Shadowfire

Chapter 44

"Traitorous bítch!" The CIA man growled, spittle flying, roughly grabbing Annabelle by the hair and hitting her again, and again. Her nose broke with an ugly crack and she screamed, tears marking silver trails down her face "You had it all and you throw it away to betray your country, they're not even human!" If she hadn't been convinced before to side with the Cybertronians over humans she would be now, no mech or femme had ever hit her. Across the room, chained to the wall, Tess was sobbing, hiding her face in her shoulder, hands and feet bound. Earlier Sam had managed to knock out the first man and make a grab for his keys. He was replaced and since then they had been chained securely.
"Leave her alone!" Sam yelled, already bloody and bruised, having tried to keep the worst of their attention focused on him rather than Tess. It had worked, but barely; the girl was bloodied, and deep lacerations marred her left arm, damage from their capture exasperated by the torture.
"You've had your turn boy" the agent grunted, not turning away from Annabelle. She was cuffed to a chair against the opposite wall, dazed and bleeding. "I want to know what they abandoned you, let you get captured. We found out about your daddy, how long have you been playing us? Why would they give you up?"
"I didn't know" the woman wailed "they kidnapped me from KSI I didn't know about Lennox, I swear!"
"Liar" he growled, hitting her again as her screams rebounded off the cell walls.

The door swung open and the click of heels on tiles echoed down the hall. The man froze mid swing as a petite woman rounded the corner. Her dark hair was drawn back in a tight bun, coat jacket pressed and skirt hanging pin-straight over her muscled thighs.
"Back away Mister Tagget" she ordered, voice clipped, as Annabelle groaned in his grip, eyelids fluttering.
"Yes ma'am" he stood back, and wilted under her fierce, icy glare. He retreated from the room. Annabelle met her gaze as she bent down to study the other woman's face.
"Are you-"
"Am I hurt?" Annabelle hissed from between clenched teeth. The woman dropped her gaze.
"I'm sorry" she whispered and Annabelle knew she meant it.
"Let me go, please"
"You know I can't do that"
"I didn't do it, I swear. Carls please"
"I'm sorry Belle" she stood, dusting off her skirt as she did so, smoothing it down "you have my word you will not be beaten again, but you will not be leaving here until we have done a full investigation. The door closed behind her, the metallic thunk of locks engaging sealing them to their fate.

Silence hung in the air for a moment, before Sam began laughing, breaking off to heave and cough. He grinned, wheezing as he let allowed head to loll, letting the manacles hold him up as his body went limp.

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"I'm the only one with a chance of going in and walking back out again" Annabelle said, and she was right.
Lennox was stoic beside her, tense and holding himself under control by supreme force of will alone.
"Agreed" Optimus rumbled, Megatron and Starscream a silent mass behind me. I was surprised Optimus tolerated their presence, had asked no questions about his resurrection at all- either his processor was in meltdown or he truly thought Megatron had been alive all along, the rest of the 'bots followed his lead. Lennox's eyes were stony, and I knew he wouldn't speak up.
"Are we really going to send" I struggled for words "... a civilian into a hostile situation, one where she will very likely be tortured?"
"There are no civilians anymore" Optimus said, voice deep and grave. Megatron put a servo on my shoulder. I had no problems with putting anyone in danger, human or no, trained or no, and she was willing but- Lennox had only barely just gotten her back, to lose her now would destroy him. I couldn't let that happen to my father, I couldn't.

Annabelle knew the cause of my hesitance, if not the fact it was motivated less out of concern for her than she thought. I would send her in in a second if I was certain it would bring Sam, and Tess, back. She turned to her- our father.
"I'll be alright dad, I will I promise you, I can help our side, save Tess and the others. I can be like you" Lennox swallowed harshly, eyes moist and it pained my spark to see him this way, he had suffered so much- we all had, but through it all he had remained a solid presence in my life, to see him so affected by something rattled me to my core. But he was wavering, and I knew neither of us could keep Anna from what she wanted to do, she was too much like us both, and it was safer if she didn't run off and go it alone.
"I want her fitted with vitals monitors at all times, trackers and a wire too. I want it undetectable and unobtrusive but I want us to always have feed from her, until those conditions are met she won't be going"