Disclaimer:  I don't own the BMFM, Charlie, Carbine, Rimfire, Stoker, Limburger or Brie.  I do, however, own, Mari, Mandy, Ice, Turbo, Fire, Firefall and Sunspot, Tactica, Sparky and Starmantle.  I make no money from this, and I do so for my and other's enjoyment.

There is some foul language buried deep within, but not much. Just the common stuff. Honestly . . .
 

 Firefall
 Part Three
 (C) 2/1999 All Rights Reserved
 By Goldenmane
 ***********************
 

    Mari could sense the frustration in Vinnie. He had to be the passenger instead of the driver, but Mari knew Throttle's bike wouldn't respond to him as it would to her. She could talk to bikes. He couldn't. Mari could tell by his squirming that he was uncomfortable. She tried to clear her mind, knowing they were riding into a potentially deadly situation.
    She could not help but feel his hands around her waist. Feel his eyes as they burned into her. Sometimes she cursed her empathic abilities. Sometimes she wished she never had them in the first place. She did not want the constant reminder of the feelings she had started to feel after all these years to surface. She wanted to keep them buried, deep within her soul, far from sight.
    Most of all, Mari did not want to be reminded of the ache in her heart at the thought of Turbo's absence.
    Mari tried to focus on the road ahead, keep her mind on Throttle's bike. Stay in touch with a sentient machine who could be unpredictable. His bike was attuned to him and his style of fighting, just like Ice was to her, or Vinnie's bike to him.
    She thanked the gods at large when they arrived at Junior's tower un hounded by his goons. She stopped, telling Vinnie to get off. She likewise dismounted Throttle's bike and set it to defend the outer perimeter, and let them know if trouble ensued. Hesitantly his bike beeped once, raising the weapons ports. Mari patted his bike before motioning for them to head into the tower.
    She could sense the apprehension in Vinnie as they entered enemy grounds on foot. It may have been a general rule that a mouse never went anywhere without his bike, but Mari had learned that sometimes a bike couldn't go where the mouse went. Ice understood well, and she could tell by the restless agitation in both Vinnie and Throttle's bike, they did not agree.
    "Keep you're weapons at the ready." Mari harshly whispered. "Expect trouble at every turn. Especially if Junior knows we did this in his past."
    Vinnie did not respond. Mari half looked back, smiling when she saw his eyes roaming the area around them.
    Mari nudged him with her tail. "You take point. I don't know this tower as well as I do Brie's or Gruyere's."
    Vinnie nodded. "But where would he keep any records. If he even did keep some here." He paused. "We don't even know if he bring anything."
    "No," Mari said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "But I don't think he's that smart a fish to remember all of that. If he has anything of his uncle in him, then he won't be as smart as he tries to appear to be."
    Vinnie only shrugged as Mari picked the lock on one of the service entry doors, smiling when she heard the faint click of success. She pushed the door open with her tail, training her laser around the room. She motioned to Vinnie to enter, covering him.
    The inside, a long corridor with several doors leading off of it, thankfully was deserted. They stopped at every door, one or the other of them trying the doorknob, the other covering their position, Mari picking the lock if necessary.
    "Damn," Mari swore, her whisper echoing down the corridor, "This far and we still haven't found anything."
    Vinnie tried the knob and it turned first shot. "Don't like the looks of this. First unlocked door we've found."
    Mari nodded, taking a defensive position on the left side of the door, letting him take right. She pushed the door open with her tail.
    "So far so good," he whispered.
    Mari entered first, diving through the door, turning into a roll, coming to a crouch, scanning the room. "Seems clear," she said just loud enough for him to hear.
    He walked through the door, his ruby eyes scanning the room. "Hey, what's this?"
    Mari rose, following him. "Papers. Notes. Figures. Looks promising."
    She ruffled through the papers, her ice-blue eyes scanning the words. "Damn but if I only read Plutarkian."
    Then she came to a paper, in both Plutarkian and English. She looked to Vinnie, then back to the paper and read. "When I was assigned to Earth I felt it a waste of time. History had shown that this world would never fall to us, and so we should leave the world alone. For a while that is. Until we could build our forces to a sufficient number to subjugate the entire planet at once.
    "But, having a Lord as grandiose as Camembert, he wanted the Earth for himself, and had grand schemes of attacking Earth all the while destroying Mars in the process. However, the mice had other plans, and so I once more had to rescue his floundering image.
    "Luck does seem to come at the most unexpected times. When my ships entered Martian airspace, they encountered a vessel leaving orbit. I had the scanner crew give me a readout. Somewhere someone must have noted the ship. Even if the report had come from myself. The tech stated that this ship, modified from our own Stingray, carried five mice, belonging to a unit who presumptuously called themselves the Rockers."
    Mari looked to Vinnie, worry in her eyes. She looked back to the paper, fear gripped her soul. Her voice faltered and Vinnie took the paper from her and continued reading.
    "I had the gunner crew train their weapons on the ship, preparing to blow it from the sky. The tech finished the readout of how history had gone for this particular patch of time. As it turned out, I did not need to waste the cannons, as a simple burst of sound, amplified at the right frequency would tear the ship apart. And so, much to the delight of Lord Camembert, some mice who would have normally troubled us in our own time, had been taken care of before they could become a threat.
    "Victorious, we returned to our rightful time, loaded to the gills with Martian captives, resources, and the reassurance that the Rockers would no longer exist in our own native timeline."
    Vinnie laid the sheet down. Mari only stared in disbelief, tears filling her eyes. She broke into soft sobs that increased, wracking her body fiercely. He took her into his arms, rocking her, cradling her.
    He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say. What could you say to someone who had just found out they had lost a mate and very good friends? Nothing. No amount of words would ease her pain. He smoothed her hair wiping tears from her face.
    "We gotta go. We can translate these back at the scoreboard," he said at long last. "Besides, Junior might have planted this as a trap."
    Mari nodded, letting him lead her out of the tower and to Throttle's bike. Mari laid a hand over the handlebar of Throttle's bike and it backed up, engine growling. Mari sniffed very audibly. "Sorry ol' gal. Just that Ice is used to me."
    She glanced behind her before mounting Throttle's bike. Once Vinnie and she had settled themselves they took off in a cloud of dust and the screaming of tires. Mari's thought whirled around her as tears clouded her vision.

#  

   Back at the scoreboard, Mari hung back, patting Ice when her bike had roared over, beeping in distress. She let the other's pour over the papers, fending once more helping hugs and comments from the others. She knew she would have to get past this and get over it on her own terms, in her own way.
    "Another painful memory to burry, right ol' gal?" Mari whispered to Ice. Ice only beeped once, falling silent.
    "I don't believe it," Firefall cried after long last. "These papers mirror the war. Even what has just happened. It even details an offensive we had planed to enact in a few days. I got to get word to Mars. If Junior knows about this, then we'll lose most of our forces."
    Throttle shook his head. "Junior is going to be harder to beat then I thought. He does have a lot of information on us. How we act, how we fight, what we did to counteract the Plutarkians. There's no way we won't do something that he won't be prepared for."
    "Not necessarily," Mari said quietly. She had finally stopped crying, though her voice broke on occasion. "We know what he knew for history. Now we change. Now we do something that is not in his history."
    "Throw in a few variables and hope he can't counteract them," Firefall said, folding the papers. "Bro, try to get word to Carbine and Stoker," she said to Sunspot.
    Sunspot nodded. "Will do, sis."
    "But what are we gonna do now?" Vinnie asked, rising from the perch he had taken. He glanced hesitantly toward Mari who had retreated back to Ice. "I mean, we gotta fry Junior's fins. Maybe . . . maybe we can get a hold of his time travel stuff and go back and - "
    "-No," Mari said coldly. "I won't change the facts, much as I'd like to. That'd only change our past. Maybe for the worst. I don't want to take that chance."
    Throttle had to agree. They would need to come up with a plan of some sort, and fast. Junior, if what they had translated was correct, would soon have control of Chicago, taking Detroit from Havarti, and claiming the entire Mid-West as his very own.
    But what? The thought echoed in every mind present. What could they do? How could they fight someone from the future who knew so much about them when they had no idea the full spectrum of what Junior could do?
    The room fell to silence as they all thought, sometimes they would throw ideas around, other's finding flaws or variables in their plans that would be too dangerous to do. Unpredictability could be their ally, or their undoing.
    Mari took the opportunity to leave. She slipped silently out the door. She had told Ice to stay and was glad when her bike listened. She wanted some time alone while the other's planned.
    Mari walked for a while, scrambling up a fire escape to perch herself on the ledge of a roof. She let her gaze wander around the city. She could see pockets of destruction Limburger had caused which reminded her of the destruction back home. She removed a folded and very worn picture from her pocket, banging her finger against a small lump of metal. She took the medal out and ran her thumb over it absently while she fondly looked at the picture before her. She began to cry once more.
    'No,' she thought. 'I've gotta stay strong. I can't let Junior win.'
    Mari sniffed, wiping her tears away. She pocketed the picture and medal and rose, turning, startled to see Vinnie standing there, no bikes in sight. She began to speak then stopped.
    "No one knows we left," Vinnie said quietly. "For once my bike didn't protest about being left behind."
    "Ice neither," Mari said in a whisper.
    They fell to silence.
    He stood beside her, a faint blush tinging his cheeks. "I'm so sorry," all he could find to say.
     Mari did not answer. Her body began to shake with sobs.
     "I know how you feel," he said, looking at her.
     "They can't be gone," she said when she could find her voice. "Tactica, Starfire, Sparky . . . and Turbo," her voice broke on the last word. Vinnie could tell she grieved the loss of her mate and wanted so dearly to comfort her.
        Vinnie laid an arm around her, pulling her closer.  She laid her head on his shoulder, her body trembling.  "Sweetheart," Vinnie began.  "If there is anything I can do, just tell me."
    "Hold me."
      Vinnie turned, facing her. He put his chin on her shoulder, hugging her close to him. He stared out over her shoulder at Chicago. He would do anything to make her happy. Even if it meant going back in time on his bike to stop the Rockers from dying.
    Even if it meant his own death.
    Even if he could bring her mate back, ending any chance he had with her.
    Mari did not say anything, her throat so choked with tears. She let him rock her back and forth, letting the gentle movement lose her thoughts to anything but the present. She concentrated on Vinnie, catching her breath with a sob at a jolt of feeling that coursed through her body. She started to pull back, resisting when he tried to stop her, but giving in at last.
    She did not want to resist the feelings she had started to have, but knew somewhere, deep inside, she could not believe the Rockers were dead. Junior had to be wrong. Turbo could not be dead.
    Then why did she have feelings for Vinnie?
    Mari sighed, turning her head. 'I can't let it go any further,' she tried to convince herself. 'He has Charlie. I have . . . '
    "Mari?"
    Vinnie's voice snapped her back to reality. "Mnh?"
    "You ok?"
    Mari sniffed. "Helluva great question to ask someone whose . . . "
    "Me and my big mouth," Vinnie said, pulling back. "But ya got so quiet on me. I just wanted to make sure - "
    "-I'll be fine. It'll just take some getting used to, that's all," Mari said.
    Vinnie ran a thumb along her cheek, wiping away her tears. "Sometimes you never fully get over the pain. But you can learn to live with it."
    "You lost someone?" Mari asked, taking his hand in hers.
    "Just the war. You know how it is," Vinnie said, his eyes downcast.
    Mari lifted his chin. "You are here for me, can I do the same for you?"
    "Sometime," he said, smiling. "If we don't get back, they'll wonder what happened."
    Mari nodded, letting him help her down the fire escape and back to the scoreboard. Though she could not help but let her mind wander. Wonder what the future could hold. Knowing she would not want to be responsible for breaking any relations up.

#    

Mari went directly to Ice, calming her bike. "Junior's transported something in again. Something huge judging by how our bikes are responding to it."
    She had regained her composure and furiously punched buttons to get a lock. "It's not at the Tower, but somewhere near here. Somewhere close."
    "I think I got a lock," Vinnie said. "Oh, man. It's right outside the scoreboard."
    The others rushed to the windows. "It's huge," Firefall said.
    "It's a tank. Plutarkian heavy artillery tank," Throttle said.
    "We're doomed," Sunspot said.
    Mari went to the window as her bike stilled. She noticed Junior standing beside the tank.
    "Send Mari out and I will spare your pathetic scoreboard. At least, what's left of it," Junior shouted.
    "Never," Vinnie shouted.
    Mari silenced him with a look. "Now wait just a minute. Yeah. It just might work."
    "Why don't I like that look?" Throttle said.
    " 'Cause you won't. We don't have enough bikes for a frontal, or any kind of assault. Charlie's garage is totaled, but I wonder if your garage is standing," Mari said, looking toward Mandy.
    Mandy shrugged. "If Havarti didn't know it was ours, then it should be. Why?"
    "Y'all know the way to Detroit, right?" Mari asked.
    "Yeah, why?" Throttle asked, suspiciously.
    Mari smiled. "Double up and meet me back at the Changing Times. I've got me a smooth plan. Should work."
    "Sweetheart, that's why I like yer style," Vinnie said, receiving a clout from Charlie. He only half smiled.
    Mari went to the window, leaning out. "I'm coming down, hold yer fire."
    "Warriors, hold fire until I give the command," Junior shouted. "All right mouse," he called to Mari.
    She turned to the others. "Just watch yer tails, ok?"
    "Just don't do anything stupid," Modo said, glancing toward Vinnie.
    "Who, me?" Mari said, mocking Junior. Something Vinnie would do.
    She ran to Ice, firing her engines. "See ya all in Detroit,"
    Mari blasted a hole in the side of the scoreboard, jetting out. She landed with a screech in front of Junior's warriors. She parted her helmet, rising half off of Ice.
    "You never could make a nice, quite entrance, now could you?" Junior snarled.
    "Nope," Mari said with a laugh. "If it's me ya want, just try an' catch me."
    She fired several missiles toward Junior's warriors before speeding off down the road. She did not look back, riding as hard and as fast as she could.
    "Ice, drive. Defense mode. Attack pattern 'Rock Solid'," Mari called to Ice.
    Her bike beeped once, before setting off a hail of missile fire in a random pattern.
    Mari paid no attention to the battle, working her fingers furiously over Ice's control panel. She punched several buttons, grimacing. 'If only I could get this to work . . . "
    Mari felt something rip into the side of her helmet, crying out in pain. She nearly lost control of Ice, instead punching a button on Ice. She watched as the world around her seemed to grow black, then a blinding white, then back to black. She could not feel anything save the pounding throb in her head. She sniffed, wrinkling her nose at the acrid stench of burned fur and blood.
    She began to seriously wonder the wisdom of her plan, when, with a deafening crash, the world around her seemed to reform. She brought Ice to a screech, nearly hitting a wall. She tore her helmet off, holding it in her hand. She wheeled Ice into the Changing Times, glad her trial teleport worked.
    She went to a mirror as soon as she parked Ice. She looked herself over, grimacing at the dark scar marks lining her lower cheek and jaw. Damn but it might leave a mark. She hoped not, then thought of Vinnie. She half chuckled, reaching for the disinfectant.
    'We really would make quite the pair, now wouldn't we,' she thought, wincing in pain as the alcohol touched the burnt fur and flesh.
    "Oh well, we just gotta make the best of a painful situation, right ol' gal?" Mari turned to her bike.
    Ice beeped once then fell still.
    "I know, I'm worried about them. But this was the only thing I could think of. You know I'm used to working solo."
    Ice beeped several times, raring.
    "You know what I mean. We'll always be a team. But I'm used to making decisions for only us. I know we had help in New Orleans, and we have Mandy here. But it was always you and I. Just us to watch out for in a battle."
    Ice remained still, though her engine ran.
    Mari continued to clean the wound, bandaging it when she finished. She took one last look in the mirror sighing. It would take them hours, even at a hard ride to get there. She went to a radio and turned it on. Still on her favorite station. She listened carefully for any news about Havarti and waited. Rummaging around the Changing Times for some spare parts. She looked them over and smiled a half smile.
    "Mari ol' gal, sometimes ya frighten even me," she mumbled, chuckling softly.
    Now to put the rest of her plan into action. Prepare for when the others arrived in Detroit. Junior probably not far on their heels.

#

    Mari sat at the edge of town, astride Ice. She waited patiently, still listening to the radio. So far no mention of Havarti, Brie, or anything that sounded like a Plutarkian deal. That worried her. She was used to hearing reports of Brie's activities and could race to handle them. But all this silence was killing her.
    And the guys hadn't arrived yet.
    Mari glanced at her watch. She plopped her repaired helmet on her head, wincing when it hit her bandaged chin. She closed the visor, set it for night scan, and magnified the area. She scanned as far as she could see. Trying in vain to find any trace of them. Junior's attacks on them should be visible, even at this great a range.
    But nothing. No sign. No trace. Nothing.
    Mari began to worry.
    Ice beeped, sensing her rider's distress. Mari patted Ice. "I know, but if we send a signal or try to radio them, Havarti might hear. I don't want him knowing we're here or that Junior is on the way. I want this to be the biggest battle royal against those two. If they can knock each other out, hopefully sparing Detroit, then our job will be a lot easier."
    Ice beeped again.
    Mari cast her gaze once more out over the landscape. She tried to still her breathing, return it to normal. She couldn't let herself panic. She had to be prepared. She couldn't let the others know what she had planned. Hell, she hadn't known until she rummaged through the spare parts. And then she couldn't decide what to do.
    Though at long last she had decided. Put some form of plan to work. Though she still hadn't put the final touches on it. Never could. She chided herself for going into battle unprepared.
    "Not unprepared," she whispered. "Just ad libbing."
    She snapped her head toward a faint glow. She watched as the glow continued to increase. Soon she could hear the reverberations of mortar fire.
    At last they approached Detroit.
    Mari ferverently hoped everyone was still there. That they hadn't lost anyone.
    She fired Ice's engines. "You know the plan ol' girl," she said with an energetic laugh. "Let's rock 'em till we drop em'."
    Mari rared Ice for emphasis before speeding down the road toward the battle. She punched a button on Ice, activating her weapons. She punched another button smiling when a faint glimmer encased Mari and Ice, fading to nonexistent. At least to outsiders, she hoped. Her tests on this new shielding had proved successful. Now if only it would work under fire.
    Mari could faintly make out the shapes of four bikes, narrowly dodging the continuous stream of laser and missile fire from Junior's tank. Mari set off several long-range missiles, watching in satisfaction as they struck his tank, slowing it down. She punched another button firing a different missile. She watched it arc, striking the ground in front of Junior's tank. Suddenly the behemoth came to a complete standstill.
    "It won't stop Junior for long," Mari called over the radio. She checked the settings, smiling when she noticed the tag at the end. Havarti was indeed listening. "Regroup and restrike. Maybe we can keep him out of Detroit."
    "But we're almost out of missiles," Throttle said.
    Mari grimaced, wincing at the pain in her cheek. "Head back to the garage and restock, but remember, I can't do it alone."
    She checked her radar smiling inwardly as several blips appeared behind her. She rode hard to the others, parting her helmet. She made sure to keep her wound from sight. No need to worry them prematurely. "Don't radio, just head back to the garage and meet me here. I want to make sure Havarti engages Junior." She sent the co-ordinates to their bikes.
    "But . . . ," Vinnie began.
    "Don't worry. I'll keep a safe distance away. I'm not that eager to get hurt," Mari said, pausing. She began to speak then stopped. Instead she looked to her radar. "Havarti's almost on us. Get going."
    Throttle nodded, thoroughly unconvinced she would stay out of the fight. She had proved more and more to be just as eager to fight as Vinnie. And that was what worried him.
    Yet they complied, keeping to the back roads as Mandy advised. Mari took cover, speeding along beside them, keeping them to her right. She broke off, taking a side road. She continued riding until she came to a small forested ridge. She stopped, killing Ice's engine and the force field, though she kept the weapons active.
    Mari watched in complete satisfaction as Junior's tank began, once more, to crawl toward Detroit, just as Havarti's goons crested the area, hitting Junior's forces with all their might. Both sides took heavy losses, though, in the end, Junior seemed to be on the losing side.
    She turned at the roar of several engines, turning to watch the battle. She did not look at the others as Throttle and Firefall slid in by her left and Vinnie and Charlie on her right. Modo and Sunspot stayed slightly behind Throttle and Mandy on Charlie's bike pulled in beside Vinnie. They watched the battle in silence.
    Mari parted her helmet's visor, as they all had. Firefall had removed her helmet as did Modo and Charlie. Mandy seemed content to watch the battle and Throttle, Mari could sense, took notes. Though a stronger sense seemed to intrude upon her mind. No, not intrude, inquire. She turned to see Vinnie, a look of shock on his face.
    "Sweetheart," he whispered. "What happened to your face?"
    "Nothing. Just a little scratch," she replied softly.
    Charlie turned to Mari. "Just a little scratch? Not with all that gauze you used."
    Mari cast her ice-blue gaze downward. "I took a shot in the helmet just before I teleported here. Burned quite a nice patch of fur."
    Vinnie glanced at the bandages on her face and quickly averted his gaze. He could swear he felt the scarred skin beneath his face plate crawl. He knew full well that burned flesh would never fully recover. The hair would never grow back. That she would be forced to find a piece of flex-plate shielding to hide her scars.
    Just like he did.
    "Will it heal?" Charlie asked.
    Mari shrugged. "No idea. Only time will tell." She looked toward Vinnie. "And if it doesn't then I'll have to deal with it. True beauty comes not from what we look like, but what's inside."
    Charlie smiled at her remark, one hand reaching for Vinnie's. Mari smiled herself when Vinnie turned a bright shade of crimson to rival his bike's color. 'Maybe at last he'll recognize his feelings for Charlie,' Mari thought.
    "Fight's nearly over," Throttle commented, breaking Mari's thoughts.
    She turned toward the battle, re closing her visor. She magnified the vision, laughing wildly. "One tank down, Junior's left with a handful of warriors, and Havarti seems close to collapse."
    "Trust the Plutarkians not to trust each other. Or be willing to work with them." Modo said.
    "Not for long, anyway," Throttle said. He turned to Mari. "So? What now?"
    Mari fired Ice's engines. "Now we go in for the clean up."
    "Let's rock," Throttle began.
    "And ride," the others, including Mari, Firefall and Sunspot chorused.
    They rode hard down the small hill, weapons at the ready. As if on cue they broke, Throttle and Modo taking on Junior, Mari, Vinnie and Mandy heading for Havarti. They fired round after round of missiles and lazerfire toward the Plutarkians, ripping what little each side had left for goons to shreds.
    Mari swerved, firing Ice's grappling hook. She stopped, watching as the rope wound around Havarti. Mari backed up, her laser trained on Havarti. Vinnie and Mandy quickly arrived, all weapons aimed toward Havarti.
    "Gig's up," Mari growled. "You'll never best us."
    "In your wildest dreams," Vinnie continued.
    Havarti glowered. "You foolish mice don't realize what you've done."
    "We've stopped you from destroying the Earth, that's what we've done," Charlie said.
    "Underestimating the situation must be a flaw in humans as well," Havarti said. "You have no idea the scope of our plan. Nor shall you ever. Plutark has need of the Earth, and we shall have it, one way or another."
    "Not as long as the Biker Mice are here," Vinnie said, a cold deadliness to his voice. "You can count on that."
    Havarti sighed. "Oh really? You shall never learn. This little outing was only a testing ground. And it proved successful. Plutark will be most pleased."
    "What do you mean, fish guts?" Mandy asked.
    "Simple. You have given your all, as you would say. You have given us enough data on your bikes in a new environment, as well as your previous . . . victories . . . over Brie and the others, to counter your moves."
    Mari shook her head. "No such thing. What you little fish-faces don't realize is that you have never been in control of the situation. Not here and not on Mars. You may have ripped my homelands apart, but you will never desecrate this living, breathing world. Not so long as I have any ounce of strength left in me."
    Havarti seemed genuinely shocked, regaining is composure quickly. "Junior," he shouted. "Time to go."
    "Agreed," Junior said casually. "The other bosses have been alerted."
    Before any of the mice could react, Havarti's form began to glow, fading from sight. Her grappling hook fell to the ground with a clang. By the colorful expressions from Throttle, so too had Junior vanished.
    "Right back where we started," Modo said.
    "Not necessarily," Mari said. "We do have two transporter capable bikes. If I can find a way to link your bikes with Vinnie and Mandy's to mine, then we should be able to get back to Mars. All of us."
    "Home," Modo said softly.
    Mari shook her head. "Not now. First we gotta clean up. We owe our respected cities more than that. And besides, I don't know if it will work. Like I said earlier, I'm no expert at time or space travel. I'm just glad I made it back here in one piece."
    "You did have us worried," Firefall said.
    Mari shrugged. "What can I say, go with the flow and hope the powers that be keep looking out for ya."
    "Nice philosophy," Throttle said. "So, should we start cleaning up?"
    "Detroit's ok. Havarti did nothing while we were gone and this little battle didn't damage anything important." Mari turned when a bright green beam shot overhead, striking Brie's Palace. She punched a button, activating a small spy camera. "Never hurts to be prepared," she said sheepishly.
    They watched as a form appeared, several in fact. Brie and his Dune Rangers were back.
    "Damn," Mari swore. "No rest for the weary, I guess."
    "Guess you won't be heading back with us after all," Vinnie said.
    Firefall dismounted Throttle's bike. "Why don't Sunspot and I stay here and keep an eye out for things until you get back? Then we can help you out here."
    "But I thought you wanted to get back?" Modo asked.
    "Mari said it might be a while before she can figure it out. Can't hurt to help out while we're here," Sunspot said. "Lend us a bike and give directions and we'll wait for you back at the garage."
    Mari nodded. "Charlie, care if they take your bike?"
    She shook her head. "No problem. Mandy ride with you?"
    "Done it before, might as well do it again," Mandy said, dismounting Charlie's bike. She gave Firefall the quick route back to the Changing Times and walked to Ice. She positioned herself behind Mari and held on tight.
    "Ready whenever you two are," Mari said, revving Ice's engines.
    "Back to Chi-town it is," Throttle said. "Ride free Firefall, Sunspot."
    "You guys too, take care getting back. Avoid all those craters we left behind," Firefall chuckled.
    Mandy turned toward the guys. "Junior tore up the interstate THAT bad?"
    Throttle nodded. "Nothing we can't fix, though."
    "Then let's hit the road," Mari said. "Care if I take the lead?"
    "Be my guest," Throttle said with a flourish.
    Mari laughed. "Then let's rock,"
    "And ride," they chorused, following Ice's wake. They sped back to Chicago and clean up, knowing full well Limburger would probably be there waiting for them with unopened arms and a truck load of goons.
    Sometimes Mari wished she could leave all the destruction behind. Go somewhere where she could clear her mind. Find a little bit of peace in the Hell the Plutarkians had made for Martians everywhere.
    Sometimes she wished she had a shoulder to cry on.
 

Epilogue

    It was all right to break down now and again, Mari tried to convince herself as her body shook with sobs. She had her moments when the pain and loss had been too great and she had to let the pain out, one way or another.
    Sometimes she raced through the streets of Detroit, letting the rush take her mind off her sorrows. Then again, there had been the times when she sought a secluded location and cried until she felt there could be no tears left.
    She had her spot where she could sit in a grove of trees, looking out over Lake Erie, and cry. But that secluded spot lay in Detroit. Yet she had gone back to Chicago after Junior's removal to help in the clean up.
    Mari had found a rooftop some distance from the others, and sat. She hugged her knees to her chest, chin resting on her knees. The destruction of Chicago had reminded her too much of the Battle of Monument and she could not take it anymore.
    She had told the guys she was going to check on things somewhere else since they had things well under control. Vinnie had offered to go with her, but she had told him kindly that she could handle it on her own.
    Mari closed her ice-blue eyes, images of the battle flashing in front of her. She could see her unit being cut to shreds and her friends dying all around her. She could hear the explosions in her mind, and jumped visibly when she heard a sudden noise behind her.
    She turned, blinking tears from her face. She sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. Mari half-smiled when she saw Vinnie sitting on his bike, parked next to Ice.
    "I thought I said not to come," she said, her words broken by soft sobs.
    "Since when did I listen to anyone?" he said, dismounting his bike. He removed his helmet, laying it on his bike's seat, and walked to her.
    Mari did not move, turning back to the city below. She did not protest as he sat beside her, an arm going around her shoulders.
    "Why does life have to be so damned unfair," Mari said at long last.
    "Guess that's just the way it is," Vinnie said.
    They fell to silence for a few moments and Mari slowly quieted the sobs. She sighed several times as the memories slowly faded back into the recesses of her mind where she kept them.
    Her last sigh found her snuggling closer to Vinnie, her head resting on his shoulder, mindful of her burns. She stared out at the destruction and wished, just for one moment, she could have some real peace and joy in her life.
    What followed she could never have counted on in her life, and judging by what she sensed from Vinnie, he hadn't expected it either.
    She suddenly turned her head to look long and hard into Vinnie's eyes. Mari could almost swear she could see the burning passion beyond that flared deep within him. Caught like an animal in a trap, she could go nowhere, her own denied drives kicking into overdrive.
    They sat and kissed, finally moving from the roof top to a more secluded location, letting their passions run wild. They enjoyed themselves as they had never done before, finding deep passion over and over again, finally falling asleep in each other's arms, warm and tender smiles on their faces. Any thought of regret was squashed immediately.
    For once the world seemed to stand still and both of them could find peace and joy in the company of the other.

Spend all your time waiting,
For that second chance.
Pray that we make it ok.
There's always some reason,
Feels like good enough.
And it's hard at the end of the day.
 I need some distraction,
Oh beautiful it leaves.
Memories seep from my veins.
It may be empty.
Oh how weightless, and maybe.
Find some peace tonight.


In the arms of the angels,
Fly away from here.
From this dark, cold memory,
And the answers that you fear.
You are called from the wreckage.
From your silent revery here.
Well In the arms of the angels,
May you find some comfort here.


So tired of the straight lines,
And everywhere you turn,
There's vultures and theives at your back.
Song keep on twisting,
Keep on building the lies.
That should make up for all that you left.
Don't make no difference,
Escapeable next time.
It's easy to let you believe.
In this sweet madness,
Oh this glorious sadness,
It pains me to believe.


In the arms of the angels,
Fly away, from here.
From this dark cold memory,
And the answers that you fear.
You are called from the wreckage.
From your silent revery here..
Well in the arms of the angels,
May you find some comfort here.


Well in the arms of the angels,
May you find some comfort here.

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

Angel by Sarah McLachlan.