Finally Beaten ~Taz x Up~

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Taz opened her eyes with great difficulty. She was in a blindingly white room, with a single white table, flanked with two white chairs. She felt strangely stiff, and tried to shake her arms, when she realised they were trussed up in ropes above her. Her ankles were also tied up, dangling ten inches from the ground. Her whole body was aching, and her arms were screaming in protest from being held above her head. Suddenly a door behind her creaked open.

"Tazia! Awake, I see." the voice said.

Taz suddenly realised who it belonged to. There was only one person in the whole world who called her Tazia, her full name.

Junior.

That bastardo!!!

"You!" Taz burst out, or tried to, because no sound came out. A ball of cloth had been wedged in her mouth and a piece of white fabric had been tightly tied over it. She flushed with anger, and also felt the beginnings of shame. She had never felt so vulnerable and easy to break in her life. She had always been the girl to spit out a flurry of Spanish insults, to be the first to deliver a kick or a punch. Now - now she was trussed up, dangling from a ceiling, unable to move or talk. Junior talked again, in his familiar, sneering voice.

"You'll naturally be wanting to know why we've brought you here."

Taz scowled.

"You see, Tazia - I want information. Information about the Bug Planet you now live on."

How the shit was she meant to tell him anything if she couldn't talk?! Not that she was going to tell him anything.

"You're probably thinking I'm an idiot for telling you this, Tazia, because as you can see, you are unable to talk."

I've always thought you were an idiota, Taz thought.

"But we aren't depending on you for information. Oh no. You see, tonight, as well as you, we also took another Ranger from their bed." Junior continued. He signalled to the door.

"Bring him in, boys."

And flanked by two robots, arms tied behind his back and looking almost as helpless as Taz, was Commander Up. Taz struggled against her bonds, making muffled sounds behind the gag. Up turned around and spotted Taz.

"TAZ!!" he cried.

Junior smiled.

"Awh." he sneered. "How cute."

"You let her go now, Junior!!!" Up snarled in his Western drawl, turning round to face Junior, his muscles bulging. Taz felt proud of her Commander, her best friend. He hadn't been quite the same person he had been after his famous injury in the Robot Wars, but now Taz could see the old Up, her Up, standing there, trying to rescue her.

"Oh, I will let her go, Commander. AFTER you've told me all the necessary information I want." Junior grinned. "Till then..." he casually pushed Taz so she swung forward and back, "I think I'll be holding young Tazia hostage."

Up looked thunderstruck. Behind him, Taz was shaking her head desperately. If she had to sacrifice herself so she could keep the Bug Planet safe, so what? She wanted them to be safe. She was only one person, what difference would it make to the world?

"What information do you want?" Up asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I want information on the Overqueen and her EGGS." Junior said, leaning on the table and crossing one leg over the other.

Up stiffened. He seemed unable to speak. He glanced hopelessly from Taz to Junior. Both Up and Taz knew that they were forbidden to spill a single word about the whereabouts of the Overqueen and where she kept her eggs. He didn't want to tell anything to Junior, but he wanted Taz to be safe, he wanted them to get out of here. Taz shook her head one more time.

Just tell him no, Up! she thought. Let them take me away.

Up stared defiantly at Junior, then said, with obvious difficulty,

"Take - take her. I'm never going to tell you a thing."

Taz glowed inside as Junior grinned devilishly and smirked,

"So be it then." he said. "Boys - take her away."

The robots cut the ropes that were binding her wrists to the ceiling, then dragged her roughly away. She caught one last glimpse of Up, heartbroken, and unashamedly let the tears spill down her face.

Up struggled against his bonds, while Junior grinned and took a cigarette out of his pocket. He lit it and took a long drag out of it.

"Pot." said Junior, smirking. "Want some?"

"No!" spat Up. "Where have you taken Taz to?!"

Junior took a long time answering, taking several long drags of his cigarette before responding.

"Oh...you know.....just away somewhere. Somewhere you'd never EVER find her. This ship is big, you know."

"I only said to take her because she TOLD me to." Up snapped. "I would never let her go like that if I had a choice."

"Wow, big deal." Junior said sarcastically. "I think I'll go to visit your little friend."

He waved a dismissive hand toward the robots.

"Make sure that this oaf gets back to that damned Starship." Then he lowered his voice and hissed to Up.

"Listen, Commander. If you want your little friend to come out of here nice and safe and ALIVE, I suggest you spill the beans soon."

"Or what?" Up muttered.

"Or you may never see Tazia ever again." Junior replied. He walked out of the room and the robots dragged a yelling Up back to the Starship.

The robots dragged Taz down endless corridors of the ship. Her arms were screaming in agony, and she was barely conscious. They finally came to a halt at a small, grey door, probably at the bottom of the ship. They opened the door and practically threw her in. She landed with a grunt at the back of the room. It was cupboard sized, with no windows and a small musty bed in the left corner. The robots slammed the door shut, leaving Taz in total darkness. Not being able to move, she wriggled over to the bed and sat down on it with extreme difficulty. She sat there, her hands tied behind her back and her ankles bound together, mouth gagged shut, and the first tear she had cried for a long time dripped down her face.

What I wouldn't give for Up now, she thought miserably.

It gave her some comfort to know the secret about the Overqueen and her eggs were safe. Her "celebration" wasn't to last though, because the door slammed open again. Taz cowered against the edge of the bed, surprised at how easily scared she was. It was Junior. He smirked as he walked over to her and brushed his dry lips against her forehead. She was disgusted. Idiota, how dare he?! Junior straightened up and grabbed Taz's right arm. He strapped something to it, and she felt a stabbing pain in her arm, then as soon as it had come, the pain subsided. Suddenly Taz felt great comfort, as if someone was feeding her her favorite tortillas with pico de Gallo. She closed her eyes and laid her head back.

"Clever little thing isn't it?" Junior smiled. Taz opened her eyes again. Junior was patting a strange machine, with an orange-y liquid bubbling inside it. There was one thin wire coming out of it. The wire was connected with the strap that was on Taz's arm.

"I usually use this for my hostages." Junior said casually, gazing at her with something that was a mix between love and gloating. "Feeds 'em. It saves me the trouble of taking that gag off you. I don't need a stream of Spanish swearing in my ear, thank you very much."

He made to leave.

"Oh, there's something I need to tell you." he said, fingering the lock on the door. "Just a little secret I discovered the other day. Something - something between you and Commander Up."

Taz's heart skipped a beat. What did this bastardo know?

"But that can wait till tomorrow." Junior smiled, inserting a key into the lock. "Goodnight, Tazia."

The door shut with a click and Taz let her tears spill once more.