For Everything(on pause)

Chapter Nineteen - Mind Trap

"Chrissy." Optimus said. "I would like to see how you fare in battle."

"Sure."

"Hold up, battle? She's a human!" Jack practically yelled.

"I'm also a former commander of decepticon ranks, what's your point?"

Jack stared blankly at her. "How does that even work?!"

"It's complicated." I shrug and Miko grins.

"Bulk! You should take her! It'll be a throwdown!" Miko shouted.

"He might get a few dents." I say.

"You might get squished." He retorts.

"I'll fight Bulkhead." I say with a grin.

"Perhaps it would be better to do a spar..." Optimus seemed to agree.

"Let's do it then, no point in dilly dallying."

"Ratchet, could you locate a suitable area?"

"Yes, because I don't have anything else to do..." he grumbled on as he searched the surrounding area.

"Let's just go to someplace like Wyoming or something, if we're not near a city or farmland we should be fine." I say.

"Why do you know that?" Raf asked.

"It's common knowledge... kinda..."

Ratchet sighed as he opened the groundbridge. "Have fun." He said sarcastically.

"You're not gonna come watch? Who knows, we might need a medic." I say with a grin.

"We are not going to draw energon during this spar." Arcee said coldly as the bots transformed into vehicles.

* * *

"Okay, the rules are pretty simple," Arcee said, a hand on her hip and Bulkhead and I stood beside each other, Optimus was observing from a few yards away with the humans and Bee. "No killing each other. No cutting limbs off. No serious injuries. Basically try not to draw energon, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, first one to yield loses." I say, waving my hand as I walk a few feet further from Bulk, he takes a few steps away as well while Arcee goes to join the others.

"I'll go easy on you." Bulk said.

"I wouldn't recommend that." I say with a smirk.

"Three, two, one, go!"Arcee called. Bulk charged forward, arm outstretched to grab me. I shoot my rope towards his neck and it snags on his shoulder. It retracts and pulls me from the ground. He stumbles and I concentrate a shield around myself, focusing on my legs as I slam into his chest. He staggers backwards as I push off him, the rope disintegrating. I roll on the ground, energon particles sparkling around me.

"Come on, fight like you mean it!" I call as a partially solidified con body began to form in front of me. He charged towards me and I solidified a fist and swinging my own forward, it smashed into the side of his face, sending him staggering to the right. He countered with a wrecking ball towards the summoned body. I duck and it barely misses a wrecking ball to the face. A foot becomes real and I slide my foot forward, hooking the bot's foot around Bulk's leg before sending a punch straight to his face. He caught it in his hand but was still thrown backwards. A heavy foot pressed down on his chest and a solidified blast pointed straight at his face. I stared at the image. Something was wrong with it... A partially solidified Megatron stood over him, waiting to pull the trigger.

"I yield!" Bulkhead shouted, but I didn't move. Why was it Megatron... "Get this thing off me!" Bulkhead yelled. I was powerless. I ripped my gaze from it and stared at the ground. My hands were shaking.

"Go away..." I whispered, it was barely audible even to myself. The copy of Megatron stepped off Bulkhead and walked towards me, each step melting my surroundings, turning them into the dark hallways of the con warship. Shivers ran down my spine as fear rooted me to the spot. "Go away..." I said again. As blue dust started to fill the air as it slowly melted into the ground, I felt one of his icy fingers against my face.

"You will always be mine." His voice whispered before the last evidence of him ever being there disappeared into glittering blue dust. Arcee was helping Bulkhead up by the time my surroundings existed again. My legs gave out and I fell to my knees, the dust in the air being moistened by the tears that dripped down my face.

I will never be free.

"Chrissy?" Raf asked.

"Are you okay?" Miko asked.

"I'm trapped..." I whisper, not noticing as they came closer. "He has me trapped..."

"Chrissy." Optimus said, snapping me out of my haze. I quickly wipe my eyes and stagger to my feet, shoving my hands into the pocket of my hoodie to hide how much they were shaking. I look up at him as Bee buzzes excitedly.

"Thanks, Bumblebee..." I mutter.

"I'm impressed." Arcee said, though it sounded like she had something else she wanted to say.

"Wasn't expecting to see Megatron today..." Bulk groaned.

"Sorry about the dents..." I mutter.

"That was awesome!" Miko yelled. "No wonder the cons fear you!"

"Only a few nowadays..." I mumble.

"How did you do that?" Raf asked.

"Uh... it's a side effect..."

"That doesn't look like a side effect."

"Well... I wasn't supposed to be able to do that..."

"Arcee, tell Ratchet to open the groundbridge." Optimus said, watching me as I awkwardly tried to avoid the humans' questions.

* * *

Everyone had already gone through the ground bridge... everyone except for Optimus Prime and myself. He'd asked me to stay behind and I can feel my heart pounding against my ribcage.

"Chrissy," he said.

"You can call me Quickspark..." I say.

"Very well, Quickspark. You did very well in your spar with Bulkhead."

"Thank you, sir."

"You possess incredible abilities. But... I am concerned... why did you use the shell of Megatron?"

"I...I don't know... I've never tried that before... uh... he's... uh... familiar... i-it won't happen again..."

"And of your reaction upon realizing who's shell you were using?"

"He's... the reason I'm like this... I guess... I still haven't gotten over it..."

"Do you hate him?" I don't answer. "Do you fear him?" I again don't answer, though I know I should. "Do you admire him?"

"No."

"Then what do you think of him?"

"He's the definition of cruel and evil. He is good for nothing and should have his spark ripped from his chest and crushed before him while he's melted into scrap metal... sir."

"So do you hate him?"

"I... can't answer that..."

"Is it because you fear what he will do if he finds out?"

"W-what do you mean..."

"Are you afraid he'll hurt you?"

"I don't care about myself."

"So you do not fear death?"

"No."

"Then why do you find yourself unable to say you hate him?"

"I..." I'm trapped by him... I can't break free from him... but if I tell you that... you'll just send me away... "I don't want to link anything with him."

Optimus nodded. "Very well. Let us return to base then."