Disclaimer: I don't own the BMFM or any characters from that show. I do, however, own The Rockers, Sabers, Firestars, Shimmers, Kat, Goldenmane, Taura, Pikestar, Turbo, Tactica, Sparky, Starfire, Starmantle, Kammie, Mandy, Mari, Phoenix, Blade, Blaze, Ice, Fire and Junior, but I don't own Marshall who Junior is based off of. Marshall is (C) to Brentwood Televison Funnies.
I make no money from this and do so only for the enjoyment of all.
This story follows Reunited and is the first part of a multi-parter that will wrap up the entire Mari storyline. But by no means is this the end, but a beginning. A new life, some surprises or two, and maybe even the start of a whole new adventure.
Read and Enjoy :)
Homecoming
Part One
(C) 2/12/1999 (revised 6-04-1999) All Rights Reserved
By Goldenmane
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The world spun in a crazy spiral that threatened to drag Mari down to the black depths of Hell. She fought to regain control of the ship, jumping her hand away from a sudden shower of sparks. She sucked on a burned finger, punching buttons with her other hand as fast as she could.
Below the red sands of Mars drew closer. She finally returned home. Yet that homecoming would be short lived if she could not get the stolen Plutarkian Stingray back under control.
Mari tried to block out the groans and creaks of the ship as it shuddered violently. Mars may have had a thinner atmosphere than Earth, but the battle-worn Stingray had begun to break apart under the strain of reentry.
Had she been alone, Mari would simply have attempted a controlled crash to the red surface below. However, she carried several passengers and their bikes, and would not risk their lives.
"Need a hand?" a voice shouted from behind.
"No," Mari coldly replied. "Just get the bikes ready to eject."
Mari instantly regretted snapping at Vinnie. She knew it would take every last ounce of her will to fight the controls. She had no time for Vinnie's heroics.
"Bikes set," Throttle said. "Just give the word."
Mari punched buttons, hoping in vain the ship would crash far away from any inhabited areas. She had radioed Mars hoping someone could go to their rescue. Unfortunately, she thought, the Plutarkians could just as easily home in on them too.
She rose, dashing to her bike, Turbo already astride Ice. "Let's rock," Mari said, mounting. "Because this ship is going to roll."
"Time to ride, bros," Throttle said, blasting a hole in the side of the Stingray.
One by one the bikes edged forward under the power of their riders, teetering on the edge. First Throttle with Tactica, then Modo with Sparky, and lastly Vinnie with Starfire and Mandy who rode alone, pushed their bikes over the edge and into open space. Mari waited.
She felt the sudden jerk of the ship as it began a sidewards roll. She gunned Ice's engines and blasted out of the doomed ship. The idea had been to turn the free fall into a controlled jump, deploying the chutes at the last moment.
She noticed the others far below, gliding lazily under the guidance of their bikes chutes. "So?" Mari said through her helmets radio as she guided Ice's engines towards the planet. "What'd ye think of the ride?"
"Could've been better," Vinnie said.
"At least ya got us down in one piece," Modo said.
Mari inwardly cringed at the thunderous boom of their stolen ship crashing to the ground below. She cut Ice's engines and deployed the chute.
"Where do you think we'll land?" Turbo asked. "Been a long time since we've been home, I hardly recognize the place."
Mari scanned the ground below. "We're far from any major centres of activity. Mars may have rebuilt in the past few years since we ousted the Plutarkians, but not this far out I wouldn't imagine."
"How long will it take us?" Throttle asked.
"No more than half a day, max," Mari replied. "I'm taking us to Marconia Base. If the Firestars used her, then someone in the past, our present may be there as well."
"No time for talk," Throttle suddenly said. "Company down below."
Mari sighed at the tiny figures below. "Damn. Some things never change."
Chutes cut and wings in," Throttle said.
Mari punched a button, releasing the chute. Another button activated Ice's battle wings, and still another her bike's weapons.
"Let's rock," Mari heard Throttle say.
"And ride," chorused the rest, except the Rockers.
Mari let loose a volley of laser fire to match that coming from the Plutarkian force below. She estimated about twenty light armoured troops, no signs of reinforcements, or transports. Maybe they were a group missed during the final battles to reclaim Mars for the mice?
Mari lunged sideways, changing direction. A single bolt pierced one wing. Mari glanced at the small smoking hole. 'Good shot,' she thought. 'Too good.'
"We can't attack them," Mari heard Throttle say over her helmet. "Not with passengers."
Vinnie groaned. "This is no fun. Where's the challenge?"
"Um.. Right there, Vincent," Throttle said, dryly.
Mari shifted her gaze upwards, pausing. Three Stingrays, weapons poised, closed in on the mice.
"Where the hell did they come from?" Mari nearly yelled. Instead she turned her anger at such a costly miscalculation onto the real target.
How could she have failed to see this coming? " Vinnie, link the other bikes and transport out of here. We'll catch up." She turned to Turbo. "Just hang on. Ice. Let's make a bad situation work to our advantage. Shall we?" Mari said, punching a button. "Stone Skip Five."
Ice beeped once. Mari shifted her weight, angling them towards the lead Stingray. She dodged the lasers fired at her and landed successfully on the lead ship. She drew her laser and fired at the ship's hull. She threw a grenade into the hole before blasting off to do the same to the other two Stingrays.
She banked sharply after her last attack, angling for the ground, satisfied to hear the resounding explosions of the Stingrays. She did not need to see the Stingray's explode, confident her manoeuver would succeed.
No. Not her manoeuver, she corrected herself. That one belonged to Rock, her former unit leader.
Mari stifled a sigh at the thought of her former unit. That was in the past, she reminded herself. Rock is dead. Her entire unit was dead. Killed by a Plutarkian trap. She and a few others had been the only one to survive the slaughter. The only ones who returned to base.
And now they finally could come home.
Sighing, Mari set Ice down gently on the red sand below. She punched a button, retracting Ice's wings. She gunned her engines before setting off to find the others.
#
Mari crested a ridge, stopping. She gazed around, smiling and laid her hand on Turbo's which he had rested on her shoulder. So much she wanted to tell him. So much she wanted to do. But all of that would have to wait. She had to find out if their children had lived in this time line as the Nazira of the future had said.
She rode Ice hard, eventually cresting another ridge, finding the others. "Did they get your bike this time?" Mari asked with a chuckle.
"No," Vinnie said. "At least this isn't starting like last time."
"Then if things go like they did, we should make Marconia by nightfall. So to cut time, we'll transport in. I know the co ordinates by heart so I'll take lead. Let's see if we get attacked again." Mari's ice-blue gaze surveyed the landscape. Memories of the battle tried to surface, but this time she quelled them.
"Ready whenever you are," Throttle said.
Mari nodded, linking all of their bikes together. "Transporting, now."
They waited as the world around them seemed to go black to grey to white and finally back to black before reforming. She had set the co ordinates for the inside bike bay. The power was not on and she could make out faint shapes in the dusky light.
Mari could smell blood, sweat, fear. Curiously enough she could not detect the rancid odour of Plutarkians. She began to speak when someone started shooting at them. Others joined in soon. Mari lunged at the nearest shooter, knocking him sideways, she batted a second with her tail while grappling with the first.
"Rotten scum," Mari growled .
She felt a long furry object wrap around her neck. She grabbed the object and yanked. The form pinned under her gave a soft yelp. Mari backed away. "You're no fish."
"Better not be," came the reply.
Mari squinted as bright lights came on. When her vision cleared she gasped. "By the moons. Blade?"
The mouse beneath her gave her a dark scowl. "Get yer self off of me, will ya."
Mari rose, looking around. There were nine other mice present, though now their lasers and rifles pointed downward.
"We thought you were those stink faces come to reclaim the base," Blade said, rising to stand a good hand taller than Mari.
"Last time I saw you, you were eight. But that was..." Mari trailed off. "How many did survive?"
Blade's dark eyes seemed to ease. "Enough. More survived Monument than the Freedom Fighters who tried to save it. What a bunch of losers."
"Hey now," Vinnie began, stepping forward.
Mari silenced him with a hand. "Why do you think they are losers? Didn't they hold the Plutarkians back long enough for you to escape?"
"But they couldn't save the city. Or themselves. I heard every last one of 'em bit it. Official reports said so."
"What if I said official reports can lie?" Turbo said, going to stand behind Mari. "What if I said that some of us here were at that battle, and survived."
"And what if I said you were a crazy old mouse," Blade spat.
Mari just stared at Blade. "Tell me. Do you remember who else survived?" She did not dare get her hopes up too high. She had to be certain Nazira had been right.
"Yeah, why?" Blade spat.
"Two kids, about your age then. Named Phoenix and Blaze." Mari said.
Blade shot a brow up. "You mean our unit leader Phoenix? Yeah. She was one. And Blaze too is part of our unit."
Mari could find no words. Could Blade be telling the truth? She grabbed Turbo's hand.
"Sabers, gather the wounded and mount to ride," Blade said suddenly. "If ya want to see them, follow us."
"Nice wheels," Blade said, admitting Ice. "Too bad it's such an outdated model. Never be able to keep up with us."
Mari paused. "Just ride, hot shot."
Blade smiled. "Yer not bad for an old lady."
"I'm not old. Just old enough to be your mother." Mari paused, choking back a tear. "And never believe official reports."
Blade looked down, then ahead. "Freedom Fighters, let's ride like the wind and silent as a snowflake. Fish might still be flopping about."
The small group fired their engines and set off after their leader, Mari and the others following closely behind.
#
Mari watched Blade as he slid his bike beside Ice. He looked straight ahead. "Why did headquarters list every member of Rock's unit dead?" Mari asked after a long silence.
"Dunno. All I heard was that there were no survivors. Unofficially I heard some survived, but have never been seen," Blade responded quietly. "Phoenix and Blaze talk about their parents all the time. Like they know they're still alive after all this time. She keeps talking about a covert unit called the Rockers, but no one believes her."
Mari sighed. "I know the Rockers. They do exist."
"Yeah? Who are they?"
"Tactica's with Throttle, Sparky's with Modo, Starfire's with Vinnie, and Turbo's with me. And their leader...or at least they had a leader until she was captured by the Plutarkians, is me. I guess headquarters just wrote us off." Mari paused. "But why wouldn't they tell Monument's survivors that some of the Freedom Fighters survived?"
"Who knows. And you were their leader?" Blade asked. "No wonder you know us. But.. what happened?"
"It's a long story. Remind me to tell you one of these days. Makes a great tale to tell the young'uns," Mari said She could sense the confusion in Blade. She would not tell the whole truth to him yet.
Mari chanced a glance backwards, noting a half smile from Vinnie. He understood her position. Or at least she hoped he did. The rest of the ride fell to silence, though Blade forged ahead once they entered the Plains of Luna.
Ahead would lie yet another base the Freedom Fighters or the Army used during the War. However, this one had not been used by Rock's unit. Not even after the fall of Monument did they go there. But she knew of it. Stoker's new base after the attack on the Monastery hideout. A joint effort on the part of the Freedom Fighters and the Army.
#
"Sabers returning with some stray mice," Mari heard Blade say over a general radio band as they pulled nearer to Luna Base.
"Clear sailing, Sabers," a female voice replied. "Glad to have you back in one piece, hon."
Mari looked over to see Blade slightly blush. "No injured, no Plutarkians left," he finally replied.
"Your mate?" Mari asked.
"Yes," Blade replied. Mari waited as Blade led them to the main entrance.
The main bay door slid effortlessly open, wide enough for three bikes to pass abreast. Once inside, Mari pulled to the side, motioning Throttle, Modo, Vinnie and Mandy to join her.
"Some things just don't change," Throttle said. "Still the same old base."
"Hey, you lot. Dismount and follow me. Commander Phoenix want's to see you," a female officer said.
Mari dismounted after Turbo. "Ice listen to them. If they want you to do something reasonable, comply. You might even remember some of 'em." Ice beeped once, then fell silent.
"What now?" Vinnie asked.
"Could be the answer to my prayers," Mari said in a bare whisper, looking to Turbo. "No, to our prayers."
After several winding corridors, the officer stopped at an open door. "Commander, the mice and one human are here to see you."
"Send them in," a voice said, similar to Mari's but slightly deeper.
Mari entered first, followed by the guys and the Rockers, Mandy brought up the rear. No one had removed their helmets, though once inside the small room, they did. Except Mari who stood speechless.
"By the moons. You must be the Biker Mice," Phoenix said, rising. "And from what Carbine and Rimfire tell us, you must be the human Charlie."
"Actually, no. I'm Mandy. Charlie's still on Earth looking after Snowfall." she paused glancing towards Mari.
"Then who are you?" Phoenix said, nodding to Mari.
"I'm your mother," Mari said, stripping off her helmet. Staring at Phoenix.
Phoenix stood in shock. "She died. But someone had been spreading cruel rumours she lived on Earth."
"I don't know what lies Headquarters spread, but Turbo and I lived. We thought you and Blaze had died when Monument fell. You were only eight years old at that time. The same age as Blade," Mari blurted out.
"She looks more like Turbo," Mari heard Vinnie whisper behind her. "But she's a slightly lighter shade."
"Sis, where are these..." Mari heard a male voice say.
She looked to see a tall young mouse enter. His hair gray though his body fur was a light tan. "Blaze?"
He turned to Mari. "Some of you look familiar. Have I seen you before? How do you know my name?"
"It is you. You did take your father's looks. You even have his build," Mari said. "All these years I thought you and your sister were dead. Now I see you standing here, before me."
Blaze turned to Phoenix. "Just who is she?"
"She claims to be our mother," Phoenix casually said.
Blaze turned back to Mari. "Are you?"
"I am. We had friends care for you when Rock's unit was called to fight. Nazira, Blade's mom. Don't you even recognize your father?" Mari choked back a tear, turning to Turbo.
"It's true. Sorry to keep it from you, but orders are orders," a male voice said from behind in a deep, gravelly voice.
Mari turned as the elderly mouse shoved his way past the guys, making sure to give Vinnie an extra hard shove.
"Hey, old timer," Vinnie said. "Never thought we'd see you again."
Stoker turned and smiled. "Never underestimate the power of will, punk."
"Anytime," Vinnie said.
Stoker only chuckled and turned to Mari. "I never wanted to keep the truth from them, but Headquarters wanted it that way." He looked at the Rockers. "At least you found them. Where were they?"
"It's a long story," Mari sighed. "So that's why I could sense something wrong a while ago with you when we talked. You wanted to tell me then. But that still doesn't answer the big question. Why hide the Rockers?"
Stoker looked down, apparently uncomfortable.
"But why tell them we died at the battle when you know it wasn't true?" Mari nearly cried, motioning towards the Rockers.
"Headquarters wanted a quick end to a disastrous affair. They wanted to bury the thought of losing, so they reinvented the battle." Stoker paused. "They couldn't erase the survivors from Monument, so they set a new story to cover the real one."
Phoenix held up a hand. "Then you mean she's telling the truth?"
"She is your mother and Turbo behind her is your father." Stoker said quietly. "Your's too, Blaze."
Phoenix looked to Mari and Turbo, tears streaming down her tan cheeks, flushed a deep shade of red. She said nothing, running to her parents, embracing them.
Mari let loose the floodgates of her own tears, hugging her daughter with a fierceness borne of fear and relief. She extended a hand to Blaze who hesitated.
"I can never forgive you for abandoning us. Why didn't you return," Blaze said coldly.
Mari pulled away from Phoenix. "I was told you were dead. When I escaped the Plutarkians shot me down over Earth. I had no way to get back."
"You could've sent word you escaped." Blaze growled.
"I tried, By the Moons I tried. Sometimes it felt like I was isolated from the rest of the universe," Mari said.
Blaze looked down. "If you cared enough for us, you wouldn't've given up searching."
"I didn't want the pain of knowing you were really dead. The reports said no one survived in Monument. I was told you two were dead," Mari said forcefully. "What happened that you hate me so much?"
Blaze said nothing, turning his back to them, and walking out the door. Mari turned to Phoenix, a pleading look in her eyes.
"Ever since the kids picked on him for having no parents, he's been bitter." Phoenix shrugged. "I guess he's fostered that hate all this time. I knew he never wanted to talk about you or father, but I thought it was painful, not in anger."
"Who raised you two?" Mari asked. "Blade's mom survived. She was the one who got us out of Monument. That's how Blade and I fell in love." Phoenix paused. "I hope you two approve."
Turbo smiled. "Of course I do. He's a fine lad. And his mother did a fine job of raising you."
"Oh it wasn't just her. We had someone else, so Blaze didn't lack for a father-figure even if he tried to rebel every two seconds," Phoenix said with a half smile. "But that was after all that mess we went through to stay a family. Don't worry, I'll tell you later." Phoenix hastily added when Mari and Turbo began to worry.
"So, Stoke," Throttle broke in. "Is Carbine around?"
"Not here. She's back at headquarters with Rimfire. They're planning a minor invasion of Elysium Mons. Plutarkians have set up a small base near there."
"Plannin' to invade Mars again?" Modo asked.
Stoker shook his head. "Headquarters don't think so. But we're not taking chances."
"I bet the lot of you are tired after such a trip. I want to hear all about it," Phoenix said. "But first get some sleep and clean up a bit. In the morn we can catch up on missed times and you can meet the Sabers."
Turbo agreed. His body still ached from imprisonment and his stomach was faint. "A bite to eat then to bed. Sounds great." He looked tenderly towards Mari.
Phoenix smiled. "I'll show you to some quarters."
Mari laid an arm around Phoenix. "It's great to have you back."
"No, mother. It's great to have you back. All of you." Phoenix paused. "Now we can be a real family once again."