Cyber Stories

Chapter 12: Power Over Mind

-Phoenix POV-

The biped flew right past a tall, slender Dragoness predacon, who did NOT look happy. With two taps from her claws, the whole room stopped dead.

I stopped and tilted my helm. Who was this femme to command so much respect from a room full of rowdy bots like this? I glanced back to Rumble to silently ask, but he was standing the same way.

"Is that any way students should behave?" She asked, her voice as hissy as a snake it seemed. Her entire aura made me shiver and I looked to Rumble again.

He stopped cold, an expression on his faceplate I'd never seen before. He looked... not scared, but... all his confidence was gone, all his fire, the mech I'd just seen kicking ass was just... gone.

He stared at the dragoness, almost as if waiting to hear instructions.

I turned, seeming to be the only one not under her spell. "Hi! Who are you?" I asked, setting my violin down by my pedes.

The dragoness looked at me, studying my frame. "Cynth." She says dismissively, walking over to the two brothers. What did she do to Rumble to... break him so badly?

"If you two are wanting to fight so bad, wanting to break military protocol," she hissed at the two. Even Ruvik tensed up at her hiss. Rumble tilting his helm down just enough to display submission, "then you can both fight each other."

Just who was this femme??

"But why?" I asked, still just looking at the three of them.

Her neck seemed to break with how quickly she turned her helm. "Because of protocol and discipline." She answered, starting to turn back.

"But why?" I interrupted again.

Cynth stopped in her tracks. "Because I said it was so." She answered, her voice filling with anger and rage from my innocent, annoying questions.

"But... why?" I pressed. Yes, I was pushing buttons I had already found.

"Because I am the one to make it so!" Her voice raised, getting angrier and angrier with me.

"... but why?" I taunted, pushing my luck.

"Because I am your queen!" She yelled, taking her paw and backhanding me.

I didn't see it coming. I couldn't react in time. She was lightning fast. I went flying into the wall, cracking the concrete behind me. Energon came up my throat and out with a cough, dripping from my mouth.

I expected Rumble to come running to my aid, like he did with the other student, but he only managed a flinch, the slightest of movement before he forced himself to stay still.

I could see in his optics he wanted to help me, but he didn't. He stayed still.

Cynth glared at the two of them. "Fight. Now!" She was angry and everyone knew it.

Before Rumble could react, Ruvik hit him hard in a downward strike to his neck, but luckily Rumble caught the second strike and shoved his brother back.

Neither of them looked like they wanted to fight, the two of them circling each other, sharing a look of uncertainty, of conflicted thoughts.

They were brothers, how could she just make them fight?

I pushed myself back up. "Stop!" I called out. "Why are you doing this? They're siblings! Don't force them to fight!" I walked up to her. "Stop this!"

She reacted before I could react, wrapping her servo around my neck and forcing me to the ground.