Nano-kilk - half of a Cybertron second

Klik - Cybertron second

Breem - Cybertron minute

Joor - Cybertron hour

Cycle/Lunar-cycle - Day or night

Meta-cycle - Cybertron week

Orn - Cybertron month

Vorn - Cybertron year

Deca-cycle - Cybertron decade

Mega-cycle - Cybertron century

Vixen - aging from 2 to first breeding (Female turbofox)

Brute - aging from 2 to first breeding (Male turbofox)

As the Decepticons squabble instead of mowing down the defenseless Autobots...

Rodimus Prime: "We should have been molten by now. What's going on up there?"

Ultra Magnus: "Sloppiness. Disorganization. As I've tried to teach you, undisciplined thinking can make even the simplest task impossible!"

— "Five Faces of Darkness

Rumble: "Nice scenery."

Scavenger: "Yeah, let's waste it! I hate nice things."

— "Microbots"

The day came that Siren had been waiting for. At seven orns old, her brothers and she were nearly as big as their carrier and what Howler informed her, they still had another six orns and a growth spurt left before they were considered full grown size. At two vorns old they would be classified as adult turbofoxes and start their racing career six orns later. Only for ten vorns would she be racing, that what the limit for turbofoxes. Then if she showed great talent and skill, they would give her the title of breeder to see if her off-springs would be born with the skill or more depending on the stud they bred with her.

That was something she didn't want to think about yet. Nor looking forward to in the vorns to come.

Boltgear watched all of that vorn's batch of foxlings as they played outside in the open paddocks. Just two orns ago they had split the foxlings from their carriers and put them in their own stable pens. Each one held the same coloration but the one. His optics studied her the longest having spent much time taking in each foxling, determinating their value. He could see that even with the size of Furywave's batch they showed the most value to be kept, even the Oddity.

Notch stood next to the owner with a datapad in servo, waiting to put the foxlings on the list that would be sold off. "All of Nightshade's batch can go. I haven't seen anything to show they have worth." Boltgear stated as Notch put the three foxlings on the list. "Vocalize's youngest goes. Keep Demotist's only foxling, she shows to be a decent racer."

Notch looked up taking in the four of Furywave's batch. "What of Furywave's batch?"

Boltgear didn't rely at first, thinking over which foxling to keep and to sell. "Put the two middle foxlings on the list, they may have size but I have yet to see any promise from them." Notch nodded before glancing at the maroon foxling, who sat at the far end of the open pasture watching them in turn. "What of the Oddity, sir?"

Boltgear glanced to the foxling in question as well with a hum. "She stays. I've been watching the Oddity and can see much promise with her. Her and the eldest foxling show just what I've been breeding for. Bluefire's speed and Furywave's stamina." the mech turned to leave with Notch following after. "In the next vorn and a half we'll see just which of the two from Furywave's batch outshines the other. Oh, Bluefire and Furywave are to be paired again in the next heat cycle."

"Of course, sir."

After that day, Siren would never see two of her brothers. She wanted to cry knowing she had not been able to give a form of goodbye at least. No, they had been taken back to their stable pens and the next day she never saw them again when put in the open paddocks. It helped some to know that Coreshock would still be with her, but as time drew closer for training she saw him less and less.

In the last three orns they were given simple training. Learning to be loaded into a small shuttle, then they had to get over the flying around bit. When that happened the first time, Siren flipped out so bad, the vet that went with just for things like this, had to sedated her in a low dose. Then she had to get use to a magnetized saddle that was place just behind her shoulder joints and the weight of a rider a little afterwards. Siren even learned to be led by a halter and reins. It took her many times to not feel so oppressed by it, knowing that this was to be her life as a racer.

To be thought a simple creature with no thought of mind or feelings. Her life was controlled now by her owner. It made everything weigh more heavily on Siren knowing that if she screwed up once, she could be sold to be hunted for sport. She knew that may have been exaggerating, but knew what was demanded of her since her creation. Siren would make sure she put forth everything she had to stay alive.

She was able to see Howler at times, which made her happy during those short times he had been able to greet her, but with him being station in the carrier building Siren only saw the mech in passing. Her new handler was a femme designated Phasewing. Siren also found that this femme was the head handler for all stables.

The femme was silent as she worked only going about her job of caring for the foxlings that were nearing vornling stage. Siren was starting to feel lonely, having been taken away from her carrier and her brothers. Howler being too busy doing his job in the carriers building to visit much and continue his teachings for her. Trying to get the turbofoxes on either side of her to talk was useless as they held the same simple thoughts her brothers held, so it grew tiring. Even when in the open paddock they only wanted to play, something Siren could only do for so long.

She was glad the time came for training. At least then she could put all of her focus into it. If she held the intellect she did then she could use it to her advantage on the race track. Her plan was to show Boltgear that she was more than worthy to be kept. That she wasn't just the Oddity they designated her with, but the gem he had been wanting.

A femme of light blue and dark gold coloration stepped into Siren's stable pen with the riding gear in her servos. Siren stood quickly as the femme clipped the reins to the halter before moving to magnetize the saddle. "Wow, I think this is the first time I've ever had a turbofox this calm." her handler said as a chuckle from the entrance made the femme turn to the head handler.

"Oddity is an oddity that's for sure. Everything about that turbofox is an oddity." Phasewing stated looking over Siren. "All I can say is, Primus must have something planned for this turbofox. Alright, go on Aquatalon, Switchshot is probably waiting to start the vornling's training."

The femme, Aquatalon, nodded and lead Siren to the tracks that would hold her training. Siren made sure to take in all that she saw starting to feel excited by it. She had accepted that this would be her life for now on, it was a little depressing, but she was making do to what she was born into.

Aquatalon halted near a taller femme who held a datapad, three other turbofoxes waiting with handlers. The femme had black coloration with accents of white and red. Siren glanced to the others and could see just how large she was next to the three foxes. Standing at least two to three feet taller, she was a damn giant next to them. Made her wonder how big Coreshock was now since he was a little taller than her even.

"Alright, saddle up jockeys." Switchshot ordered as four minicons moved to get into the saddle.

It was the first time Siren had seen a minicon, these were styled to be slim and weighing lightly on her back, their frame builds perfect for this type of occupation. The minicon that sat on her back was Jetway, a light grey colored mech with silver and green accents. He was one of her favorite riders, his riding style being more on the gentle side. The one jockeys she couldn't stand, liked to use the whip and handled the reins hard, his designation was Embertron, coloration of dark orange and green. Ugly set of colors she might add.

Jetway gave Oddity a light pat on her neck plating, waiting for the call. "I want the first roundabout to be at a trot in a group. At the fourth turn let them loose on the straightaway. Keep them in a pack as they trot."

Jetway gave a nod to the instructions Switchshot gave. The head trainer wanted to see how they moved in the pack for the first time since the start of training, one for any hint of aggressive actions to other turbofoxes. The other to get the vornlings use to running in packs like this to even larger. This was the hardest part for Turbofoxes to get done which always made top priority for the head trainer to get it over and done with.

Her rider urged her into a trot along with the others. Siren began to get excited running with other turbofoxes for the first time. Each new thing that they trained for showed her just how much closer she was getting. Jetway gave Siren a quick pat at the base of her neck telling the she-fox of the good job so far. Before she knew it, the fourth turn was coming and she could feel her frame begin to tense up in readiness for the jump in speed she would do.

It came as Siren felt the mech lean close over her frame in a crouch, urging her into a full out gallop in a shout of 'Go'. Four sets of pedes thundered over the metal ground, eating it up like it was nothing, the wind whipped around her frame filling her with glee. She felt like she could do this forever. Gusts of cold air was push in and hot air out from intakes that kicked higher to take on the stress of keeping her core temperature normal.

Keeping her optic forward, she could see the end of the straightaway getting closer each kilk. Without being urged, Siren pushed herself even more, wanting to show just how much speed she had. Even she didn't know just how fast she could go or for how long. It was no longer strange to feel cables coil and uncoil instead of muscles. It had become her life now, something she accepted.

After what seemed like a breem, she felt Jetway pull on the reins making her helm be raised, forcing her to slow back to a trot. She felt a gentle pat come from her rider probably to let her know she did well in the run. Pride filled her at that as Jetway brought her to stop in front of Switchshot with the other three vornling she ran with joining as well. The ran felt so good to her systems that she realized her intakes were barely even taxed from the stress.

Switchshot stared at the maroon vornling with an unreadable face. Siren felt her long audial finials twitch to lay flat but fought it hoping she hadn't done anything to cause her trouble. Switchshot went over and laid a servo on her chassis in thought. Oh no, what was wrong? What did she do? Maybe she should have pulled back some.

"Solus Prime! Jetway, do you even know how far Oddity pulled away?" Another jockey, Solarrun, asked shock clear in his tone.

"No, I wasn't looking back, I thought you were next to me." Jetway answered glancing at the mech that asked.

"The vornlings was like a rocket. Took off at speeds only seen from her sire, Bluefire." Another jockey stated, Glowstar, this one femme.

"Not even hot." Switchshot stated pulling her servo from the vornling's chassis with a grin. She glanced to the minicon. "The vornling had pulled nearly two turbofox lengths away from the pack and if you had let her, Jetway, she would have pulled even further away."

"That means Oddity had her sire's speed. That's the only turbofox I've ever seen that could shoot off like the vornling just did this cycle." Solarrun said looking at the maroon turbofox with interest.

"She may have inherited her sire's speed but the question is, did she inherit her carrier's endurance?" Switchshot said gain the four jockeys attention again. "We shall see in the orns to come."

"Alright, do another round. Same orders as before." Switchshot ordered. "Once done, walked them before letting the handlers take them." the four jockeys nodded and turned the vornlings to do another circuit around. Siren inwardly grinned knowing that she had shown good promise.

Siren never thought she would have been that happy to just run around an oval, but she was and it wasn't just her that had Bluefire's speed. Coreshock had it too and the two of them had the same endurance of Furywave. It was then she knew that in the races to come, she would have competition in the form of her sibling. It made her think to how she would do in a real race with other turbofoxes and not just the ones she had been running with here. What speed did other owned turbofoxes hold?

Not only that, but who knew Cybertronians held some similar things with Earth? Well, she couldn't really say that since she's only known this tiny part that she lived in. She didn't know what was really happening out beyond the bounds of Wild Pride Stables. For all she knew, the war had not even started or they were in the throes of it with bots beginning to choose sides.

A growl escaped her as she thought. She needed to know in order to prepare. She stopped pacing and stood. What could a turbofox do? Other than their speed, what could she do to even help or did she even want to help? Both sides had done some shitty things each, or would be doing. Then there was the problem of her speaking ability, she wasn't able to only than animal sounds. Made her wish to have been designed like Ravage, at least he could talk.

Intakes worked a little more than usual catching her attention. Only, her focus wasn't quite right either. Her frame felt too small and the heat that was coming off the armor had the air sizzling. Every inch of her being ached and a loud whine left her vocals. Thanks to Howler, she knew what was happened and would be happening for the next meta-cycle or so. She was close to the age for the second growth spurt and just like the first time, it hurt.

The first time she had gone through this, she was only in protoform. The spurt happened and she had armor growing all over her frame to cover her protoform. She was freaked out a little by the process and it was something she never wanted to deal with again. What was also strange was the change of color to her protoframe. It had become steel grey while the armor took over her maroon color making her have duel colors with the maroon being primary and the steel grey showing little.

Her armor felt too tight on her protoform as the armor slowly grew larger to accommodate the growing protoform underneath. Wires tingled with overcharged shoots of electricity causing the ache to be all over her, and the hunger, the hunger was the worse this time around! With training and this growth spurt happening she was having to consume more energon than usual. Thank Primus the handlers could see the signs of the spurt or she would never have been able to keep her energy up.

At least she wasn't the only turbofox going through this painful spurt.

Only, that was just the beginning of her training as she found out the few meta-cycles later once the vet was sure all vornlings had the spurt done and over with. No longer would she run in an oval like track, but several that were designed to twist and turn with the ground at points being littered with dirt and rocks before going back to the smooth metal ground.

Who freaking knew the tracks would actually have organic things on it when the entire plant was a huge metal ball? Here she was thinking that the turf was metal like it was everywhere else from what she has seen and from what she remembered from the shows. Oh, the best track she had to run through had part of it going underground. Yeah, underground, gotta love being a racing turbofox now. At least the underground part was well lit so she wasn't stumbling like a klutz as she ran.

Basically, the first track she spent in the first stages of her training was just getting the vornlings use to racing. In packs, with loud sounds for them to ignore, seeing as it would one cycle be there in the form of crowds, and learning to shoot out from the starting gate. Siren found she had the worst trouble with that. Thanks to both sire and carrier, Siren was able to make up what she lost in her stumbling starts to be back with the pack.

"You've gotten big, Siren." her long audial finials perk at the familiar voice. She let out a loud bark, optics shining bright amber at the mech that walked into her stable pen. Howler was here! It had been too long since she's been in his presence. "You missed me that much, huh?" At that Siren gave him a grumble as he set a datapad in front of her. This brought her tail to whip around in joy.

YES! He was going to spent time with her. A purr worked out of her engine as she rubbed up to the older mechs legs. He gave a chuckle in response and pat her helm. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry I haven't been by. I have something new to teach you Siren. Don't worry, I'll still continue with your previous studies."

Siren tilted her helm at that, but went with it anyways. The symbols this time around were different, simpler to read than what he had taught her before. She looked over to the mech, her optics now level with his sitting frame, and tilt her helm in question. These symbols looked familiar, she tried to remember, but nothing came to mind. The only thing that came to mind was she was now looking at what could possibly be a clue to where in the war she was.

Howler could see this and vent, surprising Siren with just how tired looking the mech was. It wasn't from working type of tired, but of the wearing and weariness of a long life of seeing things. Of what, the turbofox vixen wasn't sure, she only knew that this mech was very old to have known Prime Language.

"It is nothing you need to worry about Siren. It will pass within a couple of deca-cycles." Howler stated giving her jaw a scratch. "I hear that you'll soon being heading to your first race." This perked her attention away from her thoughts of the war. Dear Primus, it really was getting close to her first race being nearly two vorns and a half. Looking down at the datapad she used a grinded down claw to switch the symbols back to what she knew.

Howler waited before leaning a little to read her question. "Well, that's an easy one. The first races of the season start with Nova Cronum and Iacon. Then it's off to Polyhex with Tyger Pax after that. Two meta-cycles off to rest before racing again in Vos."

Siren knew some of those cities, mostly Iacon and Vos. She was scared. Some of those cities were utterly destroyed and she would be racing in those cities. Howler went on. "After Vos, you'll go to Praxus, Altihex, and Kalis with another two meta-cycle rest. The last leg of the races and the ending in this order are Uraya, Tarn, Prothex, and Tyrest." The mech said turning to his datapad to start his teachings.

For the rest of that cycle, well into the night, Howler taught her to read these new symbols. After getting several of them memorized the mech then decided to read a book out loud to her. He had done this towards her many times before, which made Siren let out a soft vent as she relaxed beside the mech. His voice drifted through the air the words flowing smoothly into her audial finials.

She missed these cycles. This calm old mech and his presence. The only one that even guessed that she was able to think and feel just like any cybertronian, how no one else did confused her. Howler had become much like a grandfather to her. He would never know that she thought of him like that. There were times she wished to have been born as cybertronian and not a turbofox. At least cybertronians could form the bonds that linked them together.

It made her wonder why she had been reborn in the first place, as a turbofox even. Did she have a purpose? Of all the turbofoxes here, she was really an oddity with being able to think beyond basics. The question was if she was so different from them, did she have a spark? For the first time since her creation it hit her. In order for conscious thinking one has to have a spark, it was their being, their life, it was what separated them from mechanical beings like turbofoxes.

Quickly, Siren drew the datapad to her and typed up the question for Howler to see. The mech having felt and seen her movements pause in his readings to glance down. Once she was done he picked up the pad to read it. His optic ridges raise at the question. "In order to know, one must open their chassis to reveal the chamber underneath." she took the pad once more before giving it back.

"Well, if you remember how to open this to be fueled, then you should be able to search for the spark chamber." Howler stated pushing a digit into the top part of her chest that opened the small bit of armor for being feed when she was in her first orns of life.

Siren looked to the floor in thought, trying to think of how one would set in the protocol codes to reveal one's spark. She only knew of the fuel opening because her carrier had nudged it open after her armor had set in. Well, Furywave did until Siren figured out the way to opened it herself.

"I'm curious also. If you do then you're just like Dominus Ambus." Howler stated. "But then again, he wasn't sparked from a turbofox." a servo went up to his chin to think it over. Siren twitched her audial finials at him before going back to trying to figure out how to find something she didn't even know if she had.

Looking over her chassis she studied it. Offlining her optic she let her mind wonder. Seeking out the codes. It had been yet another thing she had gotten to know how to do within her own mind, well processor. Soon she came upon codes that held much the same protocols as the fuel clip. Curious, she let them go through.

Both the mech and vixen hear the sounds of metal shifting and gears clicking. Siren looked down at the chassis feeling it move apart letting her optics widen at the sight she saw. She couldn't really see it with the way she was built, but she could tell it was a spark with the way light danced on Howler's leg.

"Primus…" Howler whispered awe clear on his faceplates before looking up to the turbofox. "You really do have a spark…but that explains everything." His ridged knotted together in thought. "But why would Primus put you in a turbofox frame and not another that would be more useful?"

Siren let the plates close back up feeling stressed and vulnerable by the small exposure of her spark. Now she understood why many cybertronians didn't like doing that. Hearing Howler's question she gave a shrug having no clue herself as to why she was even alive again.

The mech vented picking up the datapad again to subspace it. "Have a good night cycle, Siren. You'll need all of the rest you can get for the meta-cycles to come." lifting a servo up, he gave a pet to her helm once more before getting up. Once he stood Siren nuzzled her nose into his side in her way of good-byes. "I will be around when I can continue your teaching. Once you have enough knowledge, I'll try to get you to do the Ambus Test and see if we can get you cybertronian status."

The mech left leaving Siren to tilt her helm in confusion. What the hell did a test have to do with getting cybertronian status? Or why did she even need to take it?

Wow! The responses! Thank you all so much! To those that helped with race names, they will be credited you to for your help.

Question, What cybertronian from the shows or comic would you like to show up? Give two names only please. (Depending on what happens, Siren may or may not meet them. Seeing as she is a racing turbofox she won't meet many outside of the tracks and stable pens)

igeegeei - Your right about Kaon, I just couldn't think of any race being held there. With the city being known for its dealings and the Pits I just couldn't see a track being there. Well, before all of the corruption there could have been a track there if the city at one point held high standers but now the city is a bad city.

Steelcode - Thank you very much for the help! It was much needed.

ren7720 - Thanks to your review I was able to change up the tracks like i was trying to do. Im basing a lot of this off of thoroughbred racing but wanted to make it a little different. Thank you again!

And to those that followed and favorited, thank you! kimmy94, igeegeei, BIackrose13, and Just Another Random.