Nano-kilk - half of a Cybertron second

Klik - Cybertron second

Breem - Cybertron minute

Joor - Cybertron hour

Cycle/Lunar-cycle - Day or night

Meta-cycle - Cybertron week

Orn - Cybertron month

Vorn - Cybertron year

Deca-cycle - Cybertron decade

Mega-cycle - Cybertron century

Credit for the name of Iacon Metal Stakes and Cybertron Master Class goes to Steelcode. Credit for The Polyhex Cup goes to igeegeei! Thank you for the names!

Also, any time you hear Series, or the racing series its basically like say the race season. seeing as Cybertron has no seasons, i put it as Series.

"What'd you do to Gears, you monster?! You turned him... nice!"

— Ironhide, "Changing Gears"

Rumble: "Hey... I don't remember seein' that — now what's that?"

Mirage: (invisible) "Good question!"

Rumble: "Who said that? There's no one here! I must have static in my rectifiers."

Mirage: "Now that's the smartest thing you've said all day!"

Rumble: "R... really? Hey, what's goin' on?!"

— "Roll For It!"

Siren vented softly relaxing her frame after racing in the orn after Nova Cronum. She knew there was to be competition between her and Coreshock and it showed through several races. In Iacon in the two cycle advent at the track, both having ran in the two race, Coreshock had taken first the Iacon Metal Stakes while the next cycle she took the win for the Celestial Temple Spire. Boltgear didn't care which of the two won, as long as one of the siblings took first for his own profit that he was making now.

When in Polyhex, Coreshock had been taken out of the race for a limp that appeared just before the start of the run, leaving Siren to take the win in The Polyhex Cup. Howler had his vet look into the cause of it but not even Notch could figure out why the limp appeared. It wasn't until Boltgear had Notch take Coreshock back to the home stables that they found several wired had been cut in Coreshock's back left pede.

When the owner had been messaged about the cut. Boltgear put his handlers on a rotation to make sure his other prized racer, namely Siren, wasn't messed with when they were in Tyger Pax. When Howler had taken his turn, he had informed her about this and it scared her to think some bot would intentionally do that. To make sure some other turbofox they betted on, would win.

Right now she needed to let those thoughts go as they prepared her for the race here in Tyger Pax called Cybertron Master Class. This race would insure her a spot in the Tri-Torus Crown Dash for the next vorn series. Well the ones that get the first and second place that is. Of the races only four were called Master Class so only eight slots were up for taking to gain entry for Tri-Torus Crown Dash. So, if she wasn't able to win in this race, she had three more to try for. The Tri-Torus Crown Dash was almost like the Triple Crown, only eight turbofoxes were able to race in the three races that made up the event. Hence why only eight slots were available.

"Alright vixen, time to go race." Aquatalon said softly taking Siren's halter and leading the turbofox to the outside. Having grown use to all of the noises and red dots of recordings, Siren ignored them as she looked around. So far, other than Sentinel she had yet to recognize another bot from the fandom. Then again, there was no mention of this type of turbofoxes, so that could only mean that the bots from the show didn't really care for these races. Or just didn't thing to mention it.

Oh no…Boltgear you are an idiot. Standing just in front of her stood Embertron the one jockey that was hired by Boltgear that she despised. "Get over here you fragging femme, I don't have time for you to let the vixen have a look around. I have a slaggin race to win." Beside Siren, Aquatalon glared at the minibot.

"Blow it out of you aftpipe, Embertron." She hissed back stopping Siren for the jockey to get up in the saddle. Embertron growled at her from his seat in the saddle. "You'll be out of a job if you keep that fraggin tone with me, femme." Siren gave a sharp yelp at the sudden heel kick to the sides making her bolt forward in surprise.

Several other jockeys glared at Embertron having heard the vixen's yelp. "Embertron, easy with the heel kick!" a light blue and dark red mech called from atop his turbofox, Untamed Gigabit. "Don't tell me how to ride, Ridge! I know how to handle a vixen!" Embertron scowled back to the jockey. Ridge sighed glancing at the turbofox in pity.

Embertron jerked the reins making Siren follow after to where he wanted. A growl rang out lowly from her vocalizer at his rough treatment. "Oh, shut it." he said flicking the whip near her optic for her to see, hitting her at times in the muzzle. Her plating tense against her protoframe, the whip was something she learned to fear, as he used it all of the time on her in training. "Don't make me use this vixen, because I will." She knew he would, it was one of his favorite things about racing.

By that time, an official track handler came, taking a hold of her halter to lead her into the gate after a brute, Majesty, was closed in. Siren tensed already feeling the electric sting of the whip that would come. She wanted Jetway to be her rider, not Embertron. Jetway never used his whip to get her to go, knowing she would without needing force to do so.

The blaring noise came and the crack of the whip a nano-kilk after hitting Siren in her rear. She drove forward, stumbling some in her hast to get away from electric sting of the whip. She heard Embertron growl, shouting at her for being a stupid beast, as she ran at the end of the pack. A sting of the whip came, driving her to kick up her speed to reach the pack. The whip! The one thing she truly feared thanks to this mech. Ventilation systems kicking up as she shot past Ace Diamond and Majesty, before nearing the brute, Ultimate Risk.

"MOVE VIXEN!" Embertron shouted flicking the whip twice forcing Siren to put another burst of speed as she turned onto the sharp right bumping into Voltage as she went, causing the brute to drew his helm back and slow down at the suddenness of the bump. Voltage's jockey cursing at Embertron before Siren pulled ahead. "Blow it out your tailpipe, Bitwave! I'M WINNING THIS RACE!"

By this time, she was even with the two leaders, Molten Master and Untamed Gigabyte, but pulled even more after another two cracks came from her rear and would have squealed, if she wasn't trying to outran that whip when she knew she couldn't. Her systems were running hot by now, intakes only able to pull in enough air to keep her frame from overheating but even that was barely keeping cool. Siren couldn't think, too panicked from the stings that lingered while fresh ones rained down hard and the yelling's of her rider urging her to pick up speed more than what she was doing. Warnings began to appear in her vision, warning her that overheating was close and that she was pushing her frame to it's limit.

Another hit from the whip came as she landed from her jump over a wall. She could see where she was going but her panic made it hard to know where in the order of things she was. She could remember passing a couple of turbofoxes but didn't know if she still was needing to pass anymore or not. More warnings appeared, overheating was emanate. "FASTER!" CRACK! SNAP! A yelp left her this time at the hard hit he gave her making the whip snapped by the force. Embertron was a jerk yes, but the mech had never gone this far during training and it scared her, making her panic more.

Soon she could tell she was coming up to the finish line, her blazing speed making her eat up the metal ground. A right turn and she would be done. Then her intakes gave a hiccup, engine sputtering, but she kept going. The fear of the whip filled her processor, forcing her to keep the fast pace. She heard the crowd give a cheer but the fear of more hits made her speed past the slowing point of the end that she should have been doing.

Her helm jerked hard backwards making her rear up and give out a screaming yelp several times in a row. When her front pede fell on the ground she reared back up, pedes swiping the air as another jerk to her helm came. This time to the right side in Embertron's attempted to get her under control as her pedes landed again. Control that she didn't even have herself at the moment with her systems taxed at their limits and her processor far from coming back from her strike of fear and panic. Anytime now she'll feel the whip and do as he forces of her, only she had no clue as to what he wanted her to do.

It came, the broke point of the whip digging into the seam of her armor scraping the vulnerable wires underneath. Another screaming yelp ripped from her vocalizer, optic offlining at the shearing pain of the low electricity pulsing into her making everything go numb in her frame. Suddenly, servos took hold of her halter forcing her helm down and pedes to hit ground again after she reared back up for a third time. One letting go at the steam coming off of her frame, the mech shouting at the sting of hot plating.

"You ran her too hot, Embertron! Get the vets! The vixen's about to crash!" another mech shouted. "Get the frag off!" her frame shuddered as she felt Embertron land on the ground next to her and she couldn't help but step-side away from him, finials flat against her helm. She never let her optics leave the mech that had been her rider. "Hey, hey, you're good vixen, you're going to be okay."

A whine came through as a mech of light green and black took her reins to lead her away. Siren had yet to get herself under control as she was lead back to the finish line but as time went she slowly regained it back. Between the the mech leading her and his soothing voice she was able to slowly come back to the present. "That's it, good, good. Just calm down your systems. No need to worry about that mech anymore."

Soon an engine revved, her audial finials pricking towards the sound and a familiar smell came to her nose. Her frame gave another shudder as the mech transformed showing her Notch. "What happened?!"

"Embertron had her running hot, nearly making the vixen crash. I've been leading her around to get her to calm." the mech answered. "Check her right rear, she's been limping ever since he got off." Notch nodded moving to that side and growled. "Slagheap! Hold the vixen still, she's got part of a broken whip wedge into a seam in her leg."

Pain hit her before she could do anything to prepare herself understanding what Notch was going to do. It made her processor flux back to the crack of the whip and she bolted forwards in a blind panic taking the mech that was holding her along. He shouted in pain from the yank of his arms before digging his heels into the ground slowing Siren down. "Whoa! Vixen it's okay, no bots' going to hurt you." she gave a snort, systems that had been calming down, spiked back up and both mechs could here it.

Her front pedes tip-toed in her state of processor before the mech made Siren walke around again. It was his way of trying to expel some of her ramped up energy for her to calm down once more. Notch ran up to the pair this time careful not to pull on the broken whip until he gave her sedatives to remove it. "Boltgear will be furious with what Embertron did. Oddity has slaggin dents in her hip plating from the force of his hits."

"The vixen's too strung right now to be feeling it, but once she calms down enough, that's when all of the ache to that side will come back." the mech leading her stated as he continued to walk with Notch following.

"I know Darkwing. Her frame's cooling now, that's a good sign. Small but still good." Notch muttered continuing to look over the vixen. The two mechs bypassing the crowds to the stable pens. "Quickly get a wash started, it'll further cool her core." the vet ordered as Darkwing lead Siren to the side of the building. Quickly moving to click the cross-leads he went to the hose to put cold oil over her frame.

A sizzle came at the contact, Siren lowering her helm just a little at the cool feel of the oil running over her frame. She was so tired, her energy spent in her all out sprint and the stress of what happened afterward. Optics flickered several times before her world went dark and Darkwing shouting for Notch.

"I DON'T GIVE A SLAG!" Boltgear raged. "I wont that mech banned from being a jockey!"

Sitting at the desk was Gyroflame, one of the mechs on the racing board who regarded Boltgear in an exasperated why. "You do know that you were the one to hire, said mech, to race your vixen."

"Yes, I did, but that was before I knew his history of destroying promising turbofoxes with his racing style! Had I known what kind of mech he was, I would have cut him off long before the start of the race series." Boltgear stated venting hard in his anger at what had transpired this cycle. "Now, I don't know if Oddity Empress will even be able to race without her glitching out every time she goes into the gate."

"If it's any consolation, your vixen earned her slot in the Tri-Torus Crown Dash for next vorn, even with the unorthodox way Embertron raced her." Gyroflame replied, arms on the desk with digits intertwined. "Oddity Empress was not disqualified for what her rider did, so she will still keep her first place in the run, therefore her slot. If you need to, take the time to reestablish her back before the next vorn."

"But what are you going to do with Embertron!? He's liable to ruin another turbofox!"

Gyroflame vented. "He has been penalized several times before and warned that his rough riding style needed to stop. So, we as the board of Turbofox racing black list him. He will then be charged with animal abuse on several accounts and the offlining of Above Skies."

Boltgear thought back on the name of the turbofox, surprised at the name that came up. "Wait, your telling me Embertron was the one to offline Above Skies? The brute that had two of the Tri-Torus Crown Dash races under him and would have nearly won all three of them?"

Gyroflame nodded. "If it wasn't for the rough handling of Above Skies, the brute could have easily won the Crown Dash and become the third turbofox in histroy to have won it."

"If he was responsible for the offlining of the brute, than why is he just now being black listed and charged? That happen nearly two vorns ago!" Boltgear asked narrowing his optics.

"What happened with Above Skies was unusual to say and our fault. Embertron had just started his occupation as a jockey when he was Above Skies' rider. By the time officials were able to reach the brute and jockey, Above Skies had already past into the Matrix. It wasn't until now that we were able to find clues to what Embertron had done. Somehow he had the brutes energon switched out from his regular mid-grade to high-grade. Add to the mix of running hot like Embertron was having Above Skies do, the brute's systems burned out. At the time we thought nothing of it until several reports came in about Embertron and his handling. So an investigation started just this last vorn and lead to what we know now."

"At the cost of many other turbofoxes being broken by him." Boltgear muttered darkly at the mech. "One of them being my VIXEN!"

"How is your vixen doing?" Gyroflame asked with a raise optic ridge. His calm tone doing nothing to quail the fury in Boltgear.

The older mech scoffed. "She glitched just as the handlers were starting to cool her frame off having gotten her back to the stable pens. My vet had to dig out a broken piece of whip that Embertron stabbed into her. The vixen nearly glitched when Notch first tried to remove it on the track. He even stated that Embertron was hitting the vixen hard enough to leave multiple dents in her hip plating." he replied. "Keep the vixen in the roster for next vorn, hopefully im able to get the vixen back into a state of processor long enough to race a few times."

Gyroflame nodded. "I will, but if the vixen is unable, her slot will be removed for the next turbofox to take it."

"Oh, don't worry I understand. I just hope to Primus, you understand that you will be paying for all the damage done to my vixen for your overlooking of Embertron and what he's done to multiple turbofoxes before mine. It is your fault as the Board, to not have had him investigated after what happen to Above Skies. When I looked over his file it said nothing about any of the turbofoxes that he's damaged in the past. That is your responsibility to make slagging sure those types of records are on there." Boltgear stated steaming as he pointed a digit at the younger mech.

"We as the Board understand and are sorry, and will compensate for all that the vixen needs for what happened this cycle."

Once again the older mech scoffed. "You maybe able to pay for all the vet bills, but you wont be able to fix the damage done to her core processor in the orns to come. Have a fragging good cycle." with a nod to the mech, Boltgear turned and left making his way back to the stable pens to check on the vixen.

Until Coreshock was recovered, he was down two of his promising turbofoxes with only two that he could race in there stead that weren't up to there level. "If I see the slagheap Embertron again, I'm going to rip out his spark."

"Boltgear!" glancing over his shoulder plating he found Phasewing jogging up to him. he greeted her with a question. "How is the vixen?"

"Oddity is functioning as best as the turbofox can after what happened."

Boltgear growled. "Did anyone else know about Embertron's handling?"

"No, no bot knew much about the mech. He kept to himself most of the time."

"Jetway would have been racing the vixen today if he didn't come down with a virus." Boltgear stated walking down the hallway passing stable pens until he stopped at Oddity Empress' pen. Laying on her side in the far corner was the vixen with Notch scanning her once more.

"Well, I see no damage to her systems other than several of them having been close to burning out if she had stayed overheated any longer than she did. I do suggest that she sees no whip within her view as I had to sedate her when she onlined and started to glitch again at the sight of a handler with one. I also gave the sedative to her to make sure the vixen's systems have had enough time to recover. She'll be sluggish coming around."

Boltgear nodded to his vet. "We're done here, get the other three turbofoxes ready for departure. While we are in the two meta-cycle break I want focus set on Coreshock and his training. If Oddity Empress is no longer fit to race then he will be my main priority."

Siren looked to the sky from her spot in the paddock. Three cycles had pasted with no training. It kinda set her on edge knowing that without training, she wouldn't be able to keep what strength she has now and race. Many times she would be alone at the start of the cycle, until around mid-cycle, a couple of turbofoxes join her from finishing up their training. To put it bluntly, she was bored but knew that if she were to start training again she may not be able to enter the gate so willingly now.

She gave a whine at the flashes of the whip going through her processor and phantom pains at her right rear. She had learned to fear the whip with Embertron when she wasn't able to take control back from his tight grip on the reins. It was times like this where she despised being a turbofox. Little to no freedom to go where she wanted, when she wanted too. Siren did like to run the races, it was a thrill, but if her rider wanted her to hold back, she had to. They pulled her helm back making it harder for her to see the track in front of her, so it made her slow down.

"Hey there, Siren." Howler greeting softly sitting besides the maroon fox while setting a datapad in front of her. His presence washing over her, relaxing her. Why was that? So, like always she typed her question to him. The mech gave a chuckle as he read it. "You're probably feeling my EM field. If you are around more bots you get a little feel of their emotions. After a period of time you learn to recognize a bot just by their EM field. Like now, I can feel a bit of your anxiety and restlessness."

Her finials perked at this bit of information. Instead of a personal bubble she had an EM field that could actually give her clues as to what other bots are feeling, to an extent. You feel like a grandsire to me. Howler glanced to the vixen in surprise before a small smile appeared. "Well then, I would be honored to be so, Siren. Even though you were sparked from Furywave, you are more than the average turbofox. You understand so much more than those of you kin will be able to."

Siren nodded her helm at this, happy that he accepted her to be his grandcreation, even though they were not energon related. It felt right, Howler had been there since the beginning, always greeting her and her siblings even before he knew about her intellect. He had been there to give her lessons of this planet and it's bots. The old mech was her one and only friend, her grandsire now. She felt content as she typed another question.

"Hmm, I don't know what Boltgear is going to do now. All I know is that Coreshock has become his main focus. I did hear you kept your slot for the Tri-Torus Crown Dash because it was the fault of your rider and so they didn't penalize you for the win." Finials went back at the memory of that cycle as she typed. I never want to see another whip again. "I wouldn't want to either after what he did with it."

Is Boltgear going to sell me? Howler frown at that. "I cant say for sure. He'll try to get you back into your training, but if you have flux's before or during trainings, he may have pull you out and retire you early. Or sell you to another owner willing to try their hand at getting you to race."

That's the thing. I do want to race, its just…the whip.

"We will just have to get you over that little fear and get stronger." he stated thinking back to topics they've have before. "You say my presence is soothing, calm even?" Yes. "I may have an idea, but only if you're willing to try it." Siren looking into the blue optics of the mech. She knew this mech would never harm her, trusted him, and so, she was willing to do what ever he came up with. I trust you… Grandsire. That brought a smile to his lip components. "Then I will be right back." her helm tilt as Howler stood up and walked a crossed the paddock to the fence yards away.

As she waited for the mech to come back she looked to the datapad and began to read where Howler had left off reading yestercycle. Audial finials twitch at Howler's pedefalls not even looking up from her reading. Once he was seated again on the ground next to her, did she look up. A yelp ripped from her as she jerked to her pedes in her rush to get away from the thing held in his servo. Armor quivered before flaring out in her fear at the sight of the black whip. Quickly Howler dropped it on the ground, still in her sight, before intertwining his digits to look upward to the sky.

Siren paced around Howler, wanting to be next to him but knowing the whip was right there made her pause every time. Flashes of what the whip could do to her came making her whine. "Siren, it'll be okay, you know me. I would never use it to hurt you." She knew this, but that didn't help the backlash of her memories at what the whip was capable of doing to her in the right servos.

After several breems of pacing, Siren had tired herself out from stressing about it and laid a good yard from Howler. Why was he doing this to her!? He knew the whip scared her! She got back up to stalked around Howler letting out a growl of frustration not able to even get herself to come near the object, yet wanting to lay next to the mech. It was a battle between fear and the want with neither gaining any ground.

Howler watched her from the corner of his optics as he continued to read the datapad, the whip now lay a crossed his legs in there crisscrossed fashion. He heard her give off another growl as she stalked around him at a distance that wasn't getting closer or further. As time went on her ventilation whirred a little louder letting the mech know she was working her systems up over the whip.

"Siren, the whip cant hurt you. I would never hurt you." Howler stated softly looking into her amber optics. "Do you trust me?"

Siren stood stock still finials laying flat with quick twitches up towards the mech before lay flat again. She did trust the old mech, he's never done anything to her to lose it. Even understanding why Howler was doing what he had done, she still couldn't bring herself to come any closer. Lower her helm, Siren gave another whine, wishing she could talk! It would make talking with the old mech more easier.

Howler vented, slowly getting up, but smile inward at seeing Siren stay where she was even though the whip was being moved. Tensing up, armor flared, and optics locked with the whip, but she stayed where she was. To the old mech, it was a sign that she was trying, but would take time for her to get over it. Turning around Howler set the whip on the ground for another try for the next cycle.

"Come on, Siren, lets go for a walk around." Having seen the object of her fear get left behind, she all but shot next to the mech once he was a good distance from it.

As you can see, Siren is still seen as a turbofox and therefore has little freedom. I wanted to show that when one rider is more compassionate to there mount another could care less.

BIackrose13 - The wait is over!

silent femme - Dont worry the vet was able to fix her all up!

Secret1618 - Well hopefully my answer helped!