Transformers Galaxy Force: Thunder Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers.

Author's Note: This took a long time to write. I could use some ideas of where Override and Rodimus Convoy could race next.

Part 3.5 Challenge

Chapter 24

Skids shot towards Velios, taking a turn sharply while his two Human passengers laughed in delight. Exiguiser had called early, saying that two old friends had shown up for a morning race at the Planet Cup track. Coby and Lori had decided last night that he wouldn't turn into Rodimus Convoy unless it was necessary, which explained Coby's disappointed look.

"I wish I could race," he said for the umpteenth time.

Lori jabbed him in the side with her elbow and said, "You've been saying that all morning. Take some time to relax."

Coby turned to her. "Racing is relaxing," he insisted.

She grinned, "It is when we're swimming, unless you're paying more attention to my body than where you're going."

Her statement got the effect that she wanted; Coby gave her a boyish grin as turned the shade of a Cybertron emblem. That was one of the reasons Lori loved him. Coby was such a kid at times, but it made him all the more fun to be around.

Skids mentally shut off his audio receptors, thinking, I did not hear that. I did not hear that. I did not hear that, as his hood turned slightly pink. His hood turned completely red as he felt Coby and Lori shift in the seats and yelled, "Hey! Not while I'm trying to drive!" The couple broke of their kiss and sat back in their seats, but they kept holding hands until they made it to the track where Exiguiser was waiting for them.

Waiting beside Exiguiser were three more Transformers. One, Autolander, was old, black and yellow, and turned into a drag racer. The other two were red and white and looked exactly the same.

"Autolander!" Skids said in surprise as he transformed and went to talk to his old mentor. The young racer began to talk eagerly with the older racer and Exiguiser.

Coby looked at the other two Transformers, confused. He couldn't tell the difference between the two, except for the fact that one had a masculine stance and the other had a feminine stance. "Nitro Convoy?" he asked in confusion.

The Transformer with the masculine stance laughed, "That's me. I was wondering if you would figure it out." Nitro Convoy turned to the Transformer next to him and said, "This is my twin sister, Override."

Lori, excited to meet a new friend, stuck out her hand and said, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Lori, and this is Coby."

"Nice to meet you too," Override nodded. "I'll pass on the handshake; I'd crush your hand. Do you two happen to know someone by the name of Rodimus Convoy?"

Coby nodded, "I saved his life once. Why?"

"I work as a bounty hunter for government agencies; capturing, not killing," Override explained. "I was met by a client who has been tailing Rodimus because he believes that Rodimus might be a murderer. Unfortunately, he's not very easy to track."

"Yes, he does like to stay out of sight," Coby said, suspicious.

"I don't think Rodimus Convoy would ever do anything like that," Lori said, starting to get angry. "How do you know your client isn't from the Destron Army or something?"

"Give me one good reason why a sorry excuse for an asshole from the Destron Army would hire me?" Override said, her own temper flaring. Nitro Convoy and Coby backed away as the two females began to argue and insult each other. Coby had a good idea as to who was going to win. Lori may be Human, but when pushed she had a very short temper.

He wasn't too far off. After a few seconds, everyone had a good laugh as Override tried to stop a rather pissed Lori form disassembling her systems. As everyone laughed, Coby snuck off. Even though he knew Lori could hold her own, he didn't want her getting hurt. Away from prying eyes, he turned into Rodimus Convoy and returned to the scene. Override had transformed and was driving around in random patterns as Lori clung on with one hand while wielding the screwdriver she had stolen from Coby's back pocket in another.

Rodimus laughed, "I would stop while you're ahead Override; Lori's not going to give up anytime in this life." The two females stopped fighting and looked at him in surprise. Rodimus winced inwardly as Lori shot him a glare of disappointment. He understood why she was angry, but he knew that Lori and Override would have torn each other apart if he didn't find some way to stop them. "What do you want, Override?" he asked.

Lori climbed off Override, putting the screwdriver in her pocket as the female Transformer transformed. "I want you to come with me to my client, so that he can see if you are the Transformer he has been looking for," Override explained.

"In that case, Lori's statement has some merit," Rodimus nodded. "Who is your client?"

Override grimaced inwardly. She didn't know who her client was, but she couldn't just come out and say it. Luckily, she had a policy she could fall back on. "I don't reveal the names of my clients. They work for government agencies, so I can't," she explained.

"So what makes you think that I'll just go?" Rodimus asked. "I have plenty of enemies. It could be a trap."

"Tell you what," Override suggested. "Let's have a race series. If you win, I'll drop the job and tell you what I know about my client. If I win, you come with me."

Rodimus thought about it. He would win either way; he'd find out who hired Override. "Deal," he said.

Override nodded, smiling. She transformed and drove up to the starting line of the track. Rodimus transformed and lined up as well. The others looked at each other, worried, and Lori was finding it hard not to shout and tell Rodimus to stop. Instead, she walked away, knowing that if she wasn't there, no one would suspect that Coby and Rodimus Convoy were the same person.

"Call it!" Rodimus said.

"See ya!" Override called back, shooting off. Her brother was known for a long time as the fastest Transformer on Speedia, but she was faster than him. She had this race in the bag, or so she thought. Rodimus pulled up behind her, matching her pace. "How can you be so fast as such a big vehicle?" she asked.

"Big doesn't mean slow," Rodimus answered, pulling ahead. Override growled and forced herself to match his pace. For most of the race, nether one of them was able to pull ahead of the other. Soon they reached the straightway before the 90 degree hill, an incline that made the racers almost vertical until the goal. If you didn't go fast enough, you never made it.

Override activated her jet boosters and shot forward, yelling, "Even if you're fast, you're weight will work against you on that hill!"

Rodimus Convoy laughed, "You didn't think I thought of that? FORCE CHIP! IGNITION!" His Force Chip slammed into the chip slot on his back and his turbines rose up. "CYCLONE TURBINE!"

The boost from his turbines shot him forward. The other Transformers stood watching, their chins dropping as Rodimus Convoy passed Override, drove up the 90 degree like it wasn't even there, and shot through the goal. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Rodimus won the race.

He transformed and waited for Override to finish. Once she did, he walked over to her and asked, "So, who's your client?"

"I'm not telling," she said, angry that she lost.

"But you said…" Rodimus began.

"I SAID that if you beet me in a race SERIES, I would tell you," Override yelled at him. "You still have to compete against me in three more races. If you win the last race, then you win!" She drove off, muttering, "Ignorant, arrogant offworlder."

Rodimus watched her drive off, crestfallen. He had come here to spend time with Lori, not race for his life. "What have I done?" he wondered aloud.