Life's Second Chance

Prologue: Voices

"Haha I always knew Stoker had a dirty mind!" came a very loud, arrogant and mischievous tone which was followed up by a more quiet yet husky voice chiming in with laughter.

"Hello?" Ray felt her heart beat race, at the notion of foreign voices. Feeling motivated to move, quickly dropped her bare feet onto the cold metal panels on the ground only to find herself stumble and fall forward.

-THUD-

"Ugh..what?" she caught herself saying as she pushed up onto her arms and now posed on all fours. It was then that the amount of time spent in the place began to trigger her fear factor, was she down that long that her feet had forgotten how to walk? Managing to crawl dragged herself to the nearest wall and propped herself upon it. Following the voices brought herself to a doorway and called out "Hello?"

Her voice was drowned by laughter, and a faint voice saying, "Sorry Stoke, the guys are still gassed."

"Hello sweet heart!" exclaimed the excited loud character cutting the more deeper toned one from addressing this Stoker guy.

Feeling her mouth go dry after someone whistled at her froze in her spot, " I didn't know the Big Cheese had such good taste in women," a husky voice snickered impishly.

"Hahaha I know right? " came the very loud Vinnie, " I'm surprised she doesn't have fins! Hah! Get it?" it was then the duo started laughing again.

Modo put on a frown and being the only one with a sane mind took note of the bandages that dressed the human girl. Walking up to her felt her cower underneath his shadow and spoke in the kindest tones he could muster, "Hello there..don't worry I won't hurt you." Seeing her turn her face to the direction of the very loud Throttle and Vinnie added, "Oh, don't worry about them they're harmless.." he cooed.

"Yea harmless my aaa-" Vinnie was cut off, "Not in front of the ladies!" Throttle cut in.

Something within Agent Ray told her this mysterious calm voice could be trusted, after all anything was better than rotting in this laboratory. Eyes cloaked under a curtain of over grown fringes reached out to the large character casting the shadow and once she felt his large hand, a weird electronic charge seemed to rush up her nervous system. He had fur! This surprise made her knees buckle and she fell forward only to feel large arms cup around her, one of which felt very metallic making her gasp.

"You move fast." Came Throttles drunken comment between broken laughs.

"Faster than me?" Vinnie barked before slapping his thigh.

"Can you walk?" came Modo's concerned voice. Seeing the girl nod before stumbling sighed deeply, a pitiful look upon his brow. It looked like they weren't the only one's who'd gone under Karbuncle's nightmarish surgery. Picking her up, cradled her in his arms and walked over only to be met by his old friend and leader, Stoker.

"Is she all right?" came a warm voice which made Ray turn to the sound of his voice sensing fear. Feeling Stoker's eyes bury upon her shrinking visage, hid her face in the chest of the one who was carrying her. "She looks scared," Stoker commented before turning to the girl once more, "Don't worry, we will look after you," warm lyrics reassured. Turning to the seated duo in the back who refused to leave their bikes behind told them to follow, and guided the cackling bunch.

Feeling motion just made Ray hang onto her guide all the tighter, only to hear a female's voice ring out. Apparently the other femme had been there for the duration of time the human had addressed the mysterious furred creature. Her mind was so full of blank spots that she really lost all sense of reality. Before she knew it she found herself riding side-saddle on a motor bike-or so that's what the sounds had told her. With the high speed and revving of the engines, the noises soon drowned- her consciousness drifting off into darkness once more.