FicWad

Chapter Two: Hammer City Riot

Throttle, Modo, Vinnie, and Alexis were all still reeling from their disastrous first mission. Their current course was set for north, near the eastern boarders of Valles Marineris: Hammer City. The days of travel seemed endless and as they crossed the vast flatlands east of the Arias Mountains. The land here was stripped of anything of value. Instead of the once lush fields, there was now red waste.
The Plutarkians were currently engaged in heavy raids on Hammer City. It was the most industrious of all the cities on Mars, containing more factories than any others on Mars. It was also among the oldest cities - along with Hellfire City, Briar Rose, and Brimstone City.
"Hold up, bros," Throttle said, coming to a halt on an empty stretch of road. All around them were the shattered remains of houses. Rows and rows of destroyed homes ran in both directions. Throttle absently wondered if this was what Hellfire City looked like now.
The towers of Hammer City stood just within their range of visibility.
"Do you smell that?" he asked.
"Yeah," Vinnie responded. "Smells like trouble."
"Which just happens to smell just like the Plutarkians," Modo added.
"They're close," Alexis said. "I can just . . . feel it."
Throttle nodded. "This was one of the main roads into Hammer City. I'm betting it's being blocked or patrolled or something. We need to find another way in."
"Just how do you think we should do that?"
"Sewers?"
Vinnie shook his head. "No way, nah-uh! I am not going into the sewers like some sort of mean, loud-mouthed Earth turtle!"
"I don't think we have much of a choice in the matter, Vincent," Throttle chided.

*

At that point, just west of the city, rode a convoy of Rats and Sand-Raiders. Their leader was a rather bulky and burly Dog by the name of Dane. He was well known in the tribes as a cruel and vicious Sand-Raider - one that was a big supporter of their work with the Plutarkians. He was fresh from the last of the raids on Hellfire City, which had been left as a crumbling, empty hulk of a city.
Nearly seven hundred Rats and Sand-Raiders rode with him to Hammer City. Along with them was a group of Martian slaves that number somewhere in the upper 200s. Most of them were from Hellfire City and the surrounding areas. Their spirits broken, their bodies beaten and battered.
In the dimming sunlight, they were greeted near the edge of the city by a patrol of Plutarkians.
"Identify yourselves," said the Plutarkian.
"I am Dane of the Sand-Raiders, meat-bag. Let us pass."
The Plutarkians signaled the command center within. A few seconds later, the patrol moved aside and allowed the Rats, Sand-Raiders and Martian slaves passage. As they walked along the empty streets, Dane took in the sight of rubble and debris that was once a proud and majestic city. He smiled, quite happy with the downfall of the merry Mouse's empire. Their sky-reaching towers were being destroyed, crashing upon the ground in a thunderous clap. The Mice were loosing their precious empire.
The true destiny of the Rats and Sand-Raiders would then be realized.
They came to a massive industrial park in the upper west side of Hammer City. It was here that the Plutarkians had laid out their command center.
Dane spoke with a Plutarkian representative, who directed him where to take his slaves, Rats, and Sand-Raiders. After the Martians were locked up in a heavily guarded and completely empty warehouse and his men were taken to an empty lot to camp, Dane went to meet with the leader of the Hammer City forces.
Crowley sat in an office at one of the largest plants. He was a regular, foul-smelling Plutarkian. Nothing out of the ordinary. He had a great swell of a belly and his uniform was quite tight across it. He paid Dane little attention.
"What is there to report?" asked Dane.
Crowley looked up from a computer pad in his hands. "There is nothing for you to know about."
"You asked for reinforcements. They are here. What is the status of this city?"
"There are pockets of resistance," Crowley answered at last. "Mostly in the southern sections of the city. Some puny Freedom Fighters."
"How many?"
"Close to five hundred, I'd say."
"Five hundred Mice in their own city. This may be a challenge."
"Nothing your people can't handle."
"I will need a commitment of Plutarkians soldiers."
Crowley looked down at his computer pad. "No."
"No? This is a joint effort."
Grunting, Crowley firmly put down his pad. "Understand this, Dog. You and your underlings are working for us, not with us. You would not be standing here if not for my people. Now, you will do what I have commanded you to do or you can join the Mice."
Dane was furious. He slammed his fist upon the desk. Crowley stood right up. "Do that again and you will pay for it."
Dane turned around, fuming mad.

*

The next day . . .
Lucas tossed open the door and walked on the roof. He had only been to Hammer City once before and had actually formed the opinion that it was quite dirty. Standing here, seeing it now after all these years, he would rather have had it back to how it was, dirty or not.
The Freedom Fighters - his unit, at least - was stationed at a small university in the south half of the city. The unit was comprised of about three hundred and fifty of his own Mice, and the rest was filled up with citizens and whatever was left of the police force.
"Lucas," said his second-in-command, a white-furred mouse by the name of Oliver.
"Yes?"
"Our scouts have just reported at least six hundred Rats and Sand-Raiders entering the southern portions of the city. They're flooding the streets, looking for us."
Lucas nodded slowly. "Break out the big artillery. Get our first unit ready and prep reinforcements."
"Got it."

*

Hours later . . .
Sounds of battle rattled the ears of the Biker Mice as they stuck to the sewers beneath Hammer City. Even beneath the thick foundation of the city, they could hear explosions and shots of Martian lazors and guns. There was screaming and yelling all throughout.
Still weary after their last adventure, the Biker Mice stuck to the sewers. They couldn't help but question themselves. Had they been right to leave their families? Was this what they were supposed to do? Be out here, in the middle of a war?
"You all right, Alex?" asked Throttle of their youngest friend.
"No. I've got a headache. It sounds so loud, doesn't it?"
Throttle nodded, but wasn't quite sure if he was understanding her right. The battle above was quite vicious and could be heard in these underground tunnels, but it wasn't so loud as to give him a headache.
"It's getting quieter," Vinnie said then. "I wonder if the battle is ending?"
"Maybe," Throttle replied. "I . . . I have an idea. Maybe we should try and follow the Rats and Sand-Raiders? Find out where their base is? Then get the location to Stoker or any of the other Freedom Fighters we find."
"Sounds like a good idea."
"Let's ride, then."
They saddled their bikes, with Alexis jumping onto Vinnie's, her thin and lanky arms wrapped around Vinnie's waist. The foursome rode off, listening to the sounds of movement above and the smell of Rats and Sand-Raiders. It was difficult, considering all the scents of the sewers that got in the way, but with so many of them, it was made at least a little easier.
Within an hour, the smells of Sand-Raiders and Rats mixed with the disgusting odor of Plutarkians. This, combined with the oily smells of industry, told the Biker Mice exactly where they were.
"Vinnie, Alex - you two are the smallest and Streak is the most quiet of all the bikes. Take a quick peak up there and see what you find. Just hurry."
Vinnie put on his best face, but Throttle knew better. He was terrified. Alex didn't bother to hide it. Together, the two of them rode to the nearest grate.
Throttle and Modo plopped down on a concrete slab beneath the grate. "This is insane," Modo whispered.
"Hold it together, Modo. Just hang on. Vinnie and Alex are a lot slicker than you give them credit for. As soon as they get back, we'll try and find the rest of the Freedom Fighters."
"It was a mistake to leave them," Modo said sadly.
"We need to fight the war, don't we? The Army has already screwed up enough."
"Then we should have gone with Stoker!"
"Shhh!"
Vinnie and Alex returned. "There's a ton of them, but . . . well, there's something else."
"A warehouse full of Mice!" Alexis exclaimed. "I recognize a few of them from our old camp."
"I thought Stoker liberated it?" Throttle questioned.
"No, don't you remember?" asked Modo. "You may have been knocked out for this, but they shipped a lot of Mice at one point. Lida was among them."
"I wonder if she could be up there?" asked Vincent.
Throttle was afraid Vinnie would say something like that. Modo's eyes went wide. "I've got to see!"
"No, Modo! Not yet!"
"Throttle, listen to me! If Lida is up there, then she's needs my help! She's my sister!"
Throttle grabbed Modo's shoulders. "I know, Modo. Trust me. I understand. But we need to be smart here, okay? The four of us? Against all those Plutarkians, Rats and Sand-Raiders?"
"I need to do this!"
"I know! But now is not the time! Let's go find some help and then come back and get Lida - if she's even up there."
Modo's face was contorted in anguish. Unfortunately, despite a vast range of emotions, Modo knew that his bro had a very good point. He sighed and resigned to the idea of turning away from the rescue mission . . . for now.
They turned away, heading south, hoping to get of the city and to find help.

*

Dane entered Crowley's office, a few wounds on his left arm. He snarled as he approached the Plutarkian behind his desk. Crowley stood up.
"By the moons of Plutark, you lived."
"Most of my people didn't. I told you that the Mice would have the advantage."
"Yes, well, you're an idiot. How many did you take down?"
"Eighty, perhaps. But they were able to kill twice that amount in Rats and Sand-Raiders."
"Still, you dwindled their numbers. You served your purpose."
Dane slammed his hands onto Crowley's desk, teeth gritted, snarling. "Served our purpose? You fat fuck! How dare you speak to me in such a manner?"
Crowley looked at Dane, then at his desk. "I warned you about doing this," Crowley said. He pulled out a lazor and fired point blank at Dane's forehead. Dane went flying back, dead.
"Clean that up," he ordered to a pair of Plutarkian soldiers that entered at the sound of the blast. "And lock up all the remaining Sand-Raiders and Rats. I won't have another issue with them again."

*

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
Throttle did exactly what he was told, though where the voice came from was unknown. His bros complied as well. Three lights fell upon them then, as a trio Martian Mice came walking towards them in the sewers.
"Throttle? Throttle McCloud?"
"Lucas?"
The Freedom Fighter came into full view. "What on Mars are you four doing here? This is a war zone."
"All of Mars is a war zone, if you haven't noticed," Vinnie retorted.
Lucas sighed. "While that maybe so, it doesn't answer my question."
"We left Brimstone right after the rest of you. Thought we'd try things on our own," Throttle attempted.
"I can't tell you how stupid that was," Lucas griped. "You boys - and girl - need to get out of Hammer City and find your parents."
"No sir," Throttle defied. "We're Freedom Fighters, just like you."
"No, you're not. You're all too young."
At just that moment, another Mouse appeared in the sewers. "Lucas!" he shouted. "We just got word there's some kind of riot! Sand-Raiders and Rats fighting Plutarkians!"
"I'm betting their base is in chaos. Do we know where it's at?"
"We're still getting a fix on it," answered the newcomer.
"We found it for you," Throttle said then. He handed over a small sheet of paper. On it was what Vinnie and Alexis had seen of the layout, as well as the precise location of the industrial park itself.
Lucas' eyes widened. "Good . . . good job. Wow. Uh . . ." he replied after a few minutes. Lucas then turned to the other Mice. "Once the situation has begun to settle, we move in."
"Why not now?" asked Modo, anxious as all get out.
"Because if we go now, it'll give them something to unite against. In the aftermath, after the riot has quieted and we see their damage report, we'll move against them." He then grunted a little bit. "Now, you have done a great service to the Freedom Fighters. Stoker will be proud. But, you really do not belong here. Do I need to escort you to the city limits to prove my point?"
Throttle paused . . . then slowly nodded. "No sir."
"Good then. When you get out of the city, head west. The Plutarkians haven't fully moved into that region. I believe Stoker's unit is in that area. I'm sure he'll point you back home. When you see him, be sure to tell him that our headquarters here is at the Mars University - Hammer City Campus."
"Yes sir," Throttle answered.
Lucas shook Throttle's hand. "You did good, really. I understand your desire to be a part of this. But it's not your time to belong to this war yet."
"Thank you, Mr. Bing. Good bye."
"Good bye, bros."
The foursome rode off through the tunnels. Lucas sighed and turned back to his group.

Throttle wasn't heading home, however. With the rest of the Biker Mice behind him, he double-backed and headed towards the base.
"We're freeing your sister, Modo," Throttle promised. "And anyone we can help along the way."

*

The riot was quite terrible. It seemed as soon as the Rats and Sand-Raiders heard about Crowley's killing of Dane, they went berserk. Lazors and guns were fired in less then half-an-hour. Plutarkians, Rats, and Sand-Raiders were lying dead in access roads. At least one factory had exploded during a firefight. Despite the vast number of Plutarkians, the Rats and Sand-Raiders were more vicious and far faster than their once tense allies.
Throttle, Modo, Vinnie, and Alexis arrived to find the whole area in chaos. Quickly, they rode towards the warehouse where most of the Mice had been kept. It appeared to be unguarded. A few lazor blasts destroyed the locks. Modo threw open the doors and rode in, weapons primed. Only about fifty Martians sat in the warehouse.
"Where are the rest?" asked Throttle.
"They took them to one of the factories to start producing weapons," said one Mouse.
"We can't get to them," said another Mouse. "Not with this riot."
"There are Freedom Fighters in the city. They'll be back in a few days. In the meantime, we can get you out."
"Does anyone know where Lida Maverick is?!" Modo shouted.
"MODO!"
Lida came rushing over from the crowd. She was a mess. Her face had two huge welts and a black eye. She scratched all up and down her arms and legs. Modo grabbed hold of his older sister, embracing her as she broke down and started crying.
"This way!" Vinnie shouted, tossing some explosives into the warehouse.
The four of them led the slaves out of the warehouse and into the sewer grate. They didn't have much time until the explosives were to go off. Soon, all of them were in the sewer, running south, towards the Freedom Fighters current location.
At an impasse, Throttle met with the oldest and most healthy of the freed slaves.
"Take this tunnel, make a right and you'll come to the Freedom Fighters base. It's the Mars University - Hammer City Campus. Tell them Throttle, Modo, Vinnie, and Alexis freed you. Tell them everything you can about the rest of your people and whatever the Plutarkians said to you while you were there."
"Sure thing, boy," said the newly appointed leader. "What about you five?"
Throttle smiled. "Tell them we're heading west."