A/N- sorry this is short, these days I'm finding very little time to do this, but I haven't given up! Enjoy!

Chapter 22

The clang of a metal lid being replaced plunged Alexis into total darkness before she could take in her surroundings, swallowing her up so completely she couldn't even see her hand in front of her. Above, a series of smooth muffled clicks told her that some sort of automatic locks were sliding into place, keeping her prisoner inside this container. She rubbed her aching ribs where Starscream had grabbed her, and shuffled forward blindly, trying to find the wall. Suddenly a noise behind her made her stop, her heart thumping in her ears.

"Ali?"

The soft, familiar voice called out from behind her, on the other side of the container. She turned around, reaching out towards the sound.

"Sari!"

The two girls stumbled forwards and embraced in the pitch black, Alexis felt her friend's skinny frame trembling slightly against hers. She grasped her arms gently.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"No. I'm alright. You?"

"Nothing I can't handle," Alexis replied grimly. She held onto her friend tightly, thanking god Sari was alive. If anything would have happened to her…. She shook off the dark thoughts and tried to focus, all of the events of the past twenty-four hours whirling in her mind. Got to get out, got to do something…

"How long have you been in here?" she asked, pushing aside for now the crushing weight of Starscream's declaration.

"I don't know, a couple of hours maybe? They did some sort of experiment on me, I was in a box, it was like glass, they were testing something…"

Alexis began to move tentatively forwards, still clinging to Sari. Soon her fingers touched cold smooth metal and she started to move her palm back and forth, searching for a crack, an opening, anything…

"It's not that big in here, I've already explored," murmured Sari beside her. "The only way in and out seems to be up there."

Alexis carried on moving around the edge, to give herself something to do more than anything else, whilst in her head her thoughts clamoured and jostled. She couldn't keep anything back any longer…

"Starscream is planning an uprising," she said softly. "Against Megatron. He's winning over more decepticons every day."

"I know," said Sari simply. "The Autobots are convening here as fast as they can. Now that Starscream has the Requiem Blaster, things are going to heat up."

"You know about the Requiem Blaster?"

There was a pause in the blackness. "I saw you retrieve it and give it to Starscream," said Sari. 'I was there. Watching."

Alexis stopped dead. Sari's voice betrayed nothing, she stood still beside her, waiting. Alexis took a deep breath.

"Sari, what you need to know is…"

But at that moment a sound reached their ears and they both tensed, listening hard. Muffled footsteps could be heard walking along beside their container. Not a heavy, ground-shaking stride but a small, scurrying one. It was approaching from over there… soon it would pass by…

Alexis threw herself over to the other side of the box, colliding with the wall, her palms slamming against the metal. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

The footsteps stopped next to the box, whoever it was, they were mere feet from her, separated by a wall of metal. There was silence.

"Hello? Is… is that you, Frenzy?" She was certain now it was a casseticon, either Rumble or Frenzy. Oh, please, let it be Frenzy, let it be Frenzy…

"Frenzy, if that is you… please, you need to get us out." Alexis spoke quickly, urgently, willing the mystery bot to listen. "Find a way, and get us out of here… we have to escape. You'll never see us again, I promise. Please!"

Silence. Alexis leaned her forehead against the metal and closed her eyes, silently begging him to speak, to respond. Then a wave of despair washed over her as the footsteps resumed, scurrying off, getting fainter. "No! Come back!"

She slid down the wall to rest on the floor, her head in her hands. Beside her Sari stood, motionless. Then Alexis felt her settle down beside her.

"Ali. You have to tell me everything."

*About one hour later.*

"I adapted," said Alexis slowly. "I had no choice. I found myself here with them, with him, and I made the most of it. I survived. I saw an opportunity."

Sari had remained silent as Alexis had told her everything, from her capture and all the events that had unfolded over the past few weeks. Alexis couldn't see her friend's face, but she knew Sari was trying to digest all the things she had heard.

"So Bumblebee was right. You have joined them!"

"Yeah, but it's not like that, it's not what you think. Starscream wants to kill Megatron …" Beside her, Sari tried to interject, but she pressed on. "–and once that's done he wants to leave Earth. The planet will be free again." Alexis hadn't quite decided how to tell Sari of Starscream's plans for the two of them just yet. She pushed it to the back of her mind. "When I allied myself with Starscream I did not know the autobots existed. I… I found some common ground…"

"Common ground? With Starscream?" Sari's tone was loaded with appalled incredulity. "Listen Ali. Maybe I don't know Starscream as well as you think you know him, but I know about him, from the autobots.. He's a liar, the worst kind of liar you can imagine! He's cheated, tricked and back-stabbed his way to Megatron's side. In the past he's even managed to trip up the autobots with his lies! You can't trust him! He cares about no one but himself, and once he has what he wants, he'll trample you into the dirt and you can forget anything he ever assured you of! A promise from Starscream is less than worthless!"

"No," said Alexis firmly. "I need to believe he was telling the truth. I know it. He's had many reasons to kill me, many times. And I'm still here."

"Yes, here, locked away in a box, like a neglected puppy! You're a pet, Ali! You've been his little mascot, performing tricks for him, and now you and I are shut up in here, and you know what? When they open this box again somehow I don't think we'll be getting a pat on the head and a treat!" She punched the floor next to her in utter frustration.

Alexis sat in silence. Sari took several deep breaths.

"The autobots are coming anyway," she continued, in a calmer voice. "Bumblebee will rescue me, and you too. We'll be safe soon. Optimus Prime will be with them, and when he gets here, everything will be alright."

Her voice was filled with such certainty and complete trust at the mention of that name, that Alexis turned her head towards her friend in the darkness. "You mentioned someone called Prime at the supermarket. Who is that?"

But before Sari could answer, there was a clang on the ceiling above them. Both girls flinched, and then a grinding and shrieking of bolts being forced pierced the space, setting Alexis' teeth on edge. The next moment, light flooded in through a hole, blinding them after so long in darkness. Shielding her face and blinking furiously, Alexis craned up to see who had opened the hatch. Frenzy peered down at her. He might has well have been an angel straight from heaven.

"FRENZY! I actually, totally love you, do you know that?"

Frenzy nimbly jumped and landed in a sitting position, legs dangling through the hole, still looking down at her. As Alexis beamed up at him and hers eyes adjusted, she saw he had had repair work carried out- one of his limbs was dented and crumpled as if it had been squeezed tightly, and other patches of his hide looked as though it had been welded back on. "What happened to you?"

"What happened to me? What happened to me?" he whined. "Hanging around with YOU, squishy, that's what happened to me! After you decided to go on you little autobot joyride, Frenzy here got scrapped! I knew it was a bad idea associating with you!"

Frenzy looked decidedly uneasy, he fidgeted and kept glancing from left to right.

"Frenzy, help us out!" Alexis stood beneath him and held up her arms to be pulled out. Over near the wall, Sari had not moved, and was watching the small bot above them warily. Frenzy stared down, indecisive. "I don't know, I don't know…"

"Oh, come on! You've opened the hatch!"

"I'm on patrol! I'll get off-lined if I disobey orders again!"

Alexis sighed, and dropped her arms. "Look, Thundercracker gave me to Blackout, who put me in here."

Frenzy didn't move. "Your point being?"

"My point being that you're on patrol, carrying out your orders like a good little decepticon. You find the hatch open, the prisoners gone, and run off to report it. Blackout gets the blame for not securing the box properly."

Frenzy's optics gleamed happily. "Now you're talking my language, human!" He leant in, and lifted her as easily as if she were a small child. Alexis scrambled out, and knelt down, leaning through the hatch. "C'mon Sari!'

Sari bit her lip, then scrambled upright, allowing Frenzy to pull her up through the hole. Alexis hugged her ecstatically, then turned and did the same to Frenzy, who recoiled.

"What the... hey! Cut that out!" He wriggled out of her embrace, causing Alexis to giggle. "It's called a hug, silly."

The three of jumped down into the larger room where their container had been held. There was no door, only a doorway which led out into the vast corridors. "Right," said Alexis. "We need to get out of here. There's a passage near the slave quarters which is rarely guarded. We'll head that way. Frenzy, maybe you should do one more circuit on your patrol. Then you can report our escape. That gives us time. Okay?'

"No, squishies, it's not okay."

The three of them spun round to be met by Rumble, standing with hands on hips, glaring at the three of them. "Well, well, well… and what are you doing mingling with the organic prisoners, Frenzy? You know you're going to catch something if you're not careful… all those icky fluids inside those fleshy fragile bodies…"

"Butt out, Rumble, I'm setting up Blackout!" Frenzy's optics flickered nervously, and inwardly Alexis groaned. Rumble, the true human-hater. Just what they needed…

"Whatever." Rumble said icily. "They can be cannon fodder for Megatron. I hear he is in a foul mood, these fleshies can take the brunt…"

"Megatron? He's coming? Frenzy blinked, then recovered. "Well, I'd better put the fleshies back then. Starscream ordered them to be kept safe."

"Starscream's orders don't matter now," Rumble growled. "Don't tell me you actually believe he's going to overthrow Megatron, our leader for the past million stellar cycles?"

"I wanna go back to Cybertron! So yeah, I do!"

"Get a grip Frenzy! Make the right choice, or be scrapped!"

Frenzy hopped from foot to the other, agitated, whilst Rumble glared. "Don't tell me you're so stupid you would pick the losing side! We don't obey losers Frenzy! We stick with the strongest! You'd better forget your treachery and come with me to do some serious servo-kissing!" He grabbed Alexis' arm in a firm grip. "And these are coming with us!"

Just then Rumble, for no apparent reason, dropped her arm as if he'd been slapped and went rigid, stepping back. To their astonishment, Frenzy did the same. Their optics flickered and their faces became blank and closed.

Sari waved a hand in front of Rumble's face, getting no response. "Weird," she breathed. "What's that about?"

Alexis opened her mouth to reply, when just as suddenly, the two bots snapped back to life. As one they turned away, and began to scurry towards the hall.

Alexis ran after them, utterly perplexed. "Frenzy? Frenzy! What's going on, what happened?"

Frenzy didn't stop. "Megatron's here," he squeaked. "And so is our master, Soundwave. We have to go to him!"

Then he did stop, and turned to face Alexis.

"You're not my friend!" he insisted, his optics flashing apprehensively. "Not even an acquaintance! I don't like you and I have nothing to do with you! But if you were my friend…" he leaned towards her. "I would tell you to run. Run away! Now!"