Mercy

Mercy

By Kingdom of Deke

Summary: A G1 comic/cartoon crossover. A malfunctioning dimensional probe eventually leads to a difficult decision for Ratchet.

Chapter 1: Arrival

The wreckage of forty tanks laid smoking in the hot noon sun as their destroyers, three seemingly normal jets, came in to land. As they approached the ground the jets suddenly started to change shape, sprouting limbs and retracting nosecones.

Starscream, Thudercracker and Skywarp landed gracefully amid the burnt out husks and surveyed the havoc they had wreaked.

"Pathetic", Starscream observed, kicking a burnt out tank out of his way. "Deeply, deeply pathetic."

"It was good exercise", Thundercracker offered.

"A good exercise?!", Starscream scoffed. "A good waste of time would be a better description. If I were in command of the Decepticons, we would be attacking the Autobots, not wasting our time with this pitiful excuse for a Terran army."

Thundercracker nodded half-heartedly. Starscream's constant speeches about how quickly the war would end if he were in charge instead of Megatron grated, especially given the fact that he was such an out and out coward. One threatening word from Megatron and Starscream could be counted on to fall to his knees and bawl for mercy. Looking for something else to concentrate on, he turned to Skywarp, who seemed to be trying to hear something.

"What's wrong?", Thundercracker asked.

Aware that he was being spoken to, Skywarp stopped momentarily.

"Do you hear that?", he said looking around.

Straining their audio sensors, Starscream and Thundercracker managed to hear the crackling sound of a portal opening, followed by a monstrous scream.

Starscream froze, fear gushing into him. Whatever made those noises was only forty feet away. "Let's go", he whispered, practically ready to run back to base if need be.

"Megatron!", Skywarp yelled, looking over Starscream's shoulder.

Turning around, Starscream saw that it was indeed the Decepticon leader. Not bothering to wonder why he was out here, the Air Commander went into his own unique brand of ass kissing.

"Mighty Megatron!", he started, ignoring the pained expression that Thundercracker and Skywarp wore. Both found Starscream's over the top sucking up hard to stomach. "I trust we've performed to your high standards?"

"Hrrggh", Megatron replied, staring at the three Decepitcons with a look of horror on his face. Half of his body was obscured by a massive rock and what they could see seemed to be damaged.

"Sorry?", Starscream said as he and his comrades walked over to their leader. Upon closer inspection, the damage looked horrific; wires hung from his chest and his neck, a finger was missing from his right hand and his face appeared to be slightly melted.

He looked, to put it mildly, like he had been through hell.

Starscream frowned. It didn't make sense. They had last seen Megatron not two hours ago when they had left on maneuvers. What could possibly have happened while they were gone? Thundercracker interrupted him in his thoughts.

"Umm,", Thundercracker started, his mouth undergoing what humans would refer to as 'going dry', "since when did Megatron have two right legs?"

Six pairs of optics stared down at the aforementioned appendage. There, melted into Megatron's leg, was another leg propped at a strange angle.

Just as Starscream was beginning to wish that he had heeded his earlier instincts and flown away, Megatron stepped, or rather stumbled out from behind the rock.

They all got a good look at what exactly was wrong with him.

And for once, Starscream was speechless.

*****

"You can't be serious."

Ratchet shook his head as he put the finishing touches on Ironhide's new leg. The operation had been fairly long and difficult and had done nothing to quell the medic's bad mood. The answer to his 'how did you do this' question hadn't helped matters.

Ironhide grimaced. He knew he was going to be on the receiving end of one of Ratchet's trademark speeches about being more careful around lasers and whatnot and immediately wished it was his audio sensors that had been damaged instead of his freshly amputated right leg.

"Aw, come on Ratch…", he managed before Ratchet cut him off.

"I'm not coming on! Primus, I thought you'd have known better than to set the sentry drones to level 12!"

"But it was for training! The drones are about the next best thing to a Decepticon at that level. It's good practice."

Ratchet snorted out a laugh. "Good practice, is it? More like a good way to get a free amputation." He gestured at Ironhide's new leg. He sighed. "I'm finished. You can go now."

Just as Ironhide started to test the limb Brawn came running in.

"There you are", he said, addressing Ironhide. "Prime wants us to mobilize outside the Ark. Looks like a few Decepticons are ripping up Los Angles."

Ironhide's face broke into a grin. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go kick some Decepticon ass!"

Ratchet watched as his comrades raced out of the Medbay, no doubt ready to take a couple of laser blasts to various points of the body. In his more irrational moments, he speculated that they got injured on purpose, just to annoy him. It would certainly explain the frequency of their visits to the operating table.

He sat down heavily in a nearby chair and signed deeply. He could probably expect to be working on that leg again later.

"Why", Ratchet intoned, gazing at the ceiling, "do I bother?"

TBC.

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