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Start Again, Bros

Chapter 11: The Road Ravens

Notes:

...I shall not give a reason for my long absence... It was not a hyperfixation on other fandoms... carry on...

Chapter Text

Planet: Earth

Location: Last Chance Garage, Chicago, Illinois

Time: 12th October 1992


It had taken 9 weeks for Throttle’s shoulder to heal. Normally, a dislocated shoulder meant only a few weeks’ rest tops, for a Martian Mouse, but the events in the Pits had caused more damage that needed time to repair. No wonder Charley had been so efficient at fixing them up in the past…future?... on Mars. She clearly had a lot of practice.

Throttle, though still a bit stiff, insisted he was good as new. So Vinnie felt no guilt when he smoked him at Brodies and Bottles. The white mouse’s whoop could be as he sped up, before skidding across the muddy water they had added as an extra challenge. He pulled to a halt just before the empty bottle they had placed as a mark, and leaned down to set his marker a few inches beyond Throttle’s.

“YES! I beat Throttle! I’m the Baron of Brodies! The baddest mamajama this side of Betelgeuse!” He cried, waving back to the bros as they both waved back weakly. Ha! They were probably worried about how he was gonna rub his victory in their faces. He might for a little bit. He made his way back up to them. “Woah! Did you check my skid? Man I can’t believe Charley missed out on such a monumental triumph.”

“She had to pick up more gas.” Throttle reminded. There had been a major gas shortage of late. Mainly due to the gas truck hijackings that had been happening recently, on the open road and in broad daylight, no less. The victims had zero ideas as to how it happened, almost all of them having no memory of how several gallons of gas could vanish like that. The authorities had no clue what was going on, so the investigation was still ongoing. Normally, the bros and Charley would top up at a gas station, but Charley had a better idea and decided to bring their gas to the garage. Throttle had been a little nervous letting her go on her own, but after scanning maps and cross-referencing where the previous hijackings had taken place, Charley had agreed to take the backroads instead.

“Yeah, even though you seem to be pumping plenty yourself.” Modo teased patting Vinnie on the helmet, before tearing away for his turn at a brody. And even from where he and Throttle were sitting, it was clear to Vinnie that Modo had beaten him. Which he should have expected, honestly. Modo had a reputation in the Freedom Fighters for pulling off the greatest brodies. Lil’Hoss herself would not be outdone easily either. The only one who came close to beating them had been Charley and Comet, a few months before the Battle of Brimstone. That had been quite the event.

“Oh, just cause I cleared the track for ya!” Vinnie scoffed, spotting the smug look on Modo’s face. Throttle chuckled as he pointed over his shoulder.

“Tell it to Charley. Here comes the lady now.”

“Cool. Think she’ll want to have a shot? I’m sure Sweetheart will-” the white mouse was cut off by the sound of screeching tires and crashes of the truck hitting the sidewalk and taking out a lamppost before sliding back onto the road.

“Charley ain’t in it…No one is driving!” Throttle yelled in alarm. Vinnie shouted a warning towards Modo as the truck took out another lamppost. In the panic of making a break for it, Modo stumbled and slipped in the mud, falling to the ground with Lil’Hoss landing solidly on his leg.

“MODO!” Vinnie and Throttle barely had a chance to escape the truck’s path of destruction.

“Vinnie, get the truck, I’ll grab Modo!” Throttle sped off before he could respond, and Vinnie rushed to do as ordered. Sweetheart lined up next to the out of control truck and he leapt on board, opening the door to an alarming sight.

“Charley!” Charley was indeed in the truck, but she was slumped over and passed out on the seat, her foot still stuck on the gas pedal. Vinnie leapt into action taking her foot of the pedal and stepping on the brakes in a desperate move to avoid Modo. But the truck was moving too fast for him to stop in time. Spotting Throttle zooming in from the right and knocking Modo and Lil’Hoss out of the way, skidding across the ground.  The truck was clearly a lost cause. Vinnie grabbed Charley, hoisting her onto his shoulder and leaping out of the truck. Unfortunately, he misjudged his landing. Something snaps in his right arm as they hit the ground, and everything goes black.

When he regains consciousness, he just caught the tail end of Charley’s tale on how she had ended up unconscious behind the wheel. A twinge in his arm made him look down and see the terrible truth.

“My bandana! The lucky bandana Harley gave me!” His arm, which was obviously broken, was now in a makeshift sling made from the torn pieces of his bandana. It had been a gift from Harley a year into their relationship, and he had prized it as much as any gift from her. “I never got wiped when I had my lucky bandana!”

“Hate to say it bro, but I think the warranty ran out.” Modo said with an empathetic smile. Vinnie noticed with a wince that Charley was currently bandaging Modo’s leg. Great. They just got Throttle back on his feet, now THEY were out for the count.

“Besides, you would have been really upset if I used your pants.” Charley added.

“But…my bandana…” Vinnie sulked lamely.

“Hey, its ok Vincent. I’m sure Harley would prefer to have you in one piece rather than the bandana.” Throttle consoled him with a pat on his back.

“And I’m sure she’ll be happy to know it was for a good cause. By the way, thanks for saving my life, Vinnie.” Charley added while blowing a kiss. Vinnie couldn’t help but blush, even when Throttle and Modo let out teasing coos. “Now hold still. This is only temporary till we can get a cast on you.”

“A cast?! Not! I can’t look studly in a sling!” He pointed at his arm and immediately regretted it as he heard and felt something crack. “Oh…momma!”

“Aw, quit your raving… Hey, wait a minute!” The bros all looked to Charley as she seemed to recall something. “The 4x4 had a picture of a raven on the side.” Once more, they were thrown into the mystery that lead to all of this.

“There’s the big piece in the puzzle then.” Throttle stated, putting the pieces together as he pointed over to a graffiti mural, the head of the Raven with the tag Road Ravens Rule on a nearby wall. “That’s who did it. The Road Ravens! Now they started tagging up this town around the same time the hijackings started.” Throttle let out a chuckle, which Vinnie and Modo recognized as rage-filled. “Well it’s time to get busy guys. These Road Ravens are bad news. They mess my town; they mess my friends. Let me tell you something, bros. Their messing with the wrong mouse!”


Charley was ecstatic to have been invited along for this mission. Thus, she planned to dress for the occasion.  She had gone on a hunt in the back of her closet for her old biker ensemble from her late teens.  To her joy, they still fit. Her old leather gloves and sleeveless leather vest were in good condition, as well as the cruiser pants with Uncle Jake’s old belt. She paired them with a newer black crop top and finished the look with a quick toss of her hair and a bit of hairspray. She added a pair of dark sunglasses she had bought once on a whim. A quick glance in the mirror solidified her decision. She had to admit, she looked good.

The bros seemed to agree, at least Charley assumed they did. Vinnie and Throttle had stumbled into each other and Modo had choked on his sip of root beer when she stepped off the stairs. She couldn’t hide her blush when Vinnie let out a low whistle and Throttle shot her a thumbs up before holding the truck door open for her. Their new decoy was ready for the mission. Modo and Vinnie would wait for their moment in the back. When strapped in, Throttle handed her a breathing mask. The bros helmets were already equipped with breathing masks. The plan couldn’t work if they were all unconscious.


“Arrgh, I can’t believe I choked like that!” Modo rested on Lil’Hoss glumly.

It hadn’t gone quite according to plan. While they had successfully drawn out the Road Ravens, the 18-wheeler had gotten away, after taking out Modo. His busted leg proving a challenge to him.

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault, Modo. How were we supposed to know they had upgraded their truck with military grade weapons?” Charley hopped out of the truck and came over to console him.

“And it wasn’t a total loss bro. I still managed to take out the 4x4…with one arm I might add!” Vinnie couldn’t help slipping in the last part with his signature grin. Modo grumbled and dropped his head in his hands. Forget Brodies and Bottles. They wouldn’t be hearing the end of this for the next 3 months.

“Can it, Vincent! We haven’t taken the Ravens out yet.” Throttle hopped out of the truck and headed for his own bike. “Those two we dropped off at the police station will likely get bailed by tomorrow. We need to move on to Plan B fast.”

“Throttle, as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think Vinnie and I are in any state to go and pose as some wanna-be Raven punks today… or tomorrow… or the next month.” Modo confessed begrudgingly.

“Speak for yourself! Sweetheart and I just took out two with one hand! I’m unstoppable!” Vinnie crowed as he swung his arms out, smacking his cast against Charley’s tool shelf. The white furred mouse winced and let out a very undignified squeak and curled in on his arm, nearly in a fetal position. “Uh…on second thought… maybe Modo is right.” His voice was strained this time.

“You and Modo can still play decoy, Vinnie.” Throttle patted him on his good side. “You two take the truck out for another drive, wait for my signal. I’ll go and apply for a job position with these Ravens.”

“Oh joy…I don’t know how I’ll manage to contain my excitement.” Vinnie sulked, voice heavy with sarcasm.

“You mean WE will go apply.” Charley tapped Throttle on the shoulder, already holding her helmet in hand. “I have some scores to settle, and I didn’t get all dressed up for nothing.”

 “Wait Charley, this is not a situation to be messing around in. You… remember our deal?” he asked trying his best to not sound overbearing.

“Yes, and under normal circumstances, I would hold to that. But right now, you are two men… sorry, mice, down.” She stated, aiming a pointed look at Modo and Vinnie. The two glanced at each other, then looked down at their injuries. The two looked back up at Throttle and shrugged. There was no denying it. “You need me. Let me help.” Throttle bit his lip wanting to fight the decision but could not come up with any real argument. He sighs in defeat.

“I hate it when you’re right.” He muttered, but met her with a stern stare. “Promise me that you will do as I say, and not get yourself into any unnecessary danger?”

“Biker’s honour.” Charley replied solemnly, right hand over her heart with the other raised. Throttle nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Alright. Hop on.” He settled on Lady, as he put his helmet on. “We’re really gonna need to sell this. How’s your acting?” He glanced behind him to see Charley grabbed a piece of gum out of her pocket and stick it in her mouth.

“You want ‘brainless bimbo with an endearing but blank look of awe on her face’, or ‘sassy little minx with a chip on her shoulder’?” Throttle winced. Neither was really something he wanted to imagine his sister as…although…

“I think ‘sassy minx’ might be a better fit for this gig.”

“Try not to have too much fun without us.” Modo added as he and Vinnie hobbled into their new seats. Throttle and Charley took off, leaving the two mice to figure out who had the most remaining limbs to actually still drive the truck.


Five hours later, they were hauling back into The Last Chance again. Successful, but worse for wear. Lady rumbled out from the back of the truck as her rider had taken up the front passenger seat, Modo and Vinnie followed on Lil’Hoss and Sweetheart. Charley had driven them, looking a little more dishevelled than this morning, and covered in gas, but otherwise unhurt…

Well, other than her pride. Slipping and landing in a heap onto the bros as she had. Then again, they had slipped first, so perhaps pride was the last thing on anyone’s mind.

Of course, now came the real work. Modo still had a busted leg, Vinnie his broken arm. And now thanks to Jimmy Mack, all of Throttle progress in the last 9 weeks had been undone. He was once again wincing every time he took a breath. Thankfully, a quick check over showed no broken bone this time, though they were likely crack and definitely bruised. Her Merit badge in First Aid was certainly being tested right now.

“So… perhaps Plan B had some flaws.” Throttle confessed as he wobbled to the living room.

“Nah, of course not bro.” Vinnie replied sarcastically. “It only went slightly wrong when we decided to draw out the Ravens with a broken arm and leg between us…”

“And then you had to fight off an entire gang by yourself, keeping in mind that you have only just recovered from some serious injuries, and then got almost crushed by ‘Lil’ Jimmy Mack’.” Modo added, near giggling. Vinnie sniggered and continued.

“And let’s not forget your brilliant plan for stopping the Gas Guzzler…which has led to our current state.” He ended the point flamboyantly, doing a one handed jazz-hand and gesturing to their oil covered selves. His impromptu performance inadvertently splattered a bit of oil everywhere, causing Charley to roll her eyes.

“And I just got this place cleaned up.” She murmured to herself. A rumble of an engine made her groan. “Can I just have one calm day for once?” She looked down at herself, still dressed in the biker outfit and covered in oil splotches. She rolled her eyes, and took the shades off, tossing them onto the counter. “I’ll be back in a second guys.”

 

She stepped back into the garage to see a frankly gorgeous black bike. A tall figure was kneeling next to the bike, looking at something and muttering. Charley cleared her throat. “Welcome to the Last Chance Garage, anything I can help you with?”

She was taken aback by the equally gorgeous man who turned to face her. He was dressed in black jeans, a vest and a brown leather jacket with combat style boots to finish the look. His skin had a deep tan that spoke to ages spent outside, with a jawline practically chiselled from marble and covered in stubble. His dark hair reached his shoulders and was slightly windswept. His amber eyes swept over her as he stood, and Charley couldn’t help but subconsciously shift, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Well, I say this establishment has quite the interesting uniform.” His voice had a deep timber to it that sent shivers down her spine…until she registered what he was referring to.

“Oh! Uh no, no, no…today…was a specially occasion. I don’t usually dress like this.” She muttered as she moved to collect her tool belt.

“Well, that’s too bad. It’s a good look on you.” Charley’s eyes widened as she looked back at the mysterious man, who was sporting an alluring smile. Charley blushed and cleared her throat again.

“So, what seems to be the problem? Stunning bike by the way. Is that the new Honda NR750?”

“Hmm, impeccable fashion sense, and knows her bikes.” He said, crossing his arms. “You are one interesting woman. The only thing you’re missing now is a name.” He noted with a smirk. Charley nearly stumbled.

“Oh shoot, sorry. My name’s Charlene Davidson, owner of the Last Chance, but you can call me Charley.” She held out a hand for him to shake, wincing when she saw the oil still staining her fingers. She froze as he gently took hold of her hand, lifting it up and placing a gentle kiss to her knuckles, bowing slightly as if he were the hero of a Jane Austen romance novel. Charley blushed deeply at the gesture.

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Charlene. I’m Markus. Markus Rhodes.”


Throttle’s eyes followed Charley as she headed to the garage. Despite the twinges of pain, he was feeling more content than he had in years. He felt…like he was home again. He glanced over to see his bros both staring at him with caring looks. “What?”

“You’re smiling, bro.” Vinnie said softly.

Throttle cocked an eyebrow. “I smile.”

“Nah, Throttle. You haven’t smiled like that in years.” Modo said, and Throttle was shocked to see a tear pooling in his bro’s eye. Throttle gave a weak chuckle.

“Yeah. I guess…I haven’t had anything to truly smile about in quite a while.” He admitted. Vinnie and Modo nodded in agreement. Throttle’s ear twitched at the sound of giggling. He got up from the couch and peeked through to the garage, where the scene before him made his heart sink.

Charley was standing next to a tall gentleman, the two of them laughing together about something. Charley shuffled her feet and twirled a part of her hair, looking like a love-struck teen. Throttle had never seen her act that way before.

“Everything ok bro?” Vinnie whispered as he came over, ducking under Throttle’s arm to peek through the door. Throttle heard him suck in a breath.  “Oh man…this isn’t good.”

“What ain’t?” Modo whispered, leaning in above Throttle. “Oh momma.”

The three of them watched as Charley leaned down to adjust something on the new bike in the garage, likely belong to the mystery man…who was now not so subtly checking out Charley’s behind while her back was turned. Throttle felt a flash of rage run through him. No man was allowed to look at his sister like she was a piece of meat.

“And… there. That ought to do it.” Charley stated as she stood back up, wiping her forehead and admiring her handiwork. The man let out a whistle.

“Wow, the folks at the bar weren’t kidding when they said you were the best. Speaking of, would you like to grab a drink with me sometime?” Throttle’s fur stood on end at the smarmy look he gave Charley. Who did not seem to notice at all.

“I’d love to.” She reached into her pocket and took out her cell phone. “Would you like my number?”

“You read my mind.” He said, pulling out his own phone.

The bros all glanced at each other and stepped away from the door.

 

“Do…either of you remember Charley mentioning a boyfriend?” Modo asked.

“Well, I doubt he’s the fiancé…”

FIANCÉ?” Throttle spun to Vinnie, who flinched.  “When was she ever engaged?”

“Oh, right, you guys weren’t here for that.” Vinnie muttered. “While you and Modo were in the Pits, Charley and I got to talking and she told me that she had a fiancé a couple of years ago.”

“She…never told me.” Throttle wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole situation.

“I wouldn’t worry bro. She said it was never really official. Besides, she found Stoker.” Vinnie added with a smirk.

“That is…if this guy isn’t gonna be an issue.” Throttle and Vinnie both glanced at Modo, before looking at each other.

“Oh man.”

Notes:

And the bros meet Charley once again. Throttle is gonna be dealing with a lot of trauma this time around.

As you can probably guess, this part of the series will follow the events of season 1, which will be slightly different this time around, thanks to Charley’s influence in the past.

I hope you all enjoy reading, and please let me know what you think.

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