Day 46: Breakfast

[repeatingfate]

For the second time, Rika found herself waking with a start. She blinked at the grey light streaming through the windows, and looked across the room. Anise was still asleep. So. I'm still here. Let me just check...Rika put on her slippers and walked over to the desk, checking the drawer and breathing a light sigh of relief. Good, the knife was

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HEY THERE, HOT STUFF

[ruthless_hunter]

Lockdown's eyes flickered open and he held his head when he sat up in bed, groaning. Primus, what had happened to him yesterday? It all felt like a dream now. A messed up dream. One thing he knew for sure though was that he'd been convinced he'd been that Lance meatbag! What was Landel's problem!? Why did he feel like torturing him like this?

He growled at his nurse when she came to tell him it was breakfast time. Right now, he didn't want to deal with Landel's cronies.

Lockdown grabbed some food and went to go find a table. Then a voice caught his audio. A very familiar voice. A voice he couldn't forget even if he wanted to. The bounty hunter turned to where the voice was coming from and saw a young man with black hair talking to a nurse. There was something about his face that was familiar. As he kept on listening, it hit him: Prowl.

He was here now?! How, why? Lockdown was part overjoyed, and part angry at Landel. As much as he liked the ninjabot, he also didn't like the idea of him being Landel's prisoner too. Then again, it did present a prime opportunity for the bounty hunter. He could use this to get Prowl back under his thumb. Yeah, this could all work out after all.

When the young man was seated, Lockdown sat down with him and said, in his most oily voice, "Hey there, Prowl."

D8

[stillandstrike]

Prowl froze, fork halfway to is mouth and looked. He wished he hadn't, but besides a small twitch, he hardly reacted. Quickly putting on a confused expression, he lowered the fork and smiled politely.

"I'm sorry?"

Oh, he knew who this was. It was hard not to recognise him. The voice, the markings, the build, even. And, really, he wasn't sure Lockdown would be helpful.

[ruthless_hunter]

He'd seen he twitch. Prowl couldn't fool him. Kid probably still wanted to avoid him after that last incident. Even though Lockdown hadn't tried to push his point at the time, he wasn't just going to give up that easily.

"Don't try playin' dumb with me, Prowl, I know it's you," Lockdown replied. He smirked, "You honestly think I wouldn't recognize my favorite ninjabot?"

[stillandstrike]

It was difficult not to look disgusted at Lockdown's last comment, but Prowl was faced with a choice. Avoid Lockdown or destroy him. Actually. That second option sounded rather nice. Might help him break the illusion too.

Hm.

Prowl swung his legs from the seat, aiming a kick at the back of Lockdown's legs and a punch to his chest.

[ruthless_hunter]

Lockdown hadn't expected Prowl to attack him. Primus, Prowl hadn't been that sore at him last time they talked. Prowl had said he'd been flattered at his compliments but had decided he didn't want to be a bounty hunter. Sure, Lockdown had tied him up and said they'd have a spark-to-spark whether he wanted it or not, but the kid hadn't given any impression about being mad about that at the time.

He caught the fist when it came at him, but the blow to the leg hit the wound on his calf, making him hiss as pain shot up his leg. Gritting his teeth through the pain, the bounty hunter clamped Prowl's leg between both of his.

Lockdown hissed at Prowl, "Knock it off. If they catch you tryin' anything, they'll drug ya'."

[stillandstrike]

Prowl's lips tightened into a thin line and he glared at Lockdown. Once he had a bit more practice in this body, it wouldn't be so easy for Lockdown.

"You never seemed the sort to be afraid of humans before," he growled. He never really thought Lockdown would be smart enough to realise that being in the form of one made him more or less equal to them. In terms of strength and reflexes, anyway.

"Release me."

[ruthless_hunter]

"I ain't," Lockdown growled. "You don't understand, this ain't a normal crazyhouse. Fragged up stuff happens here, and the meatbags in charge are behind it." He had to make Prowl understand that this was no place for them to be fighting.

He tightened his grip on Prowl's hand and leg. "Only if you promise to behave and let me explain."

[stillandstrike]

"Give me one good reason to trust you."

He tested Lockdown's grip as slyly as he could, but it was too tight, even if he put a lot of force behind an attempt at escaping.

If Lockdown was unaware of Soundwave, Prowl wasn't about to give him any handy tips on the matter. Let him rust here instead.

[ruthless_hunter]

"Because I'm all you have here," Lockdown replied. "There's Decepticons here, including Lugnut, and no Autobots. You need me." There was no need to tell Prowl that most of those Decepticons had disappeared, or that there was a Maximal, which was close enough to an Autobot. He had to keep Prowl thinking that he was outnumbered.

"You have to trust me."

[stillandstrike]

"I don't need anybody."

It felt strange to say that now, after everything. Prowl looked away and pulled again at Lockdown's hold. "Release me. I....won't attack."

Not for the moment.

"How long until you hand me over to them for a good price?"

[ruthless_hunter]

Lockdown finally let go of Prowl. If he tried anything again, the bounty hunter would be ready.

"I ain't gonna hand you over," Lockdown replied. "For one, nobody here wants ya', and two, there's no good reason for me to. I meant what I said that day, kid. You and I are kindred spirits, not so different." He leaned forward, elbows on the table. "The offer's still open."

[stillandstrike]

"Either go or sit," Prowl frowned. He didn't like Lockdown towering above him like that. He turned to his plate, suddenly losing his appetite.

"Never stopped you trying anything before, so forgive me if I find it difficult to trust you." He wasn't going to admit to his plans on destroying Lockdown. He'd wait until he was close to fulfilling them.

"What do you mean they don't want me?" If they knew Prowl was supposed to be offline....but surely that in itself would interest them?

[ruthless_hunter]

He leaned back in his chair. "They don't need me to get you, they can already do that themselves for free." He elaborated.

"Look, we're both prisoners here. If you want out, yer gonna need me." He took a quick bite of egg, finding it hard to ignore his stomach's demands, and washed it down with juice. "I've been here longer, I know things. The top meatbag, Landel, he likes messin' with us." Hopefully Prowl would get curious and ask more. Get him eating out of Lockdown's hand.

[stillandstrike]

"I assure you I won't make it easy for them," he said, flatly.

As much as he disliked Lockdown (and he really, REALLY did), it could be useful to hear what he knew. There was no harm in it and Lockdown would double cross him whether Prowl listened or not.

"Landel?"

[ruthless_hunter]

"The guy who runs this place. Don't know what he looks like, but he's the guy over the intercomm," Lockdown explained. "I don't know what his deal is, maybe he just likes messin' with people. The slagger briefly reprogrammed twice, and I've heard about really messed up stuff he's made others go through." Like all those people "dying" that one night. Special Counciling had been fun, though.

"And that's not even going into what happens after lights out," C'mon, Prowl, take the bait...

[stillandstrike]

"...what happened to you?" Prowl asked. Talk of reprogramming. Perhaps Prowl's initial thought had been right after all. This was some strange twist on the Well. He didn't exactly care about Lockdown's fate, but if he was offline, it might help them solve the mystery of this place.

"...at night?" He'd arrived at night, but had barely left his room before blacking out again.