Decisions and Sacrfice Seven
#7 of Decisions and Sacrifice Fic
chapter seven
BIKER MICE FROM MARS
IN
Decisions And Sacrifice
BY
Whipblade
Part seven
The hallway stretched endlessly both ways, the gold trimmed tiles rattled, tapestries fluttered the faint roar of motorcycles echoed from behind the walls. Then suddenly a violent fireball erupted blasting its way through the wall. Two bikes roared from the hole only to come to a skidding stop amongst the settling debris.
"Right or left?" They said in union.
Both turned to gaze at each other. The General took the incentive. "Left" Carbine, said steering the bike left.
"Lead the way, sweetheart." Vinnie's words dripped with sarcasm as he followed, all the while keeping a visual for trouble.
It seemed like they've been driving in circles forever when Carbine spotted the other two mice. She hit the breaks not three feet away from them.
"You look like hell." She said to Throttle.
"Yeah well, I look better than I feel." Throttle shrugged watching the mouse he adored gets off his bike and step warily towards him.
"What's wrong?" Carbine asked. His fur was drenched and disheveled, he looked tired and in pain. But one of Throttle's greatest tricks was masking how he felt. That thought alone made Carbine think that this indeed is her Mouse.
Throttle reached out almost scared that if he touched her she would vanish. Carbine leaned into Throttle's palm as he held her face. Both visibly relaxed taking a step closer to each other.
"Thought I'd lost you again." Carbine sighed.
"You won't ever loose me, Carbine." Throttle promised tilting his head about to kiss his love when the screeching of wheels followed by Vinnie's over joy voice interrupted the two lovers' moment. "HARLEY!?!"
Harley forced a smile onto her face as she looked at Vinnie, who comically patted the annoyed Throttle on the back as a hello before rushing to her.
"Hey there handsome."
Carbine sighed as Throttle straightened up wincing from Vinnie's greeting. Her face turned into an annoyed pout at the missed kiss. Throttle turned his attention from her to his bro and sis.
"Harley..." Vinnie stuttered his arms wrapped tightly around her.
"Whoa! Hey, I missed you too.. but.. I.. can't.. breath.." Harley laughed wrapping her arms around the white furred mouse.
Carbine finally took notice of the other mouse. The metallic left ear, half-metallic right antenna, half-metallic tail and the metallic right leg. "Harley, what did they do to you?"
Harley smiled as she wiggled out of Vinnie's embrace. "Oh, this and that." She shrugged heading towards Vinnie's flashy red bike that idled behind the handsome black. Running her flesh hand over the sleek paint she smiled as the bike purred. "Nice to see you again too." she said before walking over to Throttle's ride who also purred.
Carbine took Throttle by the arm leaning close she sighed. "I saw the throne room, the blood." she whispered.
Throttle closed his eyes biting his bottom lip.
"Is Harley all right?" Carbine asked.
"It's not Harleys' blood." Throttles' voice a scarce whisper.
Carbine froze her hands dropping away as if she touched something vial.
Throttle didn't look at Carbines face he didn't want to know what he would find there. Instead he took a step towards his white furred bro. "Thanks for the save."
Vinnie smirked. "You expected anyone else?" his smirk turning to a broad grin. "Your girlfriend and of course.. Me."
Throttle chuckled. "Where's the others?"
Vinnie opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by yet another louder alarm. The unmistakable noise of Plutarkian guards running got the attention of all mice.
Without a word Vinnie back flipped onto his bike. "Later bro. We got fish to fry!"
As if to emphasize Vinnie's point, laser fire from Plutarkian guns rained upon them.
"We can't!" Throttle snarled as he dodged a shot.
In a fluid motion, Carbine leapt on to the black and silver bike, using her tail she gripped Harley around the waist and hauled her on.
"Throttle's right, we have to meet up with the others!" Carbine said gunning her engine she drove away from the potential battle.
Throttle ducked some laser fire before hopping on behind Vinnie with a grunt of pain. "GO!" He shouted. Grabbing Vinnie's side arm, Throttle hung onto Vinnie's waist with one hand while shooting at the fish behind them, with the other.
"AHHHAHAWWHOOOOO!!!" Vinnie howled as he followed Carbine. His bikes rear missiles firing.
The missiles slammed into the walls only burying a couple of fish. The rest continued, more determined now.
The two bikes roared down the hallways, the girls gaining ground faster as the boys bared the brunt of the attack. A stray shot rocketed past Vinnie and Throttle landing in the ceiling above the girls.
"VINNIE WATCH OUT!" Harley cried out while ducking.
"Cheese!" Vinnie cursed as his bikes front lasers blasted a hole through the debris. His leg scrapped against a sharp tile.
"They're gaining ground." Throttle said between clenched teeth. His shots were going wild as he trembled in pain.
Vinnie ignored Throttle's pain filled voice as he realizes he lost Carbine. He revved his engine before hitting a fork in the corridors. Vinnie veered right thinking he was heading towards the lab.
"Hold up." Throttle said after a few minutes.
Vinnie slowed down to a crawl. "We loose them?"
"Yeah, but why?" Throttle answered as he shifted around, his backside on fire.
Vinnie too looked around he didn't recognize anything. "Bro, I think I should have gone left." he admitted.
"Keep going Vincent, we'll loop around soon enough." Throttle said with more confidence than he felt.
*******
Stoker looked over his shoulder just as Carbine came racing down the stairs, a faintly familiar voice mingled with Carbines' cursing.
"We got company!" Carbine yelled as her passenger fired a few rounds at their pursuers.
"Where's Vinnie and Throttle?" Modo asked over the laser fire. He waited to get a decent shot.
"We got separated. I lost sight of them as soon as we picked up these clowns." Harley said returning fire and dodging. "Why couldn't they give me weapons with this armor!?" She yelled throwing the depleted gun at the fish guards and retrieving Carbine's other laser.
"We can't sit here and wait, we got to move!" Stoker said as more guards ran down the stairs determined to join the fray.
Lil' Darlin fired her rear rockets caving in the stairwell walls. "That'll hold them for now."
Modo said although the sound of shifting mortar could be heard on the other side.
Carbine moved a head of Stoker. "We don't have enough fire power to stay and fight. Even if we did, we're in the heart of enemy territory without a MAP!"
"We can't leave them!" Modo protested ducking and returning fire.
"Let's roll out!" Stoker ordered gunning his engine heading towards the lab transporter. He didn't have a maneuver for such a tight quarter's fight.
"We don't have a choice, big guy." Harley said, sorrow heavy in her voice. Her hand was getting sore from continuously squeezing the trigger.
Reluctantly the three bikes under heavy fire roared off towards the lab transporter.
Stoker fired his bike missiles as they left the hallway. It was the least he could do to help try and slow down their pursuers.
Charley jumped out of the way as the transporter activated. Three motorbikes and four riders whipped out of the yellowish beam with guns drawn.
"Honey, we're home!" Stoker called out as he glanced around the practically vacant lab.
"That didn't take long." Charley quipped as she spotted the new mouse.
"Gee, you could have stayed longer uncle Modo." Rimfire complained as he hopped on behind his big gray relative. "We were just starting to have fun."
"Where's Vinnie?" Charley asked.
"We got separated, we couldn't wait unless we wanted to be come Swiss-cheese-mice." Stoker stated solemnly.
"You left them behind?" Rimfire gasped his little mind just couldn't comprehend his uncle choosing one bro over another and now leaving them on Plutark of all planets.
"We'll work on that later, in the mean time lets ride." Carbine snapped infuriated.
********
"I can't get a decent shot!" Throttle hollered trying not to get shot. As they became cornered between three sets of guards.
"HANG ON!" Vinnie yelled activating his jets, launching towards the ceiling, front lasers drawn, the bike punched a hole into the ceiling mere seconds before they rode through it. Skidding as it continued down a new hallway. Plutarkian's leapt out of the way, but few drew their guns.
"How do you get out of this place?" Vinnie complained looking around for anything a window and exit sign something anything that wasn't written in Plutarkian.
Throttle started to shake. "Bro..." He couldn't help it, the leap heaved his gut into his throat. The bike stopped just in time for Throttle to tear off his helmet and throw up.
Vinnie wrinkled his face in disgust as he kept vigilance for more fish. His tail didn't leave Throttle's waist as his bro spat the phlegm from his throat. Vinnie was thankful his tawny weak stomach bro didn't get his bike or their clothing.
"You going to be all right bro?" Vinnie asked concerned.
Wiping his mouth on his wrist bandannas, Throttle didn't say a word. He put his arms awkwardly around Vinnie's waist.
The bike started to move slowly as if it too was aware of Throttle's wooziness.
They drove by a line of large shipping type doors, with a whoosh of air one of the large doors opened. Vinnie steered his bike, ducking in to the room.
"Must of came upon the storage sector." Throttle muttered looking around at the crates and ammo containers. The door shut behind them as they continued along to the center of the room.
The door whooshed open behind them.
"Quick, hide." Vinnie hissed to his bike. Who in turned hid herself very well, but left the two riders exposed. Vinnie and Throttle both jumped off the bike just in time to hear foot falls.
"That's the last of it." A raspy voice said.
"Think that hole in the floor is some sort of warning we over stayed?" A rough voice growled.
"Wouldn't surprise me." the first voice snarled.
The sound of something heavy being dropped followed by a few curses, the door whooshed close again followed by the sound of a thick lock closing. The two mice remained still for a few moments.
"They gone?" Vinnie asked.
Throttle peered up over the creates, squinting he tried to make out the shapes. "Can't tell."
Vinnie looked up to see no one. "All clear." The white mouse turned to the tan one, both settling down against creates. "Spill, what happened." Vinnie demanded.
Throttle turned away from his younger bro.
Reaching over Vinnie forced Throttle's face to look at him. "Your hurt and your shivering, what did they do to you?"
Throttle sighed, Vinnie was never one to pry, it had to show how much he was hurting, and puking probity didn't ease his white furred friend fears any. "I don't know where to start" Throttle sighed.
"Try from where I left you in the lab." Vinnie encouraged settling down with his back against his bike.
"I didn't even knew you left till I started yelling for you." Throttle hung his head. "It brought Karbunkle to expand his scheme." Throttle sank close to his bro. "He used me, I couldn't..I, was completely helpless."
Vinnie arms tightened around his tan bro holding him close the white mouse wondered what his bro meant.
"Karbunkle played with my eyes, They're completely bionic, I still can't see shit. It's all static at the best of times. Hell bro, I can't see anything but red lines and heat signatures." Throttle sighed. "Then, I was brought to Plutark, were I met a female rat who became my cell mate.......thanks to Karbunkle.... the mother of my child as well."
Vinnie froze. "W..what?" he gasped.
"Karbunkle ........ breed her and me... I don't know if it worked or not I was dragged away too fast."
"How? You didn't... I mean you know.. with a rat. Did you?" Vinnie's features were comically scrunched up in utter disgust.
"UGH! No. " Swallowing the lump in his throat Throttle muttered softly. "Artificial insemination, plus genetic manipulation of the embryo."
Vinnie bit his bottom lip, unsure what to say or do. "That's what making you sick?"
"I wish...." Throttle looked up at the ceiling, his eyes resting anywhere but on Vinnie.
"I was a present to Lord Camembert."
Vinnie froze. "No.... that...no.. bro...." tears started to trickle down white furred cheeks. "That... was you?" The memory of the throne room and the blood sprayed all over, the whips, the tan fur on the bloody tattered cloak arose.
Throttle shifted. "You drove through the throne room?"
"Yeah"
"That was me, Harley ... she... was the one who helped clean me up."
"Find her, then I get us lost!" Vinnie's head hung. "I'm useless at times."
Throttle hugged his white bro. "Naw, just egotistical." he smiled trying to get his mind off the last uncountable weeks.
The two felt the room lurch forwards. Grinding noises of a space ship clearing a docking bay became clear and loud. The two mice secured the lone bike as they struggled for balance. Throttle lost his footing he winced as his back hit a crate, landing on his rear. Once the ship leveled out did the two mice start rummaging around the cargo hold trying to find something warm.
"Must of ran into the space ports, not a storage locker." Throttle grunted in pain as he lifted a crates lid.
"We're in a space ship..." Vinnie muttered as he rummaged around. "Mannnn! From Plutark! How are we gonna get outta this?"
"Don't know bro, I don't know." Throttle sighed.
"These creeps got enough weapons to supply an army." Vinnie said coming upon yet another ammo-filled crate.
"Probity what they're hauling for." Throttle replied limping from one crate to another.
"GOT IT!" Vinnie called triumphantly as he dug out fresh smelling linen. "Wow, it actually smells clean."
"What do you know, they do clean their clothes." Throttle joked as he grabbed a bundle of blankets and with Vinnie's help set up a small hut by the bike. The two huddled close trying to keep warm in deep space.
"Bro.."
"Yeah Vincent?"
"That rat Karbunkle teleported in...." Vinnie started.
"Yeah?"
"Well.. he... uhm..."Vinnie shifted before taking a deep breath. "He could shape shift and stole your identity. He tried to off me, before threatening to harm Charley if I told. Modo.. he uhm.... he and Charley fell for the rats disguise and I.. killed that son of a Crosse hair."
Throttle took a hold of Vinnie's shoulders. "Bro, it happens. It's all right, that... Rat-Stein wasn't Mace just a crazy rat."
"What rat isn't." Vinnie snarled.
Throttle smiled before gently cooing "It's all right Vincent. Some times its them or us. You did what you had to." He wrapped his tawny arms around his bro in a brief macho hug. "Don't take it to heart bro. Rats a rat who's in cahoots with the stink-fish."
Vinnie smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Get off me!" he pushed Throttle back some the two laughed.
**************************
Holding her long black hair back, the mostly white female rat once again bowed to the porcelain goddess. She had little in her stomach from the previous 12 times she visited the latrine. There was no doubt in her mind that she was pregnant, the test results from the medical tests proved it too. Lifting her woozy head up she flushed the toilette before washing her hands. Looking into the oval mirror above her sink she frowned. Her white bangs were limp and saturated in sweat, her fur was a ripe mess, bags under her eyes and her nose had a slight pink tinge around it. "I hope that mouse is doing better than I am." She moaned as her innards once again lurched upward forcing Lee to once again puke.
"Commander Lance?" A raspy voice inquired snaking his head around a doorway.
"In here." Lance called out to his Lieutenant Ma'ze. The Doberman didn't turn around as he watched the stars float by.
"Sir, we got readings of a cruiser leaving Plutark." Ma'ze said entering the room fully. "A prisoner and cargo transport." He clarified.
Lance turned from the window to face his second in command. An imitation wood desk and 2 leather chairs separated them.
"We've got word from Hammer, it's our objective." Ma'ze finished.
Lance folded his arms over his muscular chest, his black and tan head lowering as he thought. "Magazine, inform the passenger Anna Lee about our mission, perhaps she has some information on Mace."
"Is that wise sir? I mean after all she is in gestation." Ma'ze asked, knowing his commander.
"Don't question me on this Ma'ze. She obviously came from the same lab that Rat-Stein and Mace worked in, she should know them as either co-workers or abusers." Lance stated.
"Sorry, commander." Ma'ze apologized as he started to leave.
"Oh, and Ma'ze..."
"Yes sir?"
"You got a hole in your shirt... again." Lance pointed out, amused.
Ma'ze looked down inspecting his shirt, then on the sleeve he saw his brindle fur sticking out. "UGH!" He exclaimed storming out of the office.
Lance turned back to the window and the space beyond it. "One objective, one less turn coat to worry about. Martians! Can't trust any of them" he snarled bitterly.
*********
"So I said to the bar maid, Look lady, if I wanted some frilly drink I'd of asked for one. I ordered a Beer! I expect to get...."
"I was on my way out when she was just starting to wake up...slut.."
"Take it or leave it, 20 gold gills is more than that thing is worth..."
"Damn it! Cut Throat is such a....a..."
"Say there's a cute butt, wonder if....."
Mace passed by the tables and the crew occupying them. The useless chatter was nothing unusual or important. Sitting at a sparsely populated table, Mace began to eat. His current mission heavy on his mind.
A dark brown with light gray around the muzzle rat sat across from Mace. "Sir, a Stalkers ship is the only other vessel in this quadrant."
Mace's beady eyes looked at the rat across from him. "Questioning me?"
"No sir."
"Good. Hammer, they will be here, before you know it. Then we can finish off those pesky Ikkywara." Mace stated.
Hammer nodded as he took his leave.
Mace glared after the officer. He knew the crew was far too untrustworthy. "If you want it done right, do it yourself." Mace muttered as he finished his meal.
The lower decks held nothing of value. The engines, fuel cells, spare parts, the cargo hold the weaponry locker, and the prisoner cells. Hammer had just finished the upgrade on the prisoner cell. It wasn't like the standard jail cells, it was more of rows of chains dangling from the wall. Shackles and chains for wrists, elbows, legs and ankles. As well as a shackle and loop for necks. Hammer didn't care for the dog choker collars used on prisoners, but it was effective in keeping them in line as well as escape attempts dropped with their installation.
Hammer looked around the dark hallway. The water hoses above and the various torture devices under lock and key. Although an under cover agent for the Ikkywara, Hammer sometimes did enjoy his job. He almost wished there were prisoners to play with.
TBC
Whipblade
February 25 2004