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BIKER MICE FROM MARS

IN

Decisions and Sacrifice

Part 12

BY

Whipblade

Rimfire skidded to a stop. Red sand flew over the General and company's head.

Using her arm, she blocked the sand from her face. She waited till the dust settled. Brown flaming eyes glared at the officer. "What the.."

"General! There's mice!" Rimfire huffed out in a rush. "Miceintheratholeand ..."

"Slow down!" Carbine snapped irritated. "Slowly tell us what you saw."

Rimfire took a deep breath and exhaled, it didn't help calm him, but when he spoke it was less rushed. "There's mice at the new rat nest. I only saw the one well enough, and .... and you won't believe it."

"Won't believe what?" Carbine coaxed.

"It was Vinnie." Rimfire confirmed locking brown and hazel eyes together.

"Vinnie?" she gasped. "As in.."

"The Biker Mouse we mourned." Rimfire nodded. "I didn't see the other mouse good enough. I'm sorry." he apologized.

"It's okay." Carbine tried to smile but couldn't seem to muster up the enthusiasm. "It's okay."

Leaning close to Rimfire's ear in a hushed voice. "Is that all you saw, just two?" Crash asked.

Rimfire only nodded once dismounting his bike.

"Sir?" Kickstart looked to the General for direction.

"How far along are we?" She asked staring blankly at the far away crater.

"Not far enough to contact them." Kickstart replied.

"I want everyone on this construction. I don't care who gets pulled off what! We need this done, and we need it done Yesterday!" she ordered spinning her heals in the sand.

"Yes Sir!" The gathered saluted.

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

Paige gave her buzzed cream hair one last lick with a brush before setting it down. Rubbing a streak of steam off the mirror with the palm of her hand, she gazed into the water-beaded reflection. Humming in contentment, she walked out of the bathroom, the steam followed her, drifting along the floor, swirling around her ankles.

"Nothing beats real planet water." her soft voice rang out to the empty room. Towel in hand, she dried her furred body.

Lee stepped into Star Gazer's female shower room. The warmth hit her hard, making her white and black fur instantly frizzle. "Paige?"

"Over here." Paige called slipping on the last of her clothing.

Finding the row of lockers Paige was in Lee smiled. "Our tan mouse is starting to show activity."

"Finally, has anyone made contact with the Mice yet?"

"It hasn't been going well. If it wasn't for Vinnie, I think those antenna'd pests would've blown us up." Lee confessed. Paige walked by her. The two exited the locker room.

"Regardless, Throttle has to be readied for a transfer. It'd be easier if he wakes up with mice rather than rats."

"After everything he's been through. I agree."

"How's Riff? Is he going to be staying with Throttle?"

"Naw, I'm staying put on Star Gazer until Duo returns." Lee said "Have you taught Vinnie how to do Throttle's exersises?"

"Long time ago. Vinnie's doing Throttle's physical theropy with Tweak or Lance now." Paige confirmed as she turned down a corridor. "Later." Paige waved entering Star Gazers' sterilized metal hospital center.

"See ya." Lee called.

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

"Hey, where'd the Duo Scythe go?" Twitch asked the brindle rat who tried to ride a Martian Mouse A.I., tried and failed.

"It had to make a fast supply run to Saturn. They'll be back in the next week or so."

"Saturn isn't that far." Twitch commented his curiosity peeked.

"There's a bunch of Plutarkian cruisers buzzing around the area." Ma'ze said as he headed for the mess hall.

"Oh?" Twitch followed puzzled for a moment. "Oh yeah! Earth has fish problems."

Ma'ze shook his head. "They can't leave even the most primitive planets alone can they?"

Scratching his noggin, Twitch followed without comment.

********

"Aren't you suppose to be on the Duo Scythe?" Vinnie asked looking up as Paige walked into the infirmary.

"Tweak's on the assignment. I have you two to baby sit." she smiled pulling up a seat. "What book do you have today?"

Vinnie looked at the cream rat making herself comfortable beside Throttle. "Ikkywara procedures during an emergency landing in enemy territory." Vinnie said watching her.

"How utterly boring." Paige giggled unwrapping Throttle's right upper arm.

"Yeah, I can't even understand half the stuff. Throttle would." Vinnie shrugged noting the distorted scars that once made up his Tattoo he'd been so proud of. Raised tan scars formed barriers between the dislodged black ink and fur. "How old is that injury?"

Paige pulled out a drawer from the wall. "A couple of years. It's a minor flesh wound. To be honest it looks self-inflicted." she admitted taking out a couple of needles.

"No way! Throttle loved that tattoo!" Vinnie slammed the book closed. His tail whipped dangerously close to the power cords.

"He may not have done it out of his own free will Vinnie." Paige frowned looking to the peaceful face of the tawny mouse.

Vinnie slumped down in his chair. "I hate rats." he hissed.

Paige reached over the gurney, laying her hand gently on his soft white shoulder she softly spoke. "The ones who did this, yes I hate them too. But there are more than just one type of rat."

Vinnie's ears dropped, he didn't look to her or shrug off her hand. "Yeah, I know it's just...., just hard to think of everyone here as rats."

"We are Vinnie, we're as rat as you are mouse. But we don't come from Mars, some not even this galaxy." Paige took back her hand before taking blood from the tawny.

Vinnie mulled over his own thoughts oblivious to Paige's doctoring on Throttle.

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

Turbo stepped into the training room. Groups of young rookies mulled around a board with scribbled lists on it. Nowhere could the burly mouse see Stoker.

He elbowed his way through the thong of mice to the boards. Lists of all names, new ranks and new commanders were posted along with a list of who needs to repeat what to gain ahead. Turbo frowned seeing a familiar name for the third time forced to repeat the training. "Where's Stoker?" He demanded from the group.

Everyone paused looking to Commander Turbo.

"We don't know." A tall gray female snarled her fists balled. "When I see him I'm giving him a piece of my mind, and Fist!" she snapped.

"Just don't cut it off." Turbo smirked walking away from the group.

***********

"Vinnie?" Stoker's head snapped up from the computer screen. "As in that reckless white dead mouse?"

"He's alive." Carbine stood leaning against the door jam.

"Where is he?" Stoker stood spinning around. "Is Throttle with him?"

"Calm down, we don't know if Throttle's with him or not. Rimfire couldn't make a positive ID on the other mouse. It was brown, that's all he could tell." Carbine sighed.

"Where are they?" Stoker asked more cautious.

"The newest rat nest." Carbine frowned looking down at her hands as if something was fascinating with them. "A small space ship landed there, Rimfire reported an assortment of bipeds, most not from this galaxy that we know of." she picked something from under her short nails.

"What aren't you saying?" Stoker walked to her, facing her in the door jam.

"We've put up a small out post, so far we hadn't had any success in contacting them. They hadn't tried to contact us."

He grabbed hold of her shoulders. "Does Modo and Charley know?"

"Not yet." She looked to the older still fabled mouse. "We hadn't confirmed anything yet. I don't want them to know unless we have something solid to go on." Leaning into the Stokers arms she gave a soft sad sigh. "I don't want to break their hearts if it's just a white mouse with scars and a brown mouse that could turn out to be female."

Stoker hugged her without saying a word. He knew it was tearing her up not knowing already. "We'll know Carbine, we'll know soon."

Turbo came upon the scene and coughed gently. "Sorry to interrupt, but we got a problem."

Stoker let go of the General. "What now?" he sighed, tired of all the things wrong with the city base.

"We have a water shortage." Turbo explained, his tail wrapping around Carbine's waist.

"Just here or the other bases too?" Carbine demanded.

"Just here, so far." Turbo clarified as he turned to Carbine and noted her long face. "I miss something?"

"The rats have mice, one of them possibly being Vinnie." Stoker said.

"I hate rats." Turbo hissed heading back the way he came, Carbine at his side. Stoker followed silently.

"Turbo, how bad is the water shortage?"

"Bad, the tanks been compromised."

"All three?"

"All three."

"Shit!" Carbine stopped before the door to the communications center. The hub of the base. "All right, it's time we got answers from that nest!"

Turbo smiled. He loved how she took control of any given situation, even when she was feeling down.

Turning down a corridor, Stoker headed towards his bike with a plan.

"Stokes!" Rimfire called out.

"Hurry up kid, we've got a job to do."

Puzzled Rimfire followed.

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

Rimfire followed Stoker to outpost 4-4-1. The two smiled as they politely relived the two Freedom Fighters already on duty. "You're early." One mouse complained.

"So? Enjoy the extra travel time." Stoker snapped pushing them out the door before slamming it on them.

"We don't have much time before the next shift meets up with them." Rimfire said.

"Okay Rimfire, I know you can operated this thing. Try and get those rats attention." Stoker smiled grabbing a pair of binoculars. "Without actually firing on them."

Twitch looked up at a blinking red light on the switchboard. "My first time and something goes wrong." He grumbled getting up he peered out the door to the empty hallway. "Okay Twitch, what to do?" he muttered to himself looking at the red blinking button. Unsure he pressed the red button and waited.

"Hello?" a voice came over the speaker. It was a distant male voice.

"Hello?" Twitch asked the computer.

"This is Rimfire of the Freedom Fighters."

"Twitch, of the uhm... Star Gazer." Twitch stated back.

Rimfire looked over to Stoker. "Sounds pretty young."

"Try and get his rank, and whoever is in charge." Stoker said keeping a look out towards the Martian City.

"Whose in charge Twitch?" Rimfire asked over the radio.

Twitch bit his bottom lip, it was the middle of the night, he didn't know if he should wake up Ma'ze or not. "Ma'ze is."

"Where is Mah zee?"

Twitch drummed his fingers for a moment before sending a quick emergency signal to Ma'ze's sleeping chamber. "Hopefully on his way, Rimfire."

"What's your rank?"

"I don't have one yet. What's yours?"

"Officer. You have mice there?"

"Yeah, two and a half of them" Twitch smiled getting the hang of the radio.

"Do you know their names?"

"Riff, Bonnie and Toddle, I think." Twitch replied unsure.

Stoker looked to Rimfire. "Bonnie and Toddle?"

"Can you repeat that Twitch?"

"Riff, Bonnie and Toddle..." ".. Get off that!!" Rimfire and Stoker froze as a new voice joined the conversation.

"This is Sub-Commander Magazine, state your name and affiliation."

"Finally!"

Stoker turned around frowning. "Hurry bro, they're on to us."

"This is Officer Rimfire and Retired Freedom Fighter Security Cheif Stoker." Rimfire smirked as Stoker winced. "We want to confirm the rumors of Mice being held captive at your facility."

Magazine winced at the wording. "Prisoners? No wonder these mice are hostile." Twitch agreed with a nod standing beside the boxer clad Ma'ze.

"There are two mice, one is critically injured. You're welcome to see them. They are under quarantine for another week."

"We'll be there shortly! Over." Stoker snapped as he ended the transmission. "Move it Rimfire. Turbo won't listen to anything we have to say." The older mouse snapped exiting the out post. Rimfire at his heels. "We can out run them."

"Stokes, they're Freedom Fighters." Rimfire complained as he mounted his bike.

"Yeah, but Turbo would rather see my tail in a sling than hear anything I have to say." Stoker replied kicking his bike to life.

Rimfire followed the older mouse down the bluff. "You flunked her again didn't you?"

"How'd you guess?" Stoker laughed flipping the bird at Turbo who stopped at the communications outpost.

Turbo's dark eyes narrowed as he watched the two bikes flee towards the rat nest. "Damn it! Anyone see who they are?"

"I'm not sure, but it looked like Stokers bike." Trail Blazer stated looking at the dust clouds.

"I hope so. Better than some rouge mouse than a tampering rat." Turbo spat.

"Sir, the recorders still going, they used the radio." A red headed female poked her head out of the entrance.

"Let's hear what went on. Give us a clue to what they were doing."

Stoker and Rimfire skidded to a stop at the top of the crater rim. Below them the silver dome shape building. Three flat surfaces with lights sat at various levels close to the building. One such, the lowest level, perched a ship with two odd curved blades perched atop it.

"Stoker, Rimfire, confirm those mice!" Turbo's voice ordered over their radios.

"That's what we're doing." Stoker snarled back.

"Don't do anything stupid you two. We need to know their conditions, and who they are." Carbine's voice crackled back.

"Don't worry about us General." Rimfire assured. "This'll be easier than dodging Plutarkian land minds."

Stoker eyed the kid warily. "You do know that it was our land minds we dodged in Hells Canyon last week, right?"

Rimfire frowned looking back to Stoker. "Oh, grandma"

The older mouse chuckled gunning his engine.

Ma'ze and Twitch stood in Star Gazers' entrance as the two bikes came to a stop. Their riders dismounting removing their helmets. Twitch looked at the older mouse, the dark fur and pale tan hair hidden by white streaks, the black whiskers just hinting white at the tips, the clothing. "I know you!"

Stoker looked at the young rat, younger than Rimfire. "How would you know me?" Stoker asked wary of the young rat.

"You saved mama and me when the Plutarkians' attacked a Sand Raider camp." Twitch smiled at the war hero. "Stoker right?"

Rimfire snickers. "You saved a rat." he bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"Yeah, I'm Stoker." he frowned. "Don't let that get out kid." he warned the rat.

Ma'ze frowned seeing the tension between the two species. 'Maybe it's not just Vinnie.' he thought.

Twitch smiled up at Rimfire. "You liberated me and my dad, Ignatz... did he make it?"

Rimfire scrunched his brows together trying to remember the mission. "Uh, no I don't think so."

"You saved a rat." Stoker smirked.

"Quiet." Rimfire whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "I won't tell if you don't."

"Deal" Stoker muttered back looking at the red blond rat teen.

"I'm Magazine, please to meet you, Stoker and?" he looked to the other mouse and offered this hand.

"Rimfire." he said shaking the odd colored rats' hand.

"Welcome to the Duo... uh... Star Gazer." Ma'ze smiled hoping they didn't notice the slip of the tongue. "Follow me."

Rimfire and Stoker entered the building. The interior was slightly too white for their liking.

"You should've came during the day rather than evening. Most of the crews are already hunkered down for the night." Twitch informed.

"Are they all rats?" Rimfire asked uneasily passing a black rat with a white ban of fur over his head and neck. It sent shivers down his spine.

"Most of the crew here is. There's about six natives the rest are Ikkywara breeds." Ma'ze explained as he turned towards the infirmary. "We like to try and set up close to native bases, helps with easing the fears of aliens."

"Yeah, too bad you picked a bad species." Stoker snapped. "Rats are almost as bad as Plutarkians."

Twitch's ears' fell. "What happened?"

"Mace." Stoker snarled the name "and that's just a start."

Ma'ze stopped dead in his tracks, Twitch bumping into him. Turning around Magazine patted the red hued rats' head. "Mace?" he questioned.

Rimfire knew the look well. "Know him?"

"Yeah, that son of a Plutarkian cost us a shipmate, supplies and Lances' brother." Magazine frowned. "What did he do here?"

"He infiltrated the Freedom Fighters, sold us out to the Plutarkians, help brainwash a good fighter, managed to get the leaders captured and altered. Then, he took a female mouse prisoner." Stoker couldn't look at the rats, lost in bitter memories.

"That was after he befriended a lot of mice and was head of communications." Rimfire put in.

"Hrmmm" Ma'ze shook his head. "He hasn't changed his ways then, he infiltrated the Ikkywara, Lance brought him on as a crew member, his brother Fence was killed when Mace committed mutiny. Hammer, who was suppose to be our inside rat, turned out to be his inside rat and helped the S.O.P. escape into deep space."

"That's what happened?" Riff looked up at the four. "I just thought he tried to kill dad."

Stoker and Rimfire saw the tawny and black half-breed with pink eyes.

"Riff, go back to your room." Magazine ordered annoyed the kid found out.

"Who's your dad?" Rimfire asked curious that a half-breed could actually live past infant hood.

"Uh..." Riff looked to Ma'ze as if unsure weather or not to tell the strange mice.

"A mouse." Ma'ze snapped scooting the kid into Twitches arms. "Make sure he goes to his room and stays there." he ordered continuing down the hall.

Stoker and Rimfire exchanged glances, they both knew something was up.

Vinnie yawned once again as Tweak tapped a cotton ball over a vein. "Am I keeping your up?" he joked handing the vile of blood to Lee.

"Naw, the needle is." Vinnie countered as he leaned back in the chair.

"Can't do much about that. Them blasted stink fish kept Duo on Saturn far longer than I would have liked."

"Did you catch a race?" Vinnie asked looking to the calm rat.

"Indeed, Lance has yet to see you. He recorded a couple of bike races for you to watch."

Throttle's tail twitched flicking at Vinnie's arm.

Tweak frowned. "He been doing that often?"

"He's been moving more and more." Vinnie said, keeping his voice low. "Mostly his tail and fingers."

"We have to get him out of here. I don't want to see him surrounded by rats when he wakes up." Tweak confessed.

"Neither do I." A new voice seemed to boom over the infirmary.

Tweak turned to see Ma'ze and two "Mice?"

Vinnie pressed against the back of his chair, unsure if he wanted to see Stoker or not. Rubbing his white hand over his right side of his face, he remembered the mask. "Stoker?"

Stoker and Rimfire froze. The voice sounded so young, so unsure and vulnerable. So unlike the cocky and mature mouse that had left Earth all those years ago. "Vinnie?"

Ma'ze and Tweak stepped aside for the mouse reunion. Tweak tapped Rimfire on the shoulder. "Call for a medical transfer team." He whispered.

Rimfire stepped away from the gray rat warily he radioed to the newest outpost 4-4-1.

Stoker watched as the white mouse emerged from the dark corner. Lights blinked behind the thin mouse with slight muscles covering his frame. "Lost some weight 'eh Punk?"

Vinnie eyed the older mouse. "You've got white hair, and whiskers." Vinnie muttered awkwardly.

Stoker shook his head. Obviously whatever had happened during the past four and some years left the white mouse unsure of himself, or those around him. "Come 'ere punk!" Stoker yelled as his metallic tail whipped out grabbing the young mouse around the waist and dragged him across the floor.

Rimfire laughed hearing Vinnie squeak with surprise.

"We thought you were dead." Stoker said holding Vinnie against him. White arms that felt more like a civilian than a Freedom Fighter hugged back.

"Dead?" Vinnie stepped back. "You thought we were dead? Vinnie Van Wham gone?"

"After we found you two either stowed away on a Plutarkian Stench Carrier or with Mace, we waited to hear from you two again. Been a year now, that it was made official."

"That why you never came after us?"

Stoker couldn't help but see the hurt in the red eyes. "We couldn't."

Vinnie looked over his shoulder to the darkened bed. "I wish someone did earlier."

"Trail-Blazer and Techno are coming with a medical transport unit." Rimfire said as he punched the white male in the shoulder.

Vinnie winced but smiled nonetheless as he playfully tapped Rimfire back. "You've grown."

"I hope so." Rimfire smiled. "I don't think they let kids in the Biker Mice category."

Vinnie blinked in surprise.

"Who needs a medical transport?" Stoker asked gazing at the bed unable to will himself to get closer.

"Throttle does." Vinnie muttered low. "He's in a coma, been like that for six in a half months."

"Throttle's alive!?" Stoker gapped at the white mouse.

"If you can call it that." Vinnie nodded. "That's him."

Rimfire walked slowly to the darken bed. The blinking lights, soft beeps and wires surrounded the gravely thin, battered mouse. The sheet, pulled up to the neck covered the entrance of the feeding tube. Rimfire backed up quickly with a hand over his mouse gagging.

"He's made progress from the time we pulled him from the Pirate ship." A soft female voice stated from behind the mice. "We want him to wake up with his own kind. We don't know the damage on his psyche, but if his body is any indication, he won't be happy." Paige said as she walked to the two-toned hairdo mouse and offered him a bucket. "Minimal staff has been allowed near him."

Rimfire gagged again before throwing up in the bucket.

"For that very reason." She refused to take back the bucket when Rimfire was done puking. Stoker's tail whipped dangerously back and forth, his balled fists and narrowed eyes told more about his personality than if he talked to Paige. "He's alive. Whether or not it was the right thing, it's my job to keep him that way." she finished.

Stoker turned to the small cream rat with a buzzed hair cut. "AND WHAT GAVE YOU FILTHY RATS THE RIGHT TO DO THAT TO HIM!?"

Paige cowered, only to have Vinnie step in front of her. "She saved us Stoker. This whole base has been trying to keep one step ahead of them damn fish. If it wasn't for Mace the war wouldn't have gone on so long!"

"YOU! You let them take care of you while they take OUR Water?" Stoker growled stepping forward.

Ma'ze and Tweak took a step closer, only to have Vinnie wave them to stay.

"Water?" Paige turned her head. "Where's Sox?"

Tweak shrugged as he reluctantly walked across the room to the vid-com.

"Water? What do you mean water? We import ours from our station on Pluto." Sox's confused voice came over the vid-com.

"LIARS!" Stoker roared jabbing a finger at Vinnie. "The reserves been tapped. Your filthy friends have been draining it since this place has been built!"

"Lance commander of the Duo Scythe." The Doberman stated as he walked in to the Infirmary wearing boxers and an undone top. "I'm responsible for these two Mice. Unless you have proof, dear mouse, I guarantee you the Ikkywara has not tapped into any planet source for water, However, there are two equal size camps of various Martian species that are within range of this station and your fair military base that also have been under heavy construction since the Duo Scythe's first arrived here."

Stoker froze. "When do you breathe?"

"He has an oxygen tank built into him." Vinnie whispered to Stoker.

"What are your names?" Lance requested.

"I'm Rimfire, and that's Stoker. We're Freedom Fighters." Rimfire said, still pale around the snout.

Lance frowned seeing the young mouse. "Is there a suitable place for your Freedom Fighters to house Throttle?"

"Yeah, they're on their way." Rimfire confirmed.

"Looks like you get out of here a couple of weeks early Snowball." Lance smiled rubbing Vinnie's fur between the antennas.

Scowling Vinnie wiggled away from the K-9. "Just my luck. I'm dead you know."

Puzzled Lance looked over Vinnie. " You're a little too white Snowball, but you're not dead."

"Snowball?" Stoker snickered.

"HEY! Don't you dare repeat that!" Vinnie warned sternly.

"Anything you say Punk." Stoker laughed.

"Snowball" Rimfire snickered. Vinnie's tail whacked the young mouse upside the head.

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

TO BE CONTINUED..

IN

PART 13!!!

Whipblade

[email protected]

March 31 2004