Slowly, her thoughts drifted away to Rattrap. What a strange creature he was-- definitely would have been useful for the Shadow Strikers, but Thunderstar would never have standed him this long. She still wondered how he could have standed her, come to think of it. It amazed her how much of a mirror figure Rattrap seemed of her... the same sneering attitude, the same revulsion at authority... qualities she couldn't have thought possible for her to like in someone else. But Rattrap... he was something different.

Chamelea suddenly shook her head, forcing the thoughts out of her mind. I'm getting soft, she thought, almost tempted to laugh. I gave up on feelings a long time ago. Still...

With a jolt, Chamelea was jerked out of her thoughts as the comm line activated, the familiar taping beginning. Rattrap had found something, it would appear, she thought with satisfaction. Carefully, she concentrated on the taping noises.

*Had any luck yet? I've been around every part of the place they might be keeping it and I can't find anything.*

Smiling to herself, Chamelea tapped her finger against her wrist and answered.

*In that case, look where you think they wouldn't have hidden it.*

*Welcome to Cham's school of strategies. Where are you, anyway?*

*I'm not sure. Listen, just keep your sensors on max and I'll holler when I find anything.*

*Fine. Just...* There was a pause on the line. *Just be careful, okay? The Preds can be more dangerous than they look.*

Chamelea bit her lip to keep from chuckling. She could almost imagine his worried face staring at his comm link. *You'd better worry about yourself. I'll be fine. Cham out.*

Before he could tap a protest, the line was cut. In a quick gesture, Chamelea slipped her dagger back in her boot and quietly transformed to beast mode. Flaring her scales for a second, she focused and slowly shifted the color of her skin to match the dark tones surrounding her. It wasn't phase shielding, but it would certainly do for now. Having a beast mode would come in handy, she mused.

She paused for a while, taking in her surroundings. The corridor went off in three other directions than the one she had come from. All she had found so far was a small number of storage bays and empty holds that might have contained who knows what. She expected the chip to be hidden, possible guarded.

Chamelea sighed quietly and glanced around. How could she easily sneak around without getting caught? Her optics scanned the dark walls around her and finally came to rest on a conduit outline. She frowned. How far would that thing go?

No time like the present, she thought to herself and slowly edged towards it, trying to keep her tiny claws from clicking on the floor. She maximized again, carefully tracing the square-shaped outline with the blade of her dagger. With a pop, it opened and Chamelea peered inside. The conduit went out for as far as she could see and branched off into two other directions. Wherever they lead, it had to be an easier way that this.

She replaced her knife and crawled inside.

Chamelea wrinkled her nose at the closed-in stench permeating the air around her. She forced herself to endure and kept shuffling forward, counting the corridors she passed as she went, pausing every few shuffles to check between some gaps in the wall. Only the pitch-black of the ship had been there for her to see.

Suddenly, Chamelea stopped and flinched. Voices... no, a voice. A deep voice she knew only too well. Grinning, she continued forward until she saw small blades of light streaming through some tiny slits in the wall. The muffled voice was getting louder and she stopped in front of the slits to look down and listen.

"Maximal..... --diot..... chip..... --o that?" was all she could make out. She swallowed and tried to listen closer. He said chip... her chip?

She had to stay and listen. Rushing in right away would do nothing.

Chamelea fidgeted a bit in the conduit, wishing she could stretch for a moment. Hiding wasn't her forte-- fighting was. She was made to strike hard and fast, not sit away in tight spaces watching the enemy. She preferred action to stealth, and it was part of the reason she was so good at assassination. Do it quick and fast.

The good old days, Chamelea thought.

Quickly, she shook herself out of her thoughts. Time to work, not to dream. She leaned her face closer to the gaps in the conduit, straining to get a better look. She could make out Megatron, and another Predacon she didn't know yet. Between them was a zero-g container, and the object floating in it could be recognized from a mile away.

The chip.

Chamelea drew in a quick breath to celebrate. There, she had found it. Now, all she had to do was get it back. Simple enough.

She raised her wrist, turned her comm link on, and prepared a finger.

*Still alive, Ratty?*

What might have been an offended silence followed.

*You'd better hope that was a tapping mistake. I take it you found your little toy?*

*Oh, you wound me. How far are you from conduit casing four?*

*How did you get in there?*

*Answer the question.*

Chamelea smiled and waited.

*I'm right above it, actually. Want some company?*

*You bet. Get your gun ready. We're in for some action.*

If it would have been possible, Chamelea could swear she heard him smile.

*I'm there, darling.*

She flinched as the link was terminated, finally allowing herself a low giggle as she slid her dagger out of her boot again and waited.

Back through the gaps, Megatron seemed as steamed as before. Good, Chamelea thought. Her little chip would soon be home safe with her again.

"-- et the... out... he--" Megatron said, his voice still inaudible through the surrounding metal walls. Chamelea guessed it must have been an order to the other Predacon, since he quickly scrambled out of the room.

With a start, Chamelea looked up sharply as she felt the metal beneath her vibrating slightly. She smiled a huge smile of relief as Rattrap came creeping down from an above vent.

"Glad you found me," she whispered.

"Call it instinct." he hushed back. "Got the chip?"

"Down there," She cocked her head to indicate the Predacon below. "We'll have to do this quickly and quietly."

Rattrap started to nod, and Chamelea stifled a gasp as the conduit creaked and sagged a bit under their weight. She looked up at Rattrap. Both of them weren't moving.

"Maybe we should get out of here." Rattrap whispered.

The conduit squeaked loudly again, loud enough to draw Megatron's attention, though his muffled "What's going on up there?" was barely heard by Rattrap or Chamelea.

"I'm not leaving without my chip!" Chamelea hissed.

"It's either that or you're leaving from up here to down there. And it won't be a pretty drop."

With another squeak, the conduit dropped a few centimeters.

"Then let's get it over with."

That said, Chamelea pushed both hands against the sides of the small metal wall and began swaying quickly back and forth.

"Chamelea...!" was all Rattrap could say. With a final shrill creak, the conduit strained its last molecule and dropped from the wall.

With a cry of surprise, Rattrap locked his hands on the metal ceiling and held on, struggling to keep from knocking his head on every wall. One huge jolt later, the conduit solidly hit the ground. Chamelea allowed herself a groan, then kicked her way out, dagger already in hand.

"You Maximal scum!" Megatron bellowed.

Apparently none the worst from her fall, Chamelea grinned playfully. "Oh, are you mad at me for tearing up your ship? If it helps... I'm sorry!"

Shaking with rage, Megatron took a menacing step forward. "You," he said in a low voice. "And I, have unfinished business."

Rattrap crept out of the conduit's opening, forcing himself to shake away the ringing in his ears. Megatron wasn't paying attention to him, however. Both of his cold, dark optic were driven to Chamelea.

The chip! Rattrap realized, casting a glance in the zero-g container's direction. He had to get it. Megatron was distracted and now was the time. Now, if only he could be quiet enough to--

"Rattrap, get the chip!" Chamelea yelled as she pulled her staff out and gave Megatron a quick thrust in the chest. The Predacon stumbled back.

Well, so much for quietness. Rattrap dove for the console and squinted at the controls. How was the shield turned off? He couldn't remember clearly, and a sudden laser blast behind him made him flinch and duck. The blast was soon followed by a loud clank and Chamelea's shriek of victory.

"Hurry!" she shouted, followed by another sound of metal on metal. Megatron's cry of rage was unmistakable.

Slag! Rattrap thought, struggling to find the right control that would turn the accursed shield off and free that darn chip once and for all. With a trembling hand that he cursed for a second, Rattrap slammed his hand down on what might have been the right button. Nothing happened. Behind him, Chamelea screamed and pushed herself up on her staff, delivering a swift kick to Megatron's midsection.

"Rattrap!" she yelled.

Rattrap's only answer was a groan of frustration. Finally, he pulled out his gun and dealt the console a quick shot. The shield flickered to death as the unfortunate console sizzled and sparked its last protest. In a flash, Rattrap grabbed the tiny crystalline chip and slipped it in his wrist compartment.

"Chamelea! Mission accomplished, let's go!"

Chamelea hissed in victory and swung her staff around one last time to give Megatron a nasty knock to the face.

"Lead the way," she huffed.

Rattrap glanced back at Megatron, who was struggling to sit up. "I've never seen anyone beat up Megs like that."

"Compliment later. Now run!"

Doing as he was told, Rattrap quickly followed Chamelea out of the room.

"Predacons!" Megatron bellowed behind them. "We have two Maximal spies in our base. Obliterate them!"

Chamelea growled under her breath. "We'll have company. We'd better split up and meet outside."

"But Cham..."

"Go!"

"I can't leave you..."

"Go!!"

With a flinch, Rattrap obeyed and ran in the other direction, taking a moment to thumb his comm link.

"Rattrap to base! We need help and we need it now!"

It was Rhinox who answered. "Rattrap! You got the chip?"

"Did we ever! We've got ourselves a truckload of Preds on our tails!"

"Hang on, I'm on my way!"

With a quick nod, Rattrap continued running forward.