Well, it's about time I was able to update. School is such a drag, but I'm off until January second when I have to go back, but anyways, I plan on updating all my stories, starting with this one. So, enjoy!
Chapter Twelve: Runaway
Monday morning came too fast for Mercy...exceptionally fast. It was like Sunday never happened, but it was this morning in particular that the android did not want to go to school. Nobody wants to go to school, many teachers don't, and especially the students. But Mercy couldn't help but feel that something dreadful was going to happen, she could feel the uncertainty swelling and pulsing in her abdomen, and it was starting to twist her nerves into a knot, a sickeningly tight knot. As she brushed her hair in the bathroom mirror, she thought about asking Megatron if she could stay home. There was no telling what he would think, but she knew for sure that he'd ask what was going on and Mercy didn't know what to tell him. Setting the brush on the bathroom sink, she looked at herself in the mirror.
Suddenly she saw herself wearing an orange prison suit and standing in front of camera holding up a sign as the police took her picture. The officer at the camera took the picture without warning and Mercy was blinded for a few seconds before her vision came back in wonderfully annoying blots of pink, green, blue, and purple. Mercy blinked furiously a couple times and then realized she was still in her bathroom, her hands gripping the edge of the sink tightly. Nothing had changed...she hadn't gone anywhere, she was still home, she was still safe.
Turning away from the mirror, she looked to the door only to see Megatron standing in the door frame with his arms crossed. Mercy felt a breath catch in her throat and had to swallow in order to snap herself back from surprise. Ever since Saturday...when she had nearly drowned...she didn't view Megatron the same way. She respected him now, that was a given...but there was something else there...friendship maybe...it was what she felt with Brenna...only stronger.
"Is everything alright?" Megatron questioned though he sounded like even if Mercy told him something was wrong, he wouldn't care.
"I'm fine," she replied, her voice quiet.
Megatron raised an optic ridge and then said, "If you say so...let's go."
She nodded and watched as Megatron walked away and to the kitchen. Mercy glanced at herself in the mirror one last time and then left the bathroom where she met the decepticon leader in the kitchen. She grabbed her backpack and put it on the table where she a put a few books inside. As she was about to zip it shut, Megatron handed her a small piece of paper. The android took it and read it, finding out it was a note to the attendance office explaining her absence on Friday. Forgetting that she had needed this, she thanked Megatron and put it in her pocket. She could feel Megatron's optics burning into her as she went to the closet to grab her coat. As she put the coat on, she looked to the decepticon only to catch his fiery blue gaze. Feeling uncomfortable, she looked down as she did the zipper and pulled her hair out from underneath the coat. He was still watching her as she looked up and she scowled saying, "Stop staring."
"What's wrong?"
The android had forgotten that Megatron was an expert body language reader. She didn't have to open her mouth and verbally give him the clue that something was wrong, he could just look at her and know. The android knew he was too smart for his own good. Walking back over to the table and grabbing her closed backpack she replied, "It doesn't matter." And she went to the door and left the house.
Megatron went invisible and followed close behind though Mercy couldn't tell since she couldn't see him. "If you ask me, you seem a bit more paranoid than usual."
"What gives you that clue? I'm not the one staring at me."
"No...what's bothering you?"
"I just feel like something is going to happen...something bad."
"Don't tell me you've been experimenting with ESP while I haven't been watching. Mercy, it's just school, what could possibly happen at that bore fest?"
"For your information, sir, it's more of a germ fest than boring."
"I didn't ask for your opinion, android."
Mercy hated how he was still so mean to her. He acted as if Saturday never happened...well...as if Saturday afternoon and night had never happened. Sunday morning, well, there really wasn't one. When Mercy had woken up, Megatron was already up and in the kitchen. From the dreary expression that had been on his face that morning, she knew that he hadn't stayed with her all night...not even close to all night.
"Mercy, are you going to tell me or not?"
"There's nothing to tell."
And the decepticon leader didn't say anything in reply. She knew Megatron wouldn't be left in doubt for long either, he would find out what was wrong with her. Mercy didn't know what to say though...she just had that nagging feeling that just wouldn't go away, and for the second time in her life, she was really worried and so glad to have Megatron with her.
The android sighed heavily as the school came into view. She carefully crossed the street and cut across the school parking lot and went over to the door where she entered. Mercy headed up to her locker feeling sick with anticipation. The stairs seemed even steeper this morning, and it felt like forever had gone by before she finally made it up them. Her locker seemed to appear before her and she fumbled with the lock trying to get the combination right so she could open her locker. She messed up and had to try again...and again...and yet again.
Mercy kicked her locker in frustration causing a couple of the students to look at her and then return to their conversations. She hated this. There was no doubt Megatron was watching every movement she was making, and no doubt being utterly convinced that something was wrong with her. There was no telling though if he was watching her with a sick amusement or with angry embarrassment. Cheeks flushed with fury, Mercy tried the lock one last time.
Her locker popped open.
Sighing, she put her backpack inside and then grabbed her chemistry book, binder, and a pencil. She slammed her locker shut trying to get some revenge on it for upsetting her and making her look like a fool. Satisfied for the first time that morning, Mercy then headed to the attendance office. Once inside, she gave the secretary the note Megatron wrote explaining her absence. The secretary glanced at the note before scribbling something down on a piece of paper and gave the paper to her. Mercy didn't even bother to glance at it as she crumpled it inside her pocket and left the office.
She then went to her homeroom, where she sat down at her desk and sighed...fifteen minutes soon passed...and Mercy found herself walking through the halls making her way to chemistry. Out of all her classes, chemistry was the one she hated the most. And when she entered the room, she had another image flash through her CPU of prison. Mercy paused in the doorway for a moment before she finally convinced herself to move forward and collapse into her seat.
"Mercy..."
His voice was a powerful whisper...and the android shivered. She felt like she was going to cry, something terrible was going to happen, she could feel it in the air, she could smell it, taste it, she only had yet to hear it and see it.
"You're scared..."
"Megatron..."
Her thoughts were flooding into Megatron's head as whimpers. She couldn't help it. She felt like she was drowning in the river again...and when the bell rang, she nearly jumped out of her skin causing some of her classmates to laugh and violently snap her back into reality. "Calm down, she told herself, just calm down."
Mr. Marx started class and Mercy couldn't pay attention to him, no matter how hard she tried. The only things that had her attention were the clock, the doorway, and the empty hall. A student shuffled and Mercy jumped again, but not as grandly as she had when the bell had rang. This was going to be a long class...longer than usual for a Monday morning. And Mercy dreaded with each second that passed that she was one second closer to finding out what was in store for her that day.
Suddenly there was a footstep on the stairs and the android felt a thorn of panic prick at her heart. Mercy listened carefully and soon heard more footsteps...more footsteps than what belonged to one person...there was at least two or three people coming up the stairs. And they weren't talking, there was absolutely no chatter between them. They couldn't have been students, students would have been chatting their lives away, stomping carefree up the stairs until a teacher came out and yelled at them for disrupting their class.
"Mercy, prepare yourself, your superintendent and two police officers are coming up the stairs, there's no doubt that they're here to see you."
Mercy knew what was going to happen, and it slipped out of her mouth accidentally, "They're going to arrest me."
Her classmates along with Mr. Marx gave her confused looks until Mr. Clarkson and two police officers appeared behind him in the doorway. Mercy swallowed and felt the knot had moved up to her throat, trying to choke her, and she almost wished it would.
"Mercy LeCroix," said one of the policemen as he stepped into the classroom, "You are under arrest for the murder of Brenna Meyers."
He took out a pair of handcuffs and caused Mercy to slowly get up from her seat. The policeman made a careful advance on her saying, "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."
Mercy tried backing away, but something was behind her preventing her from going anywhere. A familiar surface...a surface she had rested against before.
"Megatron?"
"Don't say anything Mercy...nothing at all."
And before Mercy could say anything in reply, Megatron was no longer behind her. Her safety felt gone, though she had never really felt safe, and she felt vulnerable. What if Megatron had abandoned her? What if he allowed her to be arrested? There was no telling what Megatron had planned, what his evil mind had scheming. Without warning, the silver handcuffs that were in the officer's hands were thrown to the back of the chemistry lab...and Megatron appeared, to everyone.
Everyone but Mercy gasped, and everyone but Mercy was confused and startled by what was now standing in the center of the room. The android was awed nonetheless that Megatron was doing this...revealing himself to everyone...protecting her.
"W-What are you?" the police officer asked bewildered.
"It doesn't matter," Megatron replied and causing the officer to jump.
No one had expected this robot to talk...fluently...in English. And the officer took a step back when Megatron's hand began to pulse with blue electricity. The second police officer took out his gun and opened fire upon Megatron. Students screamed and some cowered under their desks.
Megatron narrowed his optics at the officer and looked around the room. His optics fell on Brittany Smith and a wicked grin appeared on his face. Grabbing her by her blonde hair, he lifted her from her seat. "You," he said, "You were the one I didn't like."
"H-How do you know me?" stuttered the prep girl.
"Through Mercy, now, you'll never speak to her again, understand?"
"Yes," she whimpered.
"Good," he replied and pressed his electrified fist against her.
Time froze as Brittany screamed and then Megatron dropped her to the tile floor, lifeless and unmoving...her shirt melted to her side. Megatron then looked to Mercy who was wide-eyed with fright and amusement. She looked back at him and breathed, "Megatron..."
"I told you not to speak Mercy."
The second police officer jumped all over this saying, "Mercy, you know this machine...this...monstrosity! And you kept it from us, from the public! Is he the one who killed Brenna?"
Megatron rushed at the officer and grabbed him by the throat saying, "Killed Brenna? No, Mercy was the one who did that, but I, I will be the one to kill you, understand? Take your rotten comrade and leave now!"
The officer swallowed hard and shakily lifted his gun, firing into Megatron's abdomen. Megatron felt the bullet dent his armor, heard it bounce off, and smiled gleefully when the officer grimaced, blood slowly dripping onto the floor.
Satisfied, Megatron dropped him and went back over to Mercy, gathered her in his arms, and burst out through the window into the wintry world.
"Mercy, I hope you understand that we have to run now, you can't possibly go home."
"I understand."
"Why were you so worked up this morning?"
"I had a feeling something like this would happen."
Megatron only smirked, disappearing before anyone else saw him, and landed on the ground. He took Mercy's hand and they began to run. The law was behind them and they had to escape.
The uninjured police officer immediately called for backup explaining that an officer and civilian were down, and both needed immediate medical attention. On the other hand, Mr. Clarkson had ordered an immediate lock down of the school. Everyone was to stay where they were and not leave under any circumstances.
No one knew how to explain what had just happened...and nobody really wanted to know. When the officer had explained what had happened to Mercy, he was answered with silence. His last words to the dispatch were, "Don't let the media know about this."
Megatron led Mercy to the fairgrounds. He had picked this area as a place for a temporary and quick hideout a while ago, and he was glad he did. Glancing around, he concluded that no one was watching them...well, Mercy since she would be all anyone could see. The decepticon led the android over to the abandoned cow barn and paused. How were they supposed to get it in without it looking like someone had broke in?
Mercy nudged him and pointed to a broken window on the side of the barn, just big enough for the two of them to squeeze in through. Megatron and her went over to it, and the decepticon leader helped Mercy through before he went through himself. The android glanced around looking for some place that looked sanitary to sit. She finally decided on the far corner where there was a pile of dry hay that looked fresh...enough.
The decepticon leader watched Mercy for a moment and then said, "Be careful of rats and other vermin."
"Right, what about our footprints?"
"Don't worry, we're leaving here in the morning. I'm not sure where we're going to go yet, but we're getting as far out of this town as possible," he explained, "Be prepared to leave here at a moments notice."
"I will be."
"Good, now try and get some rest, it might be a while before you sleep again."
"What about you?"
Megatron glanced at her before looking to the door, "Just go to sleep."
Mercy leaned back against the hay, as itchy and uncomfortable as it was. It was cold in the barn though...and even when she dozed off, her sleep was extremely light because of her shivering. During one of these periods of her light sleep, she woke since Megatron was putting a blanket over her that he had found in the barn. Mercy went to thank him, but he walked away before she got the chance. She tried to go back to sleep, but the blanket was threadbare, and she had a difficult time since she was still shivering. The android felt sleep heavy on her eyes and was just about to doze off when she heard Megatron walk back over to her.
"You're temperature control system must have been damaged at some point," Megatron said and looked down at her.
"Or you didn't do a good job making it," she replied, her voice husky with tiredness.
Megatron smirked, "And I suppose I should just leave it broken now."
"Master...please..." she tried to plead, she just wanted to sleep comfortably.
"Damn you Mercy, I'm going to be picking hay out of my joints for weeks because of this," he remarked settling himself beside her and pulling her tightly against him.
She rolled over so she was facing him and rested her head under his chin, "Thank you, Megatron." And she fell asleep, her shivering subsiding.
Megatron lightly shook his head. Mercy's skin was warm, and after being cold for so long, Megatron didn't realize how good it felt to be warm again. His optics flared online. Something was happening between him and Mercy, something he didn't know, and something he was sure as hell he didn't want to happen. He had to come back to life soon, the sooner he and Mercy were apart, the better. Megatron refused to allow their relationship to get any closer than it already was, after tonight, anything like this was never going to happen again. And he would make sure of it...even if there was a part of him screaming at him not to. He couldn't listen.
"I am Megatron, leader of the decepticons," he thought, "And I belong to nobody."
Well, now you'll have to wait for chapter thirteen. Until then could you give me the best Christmas present ever...a review? Thank you all! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!