Chapter 1. Here We Are Again

For eons the war between the Red and Blue Sentients threatened the stability of the multiverse. As battle zone after battle zone, planet after planet, were ravaged and destroyed in the fighting, it wouldn't have been long before there wasn't a multiverse left for them fight in. It was only when both sides were on the brink of wiping the other out for good, that the multiverse stepped in.

Built around a piece of the core from the Nexus, Rawkus rose from the center of the multiverse. A being that neither Blue nor Red understood, he brought to their planets the same destruction that spread throughout the multiverse. He declared the Sentient war over then and promised that any further conflict would have catastrophic results.

This threat in mind, the Red Generals and Blue Council came to a tentative armistice. As part of the agreement, twice each would send a team of five vehicles to the ancient arena; and Blue and Red would come together to watch their champions in the gladiator ring as a way to relieve tensions left over from centuries of war. As a show of good faith, Rawkus was made Gameskeeper and given all authority over the arena.

But that was ancient history.

Vert Wheeler had been a champion of the Blue Sentients for about three years. He could still remember the day when he had encountered Sage on the Salt Flats after in intense lightning storm. Her vehicle had been damaged, and while Vert found the whole thing strange he still offered to help as much as he could. He was able to get her moving again and it wasn't until several days later that she reappeared.

"Vert Wheeler, you have shown courage and a quality of leadership that I have not seen in centuries. Will you return with me and fight as a champion for my people?"

He'd said yes almost immediately. It was exciting. A new adventure. He'd get a cool car. Besides there was nothing keeping him Handler Corners, anyways. Without goodbyes, he'd followed Sage through the portal to what would be his new home. She presented him with a vehicle designed specifically for him. Cherry red, fast, and sleek, Vert named it the Saber in honor to the giant chainsaw that popped out of the front hood. Over the course of the next couple of days, she had brought others who would fight alongside him as a team.

Stanford was a DJ in London before Sage had found him. He could mix a baseline better than anyone in country and never missed the center target when playing darts at the bar. His grasp of sound and deadly accuracy was what led Sage to recruit him as the team's artillery expert. His vehicle looked a bit like a sports car, if it was purple and had multiple cannons that could fire precise soundwaves like bullets. Appropriately, he had called it the Reverb.

Agura had been working on her family's nature preserve when Sage approached her. It was her skills with baiting and tracking that led her to become the team's hunter. Her vehicle, named the Tangler, was like a jeep with spider legs that could crawl across the walls of the arena and surprise rivals from above. She had also quickly been named second in command.

Zoom had joined them next. While it had taken some coaxing to get the story from him, he eventually revealed that he'd run away from home in an effort to exercise some measure of control over his life. Sage had found him after he'd won the underground mixed martial arts championship. He was nimble, and an excellent fighter which was why he became the team scout. Likewise, his vehicle was adept and could maintain short periods of flight. He'd called it the Chopper since it was technically a motorcycle, but also the wheels had blades that he could summon at will.

Sherman and Spinner were the last members added to their team. Twins that had been inseparable all their lives, they shared many of the same interests such as computer hacking, engineering. Sage found them after graduation from one of the best tech schools to exist. It was tricky getting them both seeing as she couldn't break the rule of five vehicles, but the brothers didn't seem to mind sharing. Their vehicle was massive, functionally a tank that Sherman drove with a turret that Spinner controlled. They'd called it the Buster. Combined, they were the team's tech and tactical support.

Together, they were known as the Battle Force Five.

"But there's six of us!" Spinner protested.

"We're counting vehicles, little bro." Sherman said.

Spinner stuck his tongue out. "I knew that."

They'd spent months training in the simulator, getting to know their vehicles and each other. Zoom, in particular, had developed a fondness for Vert that Agura likened to hero-worship. Vert tried to brush it off, but as the weeks went on he'd found himself paying more and more attention to Zoom. Sometimes their eyes would meet, and both would go red in the face for catching each other staring. After they'd won their first fight in the arena, Vert pulled Zoom in for a dance at the gala celebrating their victory. It was there, under the dim lights of the ballroom Vert had kissed him and made known his feelings. Zoom had just grinned, said "About time," and kissed Vert again. Sage had been surprised of course, but simply made them promise that engaging in a romantic relationship would not affect the Battle Force Five negatively. And it hadn't. Just over three years had passed since then.

...

Battle Force Five was working late in the simulator that night. The second match of the year was the next day, and Vert had wanted to get in as much training as possible before then. He didn't know what Krytus and the Reds would throw at them this time around.

Their first time in the arena, they'd fought against Sark, robots found commonly on the Red planet designed to do whatever was wished of them. These ones had been specially equipped for combat, but they hadn't been prepared for the sheer power of the vehicles Sage created. They'd won easily that time.

The Reds had stepped up their game after that. The Sark hadn't worked, so Krytus had followed Sage's example of recruiting a team from another planet. Warriors from planet Vandal, or as Spinner had called them, mutant furries, provided a challenge, but again the BF5 had prevailed.

After that defeat, Krytus himself built new Sark, larger and sturdier than the previous ones they'd battled. These ones had names. Zemerik. Zug. Vert didn't remember the other three names. The only reason those two stuck out was because they had wrecked the Reverb. Stanford was all right, but the rules were they had to continue until only one team was left standing. It was the first time one of their vehicles had been taken down. Despite that, Battle Force Five had managed to win yet again.

Their last battle, Krytus had clearly gotten tired of losing. When BF5 entered the arena, they'd come face to face with Krytus himself. He and his most trusted companions burned through the arena at frightening speeds. The Tangler and Chopper had both lost a wheel in the fight, and the Saber had definitely seen better days, but they had done it again. Krytus had actually smashed his own vehicle after Rawkus announced it. Needless to say, he didn't make an appearance at the gala after that. Though, as long as Vert had been fighting for Sage and the Blues, he hadn't seen any of the Red's champions come to the gala.

The simulation ended.

"All right, guys," Vert said, climbing out of the Saber. "We've got another big day tomorrow. Get some rest and I'll see you in the ring."

...

The sun hung over the arena, casting its light over the stands where Blue and Red Sentients sat opposite of each other as they waited for the games to begin. Vert sat in the Saber, engine revved, ready to drive into the arena as soon as the gates opened. Battle Force Five was ready behind him.

"Blue Sentients," Rawkus's voice rang over his comm, "I present to you, your champions." The gates creaked open. Vert and his team drove slowly into the arena. "Battle Force Five!"

Vert watched as the Blue Sentients cheered. He smiled and waved at the crowd. The Blue Sentients cheered louder. He sat back comfortably in his seat. If they were already cheering this loud for them, he couldn't imagine how much louder they would get when BF5 won.

"Red Sentients, I present to you, your champions." The gates on the opposite end of the arena opened. "The Red Sentient Force!"

Spinner snorted. "Real original, huh? Maybe Krytus decided to recruit a group of humans too."

As all ten vehicles made their way towards the center of the arena, Vert had the terrifying realization that Spinner might be right.

The first vehicle he caught sight of was massive. It was all white with a red tinted windshield and had what looked like a snow plow, but with teeth on the front of it. That looked like it could do some serious damage. The large drill on the back was equally as concerning.

Next to that one was a car similar to Stanford's in that it looked like a sports car. Its weapons weren't visible at the moment, but the steely orange color and pulsing red glow was enough for Vert to want to stay the fuck away from it.

At the opposite end of their lineup was a motorcycle. It shone gold against the dirt and dust of the arena with red accents on the wheels and handles. The front wheel was smaller than the back and had what looked like antennae coming out of it. The rider, also clad head-to-toe in a gold shocksuit, looked more than ready for the fight to begin.

The next vehicle was a deep silver. With a thin body that curved slightly and a large ring at the back that spun slowly, it looked as if it hovered just above the ground. If it had wheels at all, Vert didn't see them. Aside from whatever the ring did, Vert didn't see any obvious weapons.

Across from him in the center of the lineup was the vehicle that Vert assumed belonged to the leader. It was another motorcycle, but that wasn't what caught Vert's attention. It was a fucking bright-ass pink. He couldn't imagine Krytus designing that monstrosity. When he looked at it again, he noticed the bike didn't lean to either side. Its rider was poised perfectly straight down the center, almost laying across the thing with legs tucked in protective slots. Unlike the other bike, the front wheel was larger than the back. It pulsed a dim red.

Stanford gave a light "fuck" over the comms.

"We got this, Stan." Vert said, trying to reassure him. The clock overhead started its countdown. Ten. Nine. Eight. "We beat Krytus, remember? What's the worst these guys can do?"

Seven. Six. Five. "Right." He still sounded nervous, but that was normal for Stanford.

Four. Three. Two.

Vert activated the Saber's chainsaw.

One.

He lunged forward.

...

"The winner is: The Red Sentient Force!"

Vert watched the screens in the infirmary as the Red Sentients cheered in the stands. He was pretty sure he needed stitches from where his head hit the Saber's windshield. He'd been knocked out of the ring early on, so a cut on the forehead and sore ribs weren't the worst thing that had happened. He was pretty sure Zoom had broken arm from crashing with the orange vehicle and then getting pinned under the Chopper.

The fight had been brutal. Some parts of their vehicles had to be completely rebuilt. Their weapons were insane. One used electricity, the car with the giant ring shot fire, the pink one had lasers. Krytus had seriously stepped up his game. Now Vert understood why Krytus never went to the gala after the fights. Getting absolutely destroyed like that was humiliating. But he and his team would go. "As a gesture of sportsmanship," Sage had said. Yeah, well, where had Krytus's sportsmanship been when his team had lost all those times? Still, he didn't want to upset Sage and the Blues by not going.

Battle Force Five would go to the gala and come face-to-face with the team that had thoroughly kicked their ass.