Love of Mars

Chapter 9

Limburger's eyes narrowed. "What is the meaning of this!" Charley laughed weakly. 

"You are in so much trouble now."

Limburger glared at Stella viciously. "This is your fault." He snarled. Stella, barely able to hold her head up, managed a small, exhausted smile. 

"You really should've let us go." Laser fire suddenly lit up the hallway outside the lab, followed by shouting and the heavy crash of something large hitting the wall.

Then a familiar voice yelled from outside:

"Now it's a party and everybody's invited!" Modo. Charley actually laughed this time. 

"Yep. That's them." Limburger turned sharply to his goons. 

"Get them out of here. Now!" But it was too late. The laboratory doors exploded inward in a shower of sparks and metal. Through the smoke rolled three bikes.

Throttle jumped off his bike before it had fully stopped, blaster already in hand.
Vinnie spun his bike sideways, firing at the guards. Modo charged straight through a metal table like it wasn't even there.

The room erupted into chaos.

Laser fire bounced off equipment. Glass shattered. Machines exploded in sparks and smoke. One of the goons went flying across the room when Modo slammed into him. Vinnie skidded to a stop beside Charley. 

"Hey there, gorgeous. You look like you've had a rough night." Charley looked up at him, bruised and exhausted but smiling anyway. 

"You should see the other guy." He immediately started cutting her restraints. 

"Oh, I plan to."

Across the room, Throttle had stopped moving.

He was staring at Stella.

She was still strapped upright to the metal table, head hanging slightly, bruised, burned, barely conscious. For a moment, he didn't move at all. Then very slowly, he walked toward her.

One of the remaining goons tried to step in front of him. Throttle didn't even look at him. He just punched him so hard the goon hit the floor and didn't get back up.

Modo ripped the restraints off Stella's ankles while Throttle tore the ones from her wrists.

The moment the restraints released, Stella collapsed forward. Throttle caught her before she hit the floor.

"Hey... hey, don't worry, Doll, I got ya," he said quietly, lowering her carefully to her feet. She tried to stand but her legs gave out and she grabbed onto his jacket to stay upright.

"Throttle?... You came.." she said weakly, like she wasn't sure she was seeing him properly. 

"Yeah, got your message." The recording. His hands tightened slightly on her arms as he looked at her properly for the first time. The bruises. The burns on her wrists. The cut on her face. The way she could barely stand. Something in his expression changed instantly. Relief turned into anger so fast it was almost scary. "Limburger did this?" He asked quietly.

Stella tried to brush it off. 

"I'm fine, had worse-" He didn't let her finish. He turned his head slowly and looked across the room at Limburger. And for the first time since they had met him, Throttle looked like he genuinely wanted to kill him.

"I'm going to tear this place apart," he said, voice low and furious. Stella grabbed his arm weakly. 

"Throttle... don't... just get Charley and go..." Vinnie was already getting Charley to her feet and helping her to his bike while Modo cleared the remaining goons out of the room.