AN: So rewatching the series again, always thought they'd be better off together and had potential so I've decided to write it. This is going to be an Ebony/Amber story so if you don't like that, don't read.
Disclaimer: All for fun, don't own any characters, no copyright infringement intended.
She paced the cage, annoyed at herself for getting caught because of some stupid dog. She shouldn't have hesitated. These weaklings wouldn't have a mutt that would actually attack, unlike the Demon Dogs. Breathing in deeply, Ebony calmed herself. She wasn't done yet. This was Bray and some strays. They would be no match for her. All she needed to do was find their weaknesses, exploit them and make her escape. They'd regret caging her.
She banged against the cage, enjoying the way the wimp guarding her flinched. Why had they left him guarding her? They must feel secure in this cage being able to hold her, to leave such a feeble guard.
"What are you staring at?" Ebony growled at him.
"N-nothing." He stuttered as he jumped to his feet.
Pathetic. But he might be useful. "Who are you? What are you all doing here?"
"We live here."
Ebony could basically feel the fear radiating off him.
So these wimps lived here, interesting place to find so many strays hulled up. A place the Loco's could easily over run with knowledge on the sewage entrance. Might be a strategic base. Before she could scare any more information out of the kid, their conversation was interrupted.
"Dal?" A blonde girl came in questioning, probably just hearing the end of the conversation.
"I'm sorry, Amber." He sighed as he turned back to her.
"We're having a meeting, come on." She said, barely lifting her eyes from the boy.
"What about her?" He asked nervously, in contrast barely looking about from Ebony with wide eyes.
"She's not going anywhere." Amber assured him, locking eyes with the prisoner for a moment before leaving.
Ebony just held her gaze until she was alone and contemplated what she had already learned. Unfortunately this worm's fear of her would hinder an escape attempt, more likely to flee than open the door or give her the key. He could barely stand five feet from her without shaking so it wasn't as if she could coax him close enough to steal the key either. She would have to try a different angle. Maybe the blonde, that would be interesting…
Sighing, she leant against the door of the cage, trying to plan and not focus on the mistakes that had lead her here while she waited. Zoot would call her weak for being trapped by these losers, not that his opinion mattered now. He wasn't here and without her the Locos were leaderless, she needed to sort herself out, quickly. Zoot needed to be found or she needed to find out why he couldn't be. Answers were necessary if she was to move forward.
Three of the strays, Bray included along with the blonde one called Amber, interrupted her thought process. The loser who tackled her came strutting in first, walking right up to her cage despite Bray's warning. Oh he would be perfect.
"So, Ebony. The big question."
She could see him pushing out his chest to seem more impressive. It wasn't working.
"Why are you here?"
"I would have thought that was obvious." Bray would have told them she was questioning him about Zoot, though she doubted they'd know his connection to him. He always was one for secrets.
"So tell me."
"I want Zoot." She stated. "I know you've got him."
"He was here but he's gone now, that's all we know." Bray spoke up, seeming to irritate the other boy. Something Ebony could relate to. That tension was interesting however, could be used later.
"You're lying." Ebony accused. If Zoot wasn't with his brother, he'd be with the Locos.
"I don't lie." Bray said firmly.
No, you just don't tell the whole truth.
"Why do you want Zoot?" The girl finally joined the conversation. Perhaps she thought she could learn more from observing up until that point.
"Hey." The other boy cut off her potential answer, turning to the blonde annoyed. "I ask the questions." He stated and Ebony internally laughed. If she was the blonde, she'd put him in his place. But again disarray within the group only served her benefit.
She nearly rolled her eyes when he just repeated her question. He clearly wanted to be in charge more than he was. She partially sighed before answering, "He's my man and our leader and we want him back."
"So why didn't you bring the rest of your tribe with you." Not completely stupid then.
"I didn't know what we were walking into." She bit back defensively, it was partly true.
"I don't buy that. You let bray go, then you followed the stupid git back here. If you thought we had Zoot you'd have come all ganged up." Lex stated smugly.
"I made a mistake." She had, but it wasn't coming here alone.
"Yeah well don't make the mistake of underestimating me, babe." He said arrogantly and she could see the look the blonde gave him in the corner of her eye, almost making her smirk. He'd regret calling her babe.
"Is that possible." Then, she did smirk at the sour face he made and the smile the girl did as she tried not to laugh. The only one who didn't seem like a complete idiot among these wimps.
They left almost immediately, apparently satisfied with her answers or Lex's ego was wounded enough for him to go sulk. He was definitely going to be the perfect candidate for getting her out of this mess. By the time someone came back to guard her, and of course it was Lex, she was ready to put her plan into action, first by demonstrating her fighting skills in an attempt to urge him to want to prove himself against her, among other things.
"Very good."
She smirked to herself before turning around. "Better than that." She responded confidently. "Better than you."
"No way." He said shaking his head, trying to act casually and sure of himself. Oh he's going to be fun to play with.
"You're the warrior of your tribe, yeah?" More herd of wimps than tribe but that wasn't important here. "Their champion?"
"I guess."
Oh they were doomed.
"We should practice together sometime." The bait. "As I'm going to be around for quite awhile." She gripped the crisscross of bars with her right hand, leaning towards the door.
"Sounds cool."
She could see the gears in his head turning, but she doubted it was figuring out her motives, more him figuring how to get in this cage with her without any of his tribe, or that colourful haired girl she'd seen earlier, knowing.
Before she could press on to cement those ideas in his head, the blonde from before came striding into the room in her combat boots. Though she was sure it was more for a style choice than actual combat, she didn't look like a fighter. Or at least she preferred to talk her way out of things. Manipulation, she could respect.
"Alright Lex, I'll take over now." She said as he pushed himself to his feet.
"It's not a problem." Ebony smirked internally, of course it wasn't a problem. She already had him hooked. It wasn't even a challenge.
"I'm not wasting my time drawing a rota just for people to screw it around." She said with some fire in her voice.
"It should have been me doing the rota in the first place." He shot back.
"I didn't see you jumping up to write it." She easily shot him back down. Tension was useful but Ebony did enjoy seeing her put this arrogant idiot back in his place. "And you and Ryan should look for Paul, I'm getting worried."
Ryan must be the other warrior, the one who escaped the Locos with Lex. If they leave, that will make it far easier to escape. I won't have to waste my effort on them. Just need to convince this girl to let me out or join me in the cage…
"Ah that dummy." Lex shook his head, not seeming to care. Maybe he won't be out of the picture then.
"Have you been on at him again? Lex?" The boy merely strode off, not answering and leaving Ebony to start from scratch with the blonde. This would be more of a challenge.
Amber sat herself down and Ebony took note of the purple makeup that complimented the blonde, though it was too soft for her taste. She used makeup to enhance her ability to intimidate and her fieriosity, making sure that even by looking at her, they knew not to cross her. Maybe it was just for this party she'd crashed and she wore fiercer makeup generally. Then again if she was hanging around these wimps it probably would make them piss themselves at the sight of her like that. Shaking her head, she tried to refocus herself. Taking note of the girl's appearance would do nothing to aid her escape.
"I don't get it. Why the guard? Where am I gonna go?" She questioned, amused by the amount of effort they were putting forward to trying to keep her caged. It was smart in one respect, she'd keep her prisoners guarded, but this might lead to failure. Their guards weren't scared enough of their queen to not mess up and were stupid enough to be manipulated. She was going to prove that. Their fear of her and her escape, would be their downfall.
"We just feel safer keeping an eye on you." She said fiddling with her hands, and not really looking directly at Ebony. Maybe she was intimidated however she didn't seem scared of her. Ebony wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"You're a strange, frightened little mob. You wouldn't last a minute outside." She paced as she tried to taunt the other girl, attempting to find a weakness to exploit. "We'd tear you apart." Ebony said in a tone that wasn't exactly threatening.
"And that's something to be proud of, is it?" Oh great she has morals. "I pity you."
"Me?" She couldn't believe this girl. Pity her. She wasn't the one stuck with these wimps. Taking orders from and being talked down to by that idiot. She was the queen of the Locos for god's sake.
"You're so angry, so negative. Because you're afraid." She stated calmly, finally looking Ebony in the eye.
"I'm not afraid of anything." Fear was a weakness she couldn't afford in this world, not as Zoot's woman and certainly not as the leader of the Locos.
"Then you're a fool." She seemed disappointed, as if she had higher expectations.
"Yeah?" Ebony asked disbelieving at this girl's high horse. "I can go anywhere I want. Do anything I want. I'm not holed up in some rotting mall like a frightened mouse." A lioness among hyenas, willing to follow her every order.
"And what do you do that makes you so special? Hurt people? Destroy things? Where's that's gonna get you?" Oh she's getting emotional now, invested in this argument. I wonder if she's trying to reform me. That's cute.
"To the top, sugar." She added the sarcastic term of endearment as an afterthought, wanting to get a rise out of the other girl. Something about this argument was riling her up and she wanted to make the blonde feel the same way.
"Of what, a garbage heap, honey?" She shot back. She looked so much better biting back, more of a leader than a wimp. "At least we're looking to the future, trying to build something better."
"Well when you do, I'll be there to knock it down." Ebony promised.
"You know, they wanted to kill you." Amber looked Ebony straight in the eye. "But I stopped them."
There was weight to her words, but Ebony wasn't about to thank her for the act of not killing her. "You might live to regret that."