Note: This takes place during four certain episodes. It shouldn't be hard to figure out which ones.
Also, I am well aware that weasels are not minks and vice versa. The constant use of "weasel" is a reference to her character and not her beast mode.

Weasels and Webs
Part 1

Mercy sighed as she finished heaving the last bunch of rubble out of her ship. Her ego was still bruised, and cleaning out the remains of her home wasn't soothing it.
She amended that thought-- her ship was in decent condition overall. The propulsion system and hologram were fried, but Megatron hadn't been cruel enough to punch a hole in the hull to let the elements in.

More likely, cruelty had nothing to do with it. He probably wanted to keep her in good working order so she would be useful for whatever he had planned.

Mercy went back inside, pushing a button to bring up the ramp and close her ship.

Megatron did have something planned for her, she was sure of it. He wanted her for something.

Mercy gritted her teeth. She was taking this far too personally. This was business. His damaging her ship, her dealings with both factions, her presence on Earth- especially her presence on Earth- it was all business. To treat the aforementioned situations as anything but professional invited unnecessary obstacles, like hard feelings.

Still, Mercy was not looking forward to engaging in future endeavors with the Predacons.

Attempting to abandon negative thoughts and concentrate on the present, the mercenary picked up a rag and began cleaning the various computer screens that had managed to accumulate dust again.

Standing precariously on the top of a chair, Mercy wiped away the last bit of soot from her ceiling. Putting her hands on her hips, she surveyed her handiwork, still standing on the chair. A smell of char remained throughout the cabin, but at least it was clean.

In retrospect, she shouldn't have lingered, because a knock on the hull surprised her enough to upset her balance and fall forward. She caught herself just before her face hit the floor.

She stood up, righted her equilibrium, then punched in a command for her security cameras to do a sweep of the outside.

Because she was still feeling off her game, and because the visitor was a suspicious one, to say the least, the mercenary frowned when a camera fixed on the Transformer waiting with a very impatient look.

But business was business. Mercy let down the ramp, allowing the Predacon female to come inside.

"Can I help you?" Mercy entreated in her nicest voice, a pleasant smile on her face.

"Why else would I be here?" was the reply. The nature of Mercy's smile changed from pleasant to borderline nasty.

"Then let's get on with it, shall we?"

"If I wanted you to work for me for four solar cycles, how much would it cost me?"

"It depends on what you want me to do, " Mercy said, her manner turning businesslike. "If it's something like--"

The spider cut her off. "I want you to do nothing."

"Nothing?" Smiling would be inappropriate, so she let her confusion show.

"Slag, and I was hoping you were intelligent." The spider's disappointment seemed genuine.

"I'm sorry, maybe I don't understand the concept of paying someone for nothing." Mercy's smile returned. "Perhaps it's because you're feeling charitable? An awfully Maximal thing to do, don't you think?"

Mercy loved playing Maximal and Predacon beliefs off of one another. Such behavior wasn't good for getting a job though, so she rarely shared her fun with anyone else. They tended to take it badly.

Instead of storming off like Mercy expected, the Predacon glared cold hatred at her, more intensely than bots normally did. The mink noticed she might've hit a sore spot.

"Do you want the job or not?" the spider said.

"Miss-"

"Blackarachnia."

"Why, exactly, Blackarachnia, do you want me to do nothing for four whole days?"

"Since when does a mercenary question the motives of a potential employer?"

"It's a conditional agreement. Tell me or no deal."

"I'm going to try something and I don't want you around to mess it up. The best way to see to that is to buy you off."

Clever. Blackarachnia didn't want to risk Megatron or Optimus hiring Mercy to get in the spider's way. And she was willing to pay Mercy to do it.

"So how much?" Blackarachnia asked.

"Lucky for you, I need more immediate compensation than money." Mercy jerked a thumb over her shoulder, at the remains of the engine. "Know anything about transwarp engines?"

Blackarachnia cackled. "There isn't a chance in the Pit that that thing could be fixed."

"How about scanners? Know how to fix those?"

"Why would Megatron bother with scanning systems?"

Mercy went to the command console, bent down, and removed a maintenance panel.

"He didn't, but I think they were damaged by the smoke. They haven't worked right ever since." Mercy had only passing knowledge of how her ship's internal systems worked, and this was beyond her.

Blackarachnia joined Mercy, looking in on the wires and circuits that were housed under the console.

"Give me twenty cycles."

"And you know that if my scanners aren't working right, the contract's terminated?"

"Understood."

"Well, then. We have a deal."

Both femmes smiled at the other. Neither meant it.

Mercy wisely hadn't let on, but she had been planning on taking the next couple of days off, anyways. She wanted some time to relax, take a breather. After that, it was game on once again.

But this! This was better! She was under "mandatory R&R" and her scanners were working. Now, she could sit back and watch the sparks fly.

And sit back she did. She even had her feet propped up on the console. Rest and relaxation indeed.

She remained like that for several megacycles, dozing in and out of sleep, staring at the roof, watching her newly repaired scanners pick nothing up but a few Predacons hanging around the Maximal base.

Mercy frowned at the blips. There was a potential battle, and she was contractually sidelined. Maybe this was a bad time to be kicking back and doing nothing.

But she didn't have a choice. A deal was a deal, and Mercy had her reputation to uphold. For a mercenary, reputation was everything. No one would hire a merc who dropped a job when a better one came along.

Besides, this was the Beast Wars. Battles happened all the time. That's why it was so good to be on Earth- nothing was ever peaceful for long.

More Predacon blips joined the ones that were already at the base. By the looks of it, nearly the entire Predacon force was there.

And then the blips began going away from the Maximal base. A retreat? How awful for them!

Mercy smiled. Served Megatron right. Maybe he'd get Mercy on board next time, to strengthen his numbers. Of course, Mercy would make sure to have the contract stipulate that she'd get paid no matter what the outcome.

Mercy didn't think over the Maximals' apparent victory long. A much larger blip suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Judging by the size, it wasn't a Transformer- it was a ship!

Mercy typed in a command to trace the ship's engine signature- Predacon. The upside was that it wasn't a Maximal ship, come to take the wayward 'bots home.

But a Predacon signature wasn't much better. Worse, some mercenaries used Predacon ships and never bothered to change or mask the energy signature the engine put out. Mercy could have competition.

This was going to require action on her part. She might be getting paid to do nothing, but that only applied to Maximals and Predacons. Mercenaries- true mercenaries, anyways- were neutral. She could do whatever she wanted to a fellow merc.

Scowling, Mercy left her largely defenseless ship, closed it up behind her, and headed for the Maximal base as fast as her mink legs could take her.

Mercy was still scowling when she arrived. If the newcomer was a mercenary (and by then, she'd convinced herself it was), it was going to seriously regret setting foot on her turf.

Then Mercy saw the ship, and thoughts of maiming a fellow merc vanished. That was no mercenary ship. The Predacons would never let a mercenary have that kind of equipment. No, whoever piloted that thing was here on official Predacon business.

Not wanting to chance being spotted by anyone inside the Maximal ship, Mercy took cover behind some smashed rubble that hadn't been there the last time Mercy set foot on Maximal territory. And, judging by the Predacon symbol on the remains of a chip, the rubble had been intended to be something other than remain.
And there Mercy sat. She didn't have to wait long before the Maximals filed out, following a panther-esque 'bot she didn't recognize, sporting a Predacon symbol on his shoulder. He looked like he meant business.

Mercy tried to hide without looking like she was. It didn't work, and Optimus spotted her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, justifiably suspicious.

"Nothing," she replied with a smile. She was doing exactly what she was supposed to be. "Do you mind if I ask what you're doing?"

"Nothin' that concerns you," Rattrap told her, walking into the Predacon's ship.

Mercy kept the smile plastered to her face.

But, contract bound as she was, she maintained her seat behind the rubble as the Maximals boarded the Predacon cruiser, then watched as the ship took off, clearly heading toward the Predacon base.

Didn't concern her?! Mercy got to her feet, seething. Didn't concern her? Of course this concerned her! A well-armed ship full of Maximals was heading toward the Predacon stronghold! Whatever the outcome- whether the Predacon had captured the Maximals and was taking them to Megatron, or for some strange reason the Predacon was taking the Maximals to do battle against Megaton- the Beast Wars would be over! Mercy would be without a job!

A long sprint to the Predacon base did not lift her spirits. The ship, along with the Maximals, was indeed attacking the Predacons. It was an all-out battle, and Mercy was helpless to change its course. The Predacon troops were unable to defend their home from the ship.

Mercy ducked behind a rock as Blackarachnia flew away on her own tiny ship, noting that it didn't look like the latter intended to retreat. The spider no doubt had her own plans, as evinced by her earlier meeting with the mercenary.

Blackarachnia wasn't worth worrying about at the moment. Down at the Predacon base, the battle quickly came to an end. The Maximals and the (rogue?) Predacon went inside, and after several cycles, exited with Megatron bound and in tow.

That was it; Megatron was captured. The end of the Beast Wars had come. Mercy could practically hear her job security come crashing down around her.
Now what was she supposed to do?

...Nothing, of course. The war may have been over, but her contract with Blackarachnia was still perfectly valid.

Mercy headed homeward, trying to tell herself that at least she didn't have to rush anywhere anymore. Somehow, that didn't make her feel better.