Author's note: All characters in this story that are not property of DG or Tom Tataronowicz, belong to me. Mac, Paul, and any other characters in this story are property of Decembergirl. I use them with her permission. I do not make any profit from this.

Remnants

Part 1

by

Blaze Van Wham

June 2, 1999

Copyright Blaze Van Wham 1999

Pain, loss, anger. No amount of words could describe the emotions that Raze felt. Her parents were dead. After all they had fought for, the freedom they had tried to gain, they were dead. Shot by Plutarkian snipers. No one had known of them. When they had though, it was too late. Two mice had lost their lives and didn't even know who killed them.
Raze thought of her parents. She remembered the days when she was a child, and her father would take her in his arms and hug her. She felt so secure, so protected there in his arms, like nothing could ever hurt them. And her mother, well her mother struggled to take care of her and her siblings when her father had contracted the plague and left. Between her kids and the Freedom Fighters, Jax had no time for herself. Eventually, the stress got to her and she broke down. For days, she holed herself up in her room, and cried.
Neither of Raze's parents deserved to die. They had lived through so much pain and suffering.

Brandy held her little brother's hand and took a walk with him down the hall of the FF base. A.J Phoenix skipped the whole way to Ashes room.
"Okay, okay. Calm down, A.J. We're here." Brandy said and knocked on Ashes door.
"Come in!" Ashes yelled through the door. Brandy stepped in, A.J following her.
"Hi. Are you ready?" Brandy asked, A.J still skipping up and down.
"I'll be jus' a minute." he told Brandy, as she heard him walking to his room from the shower.
"I gotta grab some clothes." Ashes sorted through his clothes in a drawer, looking for something to wear. Brandy blushed. Seeing Ashes in only a towel was a new experience for her.
"Brandy, you okay?" Ashes interrupted her thoughts.
"Um, yeah." she giggled softly."Let's wait outside, A.J." Brandy pushed her little bro out the door.

"Where are we goin' Tell me please!" A.J insisted, after about five seconds of walking.
"It's a surprise, handsome." Brandy told him, a gleam in her eye. 'Handsome' was one of the many nicknames she had for A.J.
"Ashes, tell me." A.J looked up at him with pleading eyes.
"Sorry bud. Only your sis knows." he replied. All three mice walked for a bit more, then stopped at a door. It swished open and they walked in.
"The garage? This isn't much of a surprise, B." Ashes had a puzzled look on his face.
"Not to you. Come on, A.J." Brandy looked for something. Finally, she saw it. She gathered A.J in her arms and carried him over to where a bike was propped up in the corner. Mac lay under it, fixing some of the bodywork.
"Mac, you almost done?" Brandy waited for an answer.
"Almost, lass." was his muffled reply from underneath.
"Wow. Who's bike is this?" A.J asked, his eyes scanning over it.
"Yours. But it was mom's, but she left it to you. It's name is Marvel. Why don't you and I go for a ride?" Brandy said, as Mac rolled out from underneath the bike.
"She's all yours." Mac said.
Brandy lifted her younger bro up onto the seat.

Tears rolled down Raze's cheeks. She held a picture in her hands. As the tears fell onto it, parts of the picture blurred.
I should have been there. I could have saved them. I could have. Why did they have to die? It should have been me out there fighting. Not them. It should have been me...

"Bro, wanna race?" Thrash asked Axel.
"Not really. I'm relaxing today." Axel Junior said, resting his head in his arms.
"Aw, come on. One race. Make you a deal. I win, you have to clean my quarters. You win, and you can take a break for the rest of the week, and I'll do your chores." Thrash pleaded with his bro."Hey, maybe if we find some Sandraiders or something, we could have a little fun with them. What do you..." Thrash rattled on.
Axel tuned him out. He laid his head in his arms and fell asleep. A few minutes later, Thrash noticed this.
"Oh well, who needs older brothers anyway? All they're good
for is bringing home girls." And with that, Thrash went off to look for Razor.

Raze gazed at her parents gravestones. Each one had their own epitaph engraved onto it. Flower were strewn about, as well as cards.
Raze closed her eyes. She took in all the sounds and smells around her. It was so peaceful, now that the mice had won the war. Jax and Axle weren't able to see this. A lot of mice weren't able. Many had been lost in the final war, but her parents had devastated Raze the most.
Raze took two morning glories out of her trench coat pocket. She laid one near each grave. They symbolized her parents undying love for each other, for their family and their friends.
Your memories will live forever. I'll make sure they will, she thought, as a single tear rolled down Raze's cheek, streaking
her fur.

A.J Phoenix yelled as Brandy sped Marvel up.
"Whoohooo!" A.J lifted his right arm up and punched the air. Brandy held onto him with one arm and steered with the other.
A.J's heart beat fast. This was so much fun! He couldn't wait until he was old enough to ride Marvel on his own. Brandy suddenly braked.
"What is it?" A.J turned around to look at his older sister.
"We're going back to the base." Brandy turned Marvel around, before A.J had a chance to see what was bothering his sister.
"But-" A.J began. Brandy cut him off. She sped off in the bike, grasping A.J. Every few seconds, she peered behind her. Something was obviously wrong, A.J thought. But as usual, he knew his sister wasn't going to tell him. Brandy braked again.
"Why are we stopping?" A.J asked his sister.
"Quiet." was all Brandy told him.
A.J looked around. They were encircled by rats on bikes. Each one held a gun or knofe in its left or right hand, the other one
keeping the bike stable.
Brandy's eyes darted fearfully from side to side. She knew that if she did anything to provoke the rats, she would endanger her little brother.
A bike stopped. A rat, dark grey in color, walked towards Brandy, holding out its gun.
"Get off my turf." the rat, who seemed to be male, ordered her.
"I was just leaving." Brandy clenched her teeth and revved up her bike.
But the rats didn't move.
Brandy just revved her bike again, giving them a sign she was leaving.
Still, the rats didn't move.
Brandy let go of the brake pedal. She bowled through the rats that hadn't moved and sped towards the FF base,clutching A.J Phoenix in her arm.

Thrash knocked on his twin sister's door. There was no answer, so he knocked again. There was still no reply. Where are you, sis? Thrash thought. He realized after a while that his sister had left. Where, though? He had no idea.
So, Thrash went to the mess hall, figuring he would find someone to hang out with there.

"Yo, Thrash!" a mouse yelled to him from across the dining hall. As he neared the mouse, he saw that it was Thundershock.
"Hey, Thunder. What's for lunch?" Thrash sat down beside her.
Thundershock, Blaze, Aquifer and Turbine were only about ten years old. They had been saved from a slave camp recently and Thrash had been one of their saviours. Each girl had an unnatural power, given to them by the Plutarkians.
"Pizza." Aquifer, the youngest at the age of four, held out a piece to Thrash.
"I'll get my own, angel. Who's taking care of you today?" Thrash asked the girls.
"You are." Turbine told him, crossing her arms.
"Me? Why are you already here then?" Thrash was confused.
"'Cause Mac brought us. But he had to work in the garage, so he told us to wait for you." Thundershock explained through chewing pizza and drinking her pop.
"I get to spend the rest of the day with you?!" Thrash practically yelled.
All four girls smiled at him.

Raze walked through the hallway to her room. They seemed so hollow, the hallways, without her parents walking beside her, talking to her.
Raze opened her door to her room and it squeaked as she did so. She stepped in and closed the door after her. She walked to the washroom. Raze closed the door and decided she needed to take a shower.
A few minutes later, she stepped out. She reached for a towel and dried herself off.
Suddenly, her door to her room swung open. Four girls ran in, dragging an older male behind them.
Raze giggled. "Caught by girls, I see. You're quite popular, Thrash." Raze giggled again.
Thundershock, Blaze, Aquifer and Turbine threw him onto the bed. They held him down.
"Raze, give us your makeup!" Blaze said, as she threatened Thrash with a hand of fire.
"Here." Raze took some of it off her dresser. Blaze grabbed it.
"Help me!" Thrash begged his sister.
Raze just shook her head."You're on your own, bro."

Thundershock, Turbine, Aquifer and Blaze walked into the dining hall. It was suppertime.
"I'm gonna kill Mac!" Thrash angrily yelled, as he was pulled into the room.
"Like the new look!" a mouse from across the room jokingly yelled.
"Yowza! Sexy!" Paul laughed at Thrash, then let out a low but loud wolf whistle.
All eyes were upon Thrash. He was wearing a black skirt, a white blouse, and black stilleto heels with black tights. Makeup
covered his face. Bright red lipstick was smeared over his lips, black mascara was all over his eyelashes, and blue eyeshadow thickly covered his eyelids.
Raze followed her brother, laughing the whole way after him.
They found a table and sat down. Catcalls were still heard from all around, as well as hoots, hollers and whistles.
Mac came up to the table."I see you had some fun with the girls, lad. Or should I say lass?"
"You're dead!" Thrash stood up and ran after him, stilleto heels in hand.

Raze slapped hands with the four girls."All right!" she exclaimed, and watched her brother trying to run in a skirt and tights.
"We're so bad." Turbine said, laughing evilly.
Raze jumped up."I'll be right back." she ran out of the dining hall and returned a few minutes later- with a camera.
"Oh Thrash!" Raze sang, hiding the camera behind her.
Thrash stopped dead in his tracks. "Wha-" :CLICK: WHIR: went the camera.
"Gotcha!" Raze said, grinning at her twin.
Thrash forgot about Mac and went after Raze. "Razor Van Wham! Get back here!" Thrash used Raze's full name, an obvious sign that he was beyond being ticked off.
"Girls, stay here." Raze ordered the four young female mice.
Raze ran out of the dining room, Thrash following her the whole way.

Brandy let out a sigh of relief. She braked inside the garage.
"That was cool! Let's do it again!" A.J Phoenix breathed in excitement.
"No!" Brandy was pretty shaken up. She didn't mind dealing with rats, but with her little brother there, she had his safety to
worry about. He was her responsibility, and she had put him in danger.
"Are you all right?" Brandy softly asked, lowering her voice.
"Yeah. I'm hungry." A.J jumped off Marvel.
"Let's go eat." Brandy hopped off the bike, took A.J's hand in hers and walked to the mess hall.

Raze shut and locked her door behind her. She knew Thrash couldn't get in.
"Let me in!" he yelled through the door, still steaming mad. His jewelry jingled and banged as he tried to force the door open.

"You can try as much as you want, but you can't get in." Raze told him through the door. "I locked it!" she added, knowing it

would irk Thrash no end.
She listened for a few minutes and realized that after a while, Thrash had stopped banging on her door. She decided to see
what had happened. Raze opened the door a bit and peered around.
"Yeeah!" Thrash slammed the door open and ran into Raze's room. He looked around frantically, searching for his clothes.
"Found them!" Thrash attacked his sister's bed and grabbed his clothes.
"Oh no you don't!" Raze began to run after her twin. Thrash made a mad dash out of her room, clothes in hand.

A.J stood on his tiptoes, trying to see what there was to eat in the mess hall.
"Here, A.J." Brandy lifted him up so he could get a better view.
"I want that." A.J pointed to a whitish-grey lump.
"Okay. You're sure you want that?" Brandy looked unsure. The lump of food didn't look too good.
"Yeah." A.j insisted and looked at the lump again.
Brandy took two plates from beside her and scooped up some of the whitish-grey stuff and put it on A.J's plate. She looked
for something decent to eat. When she finally found something, she put it on her plate and pushed her younger sibling to a table
with an empty seat. A.J climbed up onto Brandy's lap, and began to eat.

It had been a few hours since the incident with Thrash. Raze lay on her bed, thinking. She held a picture in her hand. It was
of her parents and all her siblings. It had been the last picture taken before her parents death. They looked so happy, standing
there as a complete family, even during the war.
Raze reminisced about her life before the second war. Her father spent most of his time with her, playing, going for walks
and other stuff like that. Then, one day, he left. For ten years, Axle was gone, no trace of him even found. Jax was the one who

had learned of his existence. She was also the one who had brought him back to the base.
Raze had left for a few days after that. She ended up in Lady Brier-Rose and brought back a mouse and half-breed with her.

She remembered those days well. Staying in Lady Brier-Rose had proven to be dangerous. She had almost been killed
because of it. Thankfully, her brothers and Throttle had beamed in on her homing beacon. Forcer, Raze's bike, had been
damaged before she had even left the base. It's jets were offline. So, she had been stuck. \
Raze's ears perked up as she heard someone near her room. "Who is it?" she yelled from the bed.
"Your twin."
Raze got up and opened the door. "Hey." was all she said to him.
"Do you have any makeup remover? I need some." Thrash waltzed in.
Raze smiled a bit. Thrash had his own clothes back on, but his face was still covered in makeup.
"Oh great! I forgot all about the girls! We better go find them!" Raze slapped her forehead, suddenly remembering about
them.
"Let's go." Thrash said, not caring about the makeup on his face anymore.

Aquifer looked in the mirror at her face.
"I think you need to add more." she said, turning around to face Thundershock. Thundershock applied some more makeup.
The four mice were in Brandy's room. They(or rather Turbine) had picked the lock to her door.
Thundershock was putting makeup on all their faces, including her own.
"Hey, I see someone coming! O crap! It's Razor and Thrash! We gotta hide!" Blaze was being lookout. The girls knew that
if they got caught, they'd be in big trouble.
They all ran into various hiding spots in Brandy's room.
"Brandy, you there?" each girl heard Thrash say through the door.
Each one held their breath.

"He's so cute." Brandy gazed at her new little brother. "What's his name?" she asked.
"A.J Phoenix Maclean Jakson." Jax held her newborn son in her arms. He slept silently against her chest, breathing
softly in and out.
"He doesn't really look like anyone in the family. Except for B." Axel Junior piped up, as he entered the room.
"He only has my colourings." Brandy said.
Terrance entered the medical ward. "Okay, all of you clear out of here. Jax needs her rest."
"Terrance, I'm fine. I've lived through having five kids. My family can stay here." Jax spoke up for herself.
"Hon..." Axle begged his wife.
" No. I'm fine." Jax insisted.
Brandy laughed. Her mother had always been stubborn. Kinda like her twin brother, Vinnie. Brandy thought of what
her younger brother might be like. Maybe he would be best friends with Brandy. They would spend days together,
playing. She imagined A.J racing her on a bike one day, when he was old enough to ride one.
"Sis, yo, you in there?" Thrash interrupted her thoughts.
" Uh....yeah. What is it?"
"We're leaving now. You wanna come?" Thrash asked, leading the way to the door.
" Just a sec." Brandy turned towards her mother. "Mom, can I take care of A.J for a while?"
"Sure. Be careful though." Jax had a hint of worry in her voice.
Brandy gathered her new baby brother in her arms and walked out of the ward.

"I'm done." A.J told his sister.
"Hm?...Oh." Brandy looked at his plate. Almost all of the UFS(unidentifiable food stuff) was uneaten, except for a few bites.
"Finish it." Brandy told him. A.J had a tendency to pull stunts like this.
"No." he stuck his tongue out at Brandy.
"Having guy problems?" Amber sat down beside Brandy.
"No, he's just being a pain. As usual. Where's your bro?" Brandy asked Amber.
"Mm...I don't know." Amber chewed and swallowed her food.
"Oh, um...." Brandy choked on her words. She coughed as she gasped for breath.
"You okay?" Amber asked.
" Uh....yeah." Brandy looked down at A.J. He still hadn't finished eating his food.
"A.J, I told you to finish that. Now, come on."
"No."
"A.J....."
" Uh huh."
" I mean it."
"You eat it."
"It's yours. Now, eat."
"NO!" A.J screamed and ran away.
"Aw, man." Brandy got up and chased after her sibling.

Turbine waited for what seemed an eternity.
She heard footsteps finally walk away from Brandy's room. All of the girls let out a sigh of relief.
"They're gone. Let's get back to our makeup." Blaze, who was still playing lookout, said, a look of mischeivousness on her
face.
Thundershock grabbed the makeup.

"A.J! Get back here! A.J.........!" Brandy yelled faintly.
A.J giggled as he ran from her. He shifted and wiggled around people, chairs and tables.
"Oof!" he suddenly said, as he sit someone.
"Whoa, slow down." it was Vinnie.
"Oh hi uncle Vinnie." A. J said to him and moved to run.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Vinnie stared down at his nephew.
"Um, nowhere." A.J frantically began to look for Brandy. Vinnie still wouldn't let him pass.
"Come and eat with us. Flame's sitting over there."
"I can't unc."
"A.J Phoenix Maclean Van Wham! Right here, Right Now!" Brandy yelled again, as she spotted A.J.
:"Whoa, wait a sec, B. What has A.J done?" Vinnie asked as his niece neared him.
"That little brat won't eat his food." Brandy crossed her arms.
"So? He's just a little kid. Leave him with me for the rest of the day."
"I'm not that stupid Vince. If I leave him in your care, you're bound to put him in some sort of danger."
"You can trust me, can't you? I'm your uncle after all. Technically, you are my godchild." Vinnie reminded his niece.
"I am old enough to take care of myself and A.J." Brandy glared at Vinnie, like she was imagining throwing daggers at his
head.
"Hey, I can't argue with your parents will. A.J will be fine with me."
"All right, but you do anything, anything at all to endanger him, you won't be aloud to take care of him anymore. At all."
"Okay. See you later." Vinnie chuckled at Brandy. She was so much like her mother.

"Where to next?" Thrash asked Raze.
"Let's check out the living room. They might be in there." Raze suggested and the two began on their way.
The twins walked in silence together, having nothing to say to each other, until they reached the living room.
Strife sat in a chair, playing with her son, Ryder.
"Strife, have you seen Turbine, Aquifer, Thundershock or Blaze?" Thrash asked, leaning in the doorway, his sister brushing past him into the room.
"No. Why-" Strife looked up from her son, and her look suddenly became shock. "What happened?!" she asked angrily.
"Well, we um...we can't find them." Thrash meekly replied in a whisper. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure he could run from the room if need be.
"You what?!?! Thrash, they were your responsibilty!! Find my daughter and bring her back!" Strife screamed at him.
Thrash knew why she was so angry. Turbine was Strife's daughter and Strife was an extremely overprotective mother. She had a right to be though, as Strife grew up with virtually no parents to take care of her.
"I said find her! And wipe that makeup off your face Thrash. We don't need to know about your personal life." Strife said, calmer than before. She went back to playing with Ryder and Thrash and Raze quietly exited the room to look for the girls once again.

"Mom, why's your stomach so big?" Axel Junior eagerly asked his mother, Jax.
"Well, Ax, there are two little baby mice in there." Jax explained to her son, patting her stomach.
"Oh. Is that how I came too?" Axel asked and looked up at his mom.
Jax ruffled his dredlocks. "Yes, you were once a baby too. But you're-" she gripped her stomach in pain suddenly. "Get your father...Now." Jax grimaced. She looked for something to lie down on. Her contractions got worse. A few minutes seemed to turn into hours.
"Hon, are you okay? What's happened?" Axle ran into the room, his son trailing behind him.
"My water....it broke." Jax told her husband, still gripping her stomach, her face twisting up in pain.
"What? Wait here. I'll get a doctor." Axle told his wife, gave her a kiss and ran out of the room, in hopes of finding one.
"Axel, honey, wait here until your father comes to get you." Jax clenched her teeth. She hadn't expected to give brith this early.

Author's note: All characters in this story that are not property of DG or Tom Tataronowicz, belong to me. Mac, Paul, and any other characters in this story are property of Decembergirl. I use them with her permission. I do not make any profit from this.

Axel opened his eyes. That was just a dream. Only a dream. He reminded himself. Lately, he had been having dreams of his past. Ones that included his parents in a big way. What do they mean? he thought. The dreams puzzled him. They were remnants of his past, reminders of his memories. But why? Why did he have them? He knew his parents were dead, that he couldn't bring them back. They had died in the war.

"What was that about, Vin?" Axel asked his uncle, as he grabbed a seat beside his cousin Flame.
"You're sister doesn't trust me. I can't figure out why though." Vinnie sat down on the other side of Flame.
"Gee, I can't think of any reason." Axel sarcastically replied and dug into his food.
"Flame, where's your cous?" Vinnie asked his son, changing the subject abruptly.
Flame just ate his food.
"Oh man! A.J must've gotten away while I was arguing with B. Axel, we need to find him!" Vinnie gripped his fingers around Axel's bicep and pulled him. Hard.
"Vinnie!" Axel tried to pull away.
It was no use.

Brandy stormed off to her room. If Vinnie hurts or loses A.J in any way, he's dead. she thought angrily, as she neared her door. She opened it. Her face went from pure anger to shock.
"How did you get in here?!?!?!" Brandy put her hands on her hips.
Before her sat four young female mice. Aquifer's face was horribly covered in Brandy's makeup. Thundershock held eyeshadow and blush in her hands.
"I want an answer. Now." Brandy's tone sounded like that of an angry parent.
"Um...." Blaze looked to her three friends. "Well..." she looked frantic and panicked now. Blaze smiled up at her, a big gap showing between her two front teeth.
Brandy lowered her eyes in anger. Great. I've got a bunch of smartasses who're playing with my makeup.
Aquifer looked at Brandy. "Are you gonna hurt us now?" she asked, her voice scared. She shaked with fear. The slave overseers had an effect on her, and she still hadn't gotten used to life at the base.
Brandy crouched down and softly said, "No. I'm not like that. I promise no one will ever hurt you again for disobeying." Brandy slowly got to a standing position. She began to pick up makeup from the floor.
"Now, after this is clean, I'm gonna take you and get all that gunk off your face, angel." As Brandy finished cleaning up the mess, the four girls sat in silence.

Razor Van Wham leaned against a door, contemplating where the 'girls'(as their nickname had now become) were.
"This is all your fault." Thrash glared at his twin and continued, "You should've stopped them before they had a chance to do this to me." he pointed to his face, which still had makeup on.
Raze smiled half-heartedly. "It ain't that bad, bro." her tone changed, "I'm going to my room." and she walked away, down the hall.
"Raze! Wait!" Thrash called after her, but his voice was lost in the vastness of the hallway.

Brandy pulled Aquifer into the private bathroom on base. She held onto the younger girl's left hand and her left hand grasped a container of makeup remover. She lifted Aquifer up onto the toilet seat and took some toilet paper from the roll. Brandy doused the wad with remover.
"Now, close your eyes." she instructed. Aquifer shut them and Brandy brought the remover on the wad of paper to her eyelids. She wiped it off and after a more wipes, the blue eyeshadow was completely gone.
" 'S okay, angel. I'm done with your eyes." Brany said, as she threw the ball into the garbage. She grabbed another wad of paper, and repeated the same process again.

"Vin! Slow down!" Axel yelled to hiws uncle, as the two flew through hallways, past mice and aliens of other sort.
He didn't listen and kept running, gripping Axel's bicep tightly.
So, Axel dug his heels into the ground and didn't move. Vinnie jerked back, unaware of the sudden chang in motion. Axel brought his arms up to his chest and crossed them. \
"Unc, A.J will be okay. Don't worry. Someone will find him and return him to one of us." he said, referring to his three other siblings. "I mean, what kind of trouble can one kid get into?"

Raze's fingers gingerly felt the wall beside her.
Empty...so empty...ran through her head like an echo. Her eyes were downcast, looking at the floor. She would fade out every few minutes, as if in a trance. She needed to get to her room.
"Whoa! You okay miss?" a male voice jolted into Raze's thoughts and trance-like state. The male shook her a few times by the shoulders gently. "Are you okay?" he asked again.
Raze's eyelids fluttered open, and she found herself looking into a pair of identical blue irises.
"Um...yeah. What happened?'
"You sort of dazed out, I think. I saw you down the hall and ran because you were beginning to faint." the male mouse said, still holding Raze by her shoulders.
He was pure white in fur color, with wild spiky hair, died in all sorts of colors. He was thin, but muscular. "What's your name, by the way?" he asked.
"Raze. Razor Van Wham." she was completely enveloped by the stranger's gaze. "Yours?'
"Throwback. Most mice call me T.B." he let go of Raze's shoulders, and extended his right hand to her.
Raze put her right hand out, expecting it to be shook. Instead, T.B lifted her slight, delicate hands to his lips and kissed the back of it.
"It's been a pleasure, Miss Van Wham." he let the hand go, and Raze felt it brush at the side of her body.
Their eyes locked once again and Throwback turned and left. To Raze, it felt as if the gaze had lasted forever.

Brandy groaned. She was sitting with four mutagenic mice, and she was hating every minute of it. Blaze couldn't shut up, Thundershock ate her food loudly, Aquifer kept flexing her wings in and out, which made for a really annoying scraping sound, and Turbine glared at Brandy.
I can see why no one wants to take care of these girls.....she sighed inwardly. Her fingers tapped on the table, her chin rested in one hand.

Thrash kicked at his bed.
Why did I have to have an identical twin sister? He kicked the bed again.
He looked at his face in the mirror. This had been those annoying little mutagenic brat's faults....He knew he could go to the mens public shower and scrub the makeup off. But then of course, he'd have to face humiliation in front of all the other guys. He'd be known as the 'pretty boy' for the rest of his life.
Thrash was screwed.

Raze unlocked the door to her 'apartment'. She pushed open the door. Stepping in, she flicked on the lights, and took off her boots.
She silently inched towards her small bed, adn slowly eased herself down upon it. Her eyelids closed, and she sat for a long time, thinking.
"Razor? Miss Van Wham?" a male voice slammed into Raze's head. She drew in a sharp breath, startled by the person calling her name.
"Just...just a minute." Raze barely breathed out. She was so tired....
"Hi. Um, I bought this for you." It was Throwback. He fumbled for something, and handed a single yellow rose to Raze.
"Thank you." Raze whispered. Her bed was only a few feet away...she could just walk over and fall into the mattress.
"Razor? Are you all right?' T.B asked. His eyes shined with concern.
"Fine." she said and tried to rub away the sleepiness from her head.
Throwback didn't look satisfied. Even though the two mice had just met, T.B felt as if he had known Razor for most of his life.
He opened the door a little more, and turned Raze around. He led her into the room. As he was about to lay her on the bed, she asked him, "Will you stay here with me? Until I wake up?'
"Sorry. There's not enough room for both of us on that bed. I'll sit here until you fall asleep." T.B motioned to a chair, in front of Razor's vanity.
As his eyes returned to hers, she looked hurt.
"Just one night." she whispered and motioned to the bed. Throwback knew what she wanted. She probably didn't realize it herself.
He didn't answer, but gently lay Raze on the bed. He pulled the covers over her. As he turned away, Raze grabbed Throwback's wrist. She pulled him onto her with a force he didn't know she had.
"Stay here. With me." her lips vocalized, but her eyes did not appear to say. They looked sad, and painful.
Throwback knew that she was beautiful. One could get lost in her blue eyes forever. But he couldn't do this. Not yet.
Slowly, he loosened from Razor's grip. He stood up off of her, and as he looked down upon the beautiful female mouse, he noticed her eyes were shut already.
"Sleep well, my angel." was the last thing Throwback said, before closing the door behind him and leaving Razor's room.

I'm gonna do it. Thrash mentally said to himself. I will enter that dining hall, and live with all the accusations and insults. He repeated this several times in his head, as he marched down to the dining room.
Finally, he reached it. He opened the doors, ready for anything. Anything except--
"Nice look Thrash. It suits you." a wolf whistle was heard from where the husky male voice originated.
Thrash felt something, like two fingers, pinch his butt.
"What the--" he looked around the room. Waving at him, a few feet away in the line for food, was Jag.
Thrash just about hurled. He stomped over to the red mouse. "Let me get one thing straight for you: You ever try that again, and you are dead." he accented this by crossing his arms, and glaring at Jag.
"You know, you look so cute when you do that." the mouse smiled to himself, and went back to waiting in the line.

Author's note: All characters in this story that are not property of DG or Tom Tataronowicz, belong to me. Mac, Paul and any other fanfic character created by Decembergirl belong to her,  and I'm using with her permission. I do not make any profit from this.
 
 

Axel and Vinnie strolled into the eating establishment and gasped at what they saw.
    And laughed.
    "Bro, what's with your face?"Axel asked Thrash inbetween giggles.
    "Don't ask." he snapped.
    "Whatever. Seen A.J lately?" Axel asked, his face going from one emotion to another.
    "No. Why, is he missing?" Thrash said, but appeared not to be too concerned about it.
    "Uh yeah. Vinnie lost track of him a few hours ago." Axel pointed to his uncle.Vinnie half-grinned, conveying a look of
stupidity and immaturity. Not too unusual for the hyperactive mouse, Axel noted to himself.
    The two mice walked on, and eventually found Brandy, sitting at a table. She did not look happy. Her arms were crossed,
and she wore a permanent frown. Four young mice sat around the table.
    "B," Axel pronounced and waited for his sister's response. Slowly, she regarded her brother."What do you--"she began, but
stopped when she saw Vinnie. Without A.J. "Where's A.J?!?!?!"she demanded, and stood up from the table. Each one of the
girls looked up.
    "Um, well, ah, heh, you won't believe this, but, I, um, sort of lost him." Vinnie whispered the last few words, and winced,
ready for anything.
    "You what?!? I can't believe you!!!" Brandy proceeded to yell very loudly and dragged Vinnie by his ear out of the hall.
    Blaze, Aquifer, Thundershock and Turbine looked at Axel.
    "Great." he muttered and took the seat where his sister had been sitting only moments before.

    Raze opened her eyelids, and peered around her room. Her head pounded, and she was still tired. Tears began to form and
trickled down the fur of her cheeks.
    Mom...Dad...

    Thrash fumed over to where his older sibling sat."You little punks!" he yelled at the four mice, and began ranting at them.
Blaze just laughed. Axel gave his brother a sympathetic look.
    "It could be worse." he voiced, over Blaze's annoying laugh.
    "What's so funny, pyro?" Thrash stopped, and picked Blaze up by her shirt collar. Blaze coughed nervously.
    "Nothing, Thrash, nothing."
    "Better not be anything." he stated and slammed her back into her chair. Blaze let out a small whimper, and the flame on her
tail burned more brightly than ever. With speed unsurpassed by her peers, she jumped out of the chair and lunged for Thrash.

    "Blaze! No!" Axel Junior yelled at the little red mouse. She ignored him and went after Thrash. Ever so silently, she grabbed his tail and her hand began to glow red and orange with fire.
    "Aouch!" Thrash screamed after a few seconds. He clutched his tail and blew the flame out, which had managed to appear, thanks to a certain little firemouse.
    "Blaze!" he bellowed and ran after the small mouse. Axel just melted into his seat.

    Throwback let out a deep breath. That was close. He thought, as he leaned against the wall beside Razor's room. The young female mouse needed someone to help her through this time of grief. I'm about the closest one to her loss and pain. Throwback shut his eyes. Before him, in the inky blackness, he could picture his parents. They hadn't survived the first war, many years before. Throwback had been a child, barely ten years old. He had heard the news of his parents death while he was playing in a cave, with some of his best friends.
    I have some news for you. Carbine's coice echoed in his head. She had pulled him aside and told him what had happened. Being only a child, he summed it up to being the army's fault.
    Damn army. I wish mom and dad had never joined. Opening his eyes, tears began to fall, slowly and softly to the ground.

    Raze wiped her tears away. She needed to pull herself together. Crying wasn't going to solve this dilemma. Only Throwback could have made her feel better. And look at what he had done. He had completely ignored her and said 'no' to her request.
    Raze got up out of her bed. Gosh, was her hair a mess. She needed to take a shower.

    Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Blaze repeated several times in her head. She was in deep trouble now. Her face bore the look of mischeviousness, as well as shock. She could not in any way let Thrash get hold of her. He would do something horrible and cruel to her for sure.
    Blaze huffed in and out, catching her breath. Thrash was nearing her and reaching out to catch her. Everytime he did so, Blaze shot a little spurt of fire at his hand. No way was she gonna let him grab her. Her hand sprung forward, as she grappled for her balance. Running and throwing fire, watching for other aliens, mice and chairs was a tough job. Somehow though, the little mouse managed it.
    "Gotcha!" Thrash proclaimed loudly, as he finally grabbed Blaze's shirt. He lifted her up, and the next thing she knew, she was face to face with the fraternal twin. She waved her fingers and smiled at him.
    "Don't even think about trying to 'cute' your way out of this, Blaze." Thrash grinned slightly evilly, and dragged Blaze out of the dining room.

    Razor walked to the girls public shower room. She hated it, but at least it was better than showering with the guys. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Throwback, and she remembered a poem she had heard as a child.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

    I wasn't thinking clearly yesterday. Raze thought. She realized she had been persuasive when it wasn't necessary. Once I'm married, I will share that special love with my husband. She pacted inside her head. Again, thoughts of Throwback appeared in her mind. He was so gracious, so kind, so...loving. Never had anyone cared for her this much, except her immediate family. Even in her time of grieving, Throwback was there to cheer her up, to help her.
    She entered the shower room, a smitten look on her face, and was greeted by Kamikaze, asking, "So, who's the guy?"

    "Can we see her now?" Razor asked the doctor, as he exited the room containing her mom.
    "Not yet." he said, and went to mend the next patient adjacent from the twins. Raze slumped in her seat.
    "I wanna see my new sibling." she said.
    "Don't you have any patience, sis?" Thrash rolled his eyes at her from across the room. He sauntered towards her and sat down on the floor beside her.
    "No. And neither do you Thrash." she reminded him with a sigh.
    "Hey! How's my favourite niece and nephew?" Vinnie said, approaching the two young mice.
    "We're your only fraternal niece and nephew." Thrash pointed out, tracing designs on the floor with his index finger.
    "So, what's happening?" Vinnie inquired.
    "Waiting to see our new sister or brother." Raze supplied, not looking up once from her spot on the floor.
    "Already? Aoow!!" Vinnie howled. "Another family member to spoil and follow in my footsteps. Not like you haven't kid." he rustled Thrash's hair.
    "How long do we have to wati?" Raze whined, now lying on the floor.
    "Don't worry, Raze. The wait should be over soon." Thrash said assuringly and rested on the ground, with the top of his head against hers.

    Thundershock swallowed her last bite of her dinner, and took a long, loud sip of her milk. Aquifer still shifted her wings in and out. Turbine glared at Axel.
    "Um...so...what do you girls wanna do after you're done eating?" Axel asked the mice, who had now become a group of three.
    Turbine shrugged. "How about we go the military base and watch you do a few laps around?" she smiled and eyed him innocently. Axel knew he was built and good looking, but getting hit on by an eight year old was really disturbing.
    "How 'bout not, gills." Axel smiled at the young mouse. "You wanna go raid Thrash's movie collection?"
    "Yeah!" Thundershock lifted her face from her food and jumped up from her chair.
    "Turbine? Angel?" Axel looked at the two girls.
    "Sure." Turbine agreed. Her tail came out from behind her chair and wrapped around her waist. She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "So, what are we waiting for?"

    "I should've never trusted A.J to you. I was stupid. Whenever we find my brother, you are banned from ever seeing him again. You hear me? Never!" Brandy shouted and pointed at Vinnie. He shrunk back in fear.
    "Brandy...it wasn't my fault. He got away before I could even sit him down for some food." He tried to explain.
    "You should've been watching him the whole time, Vincent. Thanks to you, I don't even know where he is on this base. He's in a lot of danger, because he has no clue of how to get around this base. For all I know, he might've found his way out of here and is in the desert somewhere." Brandy paced nervously in the hallway. Her tail thrashed violently from side to side, and her arms were crossed over her chest. Her antennae stood straight up. "I can't even begin to tell you how upset I am. He's my responsibility. After mom and dad-" Brandy choked. Her parents deathhad affected her greatly. With their death came the care of her younger brother.
    "Hey, he's a Van Wham. He'll find his way back to us. We Van Wham's have always been excellent at finding our way back home." Vinnie grinned casually.
    "It doesn't matter. He's only five. He's still a little kid. He shouldn't be left on his own. Ever." Brandy continued. She shook her head back and forth, and leaned herself against a wall. She stood there for a few minutes, before Vinnie put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry B. He'll find his way back." He re-entered the dining room, leaving his niece to think by herself.

    Throwback pushed himself from the wall and began to stroll down the hall. He thrust his hands in his cargo pockets. Guess I should eat something. He decided and headed for the mess hall. A few minutes later, Razor exited her room and headed for the showers.

    Razor dried her hair with her towel and wrapped it up on top of her head. It was piled extremely high. I need a haircut. She told herself, and tucked some stray strands underneath the towel. She grabbed her body towel and rubbed it over herself, her fur fluffing up in different parts. She wrung her tail out and reached for her clothes.
    "You okay, Raze? This whole time you've been out of it. What's wrong?" Kamikaze asked. She sounded concerned for her younger friend. The older mouse had been kind ever since she had known Raze, which hadn't been very long.
    "Nothing...I'm fine. Don't worry about it Kami." Raze assured her, and pulled her top on over her toweled-head. She smiled, waved and left the shower room.

    "All clear!" Axel Junior whispered to the three girls following behind him. The three young mutant mice tiptoed out from behind him, and dashed for Thrash's door. Turbine was the first one there, picked a bobby pin from her hair, and stuck it in the keyhole. A few seconds later, the door opened.
    "Bingo." she said. Turbine pushed the door open and Axel and Thundershock walked in. "Aquifer, come on" Turbine urged the four year old.
    "Why?" she simpered and stood in the hallway. Being annoyed with her, the older female grabbed Aquifer's wrist and pulled her in.

    Brandy felt a hand tug at her jeans. "Hm?" she thought outloud and brought her eyes down to look upon--
    "A.J!" Brandy shouted in joy, picked him up and hugged him. "Where have you been?" she asked.
    "Out here. How come you and uncle Vinnie were fightiing?" A.J questioned his older sister.
    "No reason, A.J. It's okay now. I'm just glad you're safe." Brandy gently placed him on the ground, grabbed his hand and went back into the mess hall to tell her uncle the good news.

    Thrash flung Blaze into the floor.
    "Ow." She rubbed the end of her tail. "Be careful when you do that." She continued and lifted herself up from the floor.
    "Aw, I can't do anything to punish you." Thrash squatted down and ruffled his fingers through her hair.
    "Then why'd you make it seem like that?" Blaze scrunched her face into a confused look.
    "Get back in there." Thrash pushed the little mouse through the door and back into the hall. He followed after her, thinking, She's gonna be a major trouble maker when she grows up.

    "Which one girls?" Axel turned to the three mice.
    "Aliens?" Turbine asked.
    "Too scary. Gimme a better, less violent title." Axel told her.
    "Little Mermaid!" Aquifer yelled. Her eyes lit up. "Please?" She begged and her eyes seemed to grow in size.
    "Too young. Ah, Thrash's got nothing here. Let's go back and see if we can find Blaze." Axel said, and Turbine, Thundershock, and Aquifer walked out of the room. Axel shut and locked the door behind him.

    "Thrash! Bro!" Axel boomed as he entered the dining hall.
    Beside Thrash sat Blaze, and across on the other side of the table was Brandy with A.J seated beside her.
    "Where were you?" Thrash indignantly asked his older sibling.
    "Doesn't matter. We found everyone, which is what does." Axel said, and he and the three other mice sat down at the table.

    Raze walked to her room in silence. Her steps could barely be heard along the hall. That didn't help much. She reflected of having just taken a shower. It's not gonna bring mom or dad back. Her thoughts now turned to her parents. What do I have to live for without them? They meant so much in my life...
    She realized she was in front of her door, and proceeded to open it.
    "Raze?" She heard a familiar voice say from behind her.
    "Throwback!" She said enthusiastically and turned around to hug him.
    "Just wanted to check and see how you were." He released himself from her grip. "You look like you're feeling better." He observed and stroked his hand along the white fur of her cheek.
    "Just...just fine." Raze repeated his statement. "I've got to comb my hair. Um..I'll see you at the mess hall later, 'kay?"
    "Sure. See you, Razor." Throwback smiled and walked out of her room.

    Raze sat down in the seat in front of her vanity. Mom's vanity...
    She remembered when Jax had given it to her. It had been one of the few moments the two had shared together.
    Raze's hand fell swiftly to the vanity top. What was she without her parents? She had nothing to live for, nothing to look forward to everyday...a loving embrace, a family...she only had her siblings now, but not even they could help her deal with this. They were busy dealing with the grief, the problems that had come with her parents death on their own.
    Razor pulled out the bottom drawer on the vanity with her right hand. A silver metal shone around the inside, and she brought it out, making sure it was loaded.

    Throwback stood just outside of Razor's door. He brought his hand up as if to knock, but let it fall to his side, changing his mind. She'll be fine. He assured himself. I know she will be. Throwback began to turn around, and changed his mind once again. I'll just check on my angel to make sure she's safe. That's all. I'll chakc and leave. He turned the handle to Razor's door, and began to open it.

    Her hand shook nervously, as Razor eventually managed to bring the silver metal to her head. She slowly pulled the trigger on the gun, and waited for the darkness to swallow her.
    I will be with you soon, mom and dad...

    "Razor! No!" Throwback screamed, as the gun shot rang in her room. Her head fell to the vanity top with a clunk, and blood trickled from the small bullet wound in the side of it.
    Throwback stood still, in shock for minutes. Wind, from where he didn't know, seemed to ruffle his hair. "Razor..." He whispered and gently lifted body from the vanity. He cautiously laid her down on the ground and sat beneath her, enveloping Razor's body in his, his arms around her and began to softly cry.