Getting To The Bottom- Chapter Fifteen
Carbine looked shocked as well as Charley and Throttle. Modo looked away and hid his face. The gentle giant was raised by his mother never to say anything bad about a lady even if it was true. Vinnie, on the other hand, chuckled at this mean jab at Carbine's character.
"Ooooh, that was cold." He muttered.
Carbine heard him and immediately got over her shock. She now became really angry.
"How dare you! " She screamed at Vivica,"You...You...You don't know anything about me!"
"Oh, really? From what I've seen you take your man for granted so much it isnt even funny." Vivica replied.
"That isn't true!" She protested.
"Isn't it?"
"I made a lot of mistakes. Did a lot of things during the war between the Plutarkians that I wasn't proud of."
"We all have, babe." Throttle told her.
"Sentencing you to be thrown into a pit of spikes because I thought you had betrayed our people was the biggest one I ever made." She replied, sadly and covering her eyes with her hands.
"Begging your pardon, Miss General Ma'am, but you tried to put me, Vinnie, and Miss Charley Ma'am in there, too." Modo spoke up.
"I know. And...I'm sorry it ever happened. I really am. I hope someday you all can forgive me."
"I already have." Modo replied.
"You were trying to protect your planet. I guess if it were me, i'd probably do the same thing. But I would get my facts straight the next time before I accuse anybody." Charley said.
Vinnie let out what sounded like a snort. Throttle gave him a warning look.
"Yeah, well, it's no hard feelings, 'kay?" He murmured to her.
"Boy, are you guys really stupid. You're gonna trust her? Someone who tried to have you killed?"Vivica asked.
"I don't think you're in a position to pass judgment on anyone. You went after a man who was already in a committed relationship with someone else." Charley pointed out.
"I didn't...Okay, maybe I did encourage him a little..." Vivica began.
Then seeing everybody stare at her.
"Okay. A lot. "She replied, rolling her eyes, "But, I don't regret my son. He's my biggest concern now. I've had to hide him from the world."
"Why?" Vinnie asked.
"You know why. There are some members of the pack who accept him. But others have not. They openly reject him."
"That's terrible." Charley sympathized.
"And just the other day some one sent me this." Vivica said, taking out of her purse a large manilla envelope.
She opened it up and pulled out a letter along with a photograph. Everyone turned to look at it. It was a picture of Vivica with the baby but the baby's face was circled in red marker with an X over it.
"He looks just like a Martian Mouse!" Carbine exclaimed.
They read the letter.
GET YOUR MISTAKE OUT OF THE COUNTRY NOW OR HE DIES!
"Now that just makes me mad!" Modo said, eye glowing red as a police siren, fists balled.
"Just who do those clowns think they are?!" Vinnie joined in.
"First the pack try to kill us and now they threaten my son's life? Oh, they just messed with the wrong mouse!" Throttle was now seething with rage.
"How can anyone be so cruel to call a baby a mistake? Just because he's an alien? So what?" Charley cried out.
"I say we go right back there to Whosapest and whip their tails!" Vinnie said.
"Budapest." Charley corrected him.
"Whatever. It's on Earth. Let's find the pack and beat them to a pulp!"
"Direct and to the point. I second that emotion!" Throttle said, cracking his knuckles.
"Wait, hold on a second. We have a war going on here on Mars. You three yahoos can't just leave." Carbine said," I need you here."
"She's right. But I do have a favor to ask of you, Throttle." Vivica said.
"What is it? Beat up the pack? Limburger? Just name it and I'll make it happen."
"I need you to look after our son."
Everyone nearly gasped at her words.
"It's no longer safe for him to remain on Earth. I thought since he looks like a mouse and he's part Martian, he'll have no trouble fitting in here on Mars."
"I don't know anything about taking care of a baby." Throttle admitted, "But I'll do everything I can to raise him and keep him safe."
"We both will." Carbine said, "I'll bring up this matter to Martian Command so the child can be admitted to Mars."
"I'll help, too " Charley said.
"We all will." Modo said.
"Thanks." Throttle smiled at Charley and his bros.
"You know we always got your back, bro." Vinnie said.
"Thank you. All of you." Vivica said.
"I still don't know my son's name."
"Velocity Wolfenstein." Vivica replied.
"Whoa! That's a mouthful." Throttle exclaimed.
"Relax. We call him Velo for short."
Vivica went back to Earth hoping to calm down and restore division in the pack. Some members of the pack still favored Daniel as their leader and felt Vivica wasn't half the leader Daniel had been.
Others followed Vivica and thought she was a good leader. Some who followed the old ways of the pack felt she betrayed her people by mingling her flesh with an outsider. In their eyes, she had sinned with an infidel and one that wasn't even human!
There was much talk among the pack.
"Can we really trust Vivica? Someone who sins with our enemy and bears his child?" One of them said.
"Vivica saved our lives. If not for her, our clan would be dead. We should be thankful instead of condemning her." Another said.
"Bah! She is but a whore!" Another clan member said, "I'd rip out her throat if she were here."
"Well, i'm right here."
Vivica now transformed into a wolf.
"Any time you're ready let's go!"
The clan's member now turned into a wolf. Both wolves growled and barred their teeth at each other.