This is the second chapter that I will be posting in a short period of time so any suggestions on the last chapter will not be implemented at the moment. If I see some suggestions that will fit into the story I will add them as soon as possible. Enjoy!
Nitrostrike waited patiently for the next day to come. At seven she turned to leave headquarters but was intercepted by Ratchet.
"Rules," Ratchet simply said as he began to list off rules. Ratchet babbled on for a good half of the day and Nitrostrike transformed and left when he was done. She decreased her speed but still quickly made her way to Sam's apartment. Sam walked out and jumped in. Nitrostrike's engine roared and she made her way to the countryside.
Every day from then on was the same thing. Nitrostrike would pick up Sam and they would race or perform stunts in the empty fields. Until one day when everything changed.
The silver Camaro raced through the roads of California and stopped in front of Sam's apartment. It looked perfectly normal except for the fact that no one was behind the wheel.
A voice could be faintly heard coming from inside, "I'm just going out. See you later mom." Sam quickly ran outside and jumped into the Camaro.
"Greetings, Sam," said the Camaro, "What are we doing today?"
"How about we race around the city, Nitro? Try and beat our old record." Sam suggested.
"Good idea," Nitrostrike said as she shot off. The two raced throughout the city, navigating the twisting roads with ease. As they were about to make the final turn they heard a siren behind them.
"Well that's just great," Sam muttered as Nitrostrike pulled over. The cop car drove up next to Nitrostrike.
"You shouldn't be racing around like that Nitrostrike," Said a voice that seemed to come from the car itself.
"Apologies, Prowl," Nitrostrike responded. Her engine idling in anticipation to continue her race despite Prowl's warning.
"What if I had been a human's cop car? You both could have gotten into serious trouble. I know that in Velocitron you had the freedom to race at all times but this is different. If you want to race around then do it somewhere secluded." Prowl growled.
"I'm really sorry, it won't happen again," Sam intervened.
"Make sure it doesn't," Prowl said as he pulled away and continued down the road. Sam and Nitrostrike sat there for a minute or two, considering what Prowl had just said. Without speaking Nitrostrike turned around and raced towards the countryside. As they made they raced along the freeway neither Sam nor Nitrostrike said a word, still thinking about Prowl's warning.
"Maybe Prowl's right," Sam said, "Maybe we should go a little slower. We could get in some real trouble."
"I guess you're right." Nitrostrike responded reluctantly, "I am your guardian, I shouldn't put you in a situation where you could get hurt." They continued down the freeway for a while longer, then turned around and headed back towards Sam's house. No one else was there so Nitrostrike slowly got faster as they got closer to the city. As they entered the city she sharply slowed down to avoid detection by the cops. But one must have seen her as the siren wailed and the lights flashed. Nitrostrike pulled over again and the car stopped behind them. A police exited from the car and came up to the window. Nitrostrike rolled down the window to allow Sam to talk to the cop.
"Sir, do you have any idea how fast you were going on the freeway?" The cop asked.
"Not really," Sam admitted.
"You were going ninety miles per hour on a seventy mile per hour road. Care to explain?"
"Well, uh, no one was there and I might have not been paying attention."
"Licence, sir?"
Sam handed the officer his licence and waited in silence. The cop stared at the card a moment and then handed it back to Sam.
"Mr. Witwicky, I am afraid that your licence is revoked until next week." The cop said handing him a ticket with a fine.
"Yes officer," Sam muttered as he took his licence and ticket. The cop headed back to his car and drove back down the road.
"Well that backfired," Nitrostrike said, her engine roaring with anger. "Let's not tell your parents. Or Optimus."
"Agreed," Sam responded. Nitrostrike drove to an abandoned warehouse and let Sam climb out. She then transformed into her bipedal mode, filling up most of the available space. The two sat there in silence for a moment, shocked into silence because of their recent encounter.
"Do you ever miss Bumblebee?" Nitrostrike said, breaking the silence.
"Sometimes, he was my first car after all," Sam joked, "He's a good friend and I can't wait for him to come back."
"I see," Nitrostrike responded.
"I still really like you Nitro, you're great to have around." Sam said, comforting her. He paused, "Do you ever miss Velocitron?"
"Sometimes. I miss the freedom to race," Nitrostrike admitted. "But I'm glad I decided to come to Earth, I would never trade your friendship for a life in Velocitron." After sitting in silence Nitrostrike shifted into her alt-form. Sam jumped in and they drove to his house.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Sam," Nitrostrike said. Sam nodded his acknowledgment as Nitrostrike sped off towards the California NEST headquarters.
When Nitrostrike entered NEST she was greeted by the other Autobots lined up against the far wall. She shifted into bipedal form and walked over to greet them.
"Greetings, Nitrostrike," Optimus said as she approached.
"Greetings, Optimus. Have you found any traces of Decepticons in Greece?" Nitrostrike responded.
"No, everything seems clear since the Starscream attack." Optimus replied. Prowl stepped forward and cleared his throat. He gestured towards Captain Lennox, who was waiting beside him. Optimus kneeled down and picked up Captain Lennox so he could be heard.
"First off, thank you Optimus for searching Greece for signs of Decepticons." Lennox said, gesturing to the giant Autobot holding him. Optimus slightly nodded his head to acknowledge Captain Lennox. "Second, Nitrostrike. I am sorry to say, but because of your recent encounter with the police, Longarm will take your place as Sam's guardian until you can prove you are responsible."
"Are you okay with this, Optimus?" Ironhide asked.
"Captain Lennox and I have discussed this and feel that this is the best option." Optimus responded. He turned to Nitrostrike and continued, "We have also decided that you are not to go on any missions until you have proven your responsibility."
"Yes, Optimus." Nitrostrike said, silently fuming. With that the meeting concluded and everyone went back to their posts. Optimus and Lennox walked into another room to discuss a plan to track down the Decepticons. Ratchet headed over to the medbay to work on increasing their Energon stores, Ironhide continued to work on his weapons, while Salvage, Knockout, and Longarm left NEST headquarters. Nitrostrike stood silently in the corner, observing the other Autobots and humans as they went about their various tasks.
Static walked over to Nitrostrike, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Nitrostrike said, "just a little annoyed. I really enjoyed hanging out with Sam. I have a feeling that I'm confined to headquarters for a while."
"I've been there. Don't worry you can learn a lot," Static paused and leaned towards her, "and you can cause some mischief while you're at it." A mischievous glimmer flickered in his optics as he turned and walked away. Nitrostrike hesitated, then turned to join him.
