A/N: A few of you may be wondering why a few chapters disappeared and reappeared. When putting chapter 10 I realized I numbered the chapters wrong and the only way to correct was to delete them and re upload the chapters with the changes.
This chapter introduces one of my characters into this series, Knockout. Yay!
Now, on with the show!
Ben 10: Prime Force
Chapter 11: Speed Metal
…
It was night time, the stars were out, and the full moon illuminated the landscape. A metropolitan area could be seen in the background. Driving along lone road that stretched into a forest, mountainous terrain, away from the city, was a nice, custom sports-car with a red paintjob and silver flames on the sides.
This car was the Decepticon medic, Knockout. He had just finished his duties on the Nemesis, and any he didn't complete; his assistant Breakdown could complete them for him. But for now, Knockout wanted to enjoy his downtime, and what better way than racing.
Speaking of racing, a broadcast of illegal street racing came through on the radio.
"Metropolitan PD is still cracking down on illegal street racing; a crime that endangers both drivers and pedestrians".
Knockout cut off his radio, hearing enough of the broadcaster's nonsense. The egocentric 'Con then kicked up his speed, heading towards the usual starting point of the street races. A few minutes later, he arrived at the starting point. At least three other sports-cars were there, each one and different colour and a different model.
He pulled up to a black, custom sports-car. The driver of the black car was a male, at least twenty years of age, clean-shaved head, and had tattoos that joined from his arms, neck and head, sneered at Knockout.
"Not from around here, European design?" He inquired.
He received no response, which made him slightly scowl. His scowl then quickly turned into a mischievous grin. "Sure is pretty… too pretty."
The tattooed driver stretched his left hand and used his ring to leave a noticeable scratch in Knockout's paintjob. The medic turned his mirror to investigate the scratch and inwardly snarled.
"Big mistake," Knockout growled as he put himself in gear. He would have been gritting through his teeth, if he had been in robot mode.
The signal man up front held up his flashlight and turned it on, signalling to go! The four sports-cars immediately burned rubber and took off down the mountainous road. The black muscle car swiftly took the lead, bringing a satisfied grin to the tattooed driver. However, Knockout accelerated past the other cars and quickly approached the black car.
Full of rage and intent of revenge, Knockout sped forward and collided with the black car's back bumper. The driver jolted forward and looked back with surprise and anger.
"HEY!"
When they came to a cliff-side curve, Knockout sideswiped the onyx sports-car, sending it hurling off the cliff! Thankfully for the driver, the fall was short and not fatal. Nevertheless, his car was totalled and he sustained a few broken bones, bruises, and cuts. He weakly opened his eyes and looked up through his shattered windshield, seeing a pair of headlights off the edge of the cliff.
"You scratch my car, I break yours" Knockout stated.
The crimson sports-car backed up, went into drive, and took off down the road.
Jasper High
Ben Tennyson exhaled a happy sigh as he walked down the hallway of Jasper High. The school day was over and he didn't have to work today, which meant he could go riding with Arcee. His rides with the blue femme were becoming very enjoyable and comforting not just for him, but for the female Autobot as well.
As he was strolling down the hall, he was reflecting on the Autobots foiling the Decepticons latest scheme. Apparently, while Team 10 were at their respective jobs three days ago, two Decepticon newcomers, Knockout and Breakdown, broke into a museum and stolen what was later identified as an Energon Harvester. It was a golden sphere that could suck the Energon out of any source, including Cybertronians.
Assuming that Starscream would attempt to harvest Energon out of Earth's un-mineable areas, the Autobots split up all across the world. However, earlier that day, Bulkhead had discovered an Energon vein unearthed at a construction site in Greece and predicted Starscream would most likely harvest that Energon first, considering it would be far easier. Fortunately, the green wrecker was right for once.
After a quick fight with both Knockout and Breakdown, Bulkhead successfully destroyed the Energon Harvester, almost getting all the Energon sucked out of him in the process. Thankfully, the other Autobots quickly arrived on scene and took Bulk back to base for immediate medical attention, but the tough Autobot made a swift, full recovery.
Team 10 was a bit steamed that the Autobots hadn't contacted them for assistance; however, the trio let it go, satisfied that the 'Bots had handled it well. Ben pushed open the front doors and walked outside. A smile crossed his face as soon as he spotted Arcee already up front parked in vehicle mode.
But his smile quickly faded. Parked next to Arcee was a black muscle car with flames on the side, and leaning on it was the self-proclaimed bully of the, Vince. Ben was not a fan Vince, he had an arrogant and self-proclaimed superiority aura around him, and he messed with others to make himself feel tough.
Ben ignored the teen and proceeded to Arcee. After strapping on his silver helmet with green highlights, Ben put up the kick-stand and started Arcee's engine. He almost shuddered from how powerful she was. Before he could leave, Ben was stopped by Vince.
"Hey, cherry mop-head" Vince stated with a smug grin.
Ben paused for a moment, and then looked back. "Uh, this mop-head has dual carbs and can reach naught to sixty in three and a half seconds, pal" He retorted.
Arcee and Ben then zoomed out of the parking lot and down the street. Meanwhile, Vince's brows furrowed as his smug grin turned to a scowl.
It didn't take long for the teen hero and the Cybertronian femme to arrive in downtown, which happened to be quiet, as usual. When the duo came to a stop at a red light, Arcee teased, "Uh, Ben, a lady's vital stats are her own business".
Ben only sighed in response.
"Uh… hey," A female voice said.
Ben turned to his right to see Sierra and her friend standing on the sidewalk. Ben remembered Sierra and her friend Annie. He had met them both at the parking lot of K/O Burger when he first straddled Arcee and had been chased by Decepticons. Ben didn't know much about these two girls, however, that was understandable considering he spent most of his time at base and on missions rather than in Jasper.
"Uh… hey," Ben responded awkwardly.
"Uh…you're Ken, right?" Sierra asked.
"Uh…no…it's Ben" He corrected.
Sierra blushed from embarrassment. "Oh… right, sorry. I remember... you're that guy we met at K/O Burger, the one who thought he was famous".
Ben looked away and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and laughed awkwardly. "Uh…yeah…that's me".
"Well, I'm Sierra" The auburn-haired teen smiled.
"Um…yeah I know".
"Listen… I've actually wanted to talk to you, Ben. I was wondering if maybe… I don't know… we could go for a ride together?" She asked, blushing a bit.
"Um… I…" Ben stuttered. 'Is she really asking for a ride? Is this her way of hitting on me? Oh boy' He thought.
If Arcee were in robot mode, her optics would be narrowing in contempt. In addition, there was one other unexpected emotion, jealousy. The blue femme unnoticeably rotated her mirror towards Ben's face.
"I'm your friend, hero, not your wing-girl" Arcee quietly stated.
Ben turned back to Sierra, but before he could answer her, the sounds of an obnoxious engine interrupted him. Right on cue, Vince drove up in the lane in-between Ben and Sierra in his black, custom sport-car.
"Hey, hey… small world," Vince smirked haughtily.
"Uh… kinda having a conversation here, mate" Ben replied, clearly annoyed.
Ignoring his statement, Vince stated, "Cheer captain here might enjoy you taking on four wheels of muscle car".
Ben's emerald eyes narrowed. "Are you challenging me to a race?"
"You catch on quick, green boy. Now what do you say?" Vince leaned forward, furrowing his brows while superciliously smirk took place on his face.
Ben stared back at Vince and then at Sierra. She smiled and winked. He knew she wanted him to accept the challenge, but he didn't care about that. Sierra, although attractive, just wasn't his type. Nevertheless, he never backed down for a challenge, especially when someone was clearly disrespecting him like Vince was.
Before Ben could answer though, the traffic light turned green. Immediately, Arcee accelerated forward, leaving Vince, Sierra, and Annie in the dust.
Halfway up the block, Ben took hold of Arcee's handlebars and used them to steady himself. "Arcee, you didn't let me answer".
"The answer is no," She simply replied.
"But we can smoke him!"
"Yep,"
"Ugh…" Ben sighed in frustration, "you just don't get it".
"I didn't make the rules Ben, Optimus did." Arcee explained as the came to another stop at a red-light. "And rule number one in case you missed it, never abuse power, and that includes horsepower. I figured you should know that, considering you have more power than all of us combined".
Ben didn't have to turn his head to know Vince was pulling up by him again. He could also feel the smugness irradiating off of the ginger bully. It just made Ben seethe inside; however, the teen hero swallowed his pride and did the right thing.
Exhaling a sigh, Ben said, "Look Vince maybe racing isn't such a good…"
He was interrupted when Vince started laughing. "Oh, I get it. You know, you ride around on your bike, thinking it's something special, but it's really just a hunky, clunky trike," Vince paused for a moment and emphasized the last statement, "and ugly".
When the light turned green, Vince performed a U-turn and spun out, leaving Ben and Arcee in the dust. Meanwhile, the blue femme inwardly snarled from Vince's insult.
"That's it! The yahoo is going down!" Arcee yelled.
Before Ben could remark, the blue sports-bike turned around and sped towards Vince. Ben looked back at his Autobot partner's dashboard and inquired, "Whoa, what happened to rule number one?"
"Even unbreakable rules can be bent Ben. Just this once," Arcee answered.
Ben only smirked in response.
While Sierra and Annie were walking down the sidewalk, Vince pulled up by them and came to a screeching halt. "Hey ladies, your pal Tennyson is…"
Suddenly, the familiar motorcycle engine caught his attention as Ben and Arcee pulled up beside Vince.
"Is ready when you are, Viny," Ben smiled.
The red-haired teen smirked in satisfaction. "Dirt road by Trucker's Ranch…one hour."
…
One hour later, on an old asphalt road in a huge expanse of desert land, Vince and Ben were lined up at their makeshift starting point in their respective vehicles. A mile down the road was Sierra and Annie at the finish line.
"From here to the next mile marker. Ready…GO!"
Vince instantly stepped on the gas and accelerated forward, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Arcee and Ben then picked up their speed to catch up to the arrogant bully.
"Well that was fair" Ben commented.
Another thirty seconds in the race and the duo were still behind Vince. Ben frowned, knowing that the mile marker was quickly approaching.
"Uh…Arcee?"
"Winning isn't enough, Ben. You want to make him cry" The femme replied.
All of a sudden, the blue motorcycle zoomed forward in a burst of speed until it was now driving side-by-side to Vince's muscle car. Seeing that Ben wasn't in his rear-view mirror anymore, the red-haired teen was confused. When he looked to his left, his mouth dropped to see Ben popping a wheelie on Arcee.
Without warning, Arcee came back down to two wheels and kicked up her speed even more, thus leaving Vince behind them. Vince gasped at Ben going so fast on his bike. He had never seen any sports-bike go so fast. As the blue Autobot and Omnitrix bearer crossed the mile marker in first place, Arcee honked her horn in excitement.
"Alright! Outstanding!" Ben cheered.
The Nemesis
Inside the med-bay of the Decepticon flagship, lying on a flat metal berth was the comatose form of Megatron. His body was covered in dents and grime, but what was really noticeable, was the gaping hole in his spark chamber. Despite these extensive injuries, the computers registered that there was indeed brainwave activity and slight spark-beats. The leader of the Decepticons was indeed resilient.
Currently, Breakdown, one of the Decepticon newcomers and brute of the battlefield, was buffing the dents and cleaning the grime out of Megatron's armour and finish. As he did, the new leader of the Decepticons, Starscream, walked into the med-bay. His talon hands were behind his back, giving himself a sense of superiority.
"Breakdown, is there any… change in Megatron's condition?" Starscream asked with a devious smirk.
The blue 'Con ceased his ministrations and looked between Megatron and Starscream. "Hmm…only cosmetic".
"Hmph, I'm sure you and the good doctor have been doing everything in your power," Starscream then looked around the room, looking for the red 'Con. "Where is Knockout?"
Suddenly, right on cue, the doors slid open to reveal the narcissistic Decepticon strolling in with grace. "Can you believe what some human flesh bag did to me?!" Knockout complained, pointing to a scratch on the door of his right forearm. "Ugh…". Even though he hated the humans, he had to admit, they had a good eye when it came to vehicular design.
Starscream growled. "You've been street racing amongst the locals again, haven't you?"
"I'm not only an automobile, but an automobile enthusiast" Knockout complied with a smirk.
The silver seeker narrowed his red optics in contempt. "I do seek to run a tight shift, Knockout. I would strongly suggest you notify me first before you leave the ship on one your… jaunts".
"No worries, commander" The crimson mech sneered.
'Screamer's optics narrowed further. "It is Lord to you".
"Only if Megatron takes a nosedive" countered Knockout.
"Ugh…" Starscream approached the doctor and leaned downward to get in his face. "The day our master emerges from stasis, I will graciously relieve the title. But I believe that outcome is unlikely; something to do with the quality of medical care around here" Starscream grinned at the last part.
After a moment of staring into each other's optics, Starscream turned around and proceeded towards the door. "So, continue buffing. We will want our master to look his best for the memorial".
As soon as the doors closed behind Starscream, Knockout shot him 'the bird'. It was a gesture he had picked up from human culture, especially in his street racing treks. "Buff this!"
Autobot Outpost
As Arcee and Ben came to a stop into the command center, the teen hero dismounted her vehicle form, allowing her to transform to her bipedal form. She looked down at him with her cerulean optics.
"Not a word to anyone". She said.
"Our little secret," Ben winked with a knowing smirk.
Satisfied with the answer, Arcee strolled off to a different part of the command center. Ben was just about to head to the human area until Kevin came up from behind him.
"Dude! Vroom, vroom, vroom!" Kevin acted as if he were holding onto handlebars as he made engine noises. "And the winner is…?"
Ben's eyes widened from the realization. "Kevin, who told you?"
The Osmosian teen crossed his arms over his chest. "Gwen told me. She says it's all over school".
Ben's eyes only widened more. He then heard the sounds of footsteps and turned around to see Gwen approaching him.
"Although I don't necessarily agree with what you did Ben, I do have to give you props. You sure smoked the pants off of that blowhard" Gwen smiled.
Ben grabbed Kevin and Gwen's shoulders and pulled them towards him into a huddle. "You guys have got to keep this low key, especially around the big guy, and I don't mean Bulkhead"
Kevin and Gwen didn't argue, instead they nodded their heads in understanding.
Outside school
The next day, after school, Ben walked out of the school building relieved that the day was over and he could get back to the Autobots. He was intending to head to a secluded spot where he could transform into Skidmark, since Arcee was away on a mission. That was until a certain, red haired girl exited from the doors and called him.
"Um… hey… I've been looking for you," Sierra said. As Ben looked back, she continued, "Wow, the race… yeah how great was that… I was like… yeah… go Ben!"
Ben smirked, enjoying the feeling of being liked. "Um…it was nothing".
"You got that right!" Vince yelled as he nudged past him and got in-between Ben and Sierra, his face showing clear signs of anger. "But if you think you can run with the big boys, the Circuit, tonight...eleven pm".
Ben's eyes narrowed in annoyance. He thought he had put this blowhard in his place. When will he ever stop? 'Fine, Vince want's round two, I'll give him round two' Ben thought.
…
Ten minutes later, Arcee had arrived back from her mission early and went to pick up Ben before he could transform into Skidmark. While on the way to base, Ben explained what had transpired between him and Vince. Imagine her anger when the brunette teen had told her what he agreed to do tonight.
"You agreed to what?!" Arcee yelled.
"It was some kind of… secret racing club… I don't know… I had no choice. I couldn't let that blowhard get away with disrespecting me" Ben replied.
"You always have a choice, Ben. And what part of 'just this once' did you not understand?" Arcee countered, her irritation growing into dangerous levels.
"Yeah, yeah, I know… but we're on, right?" asked Ben.
"We are most definitely not on" The blue femme stated.
…
Driving along a lone stretch of road, outside of Jasper, was a custom, red sports-car with flame decals on the side. Knockout had again left the Nemesis without permission and was seeking another challenge from the humans.
"Knockout, Starscream's been looking for you again. Where'd you go?" Breakdown said over his com-link.
"Out for a little drive," responded Knockout, "I just stroll from town to town".
Suddenly, before the Decepticon medic could continue, a honking horn caught his attention. It was then that a purple muscle car passed him up and sped down the road in front of him. Knockout inwardly sneered.
"Waiting for the next opportunity to present itself," He finished.
After cutting the transmission, he put into higher gear and zoomed down the highway, searching for his next challenge.
Autobot Outpost
In the human area of Autobot Outpost, Kevin and Gwen were on the couch, engaged in a heated, racing game. Both of their cars were neck-and-neck, closely approaching the finish line. But before they could, Ben walked up to them.
"Uh…Gwen,"
The Anodite teen lost her concentration and as a result, her car spun off the track, allowing Kevin to claim first place.
"Ha! I win!" He bragged.
Gwen only pouted as she looked back at Ben, annoyance ever present on her face for causing her to lose.
"What Ben?" She enquired.
"Uh…is there any chance I could borrow 'bee?" Ben asked, nudging his thumb to the yellow scout, who was listening in on their conversation along with Bulkhead.
Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled a frustrated sigh. "Ben you know racing is against the rules".
"But he's got to put the bully in his place…and get the girl" Kevin added; the latter statement backed up with a smirk.
"I don't care about impressing Sierra. I just want to show Vince a little humility" Ben clarified.
"Ben… no, you need to let it go. You can't abuse your powers. You're not ten years old anymore; your seventeen and you need to act like it" Gwen reprimanded.
Ben saw the look Gwen was giving him, and it was obvious he was not going to be able to convince her. He mentally cursed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to go to the street race and beat Vince so he'd shut up and leave him alone. But then a light-bulb shined inside of Ben's head as an idea formed.
"Okay, okay I see your point," Ben held up his hands in a placating manner. He then performed and fake yawn and acted as if he were tired. "Well it's getting late, I better go 'recharge' as the 'Bots call it"
He stepped down the stairs from the human center and walked down the main corridor, leaving the others to watch him as he went. As Gwen started up a new game, expecting the fiasco to be over, Kevin starred back at the hallway and rubbed his chin in contemplation.
'Something doesn't seem right. He surrendered way too easily. Meh… I'm probably overthinking it' Kevin pondered.
Meanwhile, all the way down the corridor, Ben stood in front of the main exit of the base. He then lifted up his jacket sleeve, revealing the white and green watch that was the Omnitrix.
"Luckily, I don't need an Autobot to help me out on this" Ben whispered.
He activated the Omnitrix and scrolled through the playlist. Once he found the head icon he wanted, he tapped it, allowing the faceplate to slid back and the Omnitrix core to pop out. Grinning ever more, Ben slammed down the dial, causing the hallway to be radiated in emerald light.
The Circuit
The night sky was partially cloudy, showing a few stars and the full moon. Underneath the moon light, in a concrete canal used for water drainage was the Circuit, an illegal, underground street racing club. Dozens of teenage spectators have gathered, either race or watch. At least six cars had lined up for the race, one up front being Vince's.
Just a minute before the start, another car drove toward the starting line. Spectators and other drivers gasped and stared in awe at the vehicle. It was a 2018 white Lamborghini Aventador 2dr cpe, with two bolded, acidic green 10's on each door. The appearance of this supercar made peoples' eyes widen, while the feel of its powerful engine sent shivers down some spines.
The Lamborghini drove up on Vince's passenger side. When the red-haired bully finally noticed it, he turned his head toward it and stared in surprise and awe. He had never seen any car like that around here? Where did it come from? More importantly, who was driving it?
To answer his question, the Lamborghini's driver side window rolled down, revealing a grinning Ben Tennyson seating at the driver's seat. Vince's eyes only widened, causing Ben's grin to widen as well, showing his pearly white teeth.
"Bike's in the shop" He lied.
Nevertheless, Vince accepted the answer, and once he got over his shock, he sneered back at Ben.
"Drivers are you ready?!" The announcer called.
Ben, or otherwise Skidmark, looked ahead to see Sierra waving at him. In response, Skidmark waved back with his hologram, designed to look exactly identical to his human form. As the other cars reeved their engines, Skidmark took the liberty of reeving his as well. Although his wasn't the loudest, it was the most powerful.
"Keep it mean, but keep it clean" The announcer said. "On your mark…get set…"
The second before the green light went off, another car pulled into the race. It was a red sports-car with silver flame decals on the side.
"Go!"
Instantaneously, tires screech across the concrete ground as the group of muscle cars and race cars shot forward. A couple minutes into the race, Vince and Ben were tied for first as they took a sharp turn. Taking his opportunity, Skidmark gunned it and took the lead, leaving a steamed Vince in his wake. Ben grinned, already knowing he had this race in the bag.
Meanwhile, in third place, Knockout's scanners picked up on some, unique energy signature. His systems triangulated the origin to be emanating from the white Lamborghini up ahead. The doctor recognized the signature and connected with the Nemesis's database to identify it. After a few seconds, a match popped up, causing him to gasp.
"Well I be dipped. It's one of the Autobots super-powered pets, the shape-shifting boy. Oh, this night just got a whole lot more interesting" Knockout commented.
Knockout accelerated forward and rammed into Vince's car, causing the teen to swerve. Vince shouted as he tried to regain control of his car. With the arrogant bully taken out of the equation, Knockout kicked up into a higher gear to catch up to Skidmark.
While Skidmark was riding in first place, his scanners picked up on another Cybertronian signal, originating from behind him. He adjusted his mirrors to see a red sports-car gaining speed on him.
"Wait," Ben said through his hologram. "I know that car".
All of a sudden, two panels above Knockout's back finders flipped up, allowing a duo of Energon torrents to pop out. Red energy fired from the guns and right at the ground behind Skidmark. Ben swerved side-to-side to avoid the energy projectiles.
"Uh oh…maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all" commented Ben.
Autobot Outpost
Right after Kevin and Gwen completed their game, which Gwen had won this time, the red-haired girl noticed something off about her boyfriend.
"Kevin is something wrong?" She asked.
He looked back at her with a serious expression. "Yeah, I can't get over how Ben seemingly gave up so easy on trying to borrow Bumblebee".
Gwen's brows furrowed as she picked up on what he was implying.
"Kevin are you suggesting that…"
"Hey," Arcee said as she strolled into the command center, "has anyone seen Ben?"
"Yeah," Gwen answered, "last time we saw him he was he heading to his room after I told him he couldn't borrow Bumblebee for some street race".
"Or so we think," added Kevin.
"Wait, what?!" Arcee said in a raised tone.
"Kevin, how could Ben go to the street race when he doesn't even have a vehicle to race with?" Gwen pointed out.
Kevin's eye brows rose in a 'are you serious' manner.
"Gwen, don't you remember? He doesn't need to borrow a car, not when he can just turn into one" Kevin countered.
Suddenly, Gwen's eyes shot open from that startling realization. To make sure, she scanned the base for Ben's mana signature, only to find nothing, thus confirming Kevin's theory.
"I don't believe it! He…"
Gwen was unable to continue as the computer's bleeped as a transmission came over the intercom.
"Um…hey guys," Ben greeted awkwardly.
Gwen and Kevin went to the computer station. Gwen pressed a button and responded, "Benjamin Kirby Tennyson… don't tell me you turned into Skidmark just so you could be in that race with that blowhard Vince".
There was a slight pause.
"I would say that, but then I'd be lying".
Arcee stepped forward. "Ben," She growled.
Just like Gwen, she was beyond angry at Ben right now. Not only for lying but his immaturity and abuse of power as well.
"Listen, I know you guys are mad at me, and I don't blame you but I'm currently being chase by Knockout, and I would really appreciate some backup".
"Ben, get away from any civilians and stay a safe distance away from Knockout," Arcee ordered. "We'll be there shortly".
"Got it," Ben replied before he cut the transmission.
"Yeah stay safe… until I get my hands on you" Arcee said as she clinched her fist, leaving Bulkhead and Bumblebee to look at each other. They were both feeling pity for the poor shape-shifter; he would have a better chance at surviving a one-on-one fight with Megatron.
The Circuit
Ben Tennyson, currently in his Autobot form, continued to dodge Knockout's shots; however, he knew he couldn't keep this up, and like Arcee ordered, he also couldn't put the lives of these other human drivers at jeopardy. Skidmark raced up onto the slope of the canal and kicked up his speed, just before he drove right of the edge. Knockout followed swiftly, staying in hot pursuit.
Meanwhile, down in the racing circuit, when Vince regained control of his muscle car, he witnessed Ben's car and the unknown red car drive over the edge of the canal and into the air.
"What the…" He noted, still shocked over this development.
Skidmark's tires screeched as they came back down to the ground. In quick motion, the human turned Cybertronian drove onto a two-lane road and accelerated forward. But the Decepticon medic was still on his tail and firing countless Energon blasts in his wake.
Ben, who was currently driving at 150 miles per hour, punched his speed to 220; nevertheless, Knockout was still closing in. The white Autobot growled inwardly, trying to contemplate an idea to lose this Decepticon. Suddenly, an idea popped into his brain / processor.
Without warning, underneath Skidmark's back bumper, a valve opened that allowed a stream of oil to leak out. The greasy, black substance covered the asphalt in his wake. As soon as Knockout's tires made contact with the oil, the friction between his tires and the road was lost. He soon spun out of control and performed 360̊ turns a few times before coming to a stop.
"Sleek," Skidmark quipped.
As Ben continued to put distance between him and Knockout, he spotted a bridge just up ahead. He lessened his speed down to 30 and drove off the road and into the canal. Skidmark drove until he positioned himself underneath the bridge. Once he was, he cut off his engine and turned off his lights. The only accessories he left on were his hologram.
A minute passed away until he heard the familiar sounds of Knockout's engine. The Decepticon medic came to a stop on the bridge, searching for any signs of Ben or his signature, but was unable to find any signs of the teen hero. Venting a gruff, Knockout started up his engines and raced down the road.
Skidmark vented a sigh, relieved that the red 'Con was gone. Now all he had to do was wait on the 'Bots and then he could get back to base. Even though he would face some consequence for his actions, especially from Arcee and Gwen, he knew that would be better than being chased by a 'Con all night.
However, some nights just refused to end. His sensors spotted two headlights approaching him from up ahead. As it got closer, Ben recognized the car to be Vince's custom, black muscle car. He drove up until he was bumper-to-bumper with Skidmark.
"Aw man" he complained.
Vince got out of his car and slammed the door, anger and rage was evident on his face. "Tennyson!" He shouted as he punched his fist into his hand.
While this was taking place, up the road, Knockout came to a screeching halt. He adjusted his mirrors to see a light coming from under the bridge behind him. He shifted gear into reverse and drove backwards.
Back under the bridge, Ben's hologram displayed a bit of panic. "Vince, you have to get out of here! You win, okay now go!"
In response, Vince slammed his hands on Skidmark's hood in frustration. "Start her back up, loser! We're finishing this race! You don't wanna take it to the finish line then fine! Then we got something to settle… right here… and right…"
Before Vince could finish, a large metal hand grabbed around his waist and pulled up. Knockout threw Vince into the air and transformed back to his vehicle mode with Vince securely inside. He wrapped his seatbelts around the teen to prevent him from moving.
"Hey! W-w-what's going on?!"
Without warning, a mechanical arm with pronged fork type device on the end extended from the glove compartment and got into position where both prongs were facing Vince's eyes.
"W-w-what the?"
Before Vince could remark, two electric bolts emitted from the device and into Vince's eyes. This discharge immediately knocked out the arrogant, red haired teen. With his passenger secure and subdued, Knockout raced forward.
Skidmark drove out of the canal and back onto the road. He was just about to follow Knockout in hot pursuit until he heard a familiar bleeping sound. Skidmark came to a complete halt just as the Omnitrix dial on the end of his hood began blinking red.
"Oh god! Not now!" Ben protested.
A second later, the white Lamborghini was engulfed with red light. In the wake of the blinding crimson light was Ben Tennyson, back in his human form, and standing in the middle of the highway. He looked down the road to see Knockout disappearing in the black of night.
"Aw man, this is bad. Really bad" The teen stated with worry evident on his face.
…
As Knockout zoomed down the road, he activated his com-link. "Breakdown, you'll never guess what I'm packing… one of the human shapeshifters friends, and when the shape-shifter attempts to stage a rescue…"
"He experiences a… breakdown".
Both the medic and brute broke out into a fit of sadistic laughter.
…
"Aw man," Ben said again.
Suddenly, the familiar sounds of a groundbridge portal caught Ben's attention. He turned around to see a greenish-blue portal opened a few meters behind him. Exiting from it was Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee in vehicle form. The latter two immediately transformed into their bipedal modes. But once Kevin climbed out of Bulkhead, the wrecker too changed into his robot form.
Arcee, with her hands on her curvy hips, stared down at Ben with a displeased look. "Ben, I think me and you need to have a little chat."
"Not now Arcee, Vince just got snatched by that sleek, sports-car 'Con".
"What would Knockout want with a random human?" She inquired with a raised optic brow.
"I… I don't know he probably mistook Vince for one of my friends, heck he's not even close to being my friend! Look, it doesn't matter why, we need to help him" Ben replied.
"Oh well," Bulkhead shrugged, "tough break for Vince".
"Bulkhead?!" Ben yelled; shocked at what he was hearing.
"What? I hear the guy's a jerk".
"He is, from what I hear from Gwen" Kevin added.
"N-No argument there, but Vince is also innocent and he doesn't deserve to be squashed by 'Cons" Ben countered.
Arcee thought it over for a second and agreed with Ben. She then transformed into her motorcycle form and drove up to Ben's side.
"Hope on," She instructed.
He pulled his helmet out of Arcee's subspace and strapped it on. Once secure, Arcee and the group of Autobots accelerated forward. As they were driving, a question popped up in Arcee's processor.
"So, how come you don't just go alien? It'll make finding this kid a lot easier."
"I would if I could, but the Omnitrix needs to recharge" Ben answered, holding up his wrist to let her see the watch, and the faceplate that was blinking red.
"How long will it take before you're not considered a liability?" She asked.
Ben smirked, "Not long at all".
…
Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee continued driving down the road, which lead them right back into Jasper. They then came to a stop at a red light. But from a stroke of luck, Knockout came zooming across the intersection at a very fast speed. Immediately, the Autobot trio, with the Ben and Kevin, turned right and pursued him.
Knockout adjusted his mirror to see a yellow/black Camaro, a green SUV, and a blue motorcycle coming straight for him. "Hmm…the shape-shifter brought company".
The sports-car 'Con quickly turned off the road and into a warehouse district.
"On your guard boys," Arcee warned, "it could be a trap".
Arcee slowed down and allowed Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Kevin to take the lead. She then adjusted her mirror to look at Ben.
"Is the Omnitrix recharged yet?" She asked.
Ben lifted up his sleeve to check, and sure enough the square faceplate was in the green. The teen hero smiled and replied, "It is now".
"Good" She then came to a stop, letting Ben pull his helmet off and dismount her. "You go with Bee, Bulk, and Kevin; I'll take the high ground" Arcee ordered.
Ben nodded and ran in the direction towards Kevin, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee. He caught up with the trio right when Bulkhead let Kevin out so he could transform to his bipedal mode. Kevin had absorbed Bulk's armour, thus coating him in strong green metal. He and Kevin stayed behind Bulk and Bee as they walked into a warehouse parking lot. For a moment, it was quiet and there appeared to be no sign of Knockout.
Suddenly, a pair of headlights came on way on the other side of the parking lot. It didn't take Ben long to recognize them for Knockout's headlights. However, before he could act, an explosion from behind took the two Autobots and two superheroes by surprise. All four of them turned around to see the massive form of Breakdown and a squadron of five Vehicons charged out of a warehouse building.
While the Vehicons attacked Bulk and Bee and kept them busy, Breakdown took on Ben and Kevin. Both yelping in surprise, Ben and Kevin jumped out of the way as Breakdown punched the ground where they had been previously been standing.
"Breakdown in case you're wondering I decided to hit the road. One scratch is enough for today" Knockout said over his com-link.
Nevertheless, Breakdown ignored his partner and focused his attention back on Ben and Kevin.
"Ha! The shape-shifter and the one who absorbs matter, I've heard so much about you two. I'm looking forward to splattering you both across the ground" Breakdown said.
Kevin furrowed his brows. Concentrating on his powers, Kevin morphed both of his hands to triple in size as grow spikes on the knuckles.
"Don't make threats you can't keep, tin-man!" Kevin retorted.
The Osmosian teen charged forward and jumped into the air to deliver a nasty haymaker to Breakdown's chest. Kevin landed feet first on the asphalt covered ground whilst the blue 'Con stumbled back a bit. The raven-haired teen then jumped forward again to send another attack; however, Breakdown was ready as he easily swatted Kevin away like a fly.
"Wwwwhoooa!" yelled Kevin as he went hurling straight through a wall of a warehouse.
Breakdown then turned his gaze to Ben and sneered evilly. Shifting his right servo into a hammer, Breakdown proclaimed, "You're next, fleshy."
Ben narrowed his eyes. "Don't be so overconfident, metal head. You're not the only brute here" Ben tapped the Omnitrix faceplate and selected an icon. As the plate slid back and allowed the core to pop out, Ben grinned, "Alright, get ready to meet Humungousaur!"
A blinding emerald light caused Breakdown to shield his optics. When the light died down, standing in Ben's place was a small, yellow bug-like creature. It had a large fork-like antenna, four stick legs, and a beak that opened vertically. Its eyes were black with green pupils. Attached to its neck was a green and white brace with the Omnitrix symbol in the center.
"Ball Weevil," Ben shouted in a high-pitched voice. The insectoid alien looked himself over for a second before he groaned frustratingly. "Oh, come on new Omnitrix, what is your deal?!"
There was a moment of silence before Breakdown break into a fit of laughter. Unexpectedly, on Breakdown's left shoulder component, a blaster-cannon emerged from it and took aim at Ben. While laughing, the 'Con smirked sadistically, "Too easy,"
Red energy coalesced around the barrel for a second before it discharged a powerful crimson beam. Instinctively, Ball Weevil spit up a large, green plasma ball, got on top of it and rolled out of the energy attack's path. Breakdown continued shooting at the yellow, bug-like alien but was met with negative results as Ball Weevil impressively dodged and rolled clean of every shot. This was indeed beginning to tick off the large Decepticon.
"Hold still, vermin!" He shouted.
"Yeah, like that's gonna happen" Ball Weevil retorted.
After rolling around a little bit, and dodging Breakdown's blaster attacks, Ball Weevil could feel his plasma ball, which was now the size of an eighteen-wheeler, growing hotter. He knew then that he had gained enough materials and was ready to initiate his attack. In a burst of speed, Ball Weevil rolled his plasma ball straight towards Breakdown.
"Take this metal head!"
The yellow alien leaped off the plasma ball as it rolled quickly towards the 'Con. Breakdown only had enough time to gasp before the green sphere struck him and ignited. The emerald explosion sent the large, blue Decepticon hurling straight through a warehouse. Seeing that his opponent was momentarily subdued, Ball Weevil spit up another plasma ball and rolled over to Kevin, who was just now walking out of the debris of the building he was thrown into.
The Osmosian teen groaned as he held his aching head. He had been hit harder but still that hit from Breakdown had to be in the top five. As he climbed out of the gaping hole in the warehouse, Ball Weevil rolled over to him.
"You okay?" He asked in his squeaky voice.
Kevin groaned more. "Uh… yeah, just peachy".
"Listen, I have a plan with how we can take down big bozo."
Kevin's brow lifted. "I'm all ears, Tennyson".
Ben finished explaining his plan in half-a-minute and right in the nick of time too. Right on cue, their attention was grabbed from Breakdown as he charged out of the warehouse, throwing building debris in multiple directions. He zoned his yellow optics in on Kevin and Ben and snarled.
"You little, filthy organics will pay!" Rearing back his hammer, Breakdown charged. "Hammer time!"
"Kevin, go!" Ball Weevil cried.
The Osmosian teen didn't hesitate a second before he charged into action. While running, Kevin morphed his right arm into a hammer and the other into a spiked mace. Within jumping distance, the green armoured teen leaped into the air and struck his hammer across Breakdown's face, creating sparks in the process. This startled the 'Con and made him stumble backwards.
When Kevin's feet hit the ground, he leaped into the air again to send his spiked mace into the 'Cons abdomen area. As the huge Cybertronian and the Osmosian teen duked it out, Ball Weevil began rolling around quickly, gathering up any type of materials possible in his gooey, plasma ball. His ball was now the size of an eighteen-wheeler again and was growing larger.
"That's right, Kev, keep him distracted" Ben whispered to himself.
Kevin delivered a multitude of strikes from his hammer and mace to Breakdown, but it appeared his attacks were only causing minimal damage such as scratches and dents to the 'Con. When Kevin leaped in the air again and prepared to send another round of punches, Breakdown swiftly aimed the barrel of his shoulder cannon at him and fired.
Kevin cried out as he the energy blast sent him careening backwards. He bounced across the pavement a few times before he came to a stop on his back, smoke rising from his form. Ben ceased rolling his plasma ball and gasped when his friend got shot.
"Kevin!" He exclaimed.
"Ha-ha! One bug down," Breakdown then turned his sights to Ball Weevil. "One to go,"
The 'Con aimed his cannon at the yellow bug-like alien and primed it to fire. However, before he could mentally activate the shooting mechanism, a white sedan came hurdling towards him out of nowhere and crashed into his left side. Breakdown stumbled a bit before he fell on his front side from the unexpected force.
Ball Weevil turned his head to the right to see Kevin standing up right and appeared to relatively unharmed. The hero mentally breathed a sigh of relief, glad that his friend was okay.
"Now Ben!" He yelled.
Ball Weevil nodded as he rolled his large green sphere straight towards the down 'Con. As Breakdown shook off the hit and was getting to his feet, his optics widened at the sight of a humungous green ball rolling towards him. The brute had no time to act before the sphere ran over him and trapped him in the gooey substance.
With Breakdown trapped in his plasma ball, Ball Weevil lined up the ball with an alley that led out of the warehouse district. After lining it up, the yellow insectoid creature sent the ball rolling right out of the complex and into the desert like a bowling ball going down an alley. About ten seconds later, an explosion shook the ground as a green mushroom cloud arose from the desert in the distance.
A couple hundred meters in the direction of where Ball Weevil sent his plasma ball, a billowing crater could be seen. Lying in the center of the twenty-meter-deep hole was the ash covered form of Breakdown, groaning in pain as he slipped into stasis lock.
Ball Weevil skittered back to Kevin, who was watching the mushroom cloud arise in the distance.
"That was pretty awesome" Kevin noted.
"Uh… you're telling me" Ball Weevil complied. "Are you okay? You took quite a hit".
Kevin held his stomach area but waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I've token worse. I'll live".
Suddenly, the sounds of metal-on-metal caught their attention. They turned around to see Bulkhead and Bumblebee had successfully taken out the five Vehicons. The Autobot duo walked to the two teens with concerned expressions on their faces.
"You guys okay?" Bulk inquired.
"We're fine, big guy. Took a few hits from that Breakdown guy but it was nothing we couldn't handle." Kevin answered.
"Impressive work you two. Breakdown is no push over and you both embarrassed him good" Bulkhead stated.
Bumblebee bleeped in agreement.
Ball Weevil looked around, seeing no sign of Arcee or Knockout. "Hey where is Arcee?"
"I saw her transform into vehicle form and go after Knockout mid-way during the fight" Bulkhead replied.
"We better go help her." Ben said. He lifted up his front leg and tapped the Omnitrix dial.
In another brilliant flash of green, Ben's shape shifted yet again. When the light died down, standing in his place was a blue and black armoured Velociraptor. His neck, chest and stomach were green with the Omnitrix symbol residing in the middle if his chest. His two blue clawed feet encompassed a black ball each. His upper and fore arms were covered blue while his hands were three-pronged claws and long spike came out of each elbow. His tail was stripped blue and black. His blue face was covered by a black helmet with extreme points at his chin and the back of his head made for extreme aerodynamics.
"XLR8,"
In a blur of black and blue, XLR8 zoomed out of the warehouse complex and onto the street in less than a second, now in hot pursuit of Arcee and Knockout.
"Hey, wait for us!" Kevin yelled.
Meanwhile, XLR8 ran at over 500 miles per hour down the lone desert road. It didn't take him long to finally catch up to Arcee, who appeared to be getting left in the dust by Knockout. He zoomed past her and ran up to Knockout's red sports-car form. He slowed down until he evened up his speed to Knockout's, which happened to be 250 miles per hour.
As soon as his sensors spotted XLR8, the medical 'Con yelped in surprise. "What in the Pits?!"
The Raptor like alien outstretched his left claw and grabbed the passenger side door and began to pull. Surprisingly, with his enhanced strength, the door actually started creaking and showed signs of giving way.
"Hey, watch the finish!" Knockout roared!
Suddenly, a compartment above Knockout's back finder lifted up, allowing an Energon blaster to shift out. Before he could react, an intense round of energy struck the Kinecelaran in the back. As a result, XLR8 was blown off his spheres as he rolled across the road and into a ditch, slightly unconscious.
"Ben!" Arcee shouted.
The blue femme immediately lessened her speed and pulled off the road to Ben's position. She transformed to her robot mode and kneeled by him, worry and fear evident on her face. He was still in his XLR8 form and hazes of smoke were billowing off his form while there were slight scratches and scuffs over his armour. She picked him up gently and cradled him.
"Ben are you okay?" She asked nervously.
XLR8 groaned in response. His green eyes opened slowly as he was met with the sight of Arcee's worried face. Ben mentally gasped; her metallic angel face was stunning to say the least. Ben didn't quite notice it until now but Arcee did look very beautiful and quite attractive.
'Wait!? Do I think Arcee is attractive? Beautiful? Well… I mean… it is true, but… I must've taken a harder hit from Knockout than I thought' Ben thought.
When the teen hero exited from his muse, he replied, "I… I'm okay, my back just stings a little".
Arcee smiled as she sat him down on his spheres. Both looked at each other and smiled for a moment. However, their 'moment' was ruined when Ben immediately remembered about the chase.
"Vince!" He cried.
The blue Autobot was snapped back into reality as well. Arcee swiftly shifted into vehicular mode and got back on the highway.
"Come on, hero!" She ordered as she zoomed down the road.
The speedy alien quickly broke off into a sprint down the road in a blur of blue.
…
Meanwhile, after being rid of the shape-shifter, Knockout picked up his speed and continued down the road.
He chuckled a bit and commented, "Eat my dust".
The red 'Con had now thought he had gotten away and was in the clear; however, that presumption was dead wrong. All of a sudden, a blaring semi-truck horn came out of nowhere as the vehicular form of Optimus Prime drove up by Knockout. The red and blue Peterbilt slammed into Knockout's side and caused him to swerve uncontrollably.
The red sports-car finally swerved off the road and went front end first into a ditch, his back wheels suspended in the air. Optimus drove up by him and transformed to his bipedal mode.
"Optimus, Knockout has a hostage" Arcee said over the com-link.
"Understood," He replied.
The massive Autobot leader picked up Knockout easily and ripped off his door and pulled out Vince's unconscious form. Optimus threw the crimson Decepticon away just as he shifted back to robot form. The narcotic 'Con examined his left forearm that was now absent of his car door.
He narrowed his optics in disdain at the red and blue 'Bot. "Do you know how hard that is to replace?!"
A second later, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Ben, still as XLR8, could be seen racing down the highway. Seeing that he was outmatched, Knockout yelped and shifted back to vehicle mode and accelerated out of sight.
Still holding the unconscious Vince, Optimus turned around to see Bee, Bulk, and Arcee shift into their robot forms with Kevin and XLR8 in front of them. Ben, who outwardly showed his guilt, stepped forward.
"Optimus, this is all my fault" Ben admitted shifting back to human.
"We must get this boy to safety. Explanations can come later… from all of you" Optimus said in strict tone, especially at the latter part.
The other Autobots turned their helms away, all feeling a bit responsible of what had occurred tonight. However, Ben knew that it wasn't their fault; in fact, if it weren't for them, he would have probably been Knockout's latest road kill. He reminded himself later to convince Optimus that everything that transpired was entirely his fault and that the others were not aware of his actions.
"I'll take care of getting Vince home, Optimus" Ben said as he slapped the Omnitrix dial.
…
Vince's eyes lids fluttered for a bit before his emerald eyes opened wide. He observed his surroundings to see he was in the passenger seat of a car, and not just any car, a Lamborghini. He turned his head to the side to see Ben at the driver's seat.
"Huh…uh…w-w-what happened?" Vince stuttered.
"Um…some guys jumped you under the bridge. They knocked you out, tied you up, and put you in the back of their trunk. I mean, wow… must've been some sort of initiation" Ben answered.
Vince's brow lifted as he looked at Ben sceptically. "Really?"
"Uh… yeah, I found you on the side of a road in a ditch" Ben added.
A moment later, the white Lamborghini Aventador came to a smooth halt at the bridge where Vince's car was parked underneath. As the red headed teen opened the door and exited out, Ben confessed, "Look… uh Vince… after what happened tonight… I just don't think racing is my thing".
Vince was silent for a moment before he replied with a smug smirk, "I hear you, Tennyson. Besides, it's kind of hard to win driving a peddle car!"
Suddenly, the back tires of the Lamborghini screeched as Ben rolled out, leaving Vince in a wake of dust and smoke. Meanwhile, down the road, Skidmark deactivated his hologram of Ben.
"Hmph… some gratitude," Ben noted sardonically.
The Nemesis
On the bridge of the Decepticon flagship, Starscream was snarling in rage at the actions of his medic, Knockout. During the exchange, Breakdown stood behind his partner, ash and slight gashes covering his form. The silver seeker walked up to the red 'Con and got in his face, wrath evident on his facial plates.
"Knockout, was I not clear!? You have defied my orders yet again!" Starscream bellowed.
"My mistake, Commander Starscream, I have learned my listen," Knockout then held up his left forearm to show his missing door, "and have paid the price."
"It. Is. Lord." Starscream growled. "And you have paid the price only when I say you have".
The seeker held up one of his razor, sharp talon fingers and lifted it close to Knockout's frame. The medic's optics widened in fear and dread of what was going to happen.
"No," He muttered fearfully.
"Do not worry; your punishment will only be cosmetic." Starscream smirked.
Breakdown shut his optics and turned away as the sounds of metal-on-metal and Knockout's screech filled the entire ship.
Outside school
Ben walked out of the school building happily and strolled toward Arcee's parked form in the lot. But just when he mounted Arcee and prepared to put on his helmet, Sierra came out of nowhere and strode towards Ben.
"Uh… hey Ben," She said gleefully with her hands behind her back. "So… think you could give me a ride?" Her question was backed up with a seductive wink.
Ben looked at her for a moment and then placed on his helmet. "No,"
Sierra's once happy expression turned into shock. "W-w-what?"
"You heard me. Look I'm sorry Sierra, you're cute and all…but you're just not my type" Ben admitted honestly.
Ben then started up Arcee, or at least made it look like he started her up, and drove out of the parking lot. Sierra was left standing there stunned. She couldn't believe that she was rejected, she's never been rejected! It was worse since it was from a weird guy who thought he was famous when she first met him.
She narrowed her eyes in contempt toward the direction Ben left. She definitely had some work to do if she were to win him over.
…
Meanwhile, driving on the road that led out of Jasper, Ben remained quiet. Arcee was a bit worried and confused for her friend. She turned her mirror to see his helmet covered face.
"Ben, you okay?" She asked honestly.
The teen was snapped out of his thoughts as he looked down at her dashboard. "Huh… y-yeah, I'm alright".
Despite the answer, Arcee wasn't convinced. She figured it had to do something with Sierra.
"Ben, you know I would've given Sierra a ride back there. Why did you turn her down?"
"Like I said, she's just not my type," Ben paused. "Besides, there's…someone else I think I'm crushing on."
This indeed peaked Arcee's curiosity. "Who?" probed the blue femme.
Ben smiled underneath his helmet. "I'm gonna hold saying… for now at least."
The Omnitrix bearer and the Autobot femme continued down the road, both having a lot running through their minds.
A/N: Well, I hoped this chapter was satisfying to read. I'm sure you guys and gals noticed that bit of Arcee / Ben at the end.
Reviews are greatly appreciated. Until next time…
