𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 ━ transformers

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲

I am tired of passing out. So, so tired of it.

When I wake again, I'm restrained. Memories come back in flashes, like photos being taken, shown to me sporadically as I sit up.

My hands are chained to a bed, a long metal slab that is freezing underneath my burning body. The walls around me are clear, a box that surrounds me in the worst way possible. I glance around, but there is no one around. I can hear air coming in through the vents, gears turning and electricity humming with life, but I can't figure out where I'm at.

The panic settles in when Starscream's face pops up in my memory. I flinch away from it, curling up in the corner of the bed, the corner of the box that they've stuck me in. I search my brain for any signs of him, but he is gone. I don't know if he was there in the first place, but my mind is quiet, undisturbed.

The only sign that it might have been real is the slight pinching in my head. I chalk it up to Galloway's men being rough with me because the alternative makes me sick.

A hiss sounds, and I glance forward. The gray wall is outlined by a door, one that slides open. Galloway walks in, followed by the man from a couple days ago, the one who might be Dad's boss. Dad is behind them, and there is a bruise on his face, blooming like an ugly, red flower that is getting darker by the second.

My stomach drops. So, it's true. Starscream was in my head. Dad tried to help me, to help get him out, and I showed my gratitude by shoving him halfway across the hangar. By hurting him.

Shame claws at me. I can't look at him. Starscream ruined yet another thing--tainted me once again.

When they reach my little box, Galloway's expression is smug, victorious. He got what he wanted, showed them that I was a threat. Dangerous. I was not to be trusted. He likes seeing me in this box, likes knowing that he was right.

"Miss Cambridge," he says with delight. "How are you feeling?"

Even though my voice is my own again, I do not respond. There is no point. I know what he wants, but he's not getting it. He can lock me away for as long as he wants to. I don't care anymore.

"Miss Cambridge." The man walks forward with his watery eyes and earnest demeanor. "I'm General Rollins. I am your father's boss. We just wanted to talk to you, get some perspective on what we witnessed."

There's no point in that. I don't know anything. Starscream is closer than ever, invading my mind and my life. He's made me hurt the ones closest to me, has completely ruined the only person who I thought was invincible.  

Cliffjumper is gone, my mind still empty. I don't trust myself because of it. Was Cliffjumper really here, or was it Starscream posing as him? Was the name used so he could get closer to me? So I wouldn't be frightened by the blue eyes like I am by the red? Is Cliffjumper actually dead?

The thought saddens me. I don't want him to be really dead, I realize. We have known each other for a short while, and even if he's fake, I have gotten used to his presence--to his arrogance and his malice and his despair. I want it back. I want the answers and he's the only one who can give them to me.

General Rollins continues, "Earlier, you went. . ."

"Ellie, you went crazy, okay?!" Dad says, throwing his arms up. "I've never seen anything like it. Your eye was glowing the brightest it ever has, and I think there was a flicker of-- well, nevermind that. Not important. What's important is that you were attacked somehow and you defended yourself. And it's not your fault, okay? Never has been, never will be, but we need to know what made you do it. We want to help."

Help. Sure. That's what they're saying now. It'll be different when I tell them that Starscream was in my head. That he was looking through my eyes. That he said something about my weak, human emotions. I wonder if he tried to take them away, if he tried to siphon them out of my body.