The man paced angrily, the mocking and silent smile of his captive only infuriated him more. His eyes snapped, waiting for her response for his latest infliction on her code. The skin around the ropes darkened but nothing passed her lips or entered her cold, laughing eyes. He cursed, unable to understand why such a harsh and brutal place had not broken the sensitive woman. After three hours her spirit, proud and determined, still had not wavered. He could not know that the hard ropes that bound her wrists to the cold steel chair felt like silk to her, the chair padded beneath her. He did not know that she was still because she was afraid. Smiling her crossed her ankles, shook her shoulder length hair and took a deep breath, he knew she was going to taunt him.

"One these fine mornings at break of day,

I'm going home on a cloud.

King Death goin' find me here at my play.

I'm going home on a cloud." The notes of the old Negro spiritual echoed in the room as the Frenchman tried to think of an effective method of torture. His eyes sparkled with delight as he realized just what would make her life miserable.

"You two, cut out her tongue." The fear that struck her eyes was enough to make him smirk. Finally, a reaction. He turned and walked out the door.

"As you wish." Cruel smiles echoed on the faces of the men holding her arms as they went to collect tools to do as their employer had commanded. Licking her lips, the woman sought another song, closing her eyes when she couldn't find a suitable one. Concentrating on the men, she fought to change the code. They fell, asleep and on the point of comatose. Pulse hammering in her veins, she looked for the cruel Frenchman, he had left as soon as his order had passed his lips. Sighing and leaning her head back against the rest, Zoe waited for her new friend to undo the bindings.

"That was close." Caitlyn whispered, gently cutting the rough rope with a small jeweled dagger.

"I know." Licking her lips again, Zoe closed her eyes.

"We have to get out of here." A soft, cool cloth gently wiped the sweat from her brow.

"You don't need to tell me twice." The pair chuckled before returning to silence.

"What about a song or something?" The light brown hair shook.

"No song is going to get us out of here, I did my best to summon Diablo, but I can't guarantee that it worked."

"What's that lily-livered pansy going to do?" Caitlyn had decided that she wanted to be a pirate lass and picked up some of the idioms to go with her low cut fitted top and long skirt. She had decided against the eye patch.

"Hopefully get us out of here before they make me walk the plank."

"I'll have 'em keel hauled first!" Zoe laughed, resting her head on the arm slung around her shoulder.

"You know, I think we can get out of here. Where there's a will, there's a way."

"No, where there's a stereotypical villain, there is a way." A dark eyebrow raised in questioning. The other program was grinning like the preverbal lunatic.

"What in the Source are you talking about?"

"We all know the Merovingian is a moron, right?" Caitlyn said, eyes gleaming with mirth.

"Yes." Her companion answered slowly.

"What's the dumbest thing he could have done?"

"Given me a knife and said 'Please feel free to hack out my eyes'?" Light brown hair fell over one shoulder as she tilted her head

"No, close though."

"I don't know, what?"

"Left the door open!" The pair looked at the door, at each other, at the door again and burst out laughing.

"I have the perfect song for this!"

"Ooh, share!"

"Ha ha ha, ho ho ho

And a couple of la-di-das" Caitlyn shook her red hair, which then promptly turned emerald green.

"That's how we laugh the day away

In the merry old land of Oz." Peals of laughter could be heard from outside the room, presumably the guards left by the Frenchman. A wicked grin crossed the face of the green haired woman. Before Zoe could say anything, she had run out the door, kicking both guards in the head with sickening cracks.

"Did you really have to do that?"

"Nope, but it was fun."

"I have to wonder how you survived so long here."

"Two Matrix years isn't long when you're an integral part of a plan to destroy the hope of humans."

"Which, we are now going to thwart."

"Damn right, I'm not going to let that scum succeed!" She paused. "Want to do something fun?"

"Sure, what? Besides get out of here."

"Call those albino boys."

"Why?"

"So we can walk right past everyone else and not have to crush more skulls." The green had faded back to the copper red normally associated with the volatile deletion program.

"Good idea." The mistress of songs closed her eyes and did as suggested, humming a few bars of the melody she used to capture the pair. They were with the Frenchman's lowest guards, teaching them a lesson about respecting Persephone when the call came.

"They coming?"

"In a few minutes, let's pack what we'll need."

"Pack?" The other asked incredulous.

"Yes, we're getting out and I want weapons at my disposal."

"Alrighty, what song?"

"No song, just change the code."

"I can't."

"Yes you can. You do it all the time, you changed hair colour not a moment ago."

"I can't do it Zoe."

"Alright, we'll think of something then." There was a heavy silence as they crafted anything they could, Zoe falling into isolated routine as the code bent to her will.

"How do you do it?" Caitlyn asked again. The other program thought for a moment.

"Can you pretend you're someone else?"

"Yeah, sure, I took drama lessons for a while before I was caught." Raising an eyebrow she shrugged.

"You're now a witch named Caitlyn the Bold. You can craft the most beautiful and deadly weapons, including potions. I am your equal, Zoe the Swift. Together we must stop the god of the underworld and save the One who will make things right."

"We have to save the One?"

"It's either that or we all die and kill the Matrix entirely."

"Okay. Are we going to kick butt yet?"

"No." They went back to work, Caitlyn now making amazingly intricate daggers, guns, swords and vials filled with deadly liquids. The time was short and soon enough the room was bare bar two cots, the rest turned into clothing and weaponry hidden beneath the hard metal beds. It was the waiting that was the hardest part.

*~*

A/N: Alright Beguile, what do you think of her? I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if there's anything you want to know, please feel free to ask :)