Happy Holidays! Sorry for the long delay, BUT~! As Promised!
THE RACE! Pt 1 anyways...
Yeah, I had to post something after all, so here's the first half of the race that determines everything!
I moved a scene from a previous chappie and put it here when I realized I had the order of events mixed up. So if you're seeing a scene over again, that's why. Sorry about that.
On a side note, If you've seen Step Up 4: Revolution, their songs inspired this chapter.
Songs used: 'Let's Go!', 'Dance Without You' and 'Wait'.
Present Day
That night Sari grumpily went to bed trying in vain to remember Megatron's story the tape skipped over.
Optimus has had enough. As Sari went to her room, he went to the main computer.
"Whatcha doin'?" Bulkhead asked curiously.
"I'm looking up 'Sara Sumdac' and seeing if I can figure out what happened to her. And I have a feeling it was more than just a car crash." Panicked, he faced Bumblebee. "I di-!" Bee just shook his head with a smile.
Prowl stood silently behind them, already planning on sneaking into Sumdac Tower to get some answers.
~/~
"My dad put Megatron parts in me?! EW!"
~/~
The next day
Bee's POV
High up on Sumdac Tower, sat Bee the 'Human'. Watching with sad eyes as he saw Sari tearing apart Space Barnacle beasts after her upgrade. He was sitting in the same spot she did. The Space bridge just starting construction to his right.
He used his still Cybertronian optics to zoom in and wanted to cry as the memories flowed back into him. In her chest is the still glowing Allspark Key. Soon she's gonna go into overload and start charging up everything she touches and…
Subconsciously he put his hand right where she accidently stabbed him. Behind, he heard the others walk up behind him. Optimus put a comforting hand on his shoulder and sat down next to him with Bulkhead on the other side. Random Blitzwing made a comment and started laughing, even though it was a compliment on her fighting style. Blackarachnia and Elita-1 were quiet.
In the corner of his eye, Optimus saw Sari's Key inside Bee's shirt. It was…glowing…?
"Hm?" Bee looked at him, then his shirt and saw Sari's Key.
It was glowing, faintly, but glowing. Down below Sari was being ambushed by Prowl as he pulled out her Key. As soon as he pulled it out, Bee's Key on his neck was being brought back to life. Its as if all the power in the Key down below was transferred to THIS Key!
As they were trying to figure out why, down below, Sari was about to go critical and Ratchet drove up and then Transformed. Said Human counterpart winced, remembering what's gonna happen next.
'I don't wanna hurt you either, but I can't stop myself! Just do it! I PROMISE! It'll be alright!'
Ratchet closed his eyes at the part where he saw his Robotic self shoot Sari with his EMP Generator.
4 Years Earlier
Sara Sumdac, aka Sari Sumdac; who stood up against Space Barnacles, 2 two-story robots, Decepticons and Dinobots…
…Was felled by her 4-year old counterpart who tackled her to the ground in excitement.
"OHMYGOD!THERACEISTONIGHTIDONTBELIEVEIT-!" Sari talked a billion miles an hour at how excited for the race she was.
"And," Sara FINALLY got a word in. "If you leave now with your father, you can find the best seats in the house." Sara winked. Little Sari gasped. "That's~ right! I saved seats for you next to Captain Fanzone. At the finishline." She whispered in her ear the last part. Sari practically fainted at the amazing news. Sara chuckled and looked up at Ace.
"Nice driving, Ace." Sara chuckled, he shrugged.
"Eh what can I say? I AM the-"
"The fastest thing on wheels?" She smiled, then smirked. "Next to Blurr that is." She snickered.
"Ooooh!" Sari cutely snickered. (1) The others grinned and snickered.
"Ouch. Called out by the old lady."
"Who're you calling old? Last I checked, you're older than me!" She whispered. He just grinned sheepishly.
Optimus stepped up with the rest of his crew. Ratchet walking up behind him, no doubt telling him about Sara spilling it all after the walked forward and Bee hopped out of the car.
"You ready?" Optimus smirked knowing the answer already. Sara smirked right back.
"Please, Prime. I was born ready." He huffed, but smiled. Sara stood and cradled Sari in her arms with a smile. "And don't worry, I'll tell you everything." She whispered. The final alarm blared and Sara handed Sari over to Bulkhead to pass off to Isaac and Fanzone. Soon, Sara stood among her friends. She put her hand on the handle of her car.
"You can't be serious." Ace spoke as if insulted. She turned confused.
"If you're gonna race the biggest event of your life." He grinned mischievously. "You're gonna race in style!"
"?"
Ace looked around, Prowl shut the doors. "Why do you think none of the gimmicks are attached yet?" The Cyber-Ninja chuckled. Sara fully faced them again in confusion. Ace then chucked something at her.
Something familiar…
"In the words of one of your favorite songs:" Ace started. His eyes suddenly went from brown to blue and started glowing.
"Now you got the Key…" He ran forward and flipped with his hands on the ground. He smirked, her eyes widened. "Now shut up and DRIVE!" He then launched himself over her… And transformed! (2)
~/~
With Jazz and the Elites, he whistled as his car shined in the spotlights. In his racing suit and his trademark visor, he got in his car, and turned on the radio.
(A/N- Hands up if you saw Step Up 4: Revolution! I used their songs for inspiration for this chapter. The first dance song: Lets Go! Is playing on Jazz's radio. Let's Go!)
~/~
On the semi-outskirts of the city where they have more room for entertainment, is the biggest form of entertainment Detroit –the world capital of automobiles- can offer!
The Grand Prix.
It was now night time, all the lights were off. The crowd was silent in anticipation. Little Sari was trying in vain to control her excitement beside her father and Fanzone's family.
Then, the lights in the center platforms all light up towards the stars. Then they faded to reveal the championship finalists. The ground lights faded, then aerial light flying in the sky lit up each and every one of them. On the platform, they all stood in a double ring, starting with the winner going clockwise. In the center showed their own little graphics on hover screens.
For Blackarachnia, it showed a black screen with cool red and blue circuitry battling against each other then turning into tricked out cybernetic cobwebs on the floor. Multiple red eyes appeared and a spyder lady eerily similar to her robot form fell from the sky gracefully, making waves of circuitry and webbing launch around her; She then stood up, twirled and blew a kiss.
(The men in the crowd went crazy XD)
BA winked and then one of the aerial lights lit up her car and she swaggered to it, starting it up. The crowd went wild as she revved her car.
Next was Sara. Said racer smirked as some last minute changes she didn't even tell her team.
It started with a sphere that looked like glowing water at first, then solidified but started to glow. It started to drip, but instead it looked like Allspark fragments. For every ripple on the floor, it rippled out blue circuitry. As the last 'drop' fell, it revealed a certain Key of hers.
She was by her car now, and as the 'Key' fell straight to the floor, she put her own key in the ignition.
"You ready?" She spoke as if to herself. Her radio answered.
Slag yeah. She revved her car. She looked up and saw her family above the Finishline, directly above her. Sari was waving and cheering. Sara smiled. "But are you ready?" He asked. Her gazed softened.
The more driver got to their cars, the more the track itself lit up.
Prowl himself was seen at the Finishline. Sara smirked. Prowl put on his visor and revved his bike. He popped a wheelie and sped onwards. As he sped down the track, the lights and the track itself came alive!
As if waiting for him, the track lit up as he passed, the track shifted and whirred as the gears moved. The track lifted up with him. Soon, he smirked as a jump came up, he shifted his turbo and several other bikers leapt across the massive gap and he sped up the ramp and leapt high in the air above them all. And being a Cyber ninja, he used his agility and reflexes to pull off some INSANE airborne moves before he touched down!
By the time he did one lap, all the drivers were introduced and in their cars.
Let the race BEGIN!
This track was at least 20 times larger than the last one, it weaved over and under the crowds with plenty of straight-aways to make room for nitro bursts.
Currently, BA was still in the lead. She was ahead by a long shot. Jazz easily kept up with Sara and Megatron was behind Mix and Scrapper for some reason. How those two caught up so fast confused them, but then again, it was the first lap, they probably already used their Nitro to catch up.
Starscream was behind though and the cameras had to put him on mute for whatever he was threatening the Constructicons with. Sara chuckled, they probably got the drop on him. Jazz winked and steadily started to get ahead op her. She grinned catching on.
It's the finals for crying out loud! Its every 'Bot for themselves!
She flipped a switch and some (Pop Rock firework thingies) shot out from behind. The cars swerved but Megatron saw it coming and expertly weaved with style. "You're going to have to do better than that!" He taunted.
"No duh! Those were aimed at Starscream!" She laughed. As soon as those words left her mouth, both drivers looked in their rearview mirrors and saw said Seeker swerve and spin behind them. He laughed. "Idiot…"
"Look out!" Jazz warned. The Constructicon must've saw it too because they had some sort of plow at the front of their car easily cutting through them.
"Of course…" Sara mumbled with a smile.
Up ahead, BA was starting to get bored. She was so far ahead, that when she looked to her left in the distance, she saw what happened to Starscream and snorted. She had her own song playing on the radio. (Skylar Grey - Dance Without You.)
She closed her eyes briefly. On her rearview mirror she has her good luck necklace her… 'BFF' gave her.
A smile graced her lips.
She looked on ahead and started mouthing the words, with a shirtless Optimus tucked way in the back of her processor. (4)
Present Day
Sari Sumdac lay asleep in the Med Bay with her dad kneeling next to her. Having told them how he found her as a baby in his lab, he left out the part where a teenage Sari followed soon after. And looking at his adopted daughter now, he can now confirm that that girl is THIS Sari. Same clothes and everything!
~/~
"I never got to say this before, but… Thank you. For Everything, dad."
~/~
"You're very welcome." He smiled gingerly.
Back at the Race, Isaac Sumdac had his daughter perched on his shoulders as she cheered for her mother.
"She's good, I'll give her that." Came the cocky voice of none other than-
"Ah! Mr. Powell! Thank you for coming!" Isaac sighed in relief that his friend could make it.
"Of course! What makes you think I would miss something a momentous as this?" Little sari shivered. That guy always gave her the creeps. She glared at him. He's up to something.
~/~
Bee shivered. He checked his rear views and sure enough, he spotted Powell.
"Bee?" Sari asked.
It's nothing.
"Yeah right. What's wrong?" Silence. "Come on Bumblebee. Talk to me. You can trust this face can't you?"
…I hate it when you do that. He mumbled. She grinned in victory as she dodged one of Starscreams' Gimmicks as they now drove neck and neck. The duo easily driving in sync during a conversation.
I just have a bad feeling, that's all. I think something's going to happen before this race is through.
"What do you mean?" She asked and then FINALLY lost the annoying Seeker. But then he started gaining again.
Bee sat on the roof of Sumdac Tower alone. The now glowing key in his hands. The afternoon sun set a while ago as street lights started to flicker on.
But then the sound of heavy, rusting and breaking, footsteps in the far distance caught his attention. He stood up and turned his eyes into Optics and zoomed in.
"Alright Bumblebee!" Sara exclaimed over the loud engine, also excited with the adrenaline rush… "Are you gonna tell me what new gimmicks you guys added, or is it gonna be a surprise?" She grinned mischievously.
Let me see… The radio replied equally feeling mischievous. When the next driver pulls up, put on your shades.
"Why…?" She could feel him smirk.
~/~
Megatron was catching up, one of non-Cybertronian drivers that surprisingly made it to the finals, kept him busy. And distracted…
"Enough!" He growled. He flipped a switch and demanded vengeance against this obnoxious human.
His Gimmick was in his tires. The hubcap transformed and pulled back to reveal tire shredders that almost resembled his old sword. (3)
Their tires clashed and the Humans pathetic wheel didn't even stand a chance! He huffed as the driver drove off the track, the magnetic force field provided by Sumdac Systems, caught the car in mid air before it killed the driver.
In the corner of his eye, he could see Ratchet come out in an Ambulance just like his Alt and help the pathetic Human. Ratchet glared and Megatron huffed and waved him off.
~/~
With Mix and Scrapper.
"Hey Mix." Scrapper started as he drove. Mix was passenger and initiated the Gimmicks.
"Yeah, Scrapper?"
"I was thinkin'. Why are we racing in the first place?"
"What do you mean?! We're helpin' Sari you numbnut!"
"Yeah I know, but-!" They were catching up to another Human Driver. "DirtBoss?"
"Dirtboss." Mix agreed with a smirk.
The real DirtBoss isn't here with them, but that doesn't mean they can't name one of their best Gimmicks after him!
Up ahead, there were at least the last of the Human Drivers and Megatron. Starscream zipped passed them and was CLEARLY out for Energon.
"We're in trouble!" Scrapper screamed as Starscream swerved in front of them and was about to start his own Gimmick. "Mi~x! Anytime now!"
Mix twisted the nob at the end of the Gear Shift and revealed a button. "Ready?" Mix Smirked, as did Scrapper.
When they pushed a button, over several dozen Cerebral Shells launched in every direction. About 8 hit another car.
They hit: Starscream, Jazz, and 6 Human vehicles.
"Oh not Jazz-!" Scrapper started.
"A necessary sacrifice!" Mix cut in. "I don't know about you, but I want to see the end of this race in one piece!"
"How'd he even get hit!? Isn't he like, a million miles ahead of us?!"
"Who knows, they went in every direction and he was above us with the others. Now lets do this!"
"Right!"
The glove compartment on the passenger side opened up to reveal a second steering wheel and the floor revealed gas pedals. Scrapper Prayed…
~/~
Clair Bennet was doing her broadcast when she saw what the Constructicons were up to.
"Oh oh! Looks like the Constructicons are about to play their signature move!" She put her mike to the crowd and all were telling them to 'Give 'em Hell!' or 'Not Jazz!'
"If Megatron and Starscream don't finish them off, Jazz's fangirls just might." She snickered. (5)
~/~
"Looks like I'm goin' in girl! Good luck!" Jazz bid farewell to Sara, until he adjusted his visor and sat back in his chair.
Hello! Bumblebee whimpered.
"Hell no." Sara groaned. Jazz kicked back as he allowed Sara to catch up to Blackarachnia. She saluted him and he nodded.
He set his car to Autopilot and pulled out a shrunken down version of his trusty… Cyber Ninja Nunchucks.
The fangirls squealed as they saw Jazz climb out his window and on his car roof that was probably going close to 200 by now. And just as Mix was about to take control of his wheel, Jazz whipped his nunchucks at the shell and knocked it off his car and into the crowd. The girls cheered as he saluted and crawled back into his car.
As for the other victims, lets just say Prowl called a time out, forcing an early half time… A few drivers got a house call from Ratchet. Said Doc Bot paid Mix and Scrapper a visit with nothing but a wrench in each hand. The next time someone saw him, the wrenches was gone…
Up on the center hover screens, showed the live rankings.
1st- Blackarachnia
2nd- Sara Sumdac
3rd- Megatron
4th- (Random Human)
5th- Jazz
6th- (Random Human)
7th- Henry Masterson
8th- (Random Human)
Constructicons, (and the rest of the Random Humans taken out by their Cerebral shell)
Out of the Race
A/N- Have 'Wait' by M83 play for this scene between Sara and Bumblebee
Sara was leaning against Bumblebee while Bulkhead and Optimus worked on Bumblebee. She looked up at the rankings lazily until one of the Humans' names caught her attention.
"Henry Masterson… Why does that name sound familiar?" She asked herself, drawing a blank. (Some memories still forgotten…)
Bumblebee wasn't paying attention, nor did he care. At the moment, the only thing going through his processor was the view from his drivers' side mirror. He angled it so he got a better view of Sara…
No. Of Sari.
In his optics, he saw her as a woman. Her long hair flowing behind her due to the heavy wind from the tracks. The multiple spotlights and camera flashes fading in and out in the background as he focused solely on her. Her brown skin showing various hues in the lighting, as well as the lights causing her red hair to become even more vivid.
She was… beautiful.
And when she looked around and then up at the stars, Bumblebee wanted nothing more than BEG Primus to make his human Alt a little older so he could have the courage to walk up to her, put his serv- HANDS on both sides of her face and kiss her. Right then and there. (6)
Just thinking about it made him remember the one time they did kiss. And he would never forget it, even after his offlining.
"I don't know…" Her voice gratefully cut off his train of thought.
What…?
"I said, I wonder why that name sounds familiar. Did I know him before?" She looked at him and he froze in his tracks.
Uh- Um. Who? Who are we talking about? She rolled her eyes.
"Henry Masterson." She gestured to the rankings behind her.
1) Sari's "Ooooh!" Moment. Inspired by Puss 'n Boots bar scene where that cat (my friend thinks was high on catnip) went 'Ooooh!' L.O.L little Sari mimicked that cat to a T.
2) Bee's transforming scene, yeah, I got lazy.
(Pop Rock firework thingies)= I KNOW there's a word for it, but I can't quite remember. They're like marbles but light up like sparklers and crackle and pop. Do you know what they are?
3) I had to put something of Megatron's as a Gimmick! I was gonna put his arm cannon but I had a hard time trying to figure out how that work as a non weapon type gimmick...
4) Remember that prank that was pulled on Optimus where he had to take off his shirt?
5)Are you a Jazz Fangirl? (I know I am!)
6) Bumblebee wanting to be older. Remember, his human Alt is a young teenager while Sara is in her 20's (I think. We didn't even know Sari's age as a teen, so it's hard to tell Sara's age)