Chapter 27-Innocence Lost
Osea was in chaos. Everyone was up in arms about the biggest Karaba attack since the bombing on Capitol Hill. The formation of the so-called Brotherhood between Karaba and the Decepticons was a step no one thought the Cons would take. Karaba had gone from a small but powerful terrorist threat to one of the world's greatest threats.
Optimus had read over the casualty reports. There was a giant crater in Yuktobania where the oil refinery once stood. All hostages inside were dead and Mirage suffered critical wounds that took him quite a while to heal from. The Prime Minister was up in arms about the disaster and was already blaming the Autobots for "lack of diligence". The dam in Leasath was completely destroyed and the river it blocked was overflooded. The death toll was still rising. The geo-thermal power plant in Ozark was completely gone in a massive landslide that took out a chunk of the canyon it stood upon. Once again, all hostages were killed.
Of course President Flagg wanted answers, but all Optimus could provide was that Megatron outplayed them all. Right now, he was talking to Colonel Barnett and Prowl about the impact Karaba's declaration would have in the future.
"So Megatron's gone and done the one thing no one expected him to and caught us with our pants down." Barnett sighed and crossed his arms. "This…this is really bad."
"I never expected Megatron to willingly ally with humans of any sort, but I suppose after assaulting his island base with our full might, he probably did it to get back at us." Prowl said. "And picking Karaba of all groups, that's a disgustingly smart move."
"But why choose Karaba? They're infamous, yes, but they hardly have anything that could give the Cons the edge." Barnett said.
"It's their status as espers, Colonel. As useful as their powers are in the field, Megatron sees them as an opportunity to cause lasting damage to Terra." Optimus said, his hands folded in front of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. "Megatron knows that the human/esper conflict is a dangerous and volatile issue that's getting worse every day. What better way to inflame tensions by joining forces with the largest esper supremacy group in the world?"
"This sounds a bit like that Infiltration Protocol you mentioned." Barnett said.
"It is, only on a broader scale. Furthermore, Megatron probably sees a lot of himself in Dreyas; a revolutionary seeking to change the world for the greater good."
"Do you think this Decepticon/Karaba alliance will change things, Prime?" Prowl asked.
"You've seen how large and powerful the Decepticons became back on Cybertron, Prowl." Optimus replied. "If I know Megatron, he plans on turning Karaba into the perfect war machine the same way he did with the Decepticons before the war."
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It was all over the news. Dreyas Lehnsherr of Karaba announcing his alliance with the Decepticons and declaring war on humanity. His powerful worlds of uniting all espers in the world against their oppressors, the lesser species as he calls them. Justine hated the violence behind it all, but even she couldn't deny how…empowering his words were.
"Do you see that girl?"
"Yes, mama."
"Did you hear what he said?"
"I did, mama."
"Those monsters have finally begun their conquest of our world with those demons from space. It was only a matter of time. Sin attracts sin, after all."
Margaret Law glared at her daughter, the abomination born from an unwanted union. Justine shivered under her mother's glare and flinched as the woman stabbed a finger at the wavy television screen.
"That is what your kind thrives on Justine, pain and fear, inciting chaos wherever you go!" Margaret hissed. "Be thankful that no one knows of your demonic nature or we'll both be lynched on the spot!"
Justine merely gave the same reply she always gave when forced to deal with her mother's moods. "Yes, mama."
Margaret sniffed and waved Justine off. "Get out of here, girl. I've got work to do."
There was a time where her mother's scathing comments and mad fits would frighten her, make her cower in fear. These days, Justine just found it annoying to listen to. Hearing that woman bitch and moan about the same damn thing over and over again steadily got on her nerves. As she grew more skilled with her powers, and became more confident in herself thanks for her friends, Justine realized that the fear she felt of her mother was turning into anger. Anger at the woman and her blatant demonization of her powers.
Now Justine just pitied the woman. Looking into her eyes, she could see that Margaret feared her. Her own daughter.
Justine told herself that she should feel bad at having a mother who was afraid of her. By rights she should feel heartbroken by it. But lying was a sin, and she was raised not to sin after all.
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Even though the Decepticons were still riding on the high of their victory, Megatron still needed to properly finalize his alliance with Karaba. He and Dreyas both had backup plans in case one side betrayed the other. Also, if Karaba was to become the mighty scourge that will run over their enemies with divine fury, the Cons would need to give their esper friends a little push. A suitable base of operations would be first on the list.
"I must say, for a group of terrorists with few stable resources on hand, this is certainly impressive." Megatron commented.
Dreyas, who was floating alongside Megatron, smirked at the Decepticon warlord. "When you have hundreds of espers with various abilities, making a mountain base is child's play."
As a show of good faith, Dreyas had allowed the Decepticons access to their main headquarters. What was amazing was that the Karaba base was built inside the mountain deep within the Rocky Mountains near the Osea/Canadia border. Dreyas had a dense electromagnetic field hanging over the mountain supported by various hidden magnetic nodes that hid them from satellites and radar. The base's design was surprisingly high-tech for a terrorist base, with even a large hangar for vehicles and talos.
Watching the Decepticons mull about the area was a young man with a perfectly bald head wearing a black sweater and pants.
"So those are the big bad Decepticons." Tirant mumbled, his eyes tracing the invisible lines of mechanical energy lacing through their robotic bodies like thread. "My, my, they look absolutely magnificent."
"Close your mouth, Tirant, you've giving off a bad image." Tirant's wife, Dusque, walked up to him, her large dark purple arachnid lower body glinted in the sunlight, though she carried her large size with grace.
"Sorry, dear, it's just…look at them!" Tirant gushed. "Marvels of evolution. I'm so happy to be alive right now!"
It was like a dream for an inventor like Tirant. He was Karaba's chief technician, an esper who could understand how a mechanical or technological device worked by "seeing" its mechanical energy, while his subconscious mind calculated the steps needed to create it. A lot of Karaba's tech and weapons were created by Tirant, who reverse-engineered all of it from his team in the Osean military's weapons development program.
Even now he could see how the biomechanical bodies of the Decepticons worked, along with their powerful energy weapons.
"I'm just saying, Dusque, this is probably a turning point for Karaba in this war." Tirant said to his wife. "Think of all the advancements this could give us."
"So long as you don't piss off the Cons." Dusque said, crossing her arms under her large chest.
"Sweetie, what do you think I'm here for?" He grinned. "All I need to do is see what they have and all their knowledge is ours."
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Every time Justine practiced with her powers, she felt liberated, peaceful and powerful. The more she used them, the more in tune she felt with herself. Every time she moved a stone or shifted the water, she felt power flow through her entire body, seeping into the earth and the air, encompassing everything into her telekinetic hold.
Justine stood in front of the lake with five large boulders orbiting her. A flick of the wrist and one bolder was divided into several smaller fragments. A snap of her fingers and another boulder was split in half. The other three remained hovering in the air, two of them now being orbited by the small broken fragments of stone.
"You're getting better."
Justine looked back at the speaker and smiled. "Rodimus! Look, I've gotten better at it!"
"I can see that." Rodimus smiled and sat down near the edge of the lake. Justine went to join him, still holding the rocks aloft above her head.
"You look tired." She pointed out.
"I am tired. You've seen the news, right? Two of the most dangerous people in the world just joined forces and several people were killed around the world at the same time." Rodimus sighed. "I really don't envy Optimus's job right now."
"I'm sorry you're having such a hard time." Justine muttered.
"It comes with the job." He replied and looked down at her. "Compared to your problems, mine seem relatively simple. How are you doing by the way?"
"The same. Mother saw the news and continued to blame everything unnatural, and by extension me, for humanity's problems. Nothing new, though the beatings stopped." She said.
Rodimus frowned at how nonchalant she looked about her mother's abuse, but Justine honestly looked calm about it. It was a surprising change from the shy, soft-spoken, trembling mess of a girl she was a few months ago. Glancing up at the levitating boulders, she continued to speak.
"It's strange. I've spent my whole life being terrified of mother and her rants. She scared me into thinking I was a monster, something lesser than human." Justine said and looked down at her hands. "But lately, I've started to realize something. She's afraid of me because I'm the stronger one. I can crush stone into dust with a single thought. I can topple tress with a single hand. If I truly wanted to, I could even lift you off the ground, Rodimus. All she can do is just smack me around and scream like the madwoman she is…but only if I let her."
Justine clenched her hand and the four boulders were crushed into clouds of dust, grounded into fine powder and scattered in the winds.
"I can see it, the fear in her eyes. She's deathly afraid of me, and the only thing I can really feel about that is…pity. Pity that she acts like she's in control, when the one who's really in control has been me."
Rodimus felt uneasy about hearing her say that. "Justine…"
"She calls me a monster, treats me like I'm weak and defenseless, when it's really the other way around." Justine continued, her voice growing stronger.
"Justine…"
"The fact that I was so scare of her, frightened by a sad woman like is just shameful!" She growled, her hair whipping about her face.
"Justine!" Rodimus yelled.
"What?" Justine roared, spinning around to face Rodimus.
"You're flying!"
Justine blinked at him, then looked down to see that she was hovering about two feet above the ground. She was practically at eye level with Rodimus now, held aloft by an invisible force. Unable to believe her eyes, she looked at Rodimus.
"I'm flying." She breathed.
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"It's good to know that everything's gone to shit." Fredericks said.
"Shut it, Fredericks." Jackson said, watching the repeated news footage of Karaba's declaration of war. "So what do we do now, Director?"
David Hollander, the new Director of Skywatch, glared at the television screen over his tented hands. "This is no longer just "their" problem anymore. A powerful alien warlord just allied with the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world, and now the Decepticons are probably providing Karaba with all sorts of advancements in offensive and defensive technology."
"While the Autobots see fit to keep us under their heel." Fredericks growled.
"As of today, we need to have Skywatch mobilize and prepare for the worst. We need to be ready to combat both our alien friends and Karaba when the time calls for it." Hollander said. "How are things going in our weapons development program?"
"Study of the Atlantian ships and Gigas are going smoothly. The way those merfolk vehicles operate is surprisingly simple." Jackson said. "There's still a lot of work to do on the testing of the new gunships and talos, but so far everything's running smoothly."
"Good. What about our people on the inside."
"Nothing new to report. Even the Autobots are scratching their heads on what to do next." Fredericks said. "Useless tin cans."
"That's fine. When the time comes, it will be humanity who will save Terra, not our alien "protectors". We cannot continue to place our planet's future in their hands any longer." Hollander got a call on his phone and answered it. After a minute long conversation, he hung up and got to his feet. "And we've finally got one more piece to our rapid mobilization coming in right now."
"Final piece?" Jackson said confused. "Who else did you call in?"
There was a knock on the door and Hollander gave a small smile. "Come in."
A well dress man with the most peculiar set of eyes walked into the room, a smile on his slender face. "I hope I'm not too late, Director Hollander."
"No, no, you're just in time." Hollander said. "Fredericks, Jackson, I want you to meet Laguna Harvey, CEO of Epsilon Holdings, who has come to us with a very interesting proposition."
"You are right about that, Director." Pisces grinned at the three Skywatch agents and crossed his arms. "Now before we get started, who here can tell me what energon is?"
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Shopping meant something entirely different to Justine. While other girls her age would spend their free time shopping for clothes, Justine spent her afternoons shopping for materials to make her clothes. Due to the ever religious rantings of her mother, Justine was forced to make her clothes by hand, which led to her often wearing bland of uneven clothes outside. Yet another thing kids at school teased her about.
It was both because she had little money to spend buying actual clothing like pants and shirts and because her mother believed that girls these days wore "sinful" clothing that was too revealing and had boys sniffing about them like dogs. Justine tuned out half of the rant when it became clear that there was nothing useful to be heard.
Brianna was the only one she told about this; not even Darren knew the truth about her situation. Brianna was, rightfully, appalled at the treatment and conditions Justine suffered through and decided to treat the girl on her first real shopping trip, paid for by the blond herself! Despite Justine's protests, Brianna went all out for her, having the telekinetic try on multiple shirts and pants that Justine showed interest in. It was the most fun Justine ever had in forever.
"What do you think?" Justine asked, standing before Brianna in a flower printed skirt and light green sweater. Brianna smiled and nodded.
"You look amazing, Justine. Absolutely radiant." Brianna said. "And your hair looks more vibrant than ever."
"R-Really? I've never done anything with it." Justine said, glancing back at the full body mirror to check her hair.
"That's because you're holding yourself up with confidence and grace. As beautiful as your hair is, you shouldn't let it hide your face." Brianna told her.
"My face isn't that special, Brianna." Justine sighed.
"Only because you've had no one say good things to you about it." Brianna stood up and picked up something she snagged while Justine was changing clothes. It was a floral printed hairband, which she slipped onto Justine's head to keep her hair pulled back from her face.
Brianna smiled at Justine through the mirror and placed her hands on her shoulders. "How do you like it?"
Justine blinked at her reflection. Wearing these bright clothes and having her face so uncovered made her look like an entirely different person. She almost didn't believe that the pretty girl staring back at her was her reflection, but as she smiled, so did that girl, and Justine felt her heart soar.
"I look…beautiful." She whispered.
"You are beautiful." Brianna said, resting her head on Justine's shoulder. "And don't let anyone tell you otherwise, okay?"
Justine's eyes watered and she nodded, reaching up to lace her fingers with Brianna's. Brianna was right, she was beautiful…and strong.
As Brianna paid for the clothes Justine had chosen, Justine thought on how oddly fast she grew close to the tall blond. They only met by chance through Darren and somehow they just…meshed. Brianna would often spend time with her when Darren was unavailable, and they would just chat or Brianna would teach her things that by all rights Justine should've known at her age (like puberty, something her mother never even mentioned). When Mandy and her posse bothered her, Brianna was the first one to step up to defend her; an immovable wall that not even Mandy wanted to face on a good day. Their friendship was solidified further by Justine's esper powers, which were stronger than even she realized once she started practicing with them.
Justine knew that the feelings she had towards Brianna were the epitome of sin. Two girls should not love each other romantically, that was another lesson her mother taught her growing up. But as she looked at the close relationship Annie and Brittany shared, she couldn't help but want that for herself. To be loved and have someone to love in return. And whenever she dared to imagine herself in such a relationship, she always pictured herself with Brianna.
Perhaps she would have found the courage to confess towards Brianna were it not for one roadblock in her path to happiness.
"Oh look," Brianna said as she and Justine left the store. "There's Darren and Gina."
Justine looked across the street and saw the young couple strolling along, laughing and talking. The two children shared a love that born from being friends for so long and their hectic lives as being close to the Autobots. Justine glanced at Brianna when she wasn't looking and saw that the smile Brianna had was gone, her expression a little downtrodden now. Seeing this change made Justine a little angry.
'She shouldn't have to be sad because of him. She deserves someone better…someone like me.' Justine thought.
Before Justine could say anything, she heard a nasty voice say, "Well if it isn't the freak and her burly dyke girlfriend!"
Many and her friends, Dominque and Katie, marched up to the pair in formation (evidence of their years spent perfecting their synchronization) glaring at Justine.
"What now, Mandy? Still having your daddy bail you out of trouble?" Brianna quipped.
"I don't need my dad to deal with you two freaks." Mandy said smirking. "And don't act like you weren't just gazing dreamily at Darren."
"You do know he's taken right?" Dominique snickered.
Brianna growled, but Justine put a hand on her arm. "It's okay, Brianna. Let her bark. That's all she's able to do these days."
The mean girls all stared at Justine in shock. The old Justine would have never said anything so bold. Unfortunately for them, the old Justine was slowly dying.
"Who the hell do you think you are, you skinny little bitch?" Mandy growled, her pretty face marred by an ugly scowl. "Do you know who I am?"
"Of course I do, you never shut up about it. Everyone knows who your father is, but how long do you think that's going to hold up? You put so much stock in your looks and your money, but what will you do when your father isn't there to pull you out of the fire? What will you do when no one's giving you money to waste? What will you do when you turn old and grey? You'll be nothing, and better people will be living it up without any thought about you or your money!"
The other girls had been completely shocked silent by Justine's scathing commentary. Then Mandy's face turned murderous and she ran at Justine with her hand raised to slap her.
With lightning fast reflexes, Justine caught Mandy's wrist and squeezed it tightly. Justine glared into Mandy's face as she wrenched the girl's arm away from her.
"Let go of me!" Mandy screamed.
"Sooner or later, your daddy won't be able to save you anymore." Justine said coldly. "You can only push someone so far before they snap!"
"Stay the hell away from me you bitch!"
Justine let Mandy go and turned to walk away, grabbing Brianna's hand and pulling her down the street. Katie scowled at the red hand print on Mandy's wrist and went to teach the girl a lesson.
"You're not walking away without apologizing for tha—"
Justine snapped her fingers and Katie's left ankle suddenly exploded like a popped balloon. Brianna, Mandy and Dominique stared in horror as Katie fell to the ground screaming and crying, holding her bleeding stump of a foot. Brianna went to call for help, but Justine pulled her along.
"Don't bother. They had it coming to them." Justine whispered.
Brianna looked back helplessly as she allowed Justine to pull her away, trying to block out Katie's agonized screams. As for Justine, she burned the image of that loathsome girl in pain into her memory to enjoy for her own amusement.
It was time these people knew who was really in charge.
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Justine and Brianna didn't stop until they were deep inside the forest, having gone to their private meeting spot by the lake that was far from human eyes. Once they were alone, Brianna gave Justine a look.
"What did you do, Justine?" She asked sternly.
"What do you mean?" Justine said.
"Don't play games, Justine. I know you used your powers to hurt that girl." Brianna crossed her arms and looked at Justine disapprovingly.
"What's done is done, Brianna. They don't know what happened. I made it look like she had an accident." Justine said carelessly. "As far as I'm concerned that girl had what was coming to her."
"It's not okay to hurt people like that, Justine." Brianna said. "You shouldn't use your powers to hurt other people like that."
"But everything goes for my kind, right?" Justine replied angrily. "You're new to Tranquility, Brianna, so you don't know what hell those girls have constantly put me through. My home life was bad enough without being teased at school too and those girls were at the forefront of every damn tease and taunt. Every day was hell and I hated every moment of staying in that school. What's wrong with me wanting to return the favor for once?"
"Because it'll make you no better than those terrorists on television. People will see you as a monster. Do you want that?" Brianna sighed and shook her head. "Please, Justine, don't go down that route. You'll only hurt yourself in the process."
"Hurt myself? I feel great! I've managed to show those whores whose boss and now they'll finally leave me alone! I don't like using violence to solve things, but if that's what it takes for those morons to leave me alone then so be it!" Justine screamed. "Let me enjoy myself for once. Let me just be selfish for one damn day! I want to wear normal clothes, I want to laugh and play like everybody else. I want…I want someone to love and to love me in return."
Justine reached forward and grasped Brianna's hands, staring earnestly into her eyes. "Please, I just want to live my life the way I want to for once. I want to be free of all the fears and hesitations that held me back before. You and Darren showed me that, and helped me realize just how much I've been missing."
"Justine…" Brianna whispered.
"Is it so wrong to want what other people have after being deprived of it for so long? I want to be loved and respected like any other human being. Just like you want to be loved like Darren loves Gina." Justine bit her lip as she let her true feelings show. "Neither of us have to be alone anymore. We can love each other, regardless of what anyone else says. We can be free."
"Free…" Brianna repeated softly. Her expression became stricken and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Justine, but I'm not the right girl for you."
"W-What?" Justine stammered. "N-No, that's not true. We're perfect for each other. I can be the person you need to be there for you!"
"Justine, it's not that—" Brianna tried to say, but Justine wasn't having it.
"I can love you better than anyone in this damn town! You've shown me so much love and care and I want to return the favor. I know you feel the same way too!" She cried. "What's stopping you from doing this for yourself? You're not as trapped as I am!"
Brianna looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Justine searched her face for the answer, but when she couldn't decipher Brianna's expression, she came to her own conclusion.
"It's Darren, isn't it?" She questioned. Brianna's silence was a telling answer. "You're holding out for him, even though he has Gina. Even though I opened my heart to you, that I'm willing to be yours."
"Justine, it's not that simple." Brianna said. "I like you too, but…it's complicated."
"No, it's not. I understand it perfectly." Justine said darkly. She let go of Brianna's hands and stepped away from her. "Even now I'm still the world's punching bag."
Brianna stepped forward, but Justine suddenly ran off into the forest, moving faster than she had ever seen her move before. "Justine!" Brianna cried out, but the girl was gone before she knew it.
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"This feels good." Grindor sighed in bliss, feeling the sun on his face.
"The weather or lounging out in the sun like a cat?" High Wire asked.
"Both." Grindor replied.
Darren, Annie and Gina saw on lawn chairs watching their Minicon friends enjoying themselves by the pond. Normally the children would be fishing or swimming while the weather was still warm, but for now they were content with just sitting still for once in their lives.
"So," Annie said, playing with the spikes sticking out of her arm. "Anybody hear that the world's about to end?"
"Not funny, Annie." Darren said, eyes closed as he reclined back in his chair.
"No seriously, check the news. Almost every anti-esper group in the country is shitting themselves because they think Karaba's gonna come busting down their doors with the Cons." She said.
"Annie's right. A lot of HF splinter groups suddenly went quiet days after the declaration was made." Gina said.
"Seeing Dreyas murder Senator Cordell on national television can take the wind out of anyone's sails." Darren said. "All we can do is wait and see what happens at this point."
Darren suddenly felt tiny fingers caress his cheek, making him frown. "Annie, get your baby hand out of my face."
"I'm not doing anything." The girl couldn't even keep the laughter out of her voice.
He felt the little baby hand pat his cheek a few times before swatting her hand away with a grunt. "Annie, I swear…"
Annie laughed and sat back down, waving her newly reformed right hand. The girl's hand was almost fully formed, though it looked like a smooth baby's hand with the skeletal structure not fully formed. It was a slow process, but Annie was just happy it was working properly.
"You know, it's strange how far we've come since finding that escape pod in the mountain. I think as of last month a year has passed since we first met the Minicons and the Autobots." Gina said.
"Time flies when you're kicking ass." Darren said.
"Yeah, but we haven't had a lot of time to hang out with the Bots these days." Annie sighed. "I still worry about them, especially with all the mess happening right now."
"I believe they'll make it through this. Just…not without a lot of headaches for everyone involved." Darren said.
The girls nodded. There was little they could do if Optimus himself ordered them not to get involved. The best they could do outside of piloting their talos was support them the best they could. Besides, they had enough problems brewing in Tranquility as it was.
"Annie, how are things with you and Brittany?" Darren asked.
"Great actually. I think me getting shot in the head really got us closer." Annie said.
"The fact that you can say this so calmly is disturbing." Gina remarked.
"I mean, we went out a couple of times, talked, had fun and stuff," Annie went on. "But you know it's gonna take a while before…stuff happens."
"You went out? Like a date?" Darren said.
"We're not a couple so it doesn't count as a date." She relied.
"I'm pretty sure a date is just a prologue to true romance." Gina smiled.
"It's not a date!" Annie yelled. "Now both of you shut up before I smack you with my baby hand!"
The three friends laughed and talked for a while, looking back on old times and forgetting about the troubles going on in the world. These moments were rare for them, even when they weren't helping the Autobots out on missions.
This would be the last time they would enjoy such moments together in peace.
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It was sun down when Justine returned home after tearing a path of destruction through the forest following her failed confession to Brianna. Her designated curfew was at five, around the time her mother got home from work, but Justine was far from caring about that as she vented her rage on dozens of trees and left a deforested region in her wake. When she was somewhat calm, she returned home, hoping to at least end her day on a decent note.
As usual, nothing went her way.
"I told you to be back by five!"
Margaret's slap was hard enough to turn Justine's head, but the girl didn't even let out a whimper in response.
"Can't you even follow simple instructions?" Margaret snarled.
"The other children don't have to come back home at five." Justine said, feeling a bit rebellious for once.
"Those other heathens spend their lives toiling in sin, just like their worthless parents!" She said. "I didn't raise you to be animals like them, I raised you to—"
"To be afraid of you!" Justine yelled.
Margaret stared at her daughter with wide eyes. "How dare you! I am your mother, Justine and I will not be talked to that way!"
"In what way? Like a girl sick of being treated like trash? A girl sick of people beating her down?"
"Be quiet you stupid girl!" Margaret slapped her again, but this time Justine felt no pain. "I know you hang around those other children like a disease. That nurse and her monstrous siblings, the blond harlot who acts like a raving dog, they're all bad influences on you."
"They're my friends, mama. They care about me, unlike you." Justine said.
"You need to stay away from them or they will taint you more than you already are." Margaret continued to mumble. "You…you need to pray, Justine."
"No, mama." Justine said.
"Justine, you need to go pray for your soul."
"I said no, mama!" She yelled.
Margaret wrapped her fingers around her daughter's throat and pushed her into the wall. "I am you mother, Justine, and you will listen to me!"
"You're no mother, you horrid woman!" Justine threw Margaret off with a telekinetic push that threw the woman into the kitchen and against the fridge. "You were never a mother to me! You're just a terrible woman who teats her daughter like a monster because you're weak!"
Margaret was held against the fridge shaking, terrified of the girl. Justine's eyes were bright and her hair flew everywhere like the living snake hair of Medusa.
"Look at you, whimpering and crying like you're the victim here. To think that I was scared of you, my own mother. I know who the weak one is, mother, and it's not me. I'm the strong one, stronger than anyone else in this stupid town." Justine growled. "I am the top predator. An apex predator. And from now on I take orders from no one!"
She released her hold on her mother, letting her crumple to the floor. Justine glared at the woman, who sat on the floor curled up and shivering, muttering prayers and other such gibberish. The sight only sickened Justine, who turned and marched back to her room.
When she reached the stairs, she heard footsteps running at her from behind and her head spun around, instinctively catching her attacker in a telekinetic hold. It was Margaret, as she expected, but in the woman's hand was a kitchen knife, its sharp blade inches from Justine's eye.
"…What were you trying to do?" Justine asked, her face blank. "Were you…were you trying to kill me?"
Margaret couldn't speak, her vocal cords frozen by the same invisible force that held her off her feet. Justine blinked and Margaret felt her body stretch painfully.
"You tried to kill me, your own daughter?"
Margaret's body twisted and contorted in painful ways, not breaking any bones but enough to make the woman cry. Justine levitated the knife over to her hand. Her eyes never left her mother as her body twisted in the air, mouth open but no sound coming out.
Justine snapped her fingers and Margaret's legs bent in opposite directions, breaking her kneecaps. Another snap twisted her arms to the point that her joints were dislocated, tearing muscle fibers and connective tissue. She clenched her hand and Margaret's neck bent backwards, straining to the point where the muscles in her throat strained and ached painfully. Blood splattered onto the floor and walls but none of it touched Justine.
"I've tested my powers on objects and even some animals when I was in a bad mood, but never humans before." Justine said calmly. "Let's see how creative I can be."
XXXXXX
Brianna had walked all the way from the forest in a daze, her conversation with Justine replaying over and over in her head. She had never seen Justine so emotional before. That girl poured her heart out to her, letting out all her frustrations and needs. The signs of a girl who just wanted to be normal on some level.
'But what she did to Katie was unacceptable. I never thought Justine would've been capable of something like that.' Brianna thought. But looking back on that now, she figured that it was only a matter of time. You can only push someone so far before they push back. 'I never thought Justine cared about me that way. All this time I've had my mind on Darren…'
"Yo, Justine!"
'Oh god.' Brianna winced and looked down the street to see Darren riding up to her on his bike. "Hey, Darren."
"Brianna, what's up? It's almost dark out." Darren said.
"I was just taking a walk. I've had a lot of things on my mind." She said. "Why are you out this late?"
"Running some errands for Debbie." He said. "Want a ride home? The store's on my way, so it's no trouble for me."
Brianna thought about refusing, given her conflicting feelings, but she gave into the urge and nodded. She hopped onto the back of his bike and held onto his shoulders for balance.
"I don't have a spare helmet on me…" He said, but she shook her head.
"That's okay. I'm hardier than I look." Brianna said. Darren looked unsure but nodded anyway and started riding down the street.
They were silent for a few minutes, and Brianna took the time to let the wind blow through her hair.
"I heard what happened between Mandy and Justine." Darren said.
Brianna winced. "You know about that?"
"Of course. Mandy's been on a warpath because she thinks Justine did something to Katie." He shook his head. "You would think she'd stop, but Mandy isn't the type to give up. How's Justine?"
"She's…doing fine, I guess. I scolded her a bit for what she did, but Justine was pretty emotional afterwards. We got into a little spat and she ran off." Brianna said, choosing to negate the more personal details.
"I'm sensing there's more to it." Darren noted.
"…She was cold, Darren. That shy, scared girl we became friends with a couple months ago is gone and replaced by a girl with cold eyes. Katie's ankle blew out right in front of her and she didn't even blink." Brianna whispered. "Justine's changing into someone I barely recognize anymore, and I hate it."
"That's often the case with bully victims. You push them too hard and they'll push back even harder. And the results are often violent." Darren said. "Especially in Justine's case, given her family situation."
Brianna sighed and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Darren's waist and pressing her chest into his back (earning a blush from him). "I can see that, but if that was the case, then what will happen if she snaps. You didn't see how she looked earlier, Darren. She was on the verge, and if she loses control, I don't even want to think about the consequences."
Darren was quiet for a moment, trying to ignore the feeling of Brianna pressing against him. "Brianna, is Justine in trouble? Does she need our help?"
She thought back to the look of pure loathing Justine had at the thought of Brianna liking Darren. "I…Darren, look out!"
"Huh? Whoa!" Darren gripped High Wire's handle bars as the Minicon came to a quick stop in front of a large crowd that had gathered in front of Justine's house…or what was left of it. The house was completely demolished, destroyed on a level that could only have been matched by the damage caused by an earthquake. A large crater held the debris in a perfect circle around a tall monolith in the center. And what sat there was the most horrific thing Darren and Brianna had ever seen.
It was Margaret Law…or what used to be her. Only her head, stuck in a horrified scream, was recognizable. The rest of her body was twisted into some grotesque symbol of muscle and bone to look like a sick version of a crucifix. Her body was turned inside out, muscle tissue stripped bare as her skin was used to tie her to the cross.
"Primus…" Even High Wire couldn't keep himself from speaking at the sheer horror of it.
"How…what did this?" Darren breathed.
"Darren, we need to head downtown." Brianna said.
"What? Why?" He turned to look at her. "Brianna, did something happen?"
Brianna gripped his shoulder tight enough to make him wince in pain. He looked back at her and saw the fear in her eyes.
"Please, Darren, we have to find Justine!"
XXXXXX
Justine whistled a little tune as she strolled down the sidewalk wearing the new clothes Brianna bought for her. Gone were the homemade rags she slogged around in; now she wore a nice pair of jeans, brown boots, and a white and red stripped short sleeve shirt. Her hair was nicely combed and held back with the same flowery headband Brianna had her try on too. She felt like an entirely different person.
"What a beautiful night." She mused, looking up at the night sky. There were a few people here and there, but she wasn't worried. No one could touch her now.
Justine walked aimlessly on her evening stroll with no destination in mind, and she didn't even realize that her path brought her to the hospital where Katie was conveniently brought to earlier. That is, until she was stopped by the very person she had been dying to see.
"Hey, freak!"
Mandy and Dominque marched up to her from the hospital parking lot, both girls looking positively livid. Justine's smile grew as they got closer.
"Mandy! Just the girl I've been looking for." She said.
Mandy was not in the mood for games. She grabbed Justine by the shirt and slammed her up against the side of a van.
"What did you do to Katie you bitch?" Mandy demanded.
"What do you mean?" Justine asked innocently.
"Don't screw with us! We know you're an esper. There's no other way her ankle could've exploded like that." Dominique said.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Now if you could please let go of my shirt, Mandy." Justine smacked Mandy's arm' away effortlessly. Fixing her shirt, she said, "That's better. Now, I'm sorry Katie's suffering so much, but I'm sure she'll fight through it. With your money, I'm sure she can get herself a prosthetic foot or something with no problems."
"Don't play games with me you monster. You think you're tough shit because you have powers now? I'll have daddy call the ERD and they'll drag you away in chains!" Mandy spat.
"They can try." Justine said, her tone changing.
"Then I'll make it my life's mission to ruin those so-called friends of yours! Darren, Brittany, even that blond bitch of a girlfriend of yours!"
Justine's hands shot up and grabbed Mandy by the throat, squeezing her hard enough to choke the girl. Dominique screamed, but a flick of the wrist tore her throat out, vocal cords and all. Leaving the girl to bleed out on the ground, Justine stared coldly into Mandy's eyes.
"Now you've made me mad." She growled.
XXXXXX
Brianna held on tight to Darren as they rode High Wire on the main street heading downtown. They didn't have any time to waste, and Darren had to urge High Wire to run a couple of red lights to get there faster.
"Justine actually did that to Katie?" Darren asked.
"She did, and she showed absolutely no remorse for doing it. I think she believes that she's guiltless because she took revenge on one of her bullies." Brianna said.
"Good lord, if she did that to her own mother, then what will she do to the other people who've treated her that way?" Darren said. "We've got to find her. Do you know where she can be at this time? I doubt she had a lot of places to go in town."
Before they could talk further, High Wire screeched to a stop as a helicopter crashed to the ground just a few feet away from the children. Darren held Brianna onto his back as he nearly fell off High Wire.
"Oh my god!" Brianna gasped. "Where did that come from?"
Darren's phone rang and he shakily took it out to answer, seeing that it was Debbie calling him. "Debbie? What's wrong?"
"Darren, there's been a murder at the hospital. This girl, she just killed two girls in the parking lot. I think one of them's Dominque, and—oh god, she's mutilated her! She turned her body into some pile of flesh!"
Darren cursed in his mind. "Debbie, is she still there now?"
"I-I think so, but…god, she just blew out a part of the third floor. She's…I think she just dragged Katie from her room!"
Debbie, look away. Justine's planning to—" Darren was cut off by Debbie's terrified scream, followed by the sound of coughing and hacking. "Sis? Debbie, what did she do?"
"That girl…she just exploded…there's blood everywhere…"
Darren and Brianna looked at each other worriedly and High Wire immediately starting moving down another street. They had to get to Justine as soon as possible before she killed anyone else.
"Debbie, I know you're scared, but I need you to tell me where Justine is going!" He yelled into the phone.
"Darren watch out!" Brianna screamed.
High Wire reacted faster than Darren, hitting the brakes as a flaming car crashed right in front of them. They looked up and saw Justine floating in the air several feet above the intersection. Beside her was Mandy, trapped in a telekinetic field that held her spread eagle in the air. A crowd had gathered in the streets, with police taping off the area and news helicopters recording it all.
"God, she's really going to kill her." Brianna gasped.
Darren gritted his teeth, knowing that the police will only make things worse, and it was only a matter of time before the ERD arrived on the scene to arrest Justine or worse. Coming to a decision, he got off High Wire and patted his handlebars.
"High Wire, make sure Brianna's safe. I'm going up to talk to Justine."
"What?!" Brianna and High Wire exclaimed. Darren raised his hands and tore up a large chunk of the street to use as a platform to life himself up into the air.
"Darren wait, don't do this!" Brianna called up to him, but he ignored her and flew over towards Justine. She bit her lip nervously and held her hands to her chest, praying that Darren and Justine didn't hurt each other.
XXXXXX
"Justine!"
Justine turned her gaze from the terrified Mandy to see Darren floating over to her on a stone platform.
"Darren." Her tone was as cold as her gaze. Darren was floored by how different she looked and acted. The shy girl who hid behind corners was gone now, and in her place was a merciless killer.
"Justine, don't do this." Darren pleaded with her. He had to take this slow or risk Justine ripping Mandy apart. "She's not worth it."
"Oh I think she's quite deserving of it, actually. She deserves this, and so much more." Justine replied. "Her, her friends, my mother, they all deserve their punishments."
"You can't just kill people like this. It'll only make it harder for yourself and everyone else." Darren said. He was trying to think of a way to get Mandy before she was dropped from this height. "You're not a killer. You're better than this."
"What do you know about me? You, who has a loving family and friends, a girlfriend to love, a proper home that's warm and safe. You know nothing about me, so don't pretend that you understand my pain now of all times." She hissed. "I'm doing what I should have done months ago, liberating myself of the tormentors who have made my life a living hell. And it ends with her!"
"Justine don't do it!"
Justine clenched her fist and Mandy's body twisted and morphed, bones breaking, muscles tearing, blood spurting as her body was compressed into a fleshy ball. The crowd below screamed as Justine carelessly dropped the ball of flesh onto the street, where it landed with a sickening meaty splat.
Justine saw Darren's horrified face and snorted. "Close your mouth, Darren. People kill each other every day all over the world. Us lions shouldn't concern themselves with the opinions of sheep."
Darren looked at her as if truly seeing her for the first time. "You're a monster."
"I'm not a monster, Darren." Justine smiled. "I'm an apex predator."
Justine then ended their conversation by slamming a bush she snatched off the street into Darren and sent them both crashing into a building.
XXXXXX
Rodimus was already out of the ground ridge and down the street before the portal even closed. He served around several cars as he followed the police radio frequencies in the downtown area.
"All units we have a rogue esper rampaging in the business quarter. Three civilians confirmed dead. The esper is extremely hostile. Requesting ERD presence."
"Slag, slag, slag." Rodimus muttered, speeding up in the same direction of law enforcement vehicles also driving down the street. "No, Justine. Please don't let it be you."
It was only by chance that he saw the breaking news coverage in the Ark's rec room. A rogue esper on a murder spree in Tranquility matching Justine's description. He didn't want to believe it, but seeing the news footage made it painfully obvious.
"Hang on kid, I'm coming for you." Rodimus said. He switched his comm on. "Arcee, you there?"
"Rodimus? I'm on recon, what's—"
"I need your help." He cut her off. "There's a big esper smackdown going on in Tranquility and Darren's most likely in the middle of it. I'm going to need your help in saving them both before the ERD guns them down."
"…I'm on my way."
XXXXXX
Justine didn't bother checking to see if she hit Darren as she slowly flew over to one of the rooftops where people were watching and recording her with their phones. The frightened adults scuttled back as she landed on the roof and she smiled at them.
"I hope you're all recording this." She said to them, looking at their phones. "I want everyone in Tranquility to know who not to mess with."
"JUSTINE!"
Darren came down on her from above, slamming into her and they both sailed off the rooftop. They fell all the way to the street, but Justine kicked Darren to the ground first and he barely had time to cushion his fall before hitting the ground. A police car was heading his way and he diverted its path before looking up and seeing Justine barreling down on him. He flipped out of his way as she crashed into the spot he was just standing in, her punch leaving a crater in the ground.
Darren leapt back a couple feet to get some distance between the two of them. He barely managed to erect a tk barrier to keep that bus from crushing him back there, and even then his whole body ached from the impact.
'She meant to kill me. Justine actually tried to kill me just now.' Darren thought disbelievingly. He scowled and rolled his shoulders. 'Fine, if she wants to fight, then we'll fight!'
Justine charged at him from the smoke at full speed, her movements enhanced with telekinesis. Darren created another shield but her punch was strong enough to knock him back a couple of feet.
'She's fast and strong! Damn it, those training sessions were suddenly a bad idea in hindsight!' Darren thought.
"What's the matter, Darren? I thought you were eager to fight!" Justine taunted.
"Don't start smack talking, Justine, you'll only embarrass yourself." Darren said. "You're not the master yet."
"You may have skill, Darren, but I have power." Justine said and raised her arms. "Let's see which is strongest!"
Five cars were lifted into the air and thrown at Darren. He used his telekinesis to bat them aside one by one, before sending the last car right back at her. Justine easily tore that car in half and flew into him, slamming into his body and taking them both into the air. Justine carried Darren over to the top of the nearest apartment building and threw him onto the roof, diving down onto him with a blade of telekinetic energy surrounding her hand.
Darren scrambled out of her way but she pursued him across the rooftop, her blade missing him by mere inches as she tried to decapitate him. Darren jumped off the roof, but she caught him in midair and they grappled in their descent before crashing back down into the street.
"Shit." Darren groaned. The telekinetic aura around his body was already starting to weaken thanks to that cheap shot Justine gave him earlier. Her hits hurt and anymore would wear away at his only defense that kept her from turning his bones into dust. Groaning, he slowly stood to his feet and looked over at Justine.
"Get on the ground!"
Darren spun around and saw an ERD unit just 3 feet from him. There had to be around sixteen men in combat armor pointing assault rifles in his direction, with four M4 Paladin talos also training their weapons on him.
"Wait, wait, I'm friendly!" Darren shouted, holding his hands up.
"I said on the ground or we'll shoot!" The commander yelled.
"Please, we need help, that's all!" He said.
Before the ERD commander could move, a pink car sped around the corner and transformed into Arcee, who leapt over the talos and landed in front of Darren and Justine, pointing her blaster at the soldiers.
"Don't you dare touch them!" Arcee growled.
"Stand down, Autobot, and drop the gun." The commander ordered.
"I'm not dropping shit." Arcee hissed. "Leave these children alone. Let me help them."
"You are interfering in an ERD operation. Stand aside or we'll remove you by force."
No one noticed Justine slowly getting to her feet behind Darren, stone debris floating around her body. The ERD commander saw this as a hostile action and gave the order.
"The girl's attacking. Take them down!"
"No!" Arcee fired a shot that took out the legs of one of the talos before the others shot at her.
"Arcee!" Darren threw up his hands and froze the bullets in the air before they could hit them, but unfortunately he forgot about Justine.
"Die!" She screamed and slashed her hand, sending out a powerful force wave that threw the ERD vans back down the street. She crushed the Paladins into scrap, killing the pilots inside and threw the remains at the scattering soldiers.
Darren saw a lamp post rip itself out of the ground and slam into Arcee, throwing her through the window of a clothing store. He growled and sprinted at her, ramming into Justine's stomach. But he only pushed her back a few inches before she slammed her fists down on his back and palm thrust him in the chest, sending him flying back several feet.
Darren tried to stand up, but as soon as he looked up he saw the inside of her palm as it slammed against his face, knocking him back once more to crash into the side of an abandoned car. Blood spurted from his nose and he spat out a glob of blood from his mouth. He wrenched himself out of the car and stumbled forward before falling to his knees. When he saw her flying at him again, Darren forced himself to stand up and waved his arms, tearing up multiple chunks of stone from the ground to throw at her.
The stones shattered against Justine's TK barrier and she reformed the fragments into one long whip, which she used to entangle his right arm. Darren was nearly pulled off his feet, but he anchored himself and took control of the whip, catching Justine by surprise and pulling her right out of the air to slam into the ground. Darren created another whip to entrap her other arm before she could recover, but Justine retaliated by dragging him towards her, which he couldn't fight off.
The two telekinetics came closer and closer to one another and they didn't stop until they were inches away from each other. Darren and Justine clasped hands and grappled in the middle of the ruined street, their telekinetic auras pushing against each other and causing the ground around them to crack and tremble.
Darren struggled to maintain control, knowing that at this distance she could break every bone in his body. Then he noticed that the air was starting to crackle with electricity, sparks popping out of existence like tiny fireworks.
'What now?' Darren lamented.
Justine's raw power came into play once again as she began instinctively calling upon the very planet's magnetic field to draw strength from. Seeing the electrical currents growing stronger around them, he decided to cut the deadlock and jump back just as the air around her shimmered and vibrated. Her eyes were glowing with energy as she raised her arm and released a powerful beam of concentrated energy that nearly got Darren.
He tumbled in the air and tried to catch his footing, but Justine slammed her fists into the ground and the entire street was uprooted in a shower of stone. Sharp stone fragments tore into his clothes and skin, leaving behind deep bloody cuts, and leaving him vulnerable to the second energy blast that slammed into him like a train.
Justine gave him no chance to fight back and she took advantage of that, hunting him down and pummeling his body with telekinetic attacks that wore away at his defenses. Darren hit the ground but sent another piece of concrete at Justine, which only shattered against her barrier as she shot forward and slammed her fist into his gut, knocking the breath from him. She followed up with another punch to the chest that blasted him back and flew after him, delivering an uppercut that sent him upwards this time.
She channeled all the energy she could feel around, and with a mighty roar that could be heard for miles, raised her arms. Energy crackled around Darren's body before it detonated, engulfing his body in an explosion that shattered several windows and rattled the entire street in all directions.
Flames flew around her but could not touch her, and with a wave of her hand she dissipated the flames. Darren had crashed into the bottom of the crater the explosion left behind, seemingly unconscious and covered in blood, his clothes nearly burnt off him. Justine raised her arm and condensed water vapor around her limb before freezing it into one long and very sharp blade. Then she descended on him.
Justine pulled her blade arm back to run the boy through. Just a few more feet and he'll be out of her life forever!
"Justine!"
XXXXXX
Rodimus saw her stop inches away from Darren and he felt his Spark stop pulsing. Darren wasn't moving and he had no idea how injured he was. The boy needed help now, but first he needed to calm Justine down first.
"Justine, please," Rodimus said, slowly walking toward her. "Just stop."
"Rodimus?" Justine pulled away from Darren, floating back down to earth. "You're here."
"Yes, I'm here." He said, looking around at the damage the two of them caused in their battle. "Justine, don't hurt him."
"He was in the way. He wanted to hurt me like everyone else!" She growled.
"No, he was trying to stop you from becoming something worse than your bullies." Rodimus knelt down to her. "A lot of people got hurt today, Justine. People who had nothing to do with your pain. You need to stop right now."
"I don't want to. If I stop, they'll hurt me again and I won't go through that anymore!" She cried.
"You won't have to. I'll protect you. Rodimus said. "I know people who can help you. I think you'll like—"
"Freeze!"
Rodimus shot up and saw more ERD troops surrounding them. Soldiers and SWAT units surrounding them on all sides with their weapons pointed at them, supported by Paladin talos aiming at Rodimus.
"Autobot, surrender the two espers and stand down. Further obstruction of arrest will be met with lethal force."
"Frag that! You're not touching these two!" Rodimus pointed his arm blasters at them. "These two are under Autobot protection."
"I said stand down or we will attack!"
"Let me help her!" He yelled. "We can help her!"
Justine huddled up tor Rodimus when she felt something hit her TK field. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that it was a bullet, hovering inches from her ear. Her eyes glowed and she looked to the building where the sniper had shot her from.
"LEAVE. ME. ALONE!" She slashed her hand and turned the sniper into bloody paste, as well as completely flattening the building he had been standing on.
Justine screamed and unleashed a TK wave that blew Rodimus away and sent the police cars and ERD vans flying. They all opened fire on her, but all she needed to do was look at them and they were crushed under an intense pressure wave. Cars folded like paper, windows shattered, talos were crumpled up like tin foil. The ground shook from her power and she began to lift off the ground.
"Justine, stop!" Rodimus called out to her. He tried to move, but her power kept him pinned to the ground. "Justine!"
Shards of glass fell over terrified civilians trying to escape the chaos. The air began to hum around Justine as her power flared wildly. Her screams were like thunder and the ground began to shake.
Rodimus was about to call out to her when suddenly…it all stopped. The telekinetic rampage was cut off and the floating debris fell to the ground. Rodimus pushed himself off the ground and looked up at Justine.
The girl had a foot long stone spike jutting out of her torso. Justine fell to her knees, slumped forward with her long hair hanging over her face. Behind her was Darren, who had finally succumb to his injuries and passed out.
All Rodimus could do was crawl over to Justine's body and cradle her, crying at the friend he just lost.
XXXXXX
Debbie, Annie and Gina sat around Darren's medical bed watching the solivision screen in the medibay as the news reported on the latest esper incident in Tranquility. As expected, the fallout wasn't good.
"In light of the recent incident in Tranquility, Dakote, in which two espers caused massive amounts of damage within the downtown area, leading to the deaths and injuries of multiple people. A swift act of the senate has overrided the President's veto, and the Esper Registration Act has now become mandatory. All espers above the age of 16 must register with the government. Any espers not in compliance will be arrested by the ERD."
"Turn that shit off, Debbie." Annie grumbled. Debbie turned the monitor off and sighed.
"So what now?" Gina asked.
"What else? Darren's face is plastered all over the news, there's another protest at town hall, and I'm pretty sure there's a mob at our house." Annie said and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Debbie asked.
"Outside to make a call. I have a feeling that heading back to school after this is out of the question." Annie gave Darren a sad glance before leaving the room.
She knew that Darren was going to wake up to a whole new life, and he wasn't going to like it.
XXXXXX
Tomahawk entered the morgue and walked over to the hunched form of Rodimus. She stood next to him as he stared at the body of the girl who only wanted to be loved. She placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it soothingly as Rodimus lamented his failure.
"I'm sorry, Justine." Rodimus muttered. "I'm so sorry."
This was a heavy chapter. I based Justine off of Carrie when I first started writing her character into the story, first as someone who became close friends with Rodimus, and also a potential love interest for Darren. It was only just recently I had Justine fall for Brianna, who had eyes for Darren, and she became jealous of the very boy who trained her to be as skilled as she was. Her downfall, as well as the final battle scene between Justine and Darren, were based off the movie Chronicle, a cool movie I saw a few years ago. This chapter will spark a chain of events that will make the human/esper conflict in Osea explode and further give the Brotherhood a tighter hold on their war against both the Autobots and humanity. And it will also affect the Autobots' human allies on a personal level too. Be sure to check out this story and more on the official Transformers Titan website. Thanks for reading, please leave a review and stay safe everybody!