A New Dawn - Transformers Prime (4)

Chapter Forty-One

   While everyone made their final preparations, I stood on the Autobot symbol in the middle of the base. Optimus' blaster was in my hand, and I felt the hum of the Cybertronian metal under my fingertips. Nerves pounded through me, the way they did before a big presentation, but I forced myself to take a deep breath. Still, it didn't help that Ratchet might be right.

   I looked up at the medic, who was busying himself with the systems checks again, even though we both knew they were perfectly fine.

   "Ratchet," I said, my tone forcing him to turn away from his work. "Thank you. For warning me about the ritual and all."

   He gave me a sad look. "I sincerely hope that Cleona's prophecy is true about you, Amanda."

   "You are going to be my most powerful champion, Amanda. It was written in the stars. You are destined for greatness, and you will be more than you could ever imagine."

   I closed my eyes, letting the words replay in my mind, knowing exactly what Ratchet was referring to. "Yeah, I hope so too."

   Am I really okay with this? Am I walking into my end now? Will this really be it? Will my powers be enough? Will I be enough?

   "What are you thinking about?" My eyes snapped open and I saw Finn hovering next to me, his helmet tucked under his arm. There was slight concern in his eyes, but that diminished when I gave him a smile.

   "Just nervous," I lied. "Everything rests on this working. If something goes wrong..."

   He placed his helmet on the ground and wrapped his arms around me. "Nothing will go wrong. You know you got this, I know you got this, and so does the rest of the team. You can do this."

   I relaxed, trying not to think that this might be the last time I'd ever get to hug him.

   This will work. You have the power to do this. You have the power.

   But do I have enough power to do the summoning and survive it too?

   I tightened my grip for a moment, trying to expel the thoughts before taking a small step back. "Don't I get a good luck kiss, though? I can't have you getting overconfident in my abilities and not giving me any luck."

   He smirked, amused before tugging me close again. He always had the ability to silence my thoughts and didn't fail this time either. The nagging pit in my stomach was forgotten for the moment until we pulled back. Finn's amusement remained- he thought I really was joking- and I smiled, reassuring him that yes, I was kidding. In reality, I was terrified that that was the last time he'd let me escape my doubts.

   "Let's go conjure a Prime!" Miko whooped, dashing out in her space suit.

   My jaw dropped. "When did you get the time to put pink stripes and stickers on that?"

   She grinned devilishly. "There's always time for pink stripes and punk stickers."

   "That's state of the art equipment!"

   "And now it's pretty!"

   I couldn't fight my laugh any longer, earning a triumphant look from Miko. Jack walked out a second later with Raf fixing some settings on his suit, both taking in Miko's customizations at the same time.

   "I didn't know we could decorate!" Raf complained, finishing his work.

   "We couldn't," Jack smirked. "But Miko did."

   Shaking my head, I turned to them. "Are we ready then? Ratchet, systems check?"

   "Each space suit is calibrated and synced," The medic said, his business tone ringing clear. It'd been awhile since I'd heard that tone, and nostalgia filled me, taking me back to when Team Prime's Autobots had been in our place.