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Biker Mice From Mars

In

Shattered Freedom

Chapter 13

By Whipblade

Vinnie, far from keen on the idea of capturing Mace alive. He wanted the rats head on a pike, or mounted on the wall. Hell, just MOST of Mace's head would be enough to satisfy the white mouse.

This meeting brought someone new. Throttle sat listening to the meeting. The ramblings of the others droned on, boring the white mouse to tears. He jumped when Throttle did.

Slamming his fists against the table. "DAMN IT!" Throttle shouted standing, his chair roughly shoved back. "You're Fucking insane!!!"

Lance sat up straight. The shocked murmurs echoed from the others around the table.

"Care to tell us why?" Lance asked slowly and politely, keeping calm.

"Sending anyone over there is a suicide! The alarms set all around the place will go off within seconds!" Throttle growled. "The crew will shoot first and ask questions when they feel like it! Not to mention just trying to get into the cafeteria on foot, that'll be like putting up a white flag in the middle of combat!"

"okay..." Lance slowly drawled not wanting to upset the mouse any further. "What do you purpose we do?"

"Blow up the fucking space ship." Throttle growled sitting down.

"I can go for that idea." Vinnie injected with a smile.

"We can't just simply blow up the ship. If we could, we'd have done it long before tracking them all the way out here." Paige's soft voice of reason spoke above the crowd. "you've already heard that argument Throttle."

Throttle sighed. "So what? Just transport someone over there, let them get shot, then try again?"

"we could do that. but we don't have the lay out of the ship in order to send someone crawling around. And the risk of someone running into a maintenance grunt or having to move about the floor itself is far too dangerous."

"There's the ducts. Their big enough to crawl through. No one ever goes in there unless something is broken, or their looking for someone." Throttle stated casually.

"And you know this how?" Lance inquired.

Throttle wanted to snap something smart to the canine, but stopped short. "I just do." he decided was the best answer.

Vinnie's eyes narrowed. He knew Throttle was holding back something. But declined to comment.

Tweak smiled fatherly at Throttle. "How would you suggest we do this?"

Shooting a dark glare at the doctor rat, Throttle sighed. "The duct work is the best way. It leads all over the ship, it's not monitored, no alarms."

Vinnie watched Throttle's tail twirl around the floor like a nervous cat. "We already know how to do this, Poison the crew; it's just a matter of getting the poison into them."

"The food source." Chip added. "Best way."

"Eliminate the crew only. And you have to make sure you do all shifts." Throttle frowned, his voice dropping trying not to think about what he had to say.

"What about Mace being poisoned?" someone asked.

Throttle shook his head. "He prepares his own food. He never did trust his crew."

"Just one shift will be enough, the majority work we've noticed during the mid-hours." Chip stated seeing how Throttle seemed to be running out of energy the more he talked about his captor.

"Lunch?" Throttle quirked a brow.

"Yeah, around lunch, early afternoon." Vinnie clarified for his bro, who he noticed was getting edgy.

"Does the duct work run over the cafeteria or kitchen?" Chip asked the mouse who seemed to be twitching his tail oddly.

"Yeah." Throttle replied.

"Throttle," Lance looked to the tan mouse he still felt protective of. "Can you show .... someone the lay out?"

Nodding before thinking Throttle agreed to. He winced. -crap, now I have to remember that.... nightmares are going to plague me tonight.-

"When ever we have the -someone- we need to go, I'll find you." Lance said softly.

"Okay." Throttle replied with a shrug.

"Why don't I go?" Vinnie piped up. He noticed the more Throttle talked, the more his tail twitched. Although looking calm, only another mouse could tell how irritated Throttle was becoming.

A few chuckles sounded.

Lance frowned. "I don't want to send a mouse over there. You both have a history with Mace. I want him alive, not a dead rat and mouse pieces."

Lance too, took note to the tawny's tail twitching and tiredness. "Well pick this up tomorrow; I have some other matters to attend."

"Sounds good." Vinnie said standing up. "Took too long as it is." The white mouse followed the rest of the crew out of the room.

Throttle looked over his shoulder to Tweak and Lance. "Mace won't come peacefully; whoever goes and fetches him will need more than just guns."

Lance frowned. "Thanks Throttle, I'll have to think on that."

With a nod, Throttle left the room, his tail dragging.

Exchanging dubious looks, Tweak and Lance sighed.

"Think he's right?" Lance quizzed.

"Yes, I do." Tweak replied.

"Sedative dart gun? Needle?" Lance asked looking over his notes.

"That, or maybe a transporter cue, to bring him in as soon as it's attached." Tweak hummed.

"Have Chip and Clip work on that." Lance jotted down.

"Alright." Tweak agreed. "You know, something's nagging at me that Throttle would be the best one to get him too."

"I did not hear you right. Did you just say Throttle should go over there and capture Mace?" Lance blinked scratching behind his ear.

"I did." Tweak nodded. "I have some more things to talk over with that mouse."

"He's a father now...." Lance hummed trying to wrap his mind over the mere idea.

"And he is the only one terrified enough of Mace, not to confront and kill him at the slightest chance."

Lance leaned back in his chair, mulling over the logic and illogic of Tweaks' words. "I want a complete mental evaluation on Throttle first."

Getting to his feet Tweak gave a nod. "So do I." he left Lance alone to ponder.

Picking up his small com-link unit, Lance sent a message to Paige.

**********************************

"Lee?" Paige slowly walked up to the black and white rat who sat alone in the mess hall.

"Hrm?" Lee hummed tilting her head, her eyes never leaving the book she held.

Taking a shaky breath Paige sat down across from Lee. A female she wouldn't consider a friend or nice. "You still have control over Riff's movements. I know you don't want the child, but Ma'ze needs some papers signed in order to give Throttle full custody of Riff."

"And if I don't?" Lee coolly asked not looking at Paige.

"Well.... Lance is debating on sending Throttle on a mission, if that happens, you have to take Riff."

Putting her book down, Lee glared at Paige. "I'll sign papers if Throttle comes back from said mission." Lifting her book again, Lee continued to read.

"Okay." Standing Paige slinked away knowing no one would be pleased with the cranky she-rat.

********************************

Throttle sat in the comfortable chair in Tweak's office. On the other side of the desk, sat Tweak, their previous sessions had all been relatively short and small talk. Today Throttle could feel was different.

"How are you adjusting to Riff?" Tweak asked pouring his patient a small cup of tea.

"I'm scared; I didn't expect I'd ever be a father...." He admitted taking the cup in his hands cradling it.

"Is there anything you need help with?" Tweak asked.

"I've found some parenting books in the Library, My bros and I read and re-read all the parenting books Charley has, but nothing is for this type of situation."

"Have you looked under 'older adoption'?"

Throttle's quizzical expression amused the old rat.

"Taking Riff now, even knowing he is your son, is like an adoption where the birth mother still has control over the child."

Throttle shifted. "Never thought of it that way."

"How has Riff adjusted to you?"

"He's enthusiastic, give him that much. He knows when he's supposed to get up and what he has to do. He seems very.... Meek."

"He's been trained not raised. Our Ikkywara laws prevent us from interfering with the raising of a child, without proof of abuse."

"Has Riff been hurt?" He put his still full cup down; worried he's squeezed it too hard with a yes answer.

"We've witnessed occasional disciplines with hands, however nothing abusive. Lee just doesn't give a shit about anything above her self. Magazine hasn't been dating her because he likes her; he's been observing her interactions with Riff. It's yield nothing to date. But he's more than willing to hang around the kid and her."

"You're referring to Riff like an object not a live being." Throttle narrowed his eyes, his tone level.

Tweak sighed. "Do you ever have laws that you want to rip up and ignore? To do something that might be beneficial, but may also cause more harm than not?"

"Yeah, there's a few."

"That's what this is. I'd like to see Riff with someone who can take care of him. But the laws state 'blood to care for blood'."

"Referring to Riff as an object helps you over come that urge?" Throttle asked.

Tweak smiled. "Who's the therapist now?"

Throttle chuckled lightly.

"You're both adapting well." Tweak smiled as he jotted down some notes.

"Riff isn't fond of Lee, but...., cold turkey separation is a bit harsh isn't it?" Throttle asked nudging a thought in his head to the forefront.

"You know Lee's personality, what would you say?" Tweak leaned forward curiously.

"I..." Throttle stopped looking to the rat. "I was seven when my mother was murdered. Granted I was one of six and she didn't have a lot of time between us all, but I still never got that chance to say goodbye. During the short few years in the orphanage I was bounced thrice between homes. It wasn't pleasant."

"You think Riff should have some days with his mother? A comfort buffer between what he knows and what's new?"

"Yeah. Maybe not long, but something." Throttle fidgeted with his hands.

Tweak sat back with a smile on his face. "I agree, I may not like Lee as a mother, but I agree with you." He paused looking to the tawny mouse who seemed a little concerned. "Want to tell me about your child hood?"

"I just did." Throttle shrugged.

"You've done amazingly well for such a traumatic time, to still be clear headed as you are. Experiences such as your sends most into emotional detachment and unpredictable behavior, you demonstrated those latter with Mace."

"I wasn't the youngest, and I wasn't the oldest. I had help, my oldest brother, when he was around helped as well as some friends... before the war."

"Stoker helped too?" Tweak pried.

"Modo and Vinnie.... Mostly Modo, we've been pals the longest."

"When did Vinnie join you and Modo?"

"When he joined the Freedom Fighters, Stoker wanted someone to be able to smack Vincent upside his smart mouth head."

"You three compliment each other well."

"Yeah, I know. So does Stoker." Throttle frowned; he didn't like the trip down memory lane.

"Throttle...., I know this is a hard question but... the meeting when Lance mentioned a crew member going aboard the pirate ship..."

Bracing himself the tawny mouse shut his eyes hoping he wouldn't have to talk to anyone and answer questions about how he knew and why.

"..Could you sustain another trip over there?"

Throttle opened his eyes. Shocked by the question; reeling with the mere idea. "Who else would you have chosen?"

"Clip, youngest of our snipers."

"One of the rescue team?" Throttle tried to remember Paige's story.

"One and the same."

"Could you handle seeing Mace and not killing him on sight? Or freeze?"

Throttle closed his eyes thinking long and hard on that question. "Yes, I could see and not kill Mace. I wouldn't freeze either."

"Have some time to think on going over there, I want to talk some more either way about this, okay?" Tweaks gentle fatherly tone soothed Throttle's lurching belly.

"If I do go, Riff would stay with Lee?" Throttle asked as he stood, mind still reeling.

"Yes."

"Thanks Tweak."

*****************************************

To Be Continued....

Will Throttle really go back to Hell?