"Wrench...Electra wants to know -"

"No..."

"But...he said that -"

"No..."

"...I really think you should give him -"

"No..."

"Wrench..." Purse sighed, moving his face closer to the window of the repair truck's shed, in an attempt to peer through the dusty glass. Shutters suddenly closed behind the window, blocking the dark room from Purse's view. Undeterred, the money truck tapped lightly on the window, straining his ears for any sign of the muffled voice that came from within. Suddenly, the door cracked open, revealing a tear-streaked face.

"Please just...just leave me alone," Wrench muttered, shutting the door again. A hand blocked its path, and Wrench groaned, half-heartedly glaring at Purse. "For the last time, no," she sighed wearily. "If it wasn't for him, Lube wouldn't have left me in the first place. What makes him think he can just order me about, when he doesn't even know me?" Shaking her head, she retreated inside her shed again, this time leaving the door open for Purse. The component stepped inside, then looked up quizzically as a coupling link was placed in his hands. "It fell off Electra," Wrench explained, noticing Purse's expression. "Does he ever race without crashing?"

"Not usually," Purse admitted, looking at the newly repaired and polished coupling link. "He keeps getting upgrades, without getting used to his speed first. Now he can barely even turn when he races at full speed." He followed her to an old sofa and sat down as she did, studying the coupling link again before looking up at Wrench pleadingly. Wrench opened her mouth to protest again, then stopped, as something dawned on her.

"Why doesn't he just race with you? You don't seem to mind being his lap-dog." She practically spat the last words, wrinkling her nose at the thought of working for Electra. Purse shook his head, ignoring her angry words.

"He refuses to race with me." He smirked slightly, predicting her thoughts. "Not because I'm bad at racing. I'm just too valuable. As Electra's personal money truck, any damage I sustain would severely impact him, too." Wrench nodded, wondering if that was the only reason for Electra to value Purse so much. Finally she sighed in defeat, wiping her eyes.

"Look, I'll help him practice, but I won't enter any races with him." She bit her lip, forcing back further tears. "I promised Lube I'd race with him, and he'll come to his senses eventually. So I can't make any long-term plans with Electra, because I already have a racing partner." Purse watched Wrench sadly, frowning slightly. He could tell that deep down, she didn't believe it any more than he did. She was just desperate to have her best friend back, and refused to accept that once Lube had joined Greaseball's gang, he was unlikely to come back to her. Smiling sadly, he stood up, and nodded to her.

"I'll let Electra know of your decision," he said. "I'm sure he'll be happy to have you helping him practice." Wrench forced a smile and nodded back, then looked down at the floor, biting her lip again. Purse hesistated for a moment as he watched her, then shook his head and rolled out of her shed, leaving the repair truck alone with her thoughts.

The next day, the yard was practically empty. Greaseball and his gang were showing off in the main racetrack, and almost everyone in the yard had gone to watch. Purse sat perched on a crumbling wall, waiting for Electra and Wrench to get ready for a practice run. The two coupled up, then Electra nodded at Purse, indicating that he was ready.

"Okay, we'll start off with a run around the yard, on my mark. Ten...nine...eight...sev-"

"Wait!" Electra held up a hand suddenly, stopping Purse's countdown. Wrench frowned, leaning to one side slightly to get a better view of the electric engine. Electra took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, trying to calm down. Purse waited patiently for his engine to prepare himself, then spoke up.

"Are you ready yet?" Electra looked over at Purse and nodded, still looking slightly hesitant.

"Yes." Purse opened his mouth to continue the countdown, when Electra held up his hand again. "Wait, no." Groaning, the engine uncoupled Wrench and began to turn away, when Wrench coupled with him again, holding on tightly. Electra tried to uncouple her again, but the repair truck stayed firmly where she was, refusing to budge from her spot. "Let go!" Electra growled, skidding backwards suddenly and braking sharply. Wrench's grip loosened slightly as they braked, but she held on and gripped tighter, determined to stay coupled to him. "It's pointless, I know I'll just end up crashing again. That's what always happens."

"It happened once," Purse interjected. Electra scowled, glaring at his money truck.

"It doesn't matter! Either way, I'm not racing!" Wrench sighed irritably, releasing one of the coupling links from her grip. She reached up and felt below Electra's crest, opening a hatch at the nape of his neck. Electra moved to stop her, then froze as the repair truck unplugged a couple of wires, disabling his arms.

"Now then," she said, not bothering to hide her annoyance anymore. "Let's try this again. I didn't get dragged out here just to be messed around. If you want to be in the Championships, you have to be prepared to actually race. So..." She plugged in the wires again, and unplugged two others, holding them against the end of a third wire. Sparks began to shoot from the wires in her hands, and travelled down the third wire into his skull. Electra looked down suddenly, watching helplessly as the monitor on his chest plate lit up. Electricity shot through every limb in his body, and he gulped, knowing what was coming next. "Race!!"

"Don't -" he started, when Wrench plugged the loose wires back into his head, and he shot forwards, his wheels kicking into life. Electra faltered momentarily, nearly losing his balance, then regained his composure and fell into rhythm, shooting through the yard. Wrench let out a whoop as they raced past the sheds, kicking up clouds of dust as they moved. She peered over Electra's shoulder, noticing the wall that they were heading for.

"Turn now," she yelled, and Electra began to steer right, struggling to turn properly. Wrench turned with him, forcing him to lean over, and the two of them banked sharply, skating away from the wall. Electra nearly lost focus, still stunned by the fact that he hadn't crashed yet. Grinning, he sped up, weaving through the sheds of the yard. Wrench smiled to herself, sensing the young engine's excitement, then her smile began to falter as something inside her felt wrong. Frowning, she looked down at her chest, then jumped as Electra braked suddenly, causing her to nearly slam into him. Coming to a halt, she uncoupled and stepped to the side, her stomach sinking as she saw who stood in front of them. Greaseball and his gang blocked their path, and the Union Pacific engine looked purely amused.

"You still haven't given up?" He asked, smirking arrogantly. He indicated to his gang, and a figure dressed in black armour rolled to his side. Wrench suddenly looked hurt, recognising Lube. Her old friend looked up and then quickly averted his gaze, refusing to look her in the eye. Greaseball tapped Lube on the shoulder, and pointed to Wrench and Electra. "Take care of them," he ordered, and Lube nodded, skating forwards. Wrench moved towards him, unaffected by his obedience to the champion.

"Please, don't do this," she said quietly, forcing Lube to meet her gaze. "I don't know what went wrong, but you don't have to grovel to that loser just because we had a misunderstanding." Greaseball growled audibly at the "loser" comment, but Wrench ignored him and continued, taking Lube's hand gently. "Friends argue all the time, right? It doesn't mean we have to fall out over it." Lube looked down at her hand, then back at her, the faintest impression of a smile evident in his features. Suddenly he was pulled backwards roughly, as Greaseball moved forwards, advancing on the electric trains. Electra started to build up electricity around his hands, when Wrench nudged him lightly.

"Don't," she whispered, coupling up with him again. "Just go. Show him, like you said you would." Electra nodded and shot forwards suddenly, barreling into Greaseball and knocking him over as he skated. Lube took off after them, obeying the champion's furious yelling to catch them. Wrench looked over her shoulder as her friend gave chase, and turned back to Electra. "Let him catch up," she pleaded, and Electra slowed down, allowing Lube to run alongside them.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I did," he said, looking genuinely apologetic. Wrench smiled and let go of Electra, skidding to a halt along with Lube. The electric engine braked and watched them for a moment, then drove off to find Purse. Once he had left, Wrench skated up to him, watching him unsurely. "I was an idiot for leaving you like that, and I'm really sorry. I just..." He sighed, looking her properly in the eye for the first time. "I thought you'd chosen him over me. I didn't want to lose you, although I guess I made that happen anyway."

Wrench shook her head, the uncertainty in her eyes vanishing as she listened to him. "It's okay," she said, smiling. "I know you were just upset, and you didn't lose me." Grinning suddenly, she threw her arms around Lube's neck, hugging him tightly. Lube smiled warmly and hugged her back, then looked around, making sure they were alone, before speaking again.

"I can't just walk out on Greaseball - my brothers are still with him, and I want to at least stay faithful to them - but you could always come to where we're going. I'll be free from him eventually, and when I am we can race, just like we promised." Wrench looked up at him, studying his face carefully. Once she was sure that he was being genuine, she grinned.

"Okay, it's a deal. Where are you headed?"

"Apollo Victoria." Wrench was lost for words suddenly. She looked at her friend in surprise, noting the excitement in his voice just from mentioning the city's name. She beamed proudly at him.

"Looks like you're going for the big races after all." She looked to the side, hearing Electra and Purse roll up to them. Finally letting Lube go, she grinned again, coupling up behind Purse. "See you there, then." Lube nodded happily and drove away, leaving Electra feeling confused by what he had just heard.

"Where exactly are we going, then?" He asked suspiciously, and Wrench smiled.

"Apollo Victoria. Greaseball will be there; you could try to beat him in the races." Electra paused, considering her suggestion, then nodded.

"Right." Without another word, he set off down the tracks, heading towards the Train City.