Well it's been a while since I last updated this story too. Sorry about that…school has just been so busy lately. From homework to projects to essays to studying and not having any time to sleep…yeah. That's been my life lately. Well, I must admit that this probably isn't one of my better chapters. I'm using a song by Breaking Benjamin in it and at one point in the song they say a bad word, so I changed it to filthy in order to be decent about it.
Chapter Ten: Break My Fall
Mercy wasn't sure how long she spent in her bed just looking up at the ceiling. She just didn't feel like getting up, yet she wasn't quite sure how long she had been asleep. Her alarm clock said it was six o'clock in the morning, but for some reason it felt much later than that. Mercy sighed not wanting to leave the comfort of her bed and face the pressures of the day. Every morning the same question plagued her mind: what's going to happen today?
The android knew she was in for some sort of ridicule; that was always a given. But there were other possibilities as to what could happen to her now. These possibilities, forced upon her unwillingly, were what tormented her with questions now. So, are they going to arrest me today or tomorrow? Will they remember to read me my rights this time? Will I still be innocent, even if proven guilty?
No one likes being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and nobody could be an exception to that. A police officer can't turn back the hands of time when he tries to settle a fight between two men, only to have the two men turn the fight on him. An innocent woman walking down a dark street can't start her day over when a hand slips over her mouth and pulls her into the night. A witness can only speak the truth or submit when they are blamed for the murder of a friend, and Mercy was no exception. Life would be so much better if there was a rewind button, but there wasn't, and everyone is doomed to suffer through their mistakes again and again and again. No rewind, no fast-forward, no pause, no stop, only play.
"If I were a movie," thought Mercy, "I'd be one of those stupid characters killed in the first scene because nobody cares about them. And nobody cares about me."
Mercy never thought that she would spend so long thinking about her life. She knew she had to get up soon and get ready for school, but she still couldn't make herself leave her bed. Every little aspect that the android had lived through was leaving her in doubt. "When I die, no one is going to care. Brenna, she's got her parents mourning her death, her family, heck…the whole county is weeping for her…even me. But who's going to grieve when I die?" The answer was simple: no one. And right then and there Mercy hated herself. What kind of life was she living without family and friends? All she had was Megatron, and he bitterly hated her.
The android's head really didn't hurt anymore from the concussion it had received so generously by Megatron. Mercy knew she had to get up now and start getting ready, no matter how much she didn't want to. It was rather amazing to realize how much comfort one can receive from their bed. When cold, you can snuggle under the covers. When tired, you can lie down and rest peacefully. When scared, you can duck under the covers and feel you have the protection of a thousand armies. It's so hard to daily leave peace, comfort, and warmth behind just to face the cold, bitterness, and struggles of the day.
"Mercy?" came a gruff voice at the door.
The android peeled her eyes away from the ceiling and looked at Megatron with sorrow and boredom written upon her face. She sighed heavily before asking, "How long have I been asleep?"
"Quite some time now. You fell asleep Thursday evening and slept right through Friday, and now it's Saturday," Megatron explained monotonously.
"What?" Mercy gasped, sitting up in her bed and reaching for her cheap cellphone, which told her the date. Mercy then looked to the calendar hanging on her wall. "Oops," she exclaimed realizing that Megatron was indeed telling the truth, "Did the school call?"
"Yes, and I took care of them for you."
"What about the police?"
"I haven't heard anything from them. Are you feeling better?" the decepticon leader asked—still monotonously—as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.
"I was…and then I saw you," she retorted getting up from the bed and walking over to the door herself and stopped since she was unable to get out. A slicing pain ripped through her skull suddenly, causing Mercy to wince and put a hand to her head.
"What was that, Mercy?" smirked the decepticon leader, obviously causing her pain with the dark energy.
The android glared at him venomously before she spat, "Release me from your tendrils of pain. You think you can give all the orders, well, now it's my turn."
"Make my day, android," he grinned.
A demon birthed inside Mercy's soul just then, if she had a soul, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she concentrated on sending a tendril of her own into Megatron's titanium skull. She reached a dimension within herself that she had not known existed. The android concentrated so hard, she fell deep inside the realms of her own mind. Mercy could feel herself floating though her feet were planted firmly on the floor of her room. Yet, somehow, her inner-self was flying through darkness, searching for a link, anything, that connected her mind to Megatron's. If he was able to get inside her head, there had to be some sort of connection created by the dark energy. "The dark energy," thought Mercy, "that's why it's so dark in my mind."
A purple tunnel of light suddenly illuminated in front of Mercy's eyes so brightly that she had to cover her face for a few moments while her eyes slowly adjusted. When they finally had, Mercy looked down into the tunnel and into a face of such pure evil, it was hell to try and not runaway. Not looking into the evil's glowing pale blue eyes, Mercy summoned forth the fire that circulated through her circuits and unleashed a thick beam of the burning energy into the tunnel, and into the evil face.
Mercy returned to reality just as Megatron put his hands to his head in pain. The dark energy immediately collapsed from its painful grip on her mind. It was a relief to the android, and a pleasure to see her burden, Megatron, in his own pain caused so gratefully by her. The Master's just reward; his long overdue punishment for his tyranny. "Does it burn, Master?" inquired Mercy with a hopeful smirk upon her face.
Megatron glared at her with a look of utmost hate and resentment. It was the last thing he wanted to do: admit to Mercy that his mind did burn and that his every thought was turning to ash. His burning head betrayed him though as he felt himself unwillingly nod.
Mercy's smirk grew into an evil grin as she said, "What does it feel like knowing you're my…first…to burn, Master?"
It sickened the decepticon leader when he heard how passionately Mercy's tongue rolled over the word "first." Anger seethed its way through his circuits and slowly began to numb the fire in his mind. Megatron hoped more than anything that Mercy couldn't see her fire burning behind his optics. An anger-guided hand grabbed her by the shirt collar and shoved her up against a wall. Megatron pressed his full weight against her, not caring if her crushed her or not and sent them both back to the void from which he had come from.
"Mercy," he growled, optics focused dead into her eyes in a blazing, hateful gaze. His face was a deadly breath away from hers, "Release your grip on my mind or you and I will be spending eternity in that wretched void, and I swear your death will be extremely slow and painful."
Mercy's look of surprise melted into an expression of evil pleasure, "You know, I was planning on burning Brenna's killer first, but I suppose he will be the first to burn to death…unless, that is of course, you want to be the first for that too."
Megatron grit his teeth, "I've created a monster! What's gotten into you, you filthy, wretched, miserable android! You think you can kill someone and then act like this? What demon has possessed you?"
"Yours," she answered simply knowing that she was absolutely right, and Megatron knew too.
"End the pain and get out of my head," the decepticon leader said in a calmer voice, "You know the consequences."
Mercy's grin broadened, "It's funny, how quickly you can sound like me."
End the pain. Indeed, that was Mercy's line that she had grown so accustomed to whenever Megatron hurt her. And now he was the one saying it. How did she get into his mind? He was supposed to have control over her, not the other way around. Mercy was a lot smarter than he thought, and he knew from this point on he would have to be more careful around her.
When Mercy didn't receive a response from him, she frowned and extracted the fire from his mind. She didn't say anything, and just numbly waited for her punishment. The android turned her eyes away from his gaze feeling uncomfortable. Megatron's crushing weight was beginning to make her limbs tingle with poor circulation. Finally, she broke the silence between them saying, "Get off me!"
He pulled her from the wall and slammed her back into it, extracting a small whimper from her lips. "Mercy," he snarled, "I've put up with you time and time again, and no matter what sort of punishment I inflict upon you, you still don't learn the lesson. Do I need to engrave it into your flesh that I am in control?"
"In control of what? This complete chaos? Megatron, if it hadn't been for you, neither of us would be at each other's throats right now!"
The decepticon leader slammed her into the wall again, this time a lot harder, "Why are you blaming me when you know it is your fault?"
Mercy didn't say anything and cringed when Megatron growled ferociously. He said, "For the love of Primus, I cannot wait until I'm through with you. But you still must be punished, and because I loathe your attitude, I'm reprogramming you."
"What?" she exclaimed.
"I am reprogramming you," Megatron repeated annoyed, "to be more…loyal to me."
Mercy was the one who glared this time, "More loyal? Don't you mean reprogram me to be your pet…your slave? Reprogram me to follow your every wretched word until you are alive again and then leave?"
"Precisely," he grinned, "unless, that is, you declare your loyalty to me now, and carry out my biddings. It's your choice, android."
What was it worth? When Megatron set his sights on something, he always got it. And what could Mercy do except for submit to this tyrant or be turned into something she was not? But she was already turned into something she was not: this android with fire in her blood. Her life hadn't been that bad before she met Megatron…back when just her classmates resented her. But now, she was the soon-to-be subject of hate to everyone who had ever heard about her and the murder of Brenna Meyers. And what use was it to blame Megatron when none of this was any of his fault? Sure, he was the evil one, but he had been looking out for Mercy from the start. Heck, if he hadn't turned her into an android, she would've drowned because of Coach Hill. And he had tried to protect her from the consequences of hanging out with Brenna, but she ignored him.
Megatron, as evil as he was, wasn't the villain, but Mercy was.
For the first time, a sense of guilt began to root itself inside her heart, and it felt awful. Mercy wanted to go back to bed and start the day over…but she couldn't, for no one can turn back the hands of time. But was Mercy really entirely to blame? Megatron had acted as a tyrant, and he still was. How would anyone else act when forced to submit or suffer? Yet Mercy found herself doing both.
Sighing, the android finally spoke, "Forgive me Megatron."
"Forgive you for what you've done?"
"I am a fool, and I'll say that before you get the chance to. But you were right about everything, trying to keep me away from Brenna, all those names you've called me. And I was wrong, completely and utterly wrong," she exclaimed and then found herself blinking back tears.
Megatron smirked, "Do you submit or not?"
"I submit."
"Wise decision; now declare your loyalty to me, android."
"I declare my utmost loyalty to you Master Megatron, it will be you and only you that I will serve and follow the command of," Mercy said emotionlessly.
"Really?" he inquired raising an optic ridge, "Prove it."
Mercy looked at him like he was insane, "H-How?"
Megatron had to think about this. He wanted to make her do something that she would normally never do, something that she would not like. But he didn't know what. It was obvious he couldn't say something stupid like 'dump a can of unleaded oil over your head' or 'clean the house with just a toothbrush.' No, it had to be sinister, something he'd enjoy watching. But still nothing was coming to mind. Finally he thought of something, but in order for it to work, he could not think of the consequences that would most definitely result from this. Releasing Mercy, he took a step back, crossed his arms, and said, "Call the police and confess to murdering Brenna."
Mercy gave him a confused look before saying, "Are you sure, Master? I mean, I don't want to lie to the police, and are you aware of the consequences?"
"There will be no consequences because as soon as you make the call we will be leaving here."
"Then what's the use of making the call?"
Megatron frowned, fuming in frustration, "Alright never mind. When the moment and time presents itself, you will prove your loyalty. Now enlighten me Mercy, what made you kill Brenna?"
"How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't kill her? That stalker guy, you know she mentioned him, he was the one who killed her in cold blood," explained the android trying to remain calm.
"You heard the police say he's in Florida, wherever that is, he wasn't here," argued the decepticon leader.
"Why don't you believe me?"
"You are not the easiest person to believe Mercy, you have lied to me before, and unless you can prove it to me that you didn't kill Brenna, I cannot believe you."
"Megatron, you were around me constantly, did you ever see me steal a gun?"
"No," he replied and then added, "But how do I know you didn't steal a gun before I came here?"
"Why would I steal a gun? Be practical Megatron!" Mercy exclaimed becoming frustrated and beginning to think that proving her innocence was like nailing jello to a tree; simply impossible. There was simply no use in trying to convince anyone that she was innocent when it was quite clear everyone had given her the verdict of guilty. All the evidence was against her, the backpack, the fact she was the only one known to be at Brenna's house at the time of the murder. The only thing that couldn't be determined was who stole the gun, and Mercy had a feeling that she would be blamed for that too.
"Practical? Mercy, I'm being realistic!" exclaimed Megatron. He watched her as her eyes turned down to the floor, and he knew that she was deep in thought. The decepticon leader didn't feel an ounce of pity for her; he was still too angry about the pain she had inflicted upon him to feel any…nice emotions towards her. All they did was constantly bicker and argue, sometimes with just verbal abuses or sometimes violently. But never before during one of their fights had Mercy caused him pain.
You fought me once but not again
You let me feel your heavy hand
Megatron grit his teeth angrily. If only he had been more forceful, more threatening, more terrifying around the android then she would've never gone to Brenna's house and have to take the blame for the murder, whether she did it or not. And there was nothing Megatron could do now to prevent the murder from ever happening. Time was against him, as it is everyone else, and he was left to force Mercy to move on and protect her from whatever potential harm presented itself to her now.
I will clean your filthy mess
And leave no trace of evidence
In this conflict between Megatron and Mercy, neither of them were losing nor winning. It was clear that they were both evil, and both deadly threats. And both of them knew that there was no way that they could get out of this mess without the other.
I am losing you again
Let me out and let me in
'Cause you're not alone here
Not at all
Let me belong here
Break my fall
Mercy sighed heavily before looking to Megatron with doubt in her eyes. Life was so terrible for her right now, she knew that she was falling fast and her landing would be rough and hard, unless someone stopped her fall. And the only one who could was Megatron, as much as she didn't want to admit it. And she knew he was there for her, he had no choice, he absolutely had to be if he didn't want to lose her and plummet back into the void.
Shelter me from this again
Dedicated to the end
Help me break my conscience in
To free us from our innocence
Mercy wondered what would happen if her and Megatron actually got along for once. They were so different, yet they were so alike that the android felt like they just didn't blend together, more appropriately, they bled together and fell together, and if they didn't learn to get along and set aside their differences, they would die together and return to the void still at each other's throats.
I am losing you again
Let me out and let me in
'Cause you're not alone here
Not at all
Let me belong here
Break my fall
Crash and burn, that's all Mercy and Megatron were going to do. They weren't in control of anything, and they were going to fall sooner or later.
Mayday, mayday
Requesting permission to land
I cannot control the plane
We're in danger of crashing
Megatron looked away from Mercy with a feeling that she was his end. If he couldn't change her, let alone force her into helping him, no one could. And he was completely and utterly doomed.
I am losing you again
Let me out and let me in
'Cause you're not alone here
Not at all
Let me belong here
Break my fall
"Mercy," came Megatron's deep and powerful voice, it was calm and unwavering, but it had a tint of anger in it.
Break my fall
Mercy slowly let her eyes wander back over to his now ever-familiar form.
Break my fall
"What is it Megatron?" she asked not knowing if she would like what he had to say or not.
Break my fall
Megatron looked back over to her and let oxygen came into his systems as he inhaled.
Break my fall
"We have to leave, neither of us can afford to stay here any longer. I don't know where we'd go, but any place is better than here at the moment," Megatron commanded, this proposal wasn't a suggestion anymore. Mercy scowled and turned away from him, "I'm not going anywhere Megatron, and it sounds like you're just afraid."
He clenched his teeth and tried his hardest to restrain himself from slapping her, "Mercy! I am not a coward! And if you think you're going to be proven innocent, you can just forget about it. Innocent or not, you're still going to be proven guilty."
"So what's the point in running? I'm just going to be caught eventually anyway."
Out of frustration, Megatron emancipated a deep anger-filled growl, "Don't you see, that's the difference between you and me, I can kill and get away with it while you can't!"
That was the final blow. Mercy whipped around to face him, her eyes seething with rage. She inhaled and grit her teeth before growling, "I didn't kill Brenna, and I'll leave now, but you're not coming with me."
"Let's just see how far you get," he smirked pushing her into her room and locking the door.
The android yanked on the doorknob a couple times trying in vain to open the door, but Megatron had successfully locked it. Giving up, Mercy tried to abandon her anger and got dressed. "A narrow escape," she thought bitterly, there's no escape for me." As Mercy tugged on her shirt, she glanced over to the window in her room and grinned, "There is a narrow escape for me." The android quickly finished dressing herself and proceeded to slip on her shoes and a light coat. Going over to her window, Mercy opened it and quietly removed the screen. Then, carefully, she eased herself out the window and into the winter bitten world.
Without looking back, Mercy began her escape through the snow and to the shelter of the forest behind the house. As she walked, the android could hear imaginary water dripping, a splash, and than the roar of a furious current. It motivated her to move faster. With a grin on her face she thought, "Goodbye, Master."
She didn't realize her telepathic link was open.
Well, I'll leave it at that cliffhanger for now. I think I smell a little moment between Mercy and Megs in the next chapter….please review!! And before I forget, Break My Fall belongs to Breaking Benjamin and not me. Forgive me for any errors please...I wrote this when I was really tired.