Chi sat in the cell in the classic meditation pose. Eyes closed, breathing even. She had no idea how long the 'cons had left her there. Nor did she know when they were going to come back. She opened the bond ever so slightly, letting the twins know that she was fine. She sent them reassurance and love through the tiny opening. Only to feel it returned tenfold. A ghost of a smile crossed her features before she sent apology to them and closed the bond again. She had done that a few times since she had been left alone in the cell, but never for more than a few seconds. The only words she has spoken through it were to let them know that Megatron did not want her harmed, she was more valuable to him as a bargaining chip than dead. She had turned on the beacon in her necklace in a moment when she made it look as if she was fighting back panic. Reaching up to her throat as if trying to stem a scream. After that she had waited several minutes to crouch, head in hands, as if she was forcing herself to calm down. Before she adopted the meditation stance. She knew that the beacon was triple encrypted, and that is was nearly impossible to pick up unless one knew exactly what to look for. And she was grateful that Jazz had taken it upon himself to teach her what to do in case she was ever captured and taken.
"It's weird." Chi cracked an eye open and saw the shadow of a mech just outside the door. "I swear that I keep picking up a spark signature for a few seconds at a time and then nothing."
Chi closed her eye again as the mech and the one he was speaking to entered the room.
"Is it sleeping?" The voice asked, obviously irritated.
"No." Chi responded calmly, hearing the mechs jump.
"Stop that, its creepy." The second mech snarled at her.
Chi fixed the second mech, who she now realized was Frenzy, with an uninterested glance. Before once again closing her eyes. As if dismissing him.
"I thought humans couldn't have red eyes." Frenzy mock whispered to the other mech, whom she had recognized as Hook.
"They can, if they have albinism." Hook also sounded confused. "But we know for a fact that this human doesn't. "
Chi rolled her eyes internally; she was less than pleased that these were the mechs she had to deal with.
"Hey, squishy... Megatron wants to talk to you." Frenzy hit the cell wall.
"And I assume he won't come here to do it either." She snorted.
Both mechs fell silent at the cold indifference in her voice. She once again opened her eyes and looked at them as if they were only a minor irritation.
"I promise that you won't be able to get me out of this cell. I'll disable your hands if you attempt, Hook. And you, Frenzy, I'll just put into stasis. So, you may as well just tell Megatron to save us both the irritation and come here."
Both mechs looked uneasy as they realized that she was more than capable of doing exactly what she just said, her small stature and training under Ratchet made her words more than just an idle threat. That and they had put her in a small cell, more like a Cybertronian sized bird cage. They were only just realizing that they had given her the advantage.
"We'll be back..." Frenzy was shifting away from the cage warily.
"Be sure to relay my message quickly." Chi once again closed her eyes. "I'm getting bored."
The two mechs vacated the room quickly. Leaving Chi to her own thoughts once again. She couldn't risk reopening the bond for a while, no matter how much she longed to.
~.~ ~.~
"I assume you're comfortable." Megatron seethed as he entered the room with her cage.
"As comfortable as I can be." Chi opened her eyes and stood, showing at least some respect. "It is a nice cage; I have to admit. Roomy, fit with a bed and bathroom facilities. Not sure about the 360 view though. Little to no privacy, I'd probably give it 2 out of 5 stars."
Megatron growled as he studied her closely. She was standing in a relaxed position, not showing any hint of fear.
"You remind me of someone." He growled. "They liked to crack jokes when they were our prisoners too."
Chi met his optics then, allowing him to get the full view of her scarlet irises. They stared at each other, him with seething rage, her with cool indifference.
"The look is similar to the yellow frontliner." Megatron mused, though she caught the undertone of a growl. "But the attitude is definitely more like the red one."
"I did spend most of my formative years in their company. Maybe they rubbed off on me." Chi tilted her head to the side in contemplation.
"And now you have red optics..."
"Eyes, on humans they're called eyes." Chi replied smoothly, almost mockingly.
"Eyes then." The Decepticon leader snarled. "I can only assume that there is something more going on between the three of you."
Chi shrugged, keeping her cool demeanor. While inside her panic began to rise again. Megatron snarled and slammed his hand down beside the cage. Earning nothing more than a bored look from his captive.
"They will be distracted during their attempt to rescue you." He ground out. "Too busy worrying about their little human pet to truly fight. My mechs will destroy them."
"They'll try." Chi smiled at him then, a baring of teeth that promised violence. "But I think you'll find you've bitten off more than you can chew."
Megatron roared at her and looked as if he was ready to throw the cage to the ground. But managed to refrain.
"We'll see, fleshling." He growled at her, before sweeping out of the room.
~.~ ~.~
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe stood in the control room, watching intently as Telatrann tracked Chi's location. They were oddly calm, the mechs around them noted, despite their scarlet optics that signified that the gladiator programming was indeed active. The two turned as Ratchet entered the room and froze. He looked hesitant in the face of their scarlet stare.
"We don't blame you." Sunstreaker stated, sounding like his normal self.
"None of us saw them using Skywarp like that." Sideswipe shrugged. "And you couldn't have done anything to stop it."
Every optic was on the two of them at that moment. The frontliners had noticed this but were studiously ignoring the stares.
"So that's what the two of you gained from the bond." Ratchet wondered aloud. "Chi's control."
The two shifted on their feet as Ratchet approached them slowly. They were in complete control of themselves, even with the gladiator programming active. He ran a few scans and hissed when he realized that their sparks were showing the strain of the separation from Chi. Before the CMO could say anything Telatrann beeped, signaling that it had located Chi's beacon.
"So that's where they are." Jazz wondered aloud as he zoomed in on the map. "We should be able to be there by tonight, if we leave now."
"Now hold on a second." Ratchet moved towards Jazz as the saboteur stood. "These two could snap at any moment, is it wise to take them on a mission that requires stealth?"
Jazz paused and stared at the twins, as if weighing his options.
"They'll be fine." The TIC stated after a second. "Their bondmate is in there, so they won't take any unnecessary risks. They're also our best bet at pinpointing her on the base. The emergency beacon only gives the general location, by design."
Ratchet was tense, but he couldn't argue with Jazz's logic. After a staring contest with Jazz, Ratchet sighed and nodded.
"Alright, we get in, grab Chi, and get out." Jazz turned to the twins once again. "On the way out let's cause some damage, but not until Chi is clear. Understood?"
The twins nodded in unison and the three of them exited the room. Optimus watched them go with hardened optics, he had already approved Jazz's request to take the twins on the rescue mission.
"Be careful." He had stated thickly. "And bring my daughter home."
The twins had nodded, and Jazz had saluted the CO. So now he watched as they left the base calmly. He had faith that they would succeed in their mission.
~.~ ~.~ ~.~
Okay, so two chapters in one day. I figured I would take a little longer to get this second chapter out, but apparently my muse had a different idea.
So, Chapter rating is going up. From T to M. Just fair warning.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review!
Until all are one,
Chistarpax