FicWad

"Okay, start her up and let's see how she sounds," Charlie said as she stepped away from the repaired, rebuilt and heavily modified Triumph Daytona.

Throttle tossed the lady mechanic a rag with a flick of his tail. Vinnie nudged Throttle and tilted his head toward their grey furred bro. Modo's eye was firmly locked on where Kate was sliding a leg over the seat of her motorcycle.

Kate all but cooed as she settled into the saddle and stroked her hands up the tank.

Modo groaned softly.

Throttle looked at Vinnie over the rim of his specks. Vinnie shrugged but nodded.

The unofficial if widely acknowledged leader of the trio leaned back against his bike to watch Modo watching Kate. It had been a long time since he'd seen that look on Modo's face. Shortly after the war with the Plutarkians had started as a matter of fact, the last time Modo had seen his wife and kids alive.

Modo Maverick was in love.

Kate kick started her bike. It purred. She cooed. Modo blushed and shifted his weight, moving his feet further apart.

"How's she feel?" Charlie asked.

"Like great sex," Kate said, ignoring the three alien bikers and their gawking at her comment.

Charlie grinned at her. "Try the voice activated features."

"You awake, baby?" Kate asked as she pet the tank again.

The Triumph Daytona beeped eagerly.

"That's my girl! Weapons out," Kate said happily.

A rack of three mini rockets and a doubled set of laser cannons extended on either side of the bike. The barrel of a single laser cannon extended from the front of the Daytona. Kate grinned.

"Anywhere we can go for a test firing run?" Kate asked after having her bike's new AI put away the weapons.

"Cheesy Land is scheduled to be demolished," Modo suggested. "I could take you out there to test the upgrades."

Kate's grin widened, and seemed to soften as she turned her attention toward him. "Sounds great. Mount up, big fella."

Jaws dropped around the room and Modo turned tomato red under his fur.

Kate blinked then shook her head. "His /bike/. Minds out of the gutter, people."

Modo flat out ran to Lil' Hoss and raced out of the Last Chance with a snickering Kate hot on his tail.

"I did not need that mental image," Throttle said after they were well out of sight.

"None of us did," Charlie agreed.

Vinnie grinned. "I wonder how long before the big guy stops blushing?"

"About a month after Kate leaves," Throttle said a moment later.

The three friends, one human and two Martian, fell silent. None of them wanted to think about what it would be like when their group when back down to four from five. As outrageous as Kate could and often would be, when ... if she left the little blonde would be missed.

**

Modo and Kate grinned widely as the Haunted House of Cheese collapsed in on itself.

"How's the power level look, baby?" Kate asked her bike. The silver Triumph Daytona beeped cheerfully and displayed a simple power bar, like the kind that shows how much life a character has left on a video game. "Good, the lasers aren't sucking out as much juice as we though they were going to."

Modo leaned over her shoulder to check. "That's a good conversion rate. You're not even down a quarter yet."

"Thanks, I ran the specs past a few friends," Kate started to explain, turning to look at him as she spoke. Her voice trailed off to silence.

The grey furred Biker Mouse turned his head toward her when her voice faded away. He pulled back after their lips brushed, blushing brightly under his fur.

Kate sighed and her eyes opened slowly. Her eyes seemed brighter some how, almost as if they were glowing ... Modo decided it had to be from how close he was. Human eyes didn't glow. But Kate had said she wasn't human anymore ... Kate blinked and her eyes seemed to go back to normal. "If you apologize I'll punch you."

"Kate-ma'am ..." Modo started.

"I like you, Modo," she interrupted. "I like you a lot. I haven't felt like this about any guy since I lost my husband. So if you apologize, I'll have to hit you."

He placed his flesh and blood, fur covered hand over her mouth even though it was more awkward than using his metal one would have been. "I like you, too, Kate-ma'am. But we're in the middle of a war."

Kate swatted his hand away, an irritated frown creasing her forehead. "Wars don't keep people from coming together, Modo. Hearts and souls don't know a proper time or place to feel what they do. They just ... feel. And it certainly hasn't stopped Vinnie and Charlie."

"Aw ... inn't dat sweet," taunted a greased dripping fat man on a three wheeled motorcycle flanked by pony tailed goons in dune buggies.

"Do you mind? You're interrupting," Kate snapped.

Modo stepped away, placing himself between Kate and the goons. "Back off, Grease Pit."

"Grease Pit? As in the idiot who blew up my baby?" Kate asked quietly.

"Yeah," Modo muttered.

The Triumph Daytona growled, it's rider snarled. Modo turned slightly to stare. Kate's helmet was back on, the face shield down and reflecting everything back.

"Who's da girl, mousie?" Grease Pit sneered.

The front cannon shot out Grease Pit's front tire.

"This is no time for name calling," Kate said clearly, her voice amplified though the new radio set up in her helmet. "No, wait. Actually this is the perfect time for name calling, you goiter on the ass of the universe."

"Oh mama," Modo whimpered. He quickly returned his attention to Grease Pit and his goons. Kate's bike had the fire power now, but did the lady driving have the moves?

"Ise gonna get ya fer dat, girlie!"

"You'll have to change a few tires first," Kate retorted. The Daytona let loose with two of the remaining mini-rockets, both striking Grease Pit's three wheeler as he scrambled and slid out of the way.

The oil slicked lackey was left jumping up and down by the burning wreckage of his trike. "Get dat girlie and dat mousie!"

Lil' Hoss revved her engine as her rider put a leg over her saddle.

"As Throttle would say," Modo said with a smirk, "let's Rock ..."

"And Ride," Kate finished dryly.

"Split up," Modo ordered.

Kate snorted. "Fine. Let's play."

The vampire pushed her bike into a one eighty spin out, kicking up a plume of dust and gravel before racing into and through a group of goons. She shouted something in a language that Modo didn't understand ... but it sounded very insulting.

Modo shook his head and raced off in the opposite direction, firing on another group of goons as he went. He couldn't help but think that Kate might, just might, be almost as crazy as Vinnie, then all other thoughts were lost to the erratic rhythm of combat. Somewhere behind him a large section of the roller coaster collapsed. He wasn't sure exactly why he wasn't worried about Kate, he was just certain she hadn't been caught by the falling beams and rails.

Kate cursed softly as she quickly glanced around. The goons were stupid, but they knew the area better than she did and there were more of them. She found herself pinned between a pile of rubble that was formerly a double loop on the roller coaster and the solid brick wall that backed what remained of the Haunted House, with two goon loaded dune buggies rolling toward her.

She glared icily at them as she licked her fangs thoughtfully. Her last two mini-rockets had been used to drop the roller coaster on the other four buggies that had been chasing her. There was still power to the laser cannons of course, and her bike rumbled eagerly between her thighs.

"Alright, baby," Kate said softly, "open fire."

The rumble shifted to a deep growl as the AI fired all cannons and shot forward between the dune buggies, so close that Kate's knees brushed the sides of them.

"Radio test one, can you hear me, Modo?"

"/I hear you, Kate-ma'am/," Modo answered.

Kate grinned. "I'm heading toward the entrance, with two goon buggies on my tail. Meet me there for a little smash and bash?"

"/On my way/."

Modo made a sharp turn, holding out his metal arm to clothesline a goon in passing. Lil' Hoss beeped at him. "Now, darling', I'm sure Kate-ma'am and her girl are just fine ..."

A howl cut across the roar of laser fire and the screech of dune buggies crashing. Modo stared, his eye widening as Kate and her bike flew over one of the few rides still standing.

"Just as crazy as Vinnie, Ah swear," Modo muttered. "Only you can't tell cause she don't brag."

"/Bragging is unladylike/," Kate informed him as she landed, sending the Daytona into a long sliding stop beside him.

Even without being able to see her face the tall Martian could tell she was grinning.

"Having fun?" Modo asked with a small smile.

"Oh tons," Kate answered cheerfully. "I haven't been in the middle of a good fight in years." That the 'years' had actually been the decades after the Viet Nam War went unsaid and so went unknown.

Grease Pit stood on the back of one of the few remaining buggies. "Ise gonna get youse two!"

"Please tell me he has better threats than that," Kate muttered.

Modo shook his head. "I'm more worried about what he's aiming at us."

"It looks like a blow drier," Kate said with a frown. "A pink one."

"That doesn't mean it ain't dangerous, Kate-ma'am."

Kate shrugged. "So let's ask. Hey, Grease Ball! What is that supposed to do?"

"DIS!" Grease Pit pulled the trigger on the comical looking weapon, sending a wide beam of purple light at the two Bikers.

Modo and Kate peeled out in opposite directions to dodge the beam, but were still caught by the outer edges.

Kate glanced down, half expecting her leathers to be singed and slightly smoking if not charred from the wave of heat she'd felt ...

The radio popped and crackled for a brief painful instant in her ear before Modo's voice came through.

"/ ... garage. Meet me there and we'll try and figure out what that beam did to us/."

"Right. If it did anything at all," Kate said frowning.

"/Better safe than sorry, darlin'/," Modo pointed out.

Kate didn't even blink at the endearment, she only said dryly, "yes, dear."