Weasel's Luck

Note: It doesn't matter a whole lot at the moment, but the time period for this part (and the previous parts) of Merciless is late in season 2.

She knew her lucky streak wouldn't hold out forever. In light of the fact that the only mission she'd been hired for during her entire stay on this planet had literally blown up in her face, not to mention that she hadn't had any success in getting either side to hire her after that episode, she could safely say that the lucky streak that brought her into the Beast Wars had completely deserted her.

Well, Mercy was nothing if not persistent. She'd been tailing the Maximals as much as she could, waiting for the right moment to convince them they needed her.

Of course, the Maximals hadn't been too happy once they'd noticed their movements were being closely watched by a "money-grubbing mercenary," but that was their problem. If they wanted to harbor misconceptions, she wasn't going to force them to change their mind.

And thus, early each morning for the past two Earth weeks, Mercy had left her small ship hidden under holographic camouflage and gone to seek out the Maximals.

Some days were better than others. Some days, she couldn't find them. Other days, the timing or situation had been wrong. The key was patience.

On this fine, sunny day, Mercy was watching the Maximals mine energon. There were four of them: the leader, the Fuzor, the cat, and the rat. They had to go far from their base to find usable energon apparently, and the rocky terrain seemed to be relatively plentiful with the stuff.

In beast mode, peeking over a rock, she watched the Maximals go about their business, not particularly caring if they noticed her. She wasn't going to do anything as long as there wasn't a need.

It was the cat who spotted her. He first made to shoot at her, but when he realized who it was, he said, "Oh, it's you again."

"Good morning," Mercy replied amiably. "How's the mining going?"

"Forget it, Mercy," the leader told her. "We don't need your help today."

Mercy took note that the leader-- Optimus Primal, she reminded herself-- was progressively losing his politeness with her.

"We won't need ya tomorrow, either," Rattrap informed. "Or the day after that, or the day after that."

"So you can just go back to wherever you came from," Cheetor finished.

"It'll take more than that to get rid of me," Mercy answered pleasantly.

"If you try anything…" Cheetor warned.

"'Trying anything' on my own would violate my neutrality. I'm just observing."

"And how do we know you are not working for the Predacons?" the Silverbolt asked, just as annoyed at her presence as the rest of the Maximals.

"If I was a Predacon, I would've done something by now."

"'Sides," Rattrap said to Silverbolt, "with the way her last job turned out, the Preds aren't too keen on hiring her back."

Slagging rat. Mercy kept her smile fixed on her face.

"Get back to work," Primal told the gloating Rattrap. "Cheetor, Silverbolt, take the energon we've mined so far back to base."

"But what about her?" Cheetor protested.

"She said she won't try anything, and I believe her."

What a wise leader he was! Mercy grinned at Cheetor as he and Silverbolt flew off with the energon.

Optimus and Rattrap were about to get back to work when Inferno popped up from behind a rock.

"For the glory of the Royalty!" he proclaimed just before he fired at the Maximals. Waspinator and Quickstrike came up scant moments behind him, following his lead.

Predacon attack! Mercy's fur stood on end-- this could be the opportunity she'd been waiting for!

The Predacons continued fire as Primal and Rattrap took cover.

"You're outnumbered!" Mercy shouted over Inferno's proclamations that the energon was meant for the Queen and not the Maximals.

"We don't need you help!" Rattrap called back, returning fire on the Predacons.

"Except that you're fighting on an energon mine," Mercy reminded him while ducking away from stray shots.

"We can handle a few Predacons," Primal answered.

"All right," Mercy conceded. "If not today, maybe tomorrow. I can wait."

Optimus Primal recognized the subtle threat, good for him!

"This isn't the time to negotiate prices," he told her, firing at the Predacons ineffectively.

"Oh, I assure you, they're very low! There's a first-time discount!" Was her persistence really going to pay off?

Optimus didn't answer. And then…

"Fine!"

"Deal!" Without a moment's hesitation, Mercy transformed and began her own assault on the Predacons. Their combined fire, combined with the fact that the Predacons had been exposing themselves to energon unprotected while waiting for the right time to attack, brought the battle to a close in a few short cycles.

Once they were sure it was safe, the Maximals and Mercy left their cover.

"Have you blown a transistor or somethin'?" Rattrap demanded of Optimus. "You just hired a mercenary!"

"I know what I did," Optimus said. "Mercy was going to keep following us until we gave in. I'd prefer it sooner rather than later."

Mercy beamed at them.

"Let's get back to work. Mercy," Optimus turned to the mercenary, "You are to stand watch and tell me when Cheetor and Silverbolt get back. You'll receive further instructions then."

"Understood!" Mercy saluted and took up a perch on a taller rock, scanning the horizon.

"They're here," Mercy reported.

Optimus put down the rock he'd been moving and watched as Cheetor and Silverbolt landed.

"Hey," Cheetor greeted. "Did I miss anything?"

"Yeah, Optimus had a temporary lapse of judgment," Rattrap replied.

Optimus shook his head, then said, "Cheetor, escort Mercy to the base and tell Rhinox to put her to work."

"What?!"

Mercy kept quiet, but she didn't particularly like the sound of being "put to work."

"She's one of us now," Rattrap said.

"Bigbot, you couldn't have!"

"I did," Optimus said calmly. "Take her to base."

Cheetor glared at Mercy for a moment and grumbled, "Follow me."

Since Mercy lacked flight capabilities, the trip was taking much longer than Cheetor would've liked. Mercy could tell by his scowl.

"Relax, kid, it's not the end of the world," she said.

"Don't call me kid."

Mercy rolled her beady mink eyes. Great.

"As long as I'm a Maximal, I play by Maximal rules," she explained. "I'm not going to plot, question orders, or otherwise cause trouble. It's terrible for business."

"Wouldn't deception also be bad for business?"

"Is that was this is about?" Mercy laughed, cynicism creeping into her voice. "I technically didn't do anything wrong. When you met me, I never said I was a Maximal, you just assumed I was."

"And you let me!"

"It could've happened to anyone." Well, that wasn't exactly true. It could've happened to anyone not jaded and suspicious.

"Another thing," Cheetor continued. "You didn't tell Cybertron where we were, did you?"

"I wasn't even sure you were here." She hadn't wanted to run the risk of Cybertron mounting a rescue operation, because she'd have been the one footing the bill if nothing came of it.

"And why don't you stay on one side? I bet the Preds would love to have you stay with them."

"Too risky. If the Predacons lose, I don't get paid. Same thing if I stayed with the Maximals. By switching sides, I ensure that I win. Yeah, I know I'm a selfish little thing."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

"Back already?" a deep voice asked as the lift carried Mercy and Cheetor into the Maximal base.

"Optimus told me to bring her here," Cheetor automatically explained as they stepped off the lift.

"Did he," Rhinox said conversationally. "Mercy, is it?"

"Yes," Mercy answered in her most friendly tone.

"You're supposed to put her to work," Cheetor said.

"Good, I could use an assistant," Rhinox said, nodding. "You can go back to Optimus, Cheetor."

"Are you sure?" Cheetor shot a suspicious look at Mercy.

"We'll be fine," Rhinox said. Cheetor reluctantly turned around and headed out.

"You know how to use a welding torch, right?" Rhinox asked Mercy.

Welding torch?

"Yes, I've had some experience with one," she said, a little wary.

"I'll set you up with one, then." Rhinox got up from his seat at a computer console, disappeared down a corridor for a moment, then came back with a torch and some scrap metal.

"The outer hull needs some repair work, but none of us have had much time to repair it," the large mech explained.

"I see," Mercy said, spirits flagging. Maintenance bot work. Great.

By late afternoon, Mercy was sitting on the top of the ship, putting finishing touches on the last of the hull repairs. It had been hot, dull work, and Mercy was only mildly pleased with herself.

She turned the torch off, taking a moment to rest. If she were working for the Predacons, she wouldn't have dared taking even the tiniest of breaks, but the Maximals were much more forgiving.

"Slacking off, are you?"

Mercy jumped, caught completely off guard. She looked at Optimus Primal, who had come up on the roof without her noticing.

Had she been wrong about the Maximals always being soft? Was taking a break going to cost her her job?

"Relax," Optimus said. "I was just coming up to see how the repairs were coming."

Mercy smiled, not out of amusement, but because she was relieved to be right.

"And?" she asked.

"From what I can tell, you've done a decent job," Optimus said.

"I've had experience in repairing my own ship," Mercy explained. "Anyways, I'll be done soon."

Optimus nodded and left.

Mercy chided herself as she returned to welding. The Maximals had returned, and she'd been so busy that she hadn't heard them! A Predacon could have come along, and she wouldn't have noticed that, either! Was her game slipping?

She turned the torch off for the final time and rose, glad that the task was finished. She entered the base, making a show of dusting off her hands and looking smug.

"What next?" she asked no one in particular, hoping the next assignment would be more enjoyable.

"You'll have to wait," Optimus said. He and the rest of the Maximals were crowded around the console in the center of the control room.

Mercy peeked over Rattrap's shoulder to see what they were looking at so intently.

They were watching a holographic display of a sector and a Predacon energy signature. The minimal terrain the hologram showed looked familiar…

"Where is this?" Mercy asked politely.

"Sector Phi," Rhinox answered absently. Mercy's trademark smile faded.

"What would someone be doing there?" Silverbolt wondered aloud. "There is nothing there but grassland and rolling hills."

"I don't know," Optimus said. "But since we've run into Waspinator, Inferno, and Quickstrike today, that doesn't leave too many who're fully operational."

Mercy had a good guess as to what was going on in sector Phi.

This was bad. She could lose everything. She had to stop them-- but she couldn't abandon her job. If she left now, without explaining what was going on, her reputation would be ruined.

But if she told the Maximals, she'd lose a considerable edge--

This was no time to be dwelling on advantages and disadvantages! She was supposed to be a Maximal at the moment, and Maximals shared vital information!

"My ship's there," she said finally.

The Maximals looked at her.

"Our scanners haven't picked up a ship… is it cloaked?" Rhinox asked.

"Not exactly. It emits a holographic projection that hides it from scanners and optics. It looks like a hill."

"And you think they've found it," Optimus surmised.

"That has to be it. It makes perfect sense. If they find my ship, they'll have access to equipment and weapons and information and--"

"I get the idea," Optimus interrupted. "Silverbolt, Cheetor, and myself will go by air. Mercy and Rattrap, you follow on ground. And Mercy," he looked at her sternly, "I don't need to remind you, you're a Maximal right now."

"Understood."

Mercy cursed her beast mode's short legs and ungainly, loping gate. She trailed behind Rattrap and the fliers, but resolutely kept up the pace. Everything could be at stake.

Well, everything that mattered to her.

When she finally caught up with the others, her ship was in full view, for all to see. The hologram had been disabled. A thin trail of smoke trailed up from the engines.

Megatron and was standing a short way away, obviously waiting for Mercy to arrive.

The entrance had been left open, and Cheetor, who had been ordered to take stock of the internal damage, emerged from it.

"The propulsion system's completely trashed," he reported. "The hologram looks like it's gone, too."

"Apologies, Optimus," Megatron called looking supremely pleased with himself. "I have no business with you today. Mercy, I hope you don't mind our little intrusion. We were just making sure you had a nice, long stay with us."

Just before Megatron took to the air, he waved something around so the Maximals could see it-- an engine component. Mercy recognized it as a vital part of any ship's propulsion systems. If she had it, there might be a chance of repairing her engines.

"We have to stop Megatron from getting away with that engine part!" Apparently, Optimus recognized the component as well. "If there's any chance of him using it, we won't be able to stop him!"

"How do we get it away from him?" Cheetor said.

"We don't," Rattrap answered, jumping into action, running after the departing Predacons, shooting.

Mercy gritted her teeth. She fully understood what Rattrap was implying. But she had to have that part in order to maintain her guaranteed advantage over both sides.

But she was still a Maximal. She had to hold up her end of the contract.

She transformed and followed Rattrap's example, and soon enough all the Maximals were pursuing Megatron before he flew out of firing range.

Someone's shot glanced off Megatron, and he dropped the part.

To Mercy, it was a horribly ironic way to watch her precious advantage crumble. The part fell, hit the ground, bounced once, and settled in the dirt.

Megatron continued his flight, too far away for anyone to guess his reaction to his loss of the part.

The Maximals, seeing they'd succeeded in keeping Megatron from getting what he wanted (if that was the case), slowed to a stop or landed from their aerial pursuit. Mercy continued running to the spot where the part landed.

She picked it up, brushed it off, and looked it over.

To put it lightly, it was a total loss. Mercy couldn't be sure, but it looked mangled an crunched beyond what a long fall would do to it.

She took her time walking back to the Maximals, stowing the remains of the part in subspace.

"For a part-time Maximal," Optimus commented, "you did remarkably well. I'm impressed by your dedication."

Had Mercy been in a better mood, she might've laughed. Instead, she said nothing.

"I release you from your contract," Optimus continued. "As for payment, I'm afraid we don't have much--"

"I'll put it on your tab," Mercy cut in. "You can pay me when and if you win."

"Oh? You don't think we'll win?" Optimus appeared amused rather than offended.

"Megatron's good," Mercy said darkly. "He knows what he's doing."

"He does," Optimus agreed. "But don't count us out yet."

"The sun's setting." Mercy decided she'd had enough of the Maximals at the moment. "You'd better get headed back to your base. I've got some cleaning up to do."

"We'll let you get to it," Optimus said, and then turned to his crew. "Let's go home."

As the Maximals ventured homeward, Mercy went to her ship to take stock of the damage.

It wouldn't fly again. And now, without the hologram for cover, it was a sitting duck. Its defenses and weapons were minimal.

Mercy sighed and picked up a piece of rubble, reminding herself to be thankful it still provided a roof over her head. The scanners appeared to be operational, and the other vital systems were intact.

She didn't bother asking herself why Megatron didn't just destroy the entire thing. She knew.

He was lowering her a peg. He knew as well as she did that flight capabilities were a distinct advantage, especially since her ship had been capable of transporting bots to Cybertron. He wanted to make sure she didn't share that advantage with the Maximals.

There was more to it, Mercy was sure of it. She couldn't tell what, but she knew Megatron had been playing her from the moment she first set foot into the Predacon base. That's why her first mission had gone the way it did. That's why the Predacons attacked at the energon mine. It was all a plan to find Mercy's base of operations and get her away from it long enough to destroy what needed it.

And now that she was trapped on Earth just the same as all the other transformers. She couldn't quit. She would continue as if nothing had happened. She was a mercenary. It was her job.