Flashback...
The Plutarkian war had taken its toll on the Martian Mouse population. The Martian Freedom Fighters were forced to use the basement of a monastery as a secret base. It had very little light but the only plus was that it hid them from the Fishfaces.
Harley was the military's chief medic. She was treating injured soldiers with her first aid kit.
Several male Martian mice flirted with her. One, in particular, the white muscular mouse she met earlier kept trying with all his might to get her attention.
He certainly is cute. No. not just cute. Handsome. Manly. Gods, what's wrong with me? Get a grip, Harley.
She soon learned that he was Vinnie. She also learned that he had a reputation for being a ladies' man as well as a playboy.
He certainly liked to show off.
"Am I the baddest mammajamma in the cosmos? Without a doubt!" Vinnie crowed, fist in the air.
Without warning, he fell off the table he'd been standing on.
"Better be careful, macho mouse. Wouldn't want that cute face of yours to get bruised." She said, leaning down where he was.
To the young adrenaline junkie, it sounded like the girl was flirting with him. And like any guy who sees an attractive girl showing interest in him responded with equal flirtation.
"Not to worry, sweetheart. This mouse never runs out of gas!" He replied, grinning up at her.
"Uh-huh." She said, sarcastically.
Clearly, she wasn't gasping and swooning over him.
"But she did say I was cute." Vinnie thought, watching her.
Vinnie was just as intrigued with this girl as she was with him. A petite Martian Mouse woman with long flowing light brown hair tied back in a loose ponytail with a green hair tie. She was dressed in a gray army shirt, dark green pants and black boots. Her clear blue eyes took in the dim light of the basement hideout.
Stoker now walked up to her.
"Harley, there are others that need your help." He told her, motioning to a soldier who just hobbled in on crutches.
"Be right there." She replied, picking up her first aid kit.
Stoker now walked away.
"So, sweetheart, you and the coach..."
"Me and Stoker an item? Not at all. There are no ties that bind, and Stoker knows that."
Besides, if I was in the market for a boyfriend, you'd be a great place to start She thought.
Those memories faded away. Then she saw the same white mouse on the edge of a cliff. Half of his face was covered with white bandages. The confident, carefree look he had before was now gone. He was now staring sadly at himself in mirror on the side of his bike.
"Mirror, Mirror, on the handlebars, who's the studliest mouse on Mars?" He asked.
Within seconds, he angrily knocked the mirror off the bike onto the ground. Harley reached down and picked it up. Then he began riding around the caverns just avoiding a falling boulder. He then parked at the edge of the cliff.
"Blowin' off a little steam, hero?" She asked.
"Oh, uh...Just don't wanna blow a gasket. " He explained, nervously.
He thought he was alone. She simply walked over to him and placed it back onto his bike. Then she removed the bandages from his face. He nearly flinched. He expected her to scream once she saw his face. His once handsome face now marred by Greasepit's missile. Looking at the half of his face damaged upset him. He couldn't bear Harley's fear. Her rejection. The girl simply glanced at his face.
"Wait right here and try to stay out of trouble." She told him, walking away.
"Oh, sure." Vinnie replied, trying to speak in a jovial, happy voice, "Just gonna stay here and commune with nature."
Harley now placed what looked like a plastic mask over the half of his face. It resembled liquid metal. It bounded to his face as if it was made for his face alone.
"Here ya go, hotshot. Flex plate shielding for vehicle repairs and the occasional macho mouse makeover." She spoke.
She now adjusted the mirror on his bike so he could see his reflection.
He began looking better. Vinnie was so grateful to Harley. They hugged and she kissed him.
"Harley, I..."
"You're welcome, cutie." She purred, caressing his cheek.
"Whoa...falling mouse." He blushed, fanning himself.
Then the scene vanished again. She saw herself being grabbed by Mace, the traitorous Martian Rat disguised as a Martian Mouse. Harley screamed alerting the Martian Mice. The terrified girl felt the blaster he pointed at her head.
"Something to remember me by." He cackled, evilly.
Vinnie came running towards him. But he was too late. Within minutes, Mace and Harley were both gone.
"Nooooo..." She cried.
Harley jerked upright and opened her eyes. She was safe in her bed at Martian Command.
"Oh...what a horrible dream...Did all that really happen?"
Then she saw Vinnie sitting in a chair near her bed asleep.
"It's him. Why...does it feel like we've met before?" She wondered, extending her hand, "Was he sitting up for me?"
Harley was so touched. Vinnie was shivering as he sat with his arms folded.
"Oh, he looks so uncomfortable just sitting in that chair." She thought.
Taking one of the blankets and a pillow off her bed she covered him with the blanket and tucked a pillow under his head.
"That's better." She said.
Harley's movement made him open his eyes and jump up. He then calmed down when he saw Harley.
"Sweetheart, you shouldn't be up." He said.
"I'm alright. You're Vinnie?"
"Sure."
"You seem so familiar. And..."
At this point, her stomach growled.
"Could you get me a cheese sandwich? I haven't eaten anything all day."
"Aghhh! Since when do you like cheese?" Vinnie groaned.
"You don't like cheese? But you're a mouse like me."
"Hey, I maybe a mouse but this mouse prefers hot dogs."
"Ugh, you eat dogs?!" Harley cringed, drawing back.
"No, sweetheart. They're not real dogs. They're sausages inside buns made of bread and slathered with mustard, ketchup, and chili peppers." The white mouse said, dreamily, "I used to eat them all the time when me and my bros lived on Earth."
"I've heard stories about Earth. Are there really beings that live there that don't have any fur on their bodies like we do? Plus, I read that the whole planet is made up of water."
"You're right. It's the most awesome place in the universe. The food, the music, and the best places to camp and fish."
"It sounds wonderful." Harley sighed.
Her stomach growled again.
"Please, I'm hungry."
"Fine. One, ugh, cheese sandwich. Be right back. Maybe I can find something in the mess hall." He said, walking off.
...
Meanwhile, Mace and Ondine were at their secret base under Olympus Mounds. Mace was at the keyboard of the computer console.
"Now, to put our pretty spy to work. I'll implant some instructions to the subliminal interface inside the chip to make her brain do what she needs to do to find the location of the Regenerator." Mace said, typing keys on a keyboard.
...
Back at Martian Command, Harley began grabbing her head.
"Uhhhh...What's happening to me?" She murmured.
She began to hear words in her head as well as read them from off her computer screen in her quarters. They said:
Harley, find out where the Freedom Fighters are keeping the Regenerator. Do what you can to find it out.
Within seconds, she got up. Her eyes glowed a glowing green color then they went out.
"Yes, master." She murmured.
"Didn't find any cheese, Harley. But I found some k rations." Vinnie said, walking back into her quarters carrying the k rations.
"Harley?"
She turned to face him.
"Thank you. You know I wish I had a glass of water." She said.
"Not me. This mouse wants a root beer."
Harley put the k rations on a table and slowly began approaching the white mouse. Within seconds, her hands rubbed his chest and went around his neck.
"Please, Vinnie...You must know where I can get some water." She purred.
"Well, It's a secret." He hesitated.
"You can tell me. I won't tell."
Her face was inches from his.
"I'm not the type to kiss and tell." She teased.
Vinnie had backed up and tripped. He fell back on the bed. Harley still had her arms around his neck. Now she fell on top of him.
Who knows what would have happened next if Charley had not run into the room. The auburn-haired lady stared at the two shocked Martian Mice.
"S-Sweetheart, wh-what are you doing here?" Vinnie asked, nervously.
"I don't believe this! This is what you call helping?" Charley angrily asked.
She turned around and ran off.
"Charley-girl, wait!" Vinnie cried out.
He stepped into it big time.