Life's Second Chance

Charlie's Back!

The moment Agent Kay noticed J exit the room, he excused himself from the conversation with the doctor and walked up to the youth. "How'd it go?"

Agent J clenched his fists at his sides tightly in anger. "How do you think it went?"

The boy's glare told the experienced agent that the talk did not go so well.

"You can go in and see him now." The soft voice of the nurse in the background made the older agent turn ninety degrees. The last person to enter was the burly grey brute with the cybernetic eye. Modo looked furious-calm, but still furious.

~*~

"Hey bro," came Vinnie's husky words as he'd taken a seat by Throttle's bedside.

"Hey.." came Throttle's quiet response. After a quick headcount he noticed Charlie was missing, and then he remembered. Their girl took one for the team.

"Charlie-" Throttle bit his tongue the moment he'd met the swollen eyes of Vinnie, "No.." Turning to Modo, the tanned martian searched his bro's cybernetic eye and shook his head. Eyebrows arched high in disbelief. Whipping his gaze down to his hands which now rested on his lap, uttered in a hostile tone, "And...Ray..?"

"She disappeared before J and the others arrived.." came Modo's heavily laden words. His red cybernetic eye caught the flinch of his friend's shoulders and took note of Throttle's bowed head. They were tell tale signs of sadness and disbelief- yet the curled fist seemed to reveal his buried rage. 

"Doctor's said she saved your life.." Modo added thoughtfully, hoping to give some solace to his childhood friend. "Ray had apparently given you the medication on time.."

"Medication?" Throttle echoed before a vague image forced its way into his mind. Looking back at that moment, he didn't really remember anything after he was shot.. There was that one thing though, that stuck to his mind. The strange warm sensation that had hovered over his face..and then..a bitter sweet taste..

"Hey bro.." came Vinnie's quiet call, interrupting Throttle's obvious daze, forcing the injured other to look up.

The solemn atmosphere seemed drowned by very loud voices beyond the metal hospital door. Within moments, who to walk into the room but-

"CHARLIE!" Throttle and Vinnie called out in union.

"GUYS!" the girl yelled as she ran into the room and was quickly picked up off the ground by a very joyous Vincent.

"CHARLIE!" choked out the Martian as he swung her around in a very tight hug-tears of joy flooding his eyes.

The mechanic felt her heart skip a beat. Never had she realized how much she'd meant to Vincent until that very moment. It was also the first time she'd actually felt that he sincerely returned her feelings. "Hmm. Maybe I should get shot more often," she joked playfully on the side. Charlene loved the attention she was getting.

"What happened? I thought you died!" exclaimed Throttle as the girl sat at his bedside and placed her hand over his, eyes glazed with tears that didn't fall.

"I did..well sorta.." Charlie chuckled looking at her beloved boys who now surrounded both her and Throttle. Reading their quizzical gaze began to explain, "I met Uncle Jay-" she was cut off with the trio's collective comment.

-"Uncle?-Jay?"-

Charlie continued, "He told me to wear the vest and-" Modo cut in with such energy he actually dropped himself onto the bed making it bounce-much to Throttle's agony.

"GAH! MODO!" Throttled yelped angrily.

With a sheepish grin, "Ehehe, sorry bro." Turning to face Charlie-girl "But the blood-"

"Came from the vest itself," Charlie explained. Seeing their confused faces, she sighed deeply, "Long story short, we were being watched and-" Seeing the blank stares, rolled her eyes. She figured she would have to explain everything from the beginning. "Uncle Jay caught up with me shortly after you guys dumped me in the dumpster..." she scowled. "He told me that if Ray didn't take two of us out they'd have taken us all out in one go."

Throttle cryptically asked, "Who would've taken all of us out?"

Charlie's voice burst out comically, "KAI!"

Vinnie interjected, "But I saw her, she fired three rounds at Throttle-" his searching eyes picked up the shake of the girl's head and added, "So..She.. Didn't shoot him?" scratching his head, Vincent turned to Modo who commented, "If she didn't shoot him then who did?"

A very intimidating presence soon took center stage as Agent Jay prompted, "I did."

Alarmed, the able bodied Martians jumped to their feet and pulled Charlie behind them in defense. It was only after Agent J and Agent Kay walked in did Vinnie and Modo loosen up a bit.

Rubbing his temples, Throttle hissed, "Would someone just PLEASE just tell me what's goin' on?" He felt his brain blew a gasket and gave up. Leaning back irritably against the wall and his propped up pillow, just scowled grumpily as he folded his arms in a defiant pose.