Well, I'm finally back from that vacation I took. It felt like I was away forever, it feels really good to be home now. At least I can sleep in tomorrow and I hope I don't have to deal with 95-degree weather anymore. Enough rambling, here's the next chapter.

Chapter Five: My Friend

Mercy managed to survive the rest of the week without incident. Brittany wore tennis shoes for the rest of the week and just simply ignored Mercy in the process. The android went to gym class, even though Coach Hill criticized her every time she did something right or wrong, it didn't matter. Try as she might, Mercy knew she would never gain the respect of her classmates and teachers. She really didn't care to impress them anyway.

It was Sunday night and the girl sat on her bed looking out the window. Thick, black clouds covered the sky. Every now and then there would be a small break in the clouds and Mercy would get a quick glimpse of the moon and then the clouds would consume it again. "A narrow escape," Mercy thought not realizing her telepathic link was open, "To escape through the clouds then be swallowed by the sickly pale light of the moon and the flickering light of the stars. Curse the light and its false beauty."

Her thoughts didn't make much sense, but yet that was just Mercy's personality. Opening the window in her room, she carefully removed the screen and leaned out into the bitterly cold night, of course it only felt like a chill to her. A gentle breeze blew dancing with the locks of her hair as if begging her to come outside and play.

The snow had come quickly that year; in fact, it first fell after Megatron arrived. It had snowed all week leaving deep drifts of white across the land. The breeze picked up some loose snow and created a brief whirlwind before it disappeared into the night. "So frozen, so cold," she thought, "Numb and limited. I don't want to be limited. I want to be free from this frozen world, free like an eternal flame."

"Suck it up Mercy. Your pathetic rambling is driving me insane."

"No one asked for your opinion."

A pain ripped through Mercy's head causing her to cringe and turn away from the window. Mercy could feel Megatron's hands clawing into her CPU as if trying to rip it apart.

"What was that Mercy?"

"A mistake."

"Correct, now what do you say?"

Mercy knew that Megatron was taunting her, trying to make her suffering last as long as possible. Putting a hand to her head she replied, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again Megatron."

"That's what you said last time Mercy, which was this morning. It seems you don't know how to learn from your mistakes."

"So what do I have to say now?"

"How about you think of something on your own? Unless that is of course, you enjoy the pain."

Mercy was quiet for a few moments trying to think of the right words to say. Finally she stated, "Alright, I'm wrong, you're right. Since you know best, I apologize for what I said I'll respect you as the one who is in charge." Mercy knew she was lying, but she was also hoping that this would convince Megatron to end the horrid pain.

"And how am I supposed to know you're not lying?"

"I promise."

"Your promises mean nothing."

"Then I guess you'll have to wait and see."

"Mercy, I am leader of the decepticons; it is best you not lie to me like you do."

"Was I supposed to take that as a threat?"

Megatron wanted to send out another wave of pain but held back since Mercy did not know the meaning of the word decepticon.

"Mercy, have you even the slightest idea as to what my reputation is?"

"Like every other super villains, you're a power thirsty maniac seeking universal domination and you use fear to get what you want," Mercy stated trying desperately to massage the pain out of her head. It felt like a migraine, only fifty times worse.

"You forgot a part."

"End the pain and enlighten me as to what that missing part is."

"Do not order me around."

"Alright."

There was a silence between them for a few moments. Megatron was out in the living room sitting on the couch. He had been thinking about what he was going to do once he was really alive again instead of his ghostly form. He knew the first thing he would do was kill Mercy. Once she was taken care of, he would return to Cybertron and build up an army to lead against the autobots.

Megatron had the hardest time thinking of what to convince his troops to fight for. The decepticon leader had many things he wanted to accomplish that would merely benefit himself. Killing his arched foe Optimus Prime was his main goal at the moment; control of Cybertron was next, and then the universe. The decepticon knew whoever had a weakness for power would follow him in the hopes they'd be guaranteed some. Finding troops was the least of his worries. His main concern right now was standing Mercy long enough to return to the living.

"Hello! Earth to Megatron, I'm still in pain here," Mercy suddenly called snapping the silence between them.

"If I end the pain, will you shut up?"

"Yes, but I still want to hear the missing part of your reputation."

"Fine, but you better live up to your end of the bargain or you'll be going to bed with a bloody nose."

"Fair enough," Mercy exclaimed and felt the pain slowly die away from her head.

Megatron entered Mercy's room only to discover the girl sitting by a wide-open window with the screen removed. She glanced over at him then turned back to the window. Slipping the screen back into its proper place and then shutting the window, Mercy asked, "Just how evil are you?"

The decepticon leader smirked as she turned and faced him. He was delighted that Mercy had worded the question that way. Sitting on the sofa he answered, "Evil."

Mercy grinned at this, "Have you ever killed anyone?"

"Killed anyone? I'm the slayer of countless thousands Mercy, not only do I use fear to get what I want, I kill. Anyone who stands in my way I eliminate them," Megatron explained, "I lie, I steal, I hate, and I murder. I want control of this universe and Optimus Prime lying dead at my feet. I will not stop until I get both."

Mercy seemed engrossed in his words and asked, "Who's Optimus Prime?"

"My foe, the one who killed me and put me in this state."

"The other robot from my dream?"

"Yes, he'll be one of the first to die once I get back."

"One of the first? Who else do you plan on killing?"

"You wouldn't know them," Megatron lied so Mercy wouldn't get any ideas.

"Oh," Mercy mused for a moment then said, "Wish I could have a reputation like that."

"Leave out the word wish and new possibilities are presented to you."

Mercy revised her sentence and smiled wickedly. Megatron noticed and commanded, "Don't you dare try to go and stir up trouble. That's the last thing we need right now. Now go to bed, it's getting late and you have school tomorrow."

"I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"If all you need to do is keep me alive and away from trouble, why don't you just lock me up in a room somewhere?"

Megatron grinned, "I wish it were that simple. I'm feeding off your energy Mercy, to build up my dark energy. Once my dark energy is replenished, I can restore myself. Now go to bed."

This time Mercy did as Megatron said. The decepticon leader flicked off the light and Mercy fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning Mercy awoke, got ready, and headed off to school. Megatron accompanied her as usual in his invisible state. He was slowly starting to make this a habit since going to the school was indeed more interesting than just staying at Mercy's home all day.

Mercy didn't know where Megatron went once she got to school, but she assumed he stayed close to her since he always seemed to know what she was doing. It didn't really bother her as to where he went, and thus she let him freely roam the school. It wasn't like she could set limitations on him anyway.

As soon as Mercy sat in homeroom she knew something was up. Her teacher eyed her for a couple seconds and then said, "Mercy, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Mercy asked suspiciously not at all liking the sounds of this.

"Mr. Cushiant informed me this morning that there is a new student from another state joining us."

"Is she in this homeroom?"

"Yes. Since she won't know her way around the school and since you have the exact same schedule as her, I was hoping you could help her out and show her around."

"No one else has the exact same schedule as her?"

"Well, no one in this homeroom does. Will you please do this Mercy?"

"What's her name?"

"Brenna Meyers."

Mercy was quiet for a few moments and then stated, "Alright."

"Thank you Mercy."

Mercy didn't say anything and fiddled with her books instead. She was not the least bit thrilled about doing this. A few minutes later Mr. Cushiant came into the room with a girl Mercy had never seen before. The girl glanced at Mercy and a smile formed on her pierced lip. Mercy got a good look at the girl.

Brenna was wearing a blue jean miniskirt with fishnet stockings. She wore high heel boots that were black and shiny. She wore a white t-shirt with a black corset. Her perfectly straight hair fell just below her shoulder blades and was dyed black. Her eyes were green and outlined with a thick line of black eye liner. Her nose, right eyebrow, and both ears were pierced along with her lip. Mercy returned the smile.

"I don't like the looks of her."

"Talk about gothic and emo. I like it."

"Mercy, I don't want you to go near her. She looks like nothing but trouble."

"Do you think I look any better?"

"Well, no, but after today I do not want you to socialize with her again. Understood?"

"We'll see."

"Do not try my patience Mercy."

Mercy ignored him and waited patiently as Brenna was introduced to the teacher of the homeroom. A few minutes later Mr. Cushiant left the room and the teacher glanced towards Mercy then turned his attention back to Brenna.

"Mercy," the teacher called.

"Yes?" Mercy asked turning her attention to Brenna and her superior.

"Brenna, this is Mercy LeCroix. She has the same schedule as you and will be showing you around today," the teacher explained, "Let me just warn you though, Mercy can be quite the oddball."

Brenna smirked and said, "We'll see about that."

"Mercy, why don't you take Brenna to her locker?"

"If you insist," Mercy stated getting up from her chair, "Which one is it?"

"Mr. What's-His-Face said it was number 2024," Brenna exclaimed.

"Then let's go," Mercy responded and both girls left the room together.

For a few moments there was an awkward silence between them. Brenna noticed people staring and whispering. She mused, "They must be looking at me."

"Well, they're whispering about me," Mercy answered.

"Any idea if it's good or bad?"

"Most likely bad. Brenna, if you're looking to make friends and become popular, don't hangout with me."

"Let me guess, you're the classic social reject."

"That just about sums my reputation up."

"Why do your peers hate you?"

"I don't know, why do they hate me?"

"Probably because your different. Every high school needs someone they can pick on, you just so happen to be that someone."

"And how would you know?"

"I'm in your shoes LeCroix."

Mercy rolled her eyes and the girls arrived at the lockers. Brenna found hers and proceeded to open it and put her stuff inside.

"So how come you moved here?" Mercy asked.

"My parents, and mostly me, wanted to get myself away from someone."

"Is it any of my business to ask who?"

"Some guy several years older than me that has been stalking me for the last year. Things started getting bad so we moved," Brenna explained.

"Oh," Mercy exclaimed, "You're parents must really care about you."

"They care too much if you ask me," Brenna replied noticing Mercy's mood darken a bit, "What about your parents?"

"They abandoned me a couple years ago. I live on my own now."

"You WHAT!?"

"Shhh, keep it down. No one else knows and I'd like to keep it that way."

"How the hell do you get money to pay the bills, buy food and clothing?"

"My parents send money through the mail, enough to get me by."

"LeCroix, that's terrible, you should tell someone."

"I just did."

"Besides me."

"Why bother? No one cares."

"I do."

"I don't need your sympathy Brenna."

"Well then I'll force feed it to you. Come by my house after school," Brenna said shutting her locker.

"Tell her you can't Mercy, or else."

"I can't Brenna, there's stuff I need to do at home and—

"Alright, but I'm giving you a ride home so you don't have to walk outside in that freezing weather."

"The cold doesn't bother me, I'm used to it," Mercy explained.

"I insist," Brenna persisted.

"No, I don't want her to know where you live."

"She'll just follow me."

"Hm…you're probably right. Have her drop you off at the wrong house."

"What if she wants to come inside or she waits for me to go in?"

"Primus Mercy, I don't know."

Mercy thought quickly and then remarked, "Brenna, I have an after school detention that I have to go to tonight that goes until 4:30."

"4:30? Well, that's the time my parents get home from work and they'll expect me home so…maybe you can skip this detention."

"I skipped one last week, I can't afford another."

"Maybe tomorrow then," Brenna mused and the two girls headed back to homeroom.

"Good one Mercy, now don't socialize with her anymore than you need to."

"I'll try to avoid her as much as possible, though I don't understand why you're overreacting like this."

"Have you seen that girl? If you hang out with her, you'll just end up in a whole new world of trouble."

"What are you, my father now?"

"Don't mock me Mercy."

The bell rang and Mercy took Brenna to their first class of the day. Everything went okay the rest of the morning, until lunch. Mercy was accustomed to not eating, or not even going to the cafeteria at all. Normally, she went outside, even though it was winter, and spent her forty minutes getting fresh air and thinking.

Brenna caught up with her though at her locker. Mercy was forced to show the new girl where the lunchroom was since she didn't know. Once they got to the cafeteria, the android exclaimed, "Welcome to the cafeteria Brenna. Just hop in that lunch line there and you'll be alright."

"Aren't you coming?" Brenna asked.

"No."

"Where are you going?"

"Outside, for the whole period."

"You'll freeze! C'mon and sit with me LeCroix," Brenna persisted, "Besides, you'll need something to eat."

"I don't have any money Brenna."

"Well then I'll loan you some."

"Honestly I'm not hungry."

"Not hungry? What'd you have for breakfast?"

"Unleaded oil," Mercy thought to herself then replied, "Cereal."

"That's not enough to get you through the day. C'mon," Brenna said pulling Mercy into the cafeteria.

Reluctantly Mercy followed Brenna through the lunchroom and sat at one of the empty tables while Brenna made her way through the lunch line. Mercy thought about leaving, but decided to be nice for once and stay put.

"I don't like how she's pushing you around Mercy."

"You don't act any better."

"That's because I have every right to push you around."

"Pft. And I have none?"

"Precisely, but we're off topic. Brenna is distracted, leave the cafeteria now."

Mercy glanced over and saw Brenna was talking with Brittany. "Why that little traitor," Mercy thought angrily.

"What did I tell you Mercy?"

"You said she'd only bring trouble, nothing about betrayal."

"Betrayal was a subtopic of trouble."

"Sure."

"Will you just leave? You've tried my patience enough as is."

"As you command," Mercy sighed mentally and went to get up from the table when both Brittany and Brenna came over.

Both girls took seats across from Mercy and the android remarked, "I'll be going."

"No stay," Brittany commanded looking as sweet as she possibly could.

"What do you want Brittany?" Mercy asked sounding annoyed.

"Well, Brenna and I chatted earlier and we both agree that you need a piercing," Brittany explained.

"Piercing! Are you insane? Not only do I not want one, but I can't afford one."

"I'll pay," Brenna said grinning wither her own pierced lip.

"And I'm picking the part of your body," Brittany exclaimed happily.

Mercy could hardly believe that Brenna had gotten Brittany in on this, or maybe it was the other way around.

"Leave now Mercy."

Brittany examined Mercy carefully then said, "Not your ears, you don't need them to stand out anymore than they already do. Not your naval, hmm…I got it! Your tongue!"

"My…tongue?"

"Of course, now I checked the after school detention list and you must be mistaken because your name's not on it."

"Well, I'll make sure it is by the end of the day."

"No worries, your appointment is at 3:00, ten minutes before school lets out, I've already called and scheduled it. Me and Brenna are taking you," Brittany remarked.

"I can't just leave school—

Brittany set a permit to leave school down on the table in front of Mercy. "You better come LeCroix, or else," the prep threatened and left the table.

"I hate you Brenna," Mercy exclaimed putting her head down on the table.

"Sorry LeCroix, but karma will come back around and bite me in the butt."

Mercy smirked, "And I'll be there to see that."

"You know LeCroix, you're not that bad of a person."

Mercy lifted her head from the table, "Then you don't really know me."

"I know you well enough," Brenna exclaimed, "You know, no one deserves to be insulted or harassed alone."

"Are you saying you want to join me in my struggle against the rest of the world?"

"If you didn't mind."

"Welcome to the dark side my friend," Mercy said while grinning.

Mercy arrived home and hour later than usual. Brenna had allowed her to walk home, much to the android's relief. Now all she had to do was live through Megatron's wrath since it was obvious he knew that she had gotten her tongue pierced, though she really hadn't wanted to.

"Let me see," Megatron demanded emerging from the hallway. He hadn't gone to the body piercing shop.

"No, 'cause you'll just rip it out and that'll hurt more than what the piercing did," Mercy protested kicking off her shoes, dumping her backpack from her shoulders, and heading towards the bathroom where there was a mirror.

Megatron blocked the way saying, "Let me see."

Mercy glanced up at him and he grabbed her jaw bone firmly. "Let me see," he repeated once again.

Reluctantly Mercy slid her tongue out of her mouth. On it was a small black sphere. Megatron shook his head and let her go and Mercy slid her tongue back in her mouth.

"Take it out before I do," Megatron commanded.

"I was planning on doing that anyway," Mercy retorted.

The decepticon leader crossed his arms, "I don't like that new girl."

"So? There's nothing you can do about her."

"Stay away from her Mercy."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no," Mercy exclaimed and her left cheek met Megatron's fist. She managed to hold her ground, but stepped back from the angered tyrant anyway.

"That girl is just trouble."

"You can't decide my friends."

Megatron grabbed her by the hair and lifted her two feet to his optic level, "I can and I will. You will not socialize with that girl what so ever. Do you understand me?"

"You don't even know her."

"She made you get a piercing."

"That was Brittany."

"And her."

"Why are you so concerned?" Mercy asked thinking her metallic skin was going to be ripped off her head.

"I don't want you getting in trouble with your teachers, or principal, or the police, or anyone. The last thing we need is them showing up here."

"Why would they come here?" Mercy asked.

"They'd find reasons," Megatron answered, "Now do you understand?"

"Yes," Mercy hissed through pain and Megatron set her down. The girl glared at him then walked by him and to her room.

"Don't forget to take that miserable thing out of your tongue."

Megatron didn't get a response and thus satisfied himself by thinking about how he would kill Optimus Prime…and Mercy.

Whew, another long chapter. Not as long as the last one but still pretty long. Please review!!