Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers in any way, shape or form.

Suggestions on where this plot should go are begged for. Thanks to Onyx17, Shadir and koi for reviewing. Also to anyone who faved/subscribed to this fic.

Notes: See end of chapter.


Arcee had asked him what he was doing with his life.

"Intergalactic arms dealer. To whoever buys, y'know."

Swindle lounged on the chair, legs swinging like a sparkling. In one servo was an energon cube.

Something about this didn't feel right. If memory served (and it sometimes didn't,) Swindle wasn't the type of bot to make calls on long-lost acquaintances, unless he was trying to sell something. He hadn't tried out his lines on her yet, and it didn't look like he was going to anytime soon.

"So. Swindle. What are you really doing here?"

"What do you mean?"

Arcee tried hard not to roll her optics. And failed miserably.

"I knew you Swindle. You're usually never around unless you're trying to sell something." She paused for emphasis. "Or you're hiding from something. Or someone."

He laughed nervously and held up his servos in mock surrender.

"Alright Arcee. See, I actually commandeered this Elite Guard ship after I stole most of their stuff. Then the autonav on the ship broke, and I got lost for a while. When I finally got back to Cybertron, two of my best customers are in the stockades and the 'lite Guard's got a bounty on my head. I needed to avoid the prying optics of authority for a bit." He paused to take another drink before adding another sentence.

"Though from what I hear, you're not exactly in the High Council's good graces either."

"Your sources told you wrong." A lie. Or a bluff.

"Ah. No they didn't. And their intel is pretty up to date. Actually…" he trailed off. "I know a bot who knows another bot, who knows another bot who works under Leader-1, the head warden of the stockades, who said the mock trials of all the recently captured Decepticons would begin some time this stellar cycle."

Arcee swallowed nervously.

"And? The Decepticons probably deserve it." It sounded bad even to her.

His purple optics flashed.

"And the Decepticons, I'm not ashamed to say, are some of my top customers. So if the big bads get killed off, who'll buy my weapons?"

He was trying to sell something after all.

"What do you want, Swindle?"

He grinned. "I want them out. Not all of them, so to speak. But enough that they'll get their companions out after a little while. And they'll need new weapons…"

"So this is a sales pitch for me to help Decepticons? Wouldn't the other Decepticons be planning a breakout already?" Now she was just talking aimlessly, trying to get him to reveal what the terms of the agreement were.

Swindle couldn't know about her personal motive in his maybe-plan. The merchant, if he knew, would probably use every trick in the book to get her broke buying weapons to 'liberate' the Decepticons.

"No." his optics flashed again. "Decepticon High Generals named Terrosaur and Shockblast have both claimed leadership of the Decepticons. The Generals still loyal to Megatron are fighting them, and will be for a long time, unless Megatron shows up and restores order."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

Swindle stood and strode to the window. Night had fallen long ago. Faint stars glimmered in the distance.

"Go to the underground tunnels. I'm sure you remember the way."

"I don't, actually. What's down there?"

"I'm getting to it. There should be a group of disgruntled bots down there waiting for the chance to strike the Autobots from the inside."

This was new. And unexpected.

"We'll coordinate a way for a few of us to infiltrate the Stockades. And the rest can stay and prepare a medical ward. Those rescued bots won't function like they've just been off the assembly line."

"Why are you asking me to do this? We barely even knew each other, and I might just go and shout my vocaliser off to Alpha Trion or the Primes."

Swindle blinked.

"Because, you are, or were obsessed with doing the right thing. And if I told you half the things the Autobots do to their prisoners, you'd want them out too." He grinned, with a lack of friendliness this time. "And, I know where you live."

She twitched in her seat. Swindle had contacts, sources that could get what she needed faster than she ever could.

"I need something out of this as well."

"Name it."

Her processor flashed through several things she would need both before and after this expedition.

"Safety both before and after the breakout. The Elite Guard will be looking for me too."

"Done. Provided you have no problems with a new roommate."

This time Arcee did roll her optics.

"You might want to look at this as well." he handed her a document. "Might help you make a quicker decision."

Arcee quickly scanned the sheet.

"This is a classified document."

"Yes."

"About chemicals." Most of the chemistry formulae's meaning eluded her, but –

"Armor penetration and liquefying."

"Yes." He was getting impatient.

She read on.

"Tests were authorized a decacycle ago. On…convicts."

"So the Council's pet scientists can see up close how to kill a Decepticon." Swindle finished. "And I want them out alive. Armor can only hold out for so long. Are you in?"

Primus. "Yes."

Arcee felt a bit better as Swindle better explained the details of his plan. She would go to the tunnels and coordinate with the renegades. Their leaders, Acid Storm and Ravage, should take care of the rest.

Still, she couldn't help asking.

"I wouldn't peg you to come to your best customer's rescue – no matter how many upgrades he's bought.

Swindle scratched his helm and met her optics. Those purple orbs unnerved her.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Arcee rolled her optics again.

Swindle coughed and hastened to change the subject.

"We also have a contact on the inside," Swindle said. "For informational purposes only. Flip Sides has been in the Autobot forces since before the War, but she's never had to reveal her true identity to any other bots until now."

He handed her a portable software drive.

"Her comlink code's on there. Get down to the tunnels and talk with Acid Storm and Ravage. Then call 'Sides and tell her what's up."

"Fine. What are you going to do?"

He looked out to the stars again.

"Sleep," he replied.

A glimmer of hope that this plan might actually work sprouted in her processor.

Notes: Kudos if you can figure out why Swindle's trying so hard to get the Decepticons free. More kudos if you know where I'm getting the chapter titles from. Yes, Flip Sides really is a Decepticon spy.