A New Dawn - Transformers Prime (4)

Chapter Twenty-Six

  Ratchet was yelling again, but I didn't know what he was saying. I stood there, taking all the hits he was throwing at me, with none of them registering. I was confused, which made me almost scared. I'd never lost control like that, I usually had a bearing on my powers. But back there... I don't know what happened. No one liked that answer, and it was the only one I had because it really was the one thing that came to mind. The real scary part, was that it felt good.

  It felt nice to let loose like that. To let my powers do their thing. To not have to hold back when my enemies definitely didn't. I fought the urge to do it again, because I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to stop.

  When Ratchet finally ran out of things to yell at me about, I turned away without saying anything, heading to the back halls of the base. I didn't trust myself to drive back home, so the only other place for me to hide was back here. I only hoped no one would come looking for me.

  Arcee had tried to intervene with Ratchet's yelling, but ultimately failed. Bulkhead and Bumblebee had gone straight back to Cybertron to report what happened to Ultra Magnus. Miko, Jack, and Finn were tending to each other's injuries, which were minor but still there.

  A scary, cold feeling washed over me, and I felt Valilorna there, emerging from the recesses of my mind.

  "Quite a show you put on, darling. I was so proud to see you finally stop holding yourself back."

  I shook my head, barely managing to walk into one of the empty back room before she was fully present in my head. "Go away."

  "Why? I thought we were getting along fine. Remember, darling, I am the only one you have left."

  "No. No, I won't let you in."

  She sighed. "I am already here. There is no stopping something that is already here, darling. Even you must realize now that you were the one to let me in. I could not do anything without you letting me."

  "You're wrong," I growled, trying to fight the urge to truly let her in. It wasn't my urge, more like she was tugging me towards her. No, maybe it was my urge. Still, another part of my mind was screaming to run, to get away, but I was stuck in place. "It's your fault I lost it. You've been breaking down everything I built up there, you're the reason- it was you-"

  "Who was it that destroyed that building? I believe I only saw silver powers, no gold."

  "I didn't do it on purpose! It just... happened and I- I couldn't help it-"

  "This would not have happened if you had let me help."

  That's when the battle over my mind snapped. Somehow, she plowed through my defenses, through everything I had to hold her back, and her entire presence filled my mind.

  "No," My voice came out as a strangled cry as I grappled for control. "Don't talk to me. Don't-"

  "Stop trying to fight me, darling. You feel despair, anger, and defeat. I can help you. I have been helping you."

  "I don't need your help," I grabbed onto a nearby box to steady myself, panic pouring in now. "I need you gone."

  Don't lose control. Don't lose control. Don'tlosecontroldon'tlosecontroldon't-

  "You are angry. I understand, darling. You feel powerless. Unable to save your friends, unable to serve your planet, unable to fulfill the roles of the leaders before you. You rely on truth and justice to power you, two concepts that are merely subjective. There is no power in concepts. There is only power in facts."

  "Get out of my head!" I cried, burying my hands into my hair as my head pounded.

  "Your patron goddess ignores you. Your team prevents you from acting. Your supposed allies have all shut you out. But I have been here for you all along. Now it is time to fully let me in."

  "No!"

  "You cannot fight me forever, darling. Make this less painful for yourself and give in."

  "No." My voice was almost unrecognizable, shaking and close to breaking as I felt my resistance slipping.

  "Hm, it will not be long now. You are already weak. Let me give you the power you need to save your world."

  "Stop," I whispered, pure fear in my tone because my final wall cracked, the gold dust slipping into my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying desperately to fix the crack, but more appeared. More cracks, more gold, more chaos, more anger, more-

  Nonononono-

  "Shhhhh, darling. It will be over soon."

  "Amanda?" My eyes snapped open to see Miko standing at the doorframe, a confused look on her face. The immediate panic I felt expelled Valilorna's reach, letting me act.

  "Don't!" I exclaimed as fear coursed through me. Cybertronian or not, I could sense every bit of metal on her, giving me control. No, she's not mine to control- she is mine to control- "Go, Miko, you need to get out of here!"

  "What's going on?" She asked, ignoring my warning and stepping towards me.

  "Stop!" I cried, thrusting out a hand to keep distance between us. Horror spread through me, joining with the fear, as I saw my fingers coated in gold, barely any silver present anymore. That made me stumble back again, the boxes catching my fall. "No, no, no, get out of my head!" I shrieked.

  "You are amusing, darling. But the time for games is over."

  Gold flashed across my vision, and I heard someone scream- no, I was the one who screamed. My hands gripped the counter so tightly that it dug into my palms as a cold rush filled me. I felt goosebumps cover my skin like a wave before suddenly everything cleared.

  And it was... peaceful.

  I took a deep breath, feeling the power humming around me. There was so much metal around, so much power-

  "Amanda?" A deep voice made me look up to see a boy standing at the doorway. I cocked my head to the side. Hadn't there been someone else there moments ago? It didn't matter. The boy walked forward cautiously, face filled with... emotions. I couldn't name them. He stopped right in front of me, and I could feel his warm presence inches away from me.

  "Amanda?" He repeated and I looked up at him curiously. He was organic, but I still sensed metal on him. Good, he could still be controlled.

  Something warm was on my arm, and I realized he had grabbed my forearm, trying to get my attention as he spoke again, "A, please answer me." He pleaded.

  Pathetic.

  "Unhand me," I said. "I will not ask again."

  His eyes widened. "No. Your anger, the flashes of gold- damn it I should have seen it before. Valilorna is in your head, Amanda, you need to push her out. You're stronger than her, stronger than this-"

  I let out a cold laugh. "Stronger? Yes, I am. I am no longer held back. I have so much power now, can you feel it? It is humming around us even now, when I am not focusing at all. Everything within reach, within my reach-"

  He cut me off by grabbing my other forearm, pinning my arms down by my sides. "Don't let her take over, A. You can't let Valilorna win."

  "Too late," I smiled and held a hand out, latching onto the metal on the boy instantly. Within a second, he flew back and slammed into the wall. I made my way past him, looking over my shoulder once as he groaned and tried to get to his feet. "I did warn you. Now stay out of my way."