FicWad

Author's Notes: Yes, this does have a lot of the same stuff as the original Brothers in Arms story. It's not a sequel, it's a supplement. A detail, covering two years out of the original twenty-six. There will probably be more - who knows, eventually we may be able to make a full-length novel out of my version of pre-Once Upon a Time on Mars events. And this one's a romance. At this point, Stoker is forty-seven, Throttle sixteen, Modo nearly seventeen and Vinnie fourteen. Blue is not quite sixteen and Harley is a year younger than Vinnie.

CHAPTER ONE

Seven years ago
It was sure to happen eventually. So far the only ones to be taught personally and regularly by Stoker were Throttle and Vinnie, because he was bringing them up; and Modo, because Flare and her children were practically part of this mismatched family now. But one of the trainers was reporting a problem student, who wouldn't be disciplined and wouldn't be taught.
'Sounds like prime Freedom Fighter material to me,' said Stoker, when he heard.
'But she's disrupting the class,' said the tutor. 'She's... arrogant. Says we're underestimating her. Keeps picking fights.'
'Hmph. Maybe she is a problem student, then. So are you underestimating her, Beamer?'
Beamer gestured wildly. 'I don't /know/! Maybe we are - she's certainly talented in some areas. But she has no concept of teamwork. She keeps saying she can rely on herself.'
'Who's her family?'
'Her mother died in childbirth. Her father was captured just over four years ago and is still missing. She's been a disruptive element in the nurseries ever since - eleven is far too old to go into the nurseries, I've always said. But there was nothing else to do.'
'Yeah... OK, I'll have a look at her. I'll bring the boys, if she's as disruptive as you say they ought to know.'
xx
The girl was standing in the middle of the training yard with four targets around her and a dart gun in each hand. As Stoker and his students watched, she fired in quick succession behind her, in front, to either side, to right angles, to the opposite right angle - she hit bullseye every time. She had fur the colour of slate, her short hair was so black it had blue lights in it and her eyes were hard and dark as sapphires.
'Blue, right?' said Stoker.
'Yeah,' said the girl, firing into each target in quick succession.
'You wanna stop practicing and talk to us?'
'Nope.' She crossed her arms behind her head and fired into the target behind her.
'What's up, kid, I ain't done nuthin' to you.'
'Right. You ain't done nuthin' for me, either.'
'What's up with /her/!' muttered Throttle, coughing to cover the sudden peak of his voice. Modo's voice had broken a year ago and now it was Throttle's turn; he had been trying to say as little as possible to Carbine for the past month.
'You're a good shot, ma'am,' said Modo.
Blue spared him a cursory glance. 'Yeah,' she said. 'I am.'
'Beamer says you want a challenge, kid,' said Stoker. Blue stopped shooting and appeared to listen for the first time.
'You think you can teach me something?' she said.
'Well, I dunno. We can try. You gotta agree to learn, though.'
'Hey, you can teach me something and I will listen till the ducks come home.'
'Good. In that case we just gotta decide if we need you or not. Guys?'
Stoker turned to the boys. Throttle looked surprised, opened his mouth, shut it again and nodded.
'She's pretty, she's welcome,' said Vinnie, grinning. Blue snorted.
'Uh, yeah,' said Modo uncertainly. 'Sure. Great.'
'Well, that nails it,' said Stoker. 'Welcome to the class, Blue. Hope you're up to it.'

When Stoker and the boys turned up in the training yard the next day, she was waiting for them, leaning on her bike and looking expectant and slightly cynical.
'An eager student, wonders never cease,' said Stoker with a smile. 'Morning, Blue.'
'Morning,' said Blue. 'So... what've you got?'
'Easy there, one thing at a time. Let's have a look at your ride first.' Blue stood back and Stoker inspected her bike. Training bikes were brainless and almost always at least second-hand, and this one appeared to be no exception. The only unusual thing about it was the beautiful indigo and grey paint job. 'Trailblazer Calibre, looks pretty good. More replaced parts than normal, though,' said Stoker speculatively. 'Who did you get it from? Flash?'
'Yeah. He said it'd had two owners before me and normally it would've gone for scrap but there was a shortage.'
'Yeah, and Trailblazers're Flash's soft spot which explains the pretty paint. Still, I guess everyone's gotta have a hobby.' He poked the front forks and straightened up. 'Nice bike, for a trainer. Now we gotta find out what you can do. We know you're a good shot - how's your riding?'
'Getting better all the time.'
'That's the spirit.' He looked round at the boys leaning on the wall, watching. 'Hey, soldiers, form up - we gotta test this rider.'
Vinnie grinned. 'Target time trial?' he suggested.
'Don't see why not. You guys set up, you know the rig. C'mon, why don't I see movement?' Vinnie muttered something as they started setting up the trial, but Stoker ignored him. 'OK, Blue, this is just a little test, the boys've been using it to decide who buys the drinks - you get those first three targets, sharp right turn, two more targets, sharp right to the next row, two shots either side - hey, Rookie, tighten that circle!' Throttle made no comment, but moved the targets he was setting up in a ring at the end of the square.
'And don't think I don't know what you were doing!' Stoker turned back to Blue. 'Throttle's been losing more lately 'cause his turn's not so tight. OK, where were we? Oh, yeah - finish that row, turn in the ring, go back and do it again. Lose points for knocking targets over, gain a point each for fastest time and shortest stop. Think you can do it?'
'Wanna see them do it first.'
'Fairy nuff. OK, you heard the lady - Throttle, you first. Catch.'
Throttle caught the dart gun tossed to him and started the run. He got all the bullseyes but knocked over two targets on the one eighty turn and one of the returning nineties.
'Eleven point seven two seconds. Eighteen bullseyes, three lost tip points, not your best ever short stop - fifteen of twenty. Could be seventeen if this lot do really badly.' Stoker marked the line where Throttle's bike had stopped. 'Modo - you're up.'
When Modo and Vinnie had both finished, Blue was feeling a little less confident as she went to the start line. She ripped through the route, screeched to a halt, looked back at the course, down at her back wheel and then up at Stoker.
'Twelve point six three,' he said. 'Eighteen bullseyes, four tip points lost. OK, so let's see, that's one to Vinnie for fastest time, one to Modo for shortest stop... Modo, you got seventeen, you win. Throttle and Vinnie tied for middle place and Blue, fourteen, you get to buy the drinks.'
'But they've all been doing it for - how long?' protested Blue.
''Bout a year 'n' a half,' said Modo.
'Yeah,' said Vinnie. 'You don't like it you get better, sweetheart.'
She turned on him with a glint in her eye. 'Oh, I will. And I'll whup your shiny white ass.'
'Yeah? Well, why don't you try?'
'Good idea, Punk,' said Stoker. 'But let's keep it civilized, we ain't rats. I hear you're quite a fighter, Bluebird. At least, I hear you start a lot of fights. Do you win?'
Blue shrugged one shoulder unconcernedly. 'Sometimes.'
'Sometimes ain't good enough. But hey, what do I know, haven't seen you yet. Vinnie, you and Blue in the ring.'
Blue looked surprised. 'We've got to knock each other out?'
'In your dreams, kid. Down and hold 'em for five. That's all. OK, move it!'
In the ring of targets, Blue looked the stringy white teenager up and down. He was taller and heavier than her, and probably stronger, but she'd be willing to bet she was faster. As soon as she heard the signal she dropped and kicked his feet from under him. He fell, but rolled and flipped back up in a single fluid movement. She dodged an attempt to grab her arm but wasn't ready for the punch that followed and staggered back a few paces, startled but not really hurt. She shook her head and threw a punch - he was ready and caught her fist. Her elbow locked. She narrowed her eyes and broke the lock, throwing Vinnie off balance and before he could recover she kicked him hard in the gut. He doubled over, winded, and she kicked him in the back of the leg. He fell and she dropped onto his chest, preventing him from rising.
'One, two, three, four five,' she said. 'All done, Whiteass.'
'Interesting,' said Stoker. 'You heard me say "keep it civilized", right?'
'Sure,' said Blue, getting up. 'That's why I didn't kick him in the balls.'
'Uh-huh. Just keep to stuff that I won't have to get the medics in for.' Stoker turned his attention to Vinnie, who was just getting to his feet. 'You OK, Punk?'
'Yeah,' said Vinnie, holding his stomach. 'Ow, though...'
'We'd better call it a morning. You got potential, maybe we can make a Freedom Fighter of you. See you later.'
xx
'So what'd you think?' asked Modo. He, Vinnie, Throttle and a case of root beer had retreated to a small cave behind the Freedom Fighters' headquarters. It would have been a crush to fit five people inside, but for these three it was a good place to get away and discuss things.
'Not sure,' said Throttle. 'Doesn't look too stable.'
'Damn straight,' said Vinnie. '"Whiteass" - who the hell does she think she is?'
'You're just mad 'cause she beat you,' said Throttle, his voice cracking a little.
'I could beat her, I was just being nice. She won't get that next time.'
'What was that all about, anyway?' said Modo. 'Nobody did anything to her.'
'I bet she doesn't need an excuse. Little psychopath.'
'Ah hope she lightens up.'
'Yeah, me too,' said Throttle. 'Dunno that she will, though...'
xx
It was a month later and Blue had shown no sign of slacking off yet. The time trials had become a fair fight surprisingly quickly, and the instant it had been established that the new student had no idea about tactics at all she had started working so hard that Stoker had had to tell her to pull back a little before she made herself ill. The main problem was that her fighting was getting dirtier than ever and she seemed to take pleasure in making Vinnie's life a misery.
Stoker, Modo and Throttle were watching another fight in which Blue had become a focussed streak of malice the instant she'd stepped into the ring and Vinnie had had to concentrate so much on defence that attack wasn't an option.
'She's gonna kill him,' murmured Throttle.
'Kinda makes you wonder why coach don't stop 'em,' replied Modo.
'Cause one of these days Vinnie'll learn to beat her,' said Stoker. Modo looked guilty, he hadn't meant Stoker to hear him.
'One two three four five!' yelled Blue triumphantly, releasing her hold on Vinnie's throat. 'Four nil this week, Whiteass!' Vinnie muttered something unintelligable as he got to his feet.
'Don't use that kinda language of a lady, Punk,' said Stoker cheerfully.
'Man, look at him,' said Throttle, even quieter than before. 'Y'know, I was startin' to think of this class as a team... Guess I was wrong.'
Modo nodded, but didn't say anything, mostly because Stoker was talking to them now. 'OK, winner goes through - who's next? Modo - let's see if you can get over this fear of fighting women.'
Modo stepped into the ring and Blue smirked at him. The first time they'd fought she'd beat him easily because he'd seemed afraid to touch her and it hadn't been getting much better.
'Your momma told you not to hit a lady?' she said happily.
'Yeah,' said Modo. 'Thing is...' His eyes narrowed. 'You ain't acting much like a lady.'
'This is war, Sunshine,' said Blue. The signal came and she kicked for the head. Modo caught her ankle in one hand, flipped her onto her stomach and held her there for the count.
'Yeah, this is war,' he said in her ear. 'An' you need some new moves.' He let her roll over and held out a hand. Blue looked surprised, but let him help her to her feet.
'Well, that was fast,' said Stoker. 'Nice work, big guy.'
'Yeah,' said Blue, looking straight at Vinnie. 'Wow, a challenge. Makes a change.'
'If you're gonna bitch I'll make you two do stunt runs tomorrow,' said Stoker absently. Blue's gaze dropped and Vinnie looked slightly happier. 'Anyway, I got real war stuff to do, so the lot of you can clear off and I'll see you tomorrow. For god's sakes stay out of trouble, I got enough to deal with without yanking your tails outa the fire.'
'Right,' said Blue. 'See you.'
'I need a drink,' said Throttle. 'Come on, Vinnie, I'll treat you. Modo?'
'In a sec,' said Modo. 'Be right back.'
It didn't take long to catch up with Blue. She turned in response to her name and waited for him to reach her, but she didn't look more than indifferent at the sight of him.
'Hey, Modo. What's up?'
'Nuthin' much. You OK?'
'Fine, thanks. Listen, cut to the chase - you guys never try and talk to me outside lessons unless there's a reason or a drink. What do you want?'
Modo looked startled. 'Ah... Ah came to ask if you'd lay offa Vinnie.'
Blue rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, thought it might be that. Look, if you think I'm gonna let him beat me 'cause he's the youngest, you've got another think coming.'
'Ah didn't mean that.'
'Yeah? What did you mean?'
'You gotta make him feel so bad all the time? Ah mean, it was funny the first coupla times but now it's startin' to feel like watchin' someone pullin' the legs off'f a spider.'
Blue was silent for a second, looking sidelong at Modo. 'It really looks like that, does it? Huh. Well... OK, I'll let up. That all? OK, see you tomorrow.'