A/N: As you all can see, new cover art! Once more, illustrated by the wonderfully talented ScarletGhostX, whom you can visit on DeviantArt or contact on twitter for your own commissions. You can find a full size variation of it on DeviantArt under my account, called awesomenessman13 (Because I am not paying four bucks just to change my name).
Alright, so outside of providing punishment, I was kind of taking a back seat at this one. Mostly, I was helping Krystal memorize her lines.
Krystal's big thing is art, drawing, stuff like that, but the school was running some sort of play for Matilda. You know, that movie with the little kid who can move things with her mind?
Krystal asked me and Amy if she could audition for the part, and who would we be to deny her the opportunity for something like that?
Well, she must've really impressed them. When she was done reading lines for the audition, Lisa Thompson, the teacher running the play, gave her the part of Matilda herself.
Apparently Matilda is six-years-old in the movie, but Lisa said Krys is close enough to six that the difference doesn't matter.
So, while I was reading lines with Krys for a few days, Jack and Talida got into street racing.
Well, not necessarily. To be fair, they did it just so they could get back at Vince, who had to be a little fucking shit head, and even though he's dating Talida, Jack still wanted to fulfill his promise he'd made to Sierra, which lead to him not wanting to look bad.
So, Vince doesn't even realize he's pissed off Arcee, and she agrees to smoke him at Trucker's Ranch, a mile or so from Mom's farm. Obviously, word travels fast thanks to Sierra and Claire. They're both good kids, but damn do they put too much stock in those phones.
And then Amy found out that Jack and Talida went to some circuit race… and she was already pissed enough when I told her they'd been out at Truckers Ranch. Considering the place is only about a mile or so down the road from Mom's and that I had their heartbeats memorized, wasn't too easy to figure out where they were when Mom was home.
Okay, so a little background: Amy's good with cars. Like, really good. Even with my powers, I couldn't tell you what's causing a problem in a vehicle unless it's really easy to see. But she can narrow it down in a heartbeat and then tell me what to look for so that she knows for sure.
Despite being a nurse, the woman's a grease monkey.
Anyway, after me and her got together, while she was still in high school, she got into street racing.
Yeah, you heard that right. The perfect straight A student ended up falling into street racing.
Apparently Randall, Vince's dad who we went to school with, made a bet with Amy that if he could beat her in a street race, he got to take her out on a date. If he lost, He'd leave her alone for a while.
She won with flying colors from what I heard.
She was pretty good at racing, from what I hear, but she only did it for a month.
When I found out, I tailed her to a few races, and yeah, she was good, but damn was it dangerous.
She agreed to race out in the gulch for her last race when some fucker in an Urbana clipped her rear bumper, sent her through the guardrail.
If I hadn't been there, she would've taken a free fall down into the canyon.
I ripped her a new ass, I'm not ashamed to admit it. It's one of the few times I've ever raised my voice to her and not gotten a single word back in rage.
But she learned her lesson, and she swore off street racing for good.
So to hear the two kids she'd help babysit with me had gotten into sent her off the handle pretty badly.
Jack and Talida promised they were done with it after the initial race, and Amy seemed to let it drop.
Then Jack and Talida took Bumblebee to a circuit race.
And Knock Out got involved.
After everything was said and done, Prime was pretty pissed when he found out, especially since it led to Vince's kidnapping, but Amy… Oh boy…
They were thankful when I stepped in.
But hey…. They'd be eating those words when Me and Pete were done with them.
She and Jack had planned a camping trip with Krystal this weekend. They'd asked me and Amy if it were alright to bring her, after Krystal had pretty much begged the two to go with them.
I said it was alright. I trust the two to watch Krystal. Still do.
But those plans went out the window the moment I had to step in.
As the end of the day approached and Jasper High let it's students out of it's doors for the end of the day, two students in particular were chatting up a storm.
"So, do you have everything packed for that camping trip this weekend?" Talida asked, glancing at Jack as the two walked down the steps and approached Arcee.
"Yeah." Jack nodded with a smile. "I've got my mom's old tent, the tool kit, and the sleeping bags." He told her as he looked at her. "You?"
"I have the food and water packed, and I'm taking my PGO just in case we need it for anything. I'm also bringing a few extra snacks, and some books in case Krystal wants to read or occupy herself." She explained, before smiling a little. "And there's one more thing I need to bring."
"What is it?" Jack asked with a curious tone.
"It's a surprise…" Talida giggled, causing Jack to roll his eyes with a sigh.
"Well, there's my answer." Jack said with a shake of his head. If Talida planned a surprise for anyone, they would almost never find out unless she wanted then to.
Unless your name was Clark Kent.
"Krys's play is on Friday, right?" Talida asked, looking towards Jack for confirmation.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. Once it's over, me, you, and Krys can head down to Humboldt." He said with a nod. "I know we were planning to use tents, but Clark talked to Mrs. Kent. We can use Mr. Kent's old RV if we need to."
Talida nodded. "We'll definitely take it, just in case." She agreed.
The two approached Arcee, Jack grabbing both their helmets and handing Talida hers, before they hopped on, Talida wrapping her arms around Jack as she basically hugged him from behind.
As Arcee backed out of the parking spot, they were interrupted by the sound of a familiar, and extremely hated, voice calling out to them.
"Hey! Cherry Moped!" Vince taunted as he looked at the two with a cocky smirk.
No one at school liked Vince. He was the local bully, and the school player. It definitely didn't help, in Jack and Talida's case, when they discovered that he was the one who'd led Malita to Lana, Pete, and Chloe… in exchange for a blowjob.
"Uh,this 'moped' has dual carbs and can go zero to sixty in 3.5 seconds." Jack retorted with a glare before Arcee drove off.
As they pulled up to a red light, Arcee took that moment to speak to Jack and Talida.
"Uh, Jack? A lady's vital stats are her own business." Arcee admonished lightly, a little annoyed at Jack's sentence.
Jack let out a sigh, but his attention was pulled away when another, familiar voice spoke up.
"Hey!" Spoke a teenage girl with red hair on the sidewalk. "Nick, right?"
Speaking to them was Sierra Jane, Amy's younger cousin, who stood alongside her younger sister, Maria.
Talida smiled at the site of who was now her best friend, since Jack was her boyfriend now. She'd gotten along with Sierra since they were in kindergarten. In spite of what people thought about her, Sierra wasn't the typical cheerleader type everyone thought she was. She was still a good person.
"Uh, it's Jack, actually." Jack corrected as he sat up, looking at the girl. Even though he was dating Talida, it was hard to get over an attraction you had for someone else. Behind him, Talida rolled her eyes with a small smile. She understood it.
"Hey, Ser-Ser!" Talida greeted with a wave. "Mar-Mar!" She said, turning to Sierra's younger sister.
"Hi Tal-Tal!" Sierra responded chipperly.
"Hi Tally!" Maria waved back.
"Sorry, Jack." Sierra apologized, apparently forgetting that Jack knew her. "I'm Sierra."
"I know." Jack nodded. "You are best friends with my girlfriend." He said with a small smile.
Sierra nodded. "Um… you once offered to take me for a ride?" Sierra recalled nervously, glancing towards Talida, silently asking for permission.
Talida nodded. "Yeah, sure." She nodded, smiling at her best friend. "I can wait here with Mary for a bit. Go ahead."
"Yeah, sure!" Jack nodded, smile on his face.
Arcee, however, wasn't so enthused.
"'I'm your guardian, kiddo. Not your wingman." She reminded him quietly, a little peeved at being forced to help a promise she had no say in.
Jack was about to reply, but before he could, the sound of a familiar and unwanted muscle car pulled up, and they turned to see Vince had pulled up into the lane next to them.
"Hey, Hey! Small world!" Vince remarked with a smoke, interjecting himself into the conversation.
"We're having a conversation, jackass." Talida spat, glaring at the ginger haired boy.
"Cheer captain here might enjoy watching you take on four wheels of muscle car." Vince smirked as he gestured to Sierra and Maria, who were watching the exchange with wide, and somewhat annoyed, eyes.
"Are you challenging me to a race?" Jack asked dryly, if somewhat amused. He had no doubt that Arcee would smoke Vince, but unfortunately, that wasn't his decision. He turned to look at Sierra and Maria, both of whom were gesturing for him to accept, if only to see Vince get his smirk wiped off his face.
He turned to look at Talida for her input, but she nodded vigorously. Screw her father's rules, she was more than willing to outright break a few if it meant they would get to make Vince cry.
However, before Jack or Talida could even respond, the light turned green, which Arcee took advantage of, speeding off and away from the confrontation, almost knocking Jack and Talida off of her in the process.
"You didn't let me answer!" Jack shouted in frustration at Arcee's interruption.
"Nope."
"But Arcee, we can smoke him!" Talida objected.
"Yep."
"You just don't get it." Jack sighed as he and Talida both felt disappointment.
"Jack, Talida, you both know that I don't make the rules. Optimus doesn." She reminded the two. "And rule number one, in case you guys missed it: never abuse power for personal gain. And that includes horsepower!"
At her words, both Jack and Talida sighed as Vince pulled up, waiting for an answer to their question.
"Vince, maybe racing isn't such a good idea-"
"Hah!" Vince interrupted Jack with a tormenting laugh. "Figured. You ride around like your bike's something special, but it's just a chunky, lunky trike." He taunted with a smirk. "And ugly."
Vince immediately pulled a u-turn when the light turned green, leaving Jack and Talida to cough and hack from the burnt rubber. Oh, and a very pissed Arcee.
"That's it! The yahoo's going down!" Arcee declared angrily, before pulling a u-turn of her own and speeding off after Vince.
"Whoa, hey!" Jack exclaimed in disbelief.
"Weren't you the one going on about Autobot rule number one?" Talida asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Gets bent. Just this once." Arcee decided firmly.
Up ahead, Vince had stopped in front of Sierra and Maria.
"Yo, girls!" He called out to them, causing them to sna at him with looks of disgust. "Your pals, Darby and Prime, they're-"
"Ready when you are, hot head!"
Vince snapped his gaze towards the source, finding Talida and Jack smirking at him, Arcee revving her engine in fury.
Vince smirked at the site. "Dirt road by Truckers Ranch. One hour."
Out in the middle of the desert, the hour had passed and Jack and Vince sat next to each other on Truckers Ranch, ready to race. Arcee was revving her engine, and Vince was revving his own as well.
On the sidelines, Talida, Vince, and Maria watched as the two prepared to take off. Talida suddenly had an idea, turning to look at Sierra and Maria.
"Fifteen bucks says Jack kicks his ass." Talida challenged with a smirk.
Sierra and Maria both looked at Talida with raised eyebrows.
"One, we know better than to make a bet with you." Sierra said with a raised eyebrow.
"And two, we want to see Vince go down too!" Maria added with a vicious grin, causing Talida to look at Sierra in confusion.
"She's not usually this sadistic. Something happen?"
"Spike's party." Sierra answered simply, a sad look on her face. "If it weren't for the man himself, Vince would've managed to drug her."
Talida's eyes widened in surprise. "What?!"
If the stunt he'd pulled with Malita hadn't lit a fire under her, that definitely had.
"Yeah." Sierra said, glancing over at her sister sadly, who was oblivious to the two's conversation. "Spike spotted Vince roofying Maria's drink while she was in the bathroom. Once he wasn't looking, he flipped them, and explained what had happened once Vince passed out."
"Should I kick his ass?" Talida asked with narrowed eyes, before a thought occurred to her. "Scratch that, should I have Dad #2 kick his ass?"
At those words, Sierra couldn't help but get a knowing smirk on her face.
"Clark?"
"Clark."
"Maybe later." Sierra said, before turning back towards the race, putting on a grin that matched her sisters. "I wanna see Vince cry."
Among the racers, Vince was plotting something less than sportsmanlike.
"From here to the next mile marker." Vince set, before smirking. "ReadyGO!" He said in a quick burst as he slammed on the gas pedal, spinning his tires before taking off, managing a slight head start in front of Arcee, who quickly sped after him.
"Well that was fair." Jack muttered with sarcasm in his tone as Arcee drove after the resident bully. As the racers drove by, their spectators had to hold their skirts down so that the updraft didn't cause them to flash the valuables.
Jack quickly noticed that something didn't seem to be going right.
"Uh, Arcee?" Jack voiced questioningly."
"Winning isn't enough, Jack." Arcee replied simply, before her tone turned sadistic. "You want to make him cry."
Jack's eyes widened, before a smirk planted itself onto his face. He liked where this was going.
Vince, meanwhile, found himself whooping in victory, almost positive that he was going to win as he saw Jack in his rearview mirror. He checked again, however, and his smirk faded.
There was nothing behind him now.
He looked around in confusion, before his eyes widened in disbelief as he spotted Jack and Arcee next to him. Jack gave a casual wave to taunt him, before Arcee popped a wheelie and zoomed past him with ease.
"Woohoo!" Jack shouted in victory as they passed the mile marker, long before Vince did. "Outstanding!"
"WOOHOO! GO JACK! YAHOO!" Talida cheered with glee, practically cheerleading for him, before she spotted Sierra and Maria looking at her with knowing glances. "What?"
"So, have you hit second base yet?" Sierra asked with a smirk, causing Talida to blush in surprise.
"Shut up!" She hissed in embarrassment, causing the sisters to laugh.
"You know, now might be a good time to give Sierra a quick ride around the block?" Jack suggested hopefully.
"You do remember that you are dating Talida, right?" Arcee asked rhetorically.
"1, Talida was fine with it, as you heard, and 2, I made a promise to Sierra. I intend to keep it." Jack retorted.
"Don't push it." Arcee warned.
Once the trio arrived back at base, Arcee stopped and allowed the two teens on her alt mode to climb off, before transforming into her robot form and looking down at the two.
"Not a word to anyone." Arcee reminded them with a stern look.
"Promise." Talida nodded with a smile.
"Our little secret." Jack assured with a smile of his own.
Arcee smiled at the two, before walking away, looking to find Optimus for a little quality time together.
Talida and Jack watched her go, before Jack turned to look at Talida.
"You are fine with me taking your best friend for a ride, right?" He asked, wanting to make absolutely certain he wasn't crossing a line.
Talida smiled as she leaned into his side, prompting him to wrap an arm around her shoulders as they began walking. "I know you, Jack. You made a promise to her, and besides, she's my best friend. I'm not so petty and jealous that I won't let you talk to other girls." She assured him. Her gaze turned stern when she looked up at him with hard eyes. "But I will fry you alive, and her, if it goes past that."
Jack smiled at her words, and rather than be intimidated, he leaned down and caught her lips in a reassuring kiss.
"You know you're the girl for me, Lida." He assured with a smile, causing Talida to giggle.
The moment was interrupted, unfortunately, by Miko.
"Dude!" Miko called out in excitement as she imitated the sounds of a car revving it's engine. "And the winner is…?"
Both Jack and Talida stared at Miko, dumbfounded at how she already knew.
"How the frag did you find out?!" Talida asked, her eyes wide in alarm.
"Uh, you kidding?" Miko asked in disbelief. "It's all over school!"
"You beat the pants off that blowhard bully, Vince!" Raf suddenly gushed, walking up to him with a grin on his face.
Jack and Talida looked at each other, wide-eyed, before snagging their friends and pulling them close, huddling into a circle.
"You guys can not let Dad find out about this!" Talida said seriously, looking at both of them. "If he finds out, Arcee will be put on curbside duty for months, and I will be grounded for a week!" She explained to them frantically. "And that's not even considering what Clark and Amy will-"
"Having fun?" The familiar voice caught the attention of the four, causing their attention to snap towards the source, where they found Amy standing there, arms crossed, a stern look on her face.
"Oh, Amy!" Talida said nervously, almost positive they'd been caught as Jack rubbed the back of his neck out of nervousness.
"What are you up to?" Jack asked with a nervous smile.
Amy rolled her eyes at the site before they snapped towards Miko and Raf. "You two, back in the main hub, now."
"Hey, you're not our-"
"Do NOT make me holler for Clark, Miko." Amy interrupted sternly, glaring at the exchange student. "Especially since he's helping Krystal memorize her lines for the play.
Miko decided then and there that it was in her best interest to be quiet. Giving one last look at the teen couple, both Miko and Raf made their way back towards the main hub, leaving Jack and Talida to face the wrath of Amy alone.
"You two know what I'm pissed about, right?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jack and Talida glanced at each other for a moment, before they hesitantly nodded.
"Yeah…" Talida answered quietly, averting her gaze. With both of them, Amy had two modes: Fun loving sister, and sweet or angry mother. "The race…"
"Good." Amy nodded as she uncrossed her arms, planting them on her hips. "Now that we're on that page, what the fuck were you two thinking?!"
"Vince was being a jerk!" Jack was quick to defend. "We just wanted to shut him up-"
"So you let him goad you into a race?!" Amy interrupted, her eyes wide with fury. "I know you aren't that stupid, Jack!"
Jack looked down in shame, while Amy snapped her gaze towards Talida.
"And you! You went along with it, encouraged it, so give me one good reason not to find your father right now!"
Talida's eyes went wide, and almost on instinct she was begging the woman. "Please don't!" She pleaded desperately. "We won't do it again!"
"I said the same thing, Talida." Amy said, snapping her gaze towards the techno-organic with eyes ablaze with fury, but Talida could see the worry hidden beneath them. "A month later, Clark caught the Mazda I was using from going down the canyon after I went through the guardrail on my seventeenth race."
Their eyes widened at her admission. "You were-"
"Yes!" Amy snapped, interrupted Jack. "And if it weren't for Clark, I'd be dead! And not to mention Arcee let you two go along with this race." She said with a huff of disbelief. "The nerve of that woman."
Jack and Talida were silent, guilt and shame soaked into their faces as they realized that under the rage, was the motherly worry that Amy held for both of them, as well as for Krystal.
After a few moments of silence, Amy let out a sigh of frustration. "Look, I'll keep quiet." She decided, but her gaze was hard. "But the moment I found out that you two agreed to anything like this, I will tell Optimus, and then, Clark will decide your punishments." She warned the two.
Both Talida and Jack shuddered at the woman's words. Growing up with Clark as their babysitter, he was trusted to dish out whatever punishment he deemed necessary, including a spanking with a belt if he felt the need.
Now that they knew about his powers, they were glad that the last option was never considered, but Clark could get creative in his ways of punishment, while making sure the lesson was learned.
The only upside was that something good would come out of it every once in a while.
And while Clark hadn't really ever had a need to babysit them anymore… they weren't about to pretend they were free from punishment should he or Amy feel the need.
"Yes ma'am." Both Jack and Talida murmured.
Amy continued to look at the two with narrowed eyes, before she let out a sigh of disappointment as she turned on her heel and began walking away.
"You!" Clark said, reading off the paper in his hand as he pointed at Krystal in an over exaggerated manner. "Where's the maggot known as Nigel?!"
"He's over there, under those coats!" Krystal replied back, not using her own paper. She needed these lines memorized, and she was doing her best to make sure she had them down. "Where he's been for the last hour, actually."
"What?" Clark read off in a confused, angry sounding tone. "An hour?!"
"Oh yes!" Krystal nodded. "You see, Nigel suffers from the rare, but chronic sleep disorder known as nar… narco… narlep… aw phooey!" Krystal's face warped into one of a pout, crossing her arms as she realized she'd forgotten how the pronounce the word.
Clark let out a chuckle as he sat the paper down on the desk. "Narcolepsy." He corrected his daughter with a smile.
"How come it's so hard to pronounce?" Krystal asked, looking up at her father with a dissatisfied gaze. "You can do it no problem! But I always have problems."
"Krys, it's a big word." Clark assured with a smile. "Most kids your age have never even heard of it."
"But then why has Matilda?" Krystal asked, tilting her head out of curiosity.
Clark let out a chuckle. "Matilda isn't real, Krys. She's smarter than most kids her age because she's supposed to be. You aren't Matilda." He explained, before raising an eyebrow. "And I'll let you in on a secret: Matilda's actually a little older than you."
Krystal's eyes widened as she gasped. "She is?" She asked in surprise.
Clark nodded, smile clear on his face and growing wide at his daughter's fascination. "That she is. She's six years old. You're only five."
Krystal's let out a gasp of shock. "But why am I playing her then?" She questioned in surprise.
Clark smiled. "Because Mrs. Thompson liked you when you auditioned, and she said the age difference was close enough that it didn't matter." He assured her.
Krystal's face lit up at the news. "Then I have to try even harder!" She said, before looking at her father with determination. "How do you say the word again?"
"Narcolepsy." Clark answered.
"Narcolepsy." Krystal repeated, before nodding. "Okay, let's go again."
"Do you have to do that here?" The annoyed voice of Ratchet spoke to the two, causing their gazes to snap towards the Autobot medic.
"You got a problem with it?" Clark asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'd like some peace and quiet for once." Ratchet responded with a sigh.
"You get that when we ain't here." Clark responded with a glare. "Is there another issue with us being here?" He asked challengingly.
Ratchet looked at Clark for a moment, recognizing that he was angering the man, before sighing.
"No." He answered begrudgingly, going back to monitoring the computer.
Clark snorted. "That's what I thought."
Almost immediately, Amy came stomping up the steps, a look on her face that was a mixture of disappointment and anger.
Clark looked at her, his gaze turning soft. "You talk to them?"
"They were racing." Amy responded with a sigh, moving to sit next to Clark. "God… I can't believe them."
"At least it was Truckers Ranch." Clark remarked, causing Amy's head to snap towards him in a look of disbelief. "I'm not saying that it's good they were racing, and I hope to god that they don't do it again, but I'm glad they were doing it on a safe straight stretch in the desert."
Amy looked at Clark for a moment, before letting out another sigh. "I understand… it's just, I know what happened when I started racing, Clark." She spoke, her voice soft, regretful. "I got addicted to it, and it took you catching my Mazda over a ravine to make me realize what I was doing."
"Hey, those kids are smart." Clark assured, wrapping an arm around Amy and pulling her close in a reassuring hug as he smiled. "They know not to do something real dangerous, and besides, their only way of getting around, outside of Jack's rinky dink little ten speed, is Arcee or one of the other bots."
Amy looked hesitant to accept that response, but she eventually nodded. "Okay…" She relented. "But I told them that I was telling Optimus if I found out they were doing it again."
"And let me guess: I decide the punishment?" Clark guessed with a small smirk, to which Amy nodded. "Well, me and Pete need some extra hands for that barn. Make it easier to have a couple people do some heavy lifting."
Amy couldn't help but gasp, her eyes wide at Clark's words, before an evil smirk planted itself on her face.
"You are cruel." Amy said, remembering the few times she'd helped them on job sites. "That's mean."
"Yep!" Clark said without a care in the world. "Now, no offense meant, but Krys really wants to get these lines memorized."
At his words, both he and Amy looked towards their daughter, who was looking at them with an impatient gaze, and they could see her knee bouncing from where she was tapping her foot.
Amy let out a giggle. "Alright, I'll let the future celebrity practice her lines." She said, before giving Clark a kiss on the cheek. "I need to head out and get some grocery shopping done anyway." She admitted as she stood up.
Clark smiled at her as she walked away. "I'll see you at home!" He called after her, before turning back towards his daughter.
"Can we practice now?" She asked impatiently, causing Clark to chuckle.
"Alright, alright." He relented as he picked up the script. "Let's go, kiddo."
At Jasper High School, the day had come to an end once more. Miko and Raf had already been picked up by their guardians, while Jack and Talida were enjoying the wave of popularity they were riding ever since Jack (Well… Arcee, technically) had beaten Vince in the race on Truckers Ranch.
"Man, today's been great!" Jack couldn't help but remark as he smiled over at his girlfriend. "You seem to be enjoying the attention.
"I don't usually care for popularity." Talida admitted, but the smile was still plastered on her face. "But it feels great being appreciated instead of called weird."
Jack smiled. "Hey, you're appreciated either way." He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked. "Weird flaws and all." He assured her.
Talida smiled up at Jack, before leaning her head into him as they walked.
As they made their way down the steps of Jasper High School, they were stopped when they heard the door behind them get thrown open, before spotting Sierra standing at the top of the steps as the door closed.
"Hey!" Sierra spoke excitedly, holding her books close to her as she spoke. "I've been looking for you! The race, how great was that?" She asked with a smile on her face, raising her fist and pumping it in the air. "I was like 'Yeah! Go Jack!'"
Talida and Jack both laughed at the display coming from the peppy redhead.
"I remember." Talida laughed with a teasing smile on her face.
"It was no big deal." Jack shrugged.
"You got that right!"
The sudden cut-in was accompanied by Vince rather rudely pushing past Jack and Talida, almost causing Talida to lose her balance and infuriating Jack.
"Rude, much?" Talida snapped as Jack glared at Vince. If looks could kill, Vince would be dead a hundred times over.
"If you think you can run with the big boys, the Circuit." Vince challenged as he turned on Jack, his eyes narrowed. "Tonight. 11pm."
"Jack, the race yesterday was a one-time deal." Talida whispered into his ear. "Arcee said we're not allowed to race after-"
"And since you're girl seems to be the one calling the shots-" Vince interrupted, catching the two's attention when he heard Talida's whispers. "She'll be my prize if I win. I'll show her how to be a real woman."
Talida's eyes shot wide in disbelief at his words, and Jack found his anger boiling over. He took a step forward, almost raising his fist to punch Vince, if Talida hadn't caught it.
The words were leaving her mouth before she could say anything else.
"Jack will kick your ass." Talida snarled, gritting her teeth as she glared at Vince.
Vince smirked. "If you say so."
"You agreed to what?!" Arcee asked, fury in her tone as she drove Jack and Talida back to base.
"It was some kind of secret racing club, I don't know!" Jack rambled on. "I had no choice, Sierra was standing right there!"
"You always have a choice, Jack!" Arcee retorted. "And you, Talida! You were the one who actually agreed to it!"
"I know, I'm sorry!" Talida apologized with a groan. "But after what she said about me, I couldn't help it! It was the most disgusting, irritating-"
"I get that your mad, Talida, but what part of just this once did you two not understand?" Arcee interrupted the girl she saw as a daughter, a tone of disappointment in her voice.
"We know, we're sorry." Jack apologized.
"But we're on, right, Arcee?" Talida asked hopefully.
"No, we are not on." Arcee immediately shut down. "Neither of you."
Both Jack and Talida let out disappointed sighs as Arcee drove them back to base.
"Miss Honey! Miss Honey, you'll never believe what I got you!" Krystal recited her lines perfectly, remembering them with ease. "Oh, I also brought you this! I ate mine last night!"
Clark smiled at her excitement as she looked at her father with a smile on her face. "Good job, Krys!" He said, clapping slightly as he looked at his daughter. "You've got your lines memorized!"
"That was the last one I needed to remember!" Krystal giggled excitedly. She'd remembered most of her lines, but she'd always managed to mess that one up, saying Miss Honey once instead of twice, and her teacher was a stickler for getting lines correct.
"Yes you did!" Clark said, reaching across the table and scooping Krystal up, causing the child to squeal with excitement as she found herself in her father's arms. "You're gonna be a little star!"
"Yay!" Krystal giggled as she wrapped her arms around Clark's neck, hugging him tightly. "Thanks for letting me be in the play, Daddy!"
"No problem, kiddo." Clark said with a chuckle as he hugged his daughter back. "You ever want to do anything like this, all you have to do is ask."
"Do you think I might be able to be in a movie one day?" Krystal asked when she pulled away from her father, smiling in excitement as he held her in his arms.
Clark laughed at her question. "Of course you could, Krys." He assured her as he moved towards the living room, smiling as he did so. "Hell, if this script is any indication, you were made to do movies."
"You really think so?" Krystal asked in excitement.
Clark smiled, and he kissed his daughter's forehead in response. "Of course I do." He said, before sitting Krystal down on her feet. "Now, you're mom's at the Autobot Base helping Raf with his biology homework, so me and you have some time to ourselves." He said as he moved towards the Playstation 5.
Krystal's eyes practically glowed with excitement at her dad's words. "Video games!" She shouted with glee, bouncing in excitement as her father booted up the game system.
Clark chuckled as he picked up two controllers. "Yep. Now take a seat."
Krystal gladly did as she was told, hopping into the nearby recliner as Clark turned on his controller, logging on before Krystal followed suit.
"Can we play Ark?" Krystal asked, smiling at her father.
Clark smiled at her question, and nodded. "Sure can, kiddo." He said with a nod.
"Hey, Bee?" Talida's voice caught Bumblebee's attention, and he turned to find Jack and Talida both looking at him. "You think you can help us out with something?"
"Sure Lida." Bumblebee said with a nod. "What's up?"
"So, me and Jack agreed to a race against Vince, right?"
"The bully who's always trying to get in your pants?" Bee recalled with venom in his tone.
Talida nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, I agreed to it because what he said made me mad, but Arcee doesn't want to do it."
"So, me and Lida were hoping you'd be our replacement." Jack piped up.
"So, I get to race, and I get to help you beat the bully?" Bee asked.
Talida grinned at his words. "Yep! You just can't tell Dad or Amy… or Arcee or Clark."
Bee glanced over towards Amy and Raf, the older of whom was helping the younger with his homework. As bright as Raf was, even he struggled in some subjects.
"So, what do you say?" Jack asked with a smirk.
Bumblebee turned his gaze back towards the two, contemplating his decision.
The moonlight was the only other lightsource that illuminated the starting line for the Circuit, along with the headlights of the cars. Different racers, or their company, lingered around, conversing with each other as other racers begin to show up, as the time to start the race was nearing.
Vince sat in his muscle car, looking around, attempting to spot the familiar bike that had beaten him at Truckers Ranch, and it's driver.
He found his attention pulled to his right, where he spotted a yellow and black Urbana 500 pulling up next to him. His eyes shot wide in surprise when the window rolled down, and he spotted Jack in the driver's seat, with Talida sitting next to him in the passenger seat.
"Bike's in the shop." Jack explained his reasoning for why he was driving a car instead of his bike.
"And I figured I'd come along, give him some moral support." Talida said with a shrug, before her gaze turned teasing as she looked at Jack. "Among other types of support."
"Don't you dare… not in my seats…" Bumblebee beeped quietly, but warningly.
Vince didn't reply, he simply smirked, before turning to face the starting line.
Both Talida and Jack narrowed their eyes as they turned to look towards the starting line as well, only for their eyes to widen in surprise.
In front of them stood Sierra, who gave an innocent wave to Jack and Talida as she stood in front of the racers.
"Circuit Drivers, are you ready?" The voice of the host echoed through speaker as Sierra raised her hands.
Vince revved his engines in anger as he saw Talida and Jack smiling at Sierra, before turning his eyes back towards the track.
"Make it mean, but keep it clean! Fire 'em up in 5… 4…. 3… 2… 1…"
Sierra threw her hands down, signaling for the race to start, and turned on her feet to watch all of them drive away, beginning to initiate the race.
No one noticed a familiar, menacing red sports car join the race. One without a driver.
A habit Knock Out had was to join amongst the humans, joining their illegal street races. After all, he looked good, and he may as well show it.
As the race began, Knock Out noted the familiar shape and colors of one of the cars in front of him.
"Hm… the Autobot they call Bumblebee." He noted.
And with that, an idea formed.
Driving up next to him, Knock Out wasted no time in slammed himself into Vince's vehicle, surprising the teen as the Decepticon Medic easily overtook him.
In front of him, Bumblebee easily noticed the Decepticon now tailing them, to his horror.
"Guys we have company!"
"What was that, Bee?" Jack asked in confusion as he looked in the rearview mirror.
"It's Knock Out!"
"What?!" Talida shouted in horror, throwing her head back to look behind them, spotting the Decepticon Medic approaching them quickly, to her horror. "Scrap!"
"What is it, what's going on, Lida?!" Jack asked, not at all liking the fearful tone in Talida's voice.
"We're being chased by Knock Out!"
Knock Out ejected his Energon blaster from his gas tank, firing at the Autobot in front of him. Bumblebee did his best to avoid the Energon blasts, and decided that the best course of action was to abandon the race
In own car, Vince watched in disbelief as Bumblebee and Knock Out ramp up out of the canal that acted as the race track, and make it onto the main road.
"Can you lose him, Bee?" Jack asked nervously.
"Maybe… but I'll probably have to call base for backup." Bumblebee beeped in response, though even he would rather not have to resort to that idea.
Jack turned to Talida for translation.
"You don't want to know." Talida said simply, her face pale, but not out of fear of Knock Out.
Back at base, Raf had long since finished his homework, and he and Miko had managed to wrangle Amy into a game of Mario Kart, of which, Raf was winning.
Arcee, meanwhile, was searching around for someone. Particularly, two someones.
"Anyone seen Jack or Talida?" She asked.
"Nope." Raf answered, never looking away from the screen.
"Uh-uh." Miko replied.
"I think he and Talida snuck off for some alone time." Amy replied, actually glancing towards Arcee. "Is everything alright?"
"Just wondering where they went is all." Arcee said with a shrug. "If they're having some time to themselves, I'll just-"
Arcee was interrupted by the sound of the communicator on the computer beeping, before Bumblebee was beeping frantically in a worried tone.
"We're being chase by Knock Out!" He said, getting right to the point. And surprising everyone present.
"What do you mean you're being chased by Knock Out?" Raf asked in confusion.
"Wait, Bee, what do you mean we?" Arcee asked, her tone taking on a dangerous edge.
"Jack and Talida asked me to be their race car against Vince and I agreed! Now I NEED BACKUP!"
Amy looked up at Arcee, the game forgotten as her eyes narrowed in vinly concealed fury. "I have no clue what he said, but am I right to assume it involves racing?" She asked.
Arcee nodded her head as she spoke. "Bee, do not engage. Your first priority is to keep Jack safe." Arcee instructed as she turned out of the base, followed by Bulkhead. "Until I get my hands on him." She muttered under her breath.
Amy, meanwhile, snapped her gaze towards Miko and Raf. "Did you two know about this?!" She shouted in fury.
Both Amy and Raf quickly shook their heads, in no hurry to get on the woman's bad side.
"No!" Miko said quickly.
"I didn't even know Bee was gone!" Raf admitted, and he was telling the truth. He'd been too caught up in his homework, and then the game he'd been playing with Miko and Amy.
Amy let out a sigh of frustration as she pulled out her phone, before almost immediately dialing Clark's number.
"Clark? It's me." She spoke as she walked down the steps to the human area, looking for Skyquake or Ratchet so that they could activate the GroundBridge. Or Optimus. "Is Krys still up? Good, cause I need you here, yesterday."
Bumblebee's engine was roaring as he gunned it as fast as he could down the road, swerving with extreme skill that only a Cybertronian could have as he avoided Knock Out's blaster. Thinking quickly, Bumblebee triggered his oil slick, leaking it out his exhaust and causing Knock Out to lose control as his tires lost friction against the slippery oil.
"Slick." Jack remarked with a smirk.
"Good job, Bee." Talida congratulated as they quickly put distance between themselves and Knock Out.
Knock Out eventually righted himself, and chased after Bumblebee. Thinking quickly, Bumblebee quickly returned to the canal that made up the Circuit's track, and hid under a bridge, just barely escaping Knock Out's vision.
Knock Out arrived atop the bridge and slowed to a stop above it, surveying his surroundings as best as he could. Bumblebee quickly killed his engine, cutting out his lights.
A tense silence followed as Talida and Jack remained as quiet as they possibly could, hoping to keep themselves hidden.
After a few tense moments, Knock Out deemed the area empty and drove off, leaving the three alone.
Jack and Talida let out a sigh of relief.
"I think we lost him." Jack muttered.
Talida smiled at his words, only for his eyes to widen in horror as she spotted another car approaching, stopping directly in front of Bumblebee.
"Oh fuck." It was one of the few times that Talida had ever cursed, but she felt it was warranted.
"DARBY, PRIME!"
Further down the road, Knock Out happened to hear Vince's voice, and he immediately slammed on his breaks, coming to a screeching halt.
Looking through his rearview mirrors, he could just barely see Vince's headlights illuminating the area under the bridge.
He threw the shifter in reverse.
"Vince, you have to get our of here, OK?! You win! Congratulations!" Jack pleaded, trying to get Vince to up and leave.
"No. No, no, start her back up, loser! We're finishing this race!" He growled.
Talida gritted her teeth.
"Can't you just shove off for once! One fucking time, you annoying shithead?!" She growled.
Vince opened his mouth to respond, only to find himself crying out in surprise as a large, metal hand gripped his torso, pulling him up off the ground.
"Uh oh!" Jack gasped and he and Talida both exited Bumblebee's interior, running up the hill and to the top of the bridge as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, they weren't in time, and they arrived only quick enough to watch Knock Out speed off, Vince in his passenger seat.
"Oh no…" Talida whispered in horror, watching the Decepticon Medic drive off.
"Breakdown, you'll never guess what I'm packing!" Knock Out said to his friend over the comlink, happy that his time pissing off Starscream and Malita might have paid off. "Bumblebee's human friend! And when the Autobots attempt to stage a rescue…"
"He has a… breakdown…" The Decepticon Bruiser laughed at the prospect.
"Bee, he's getting away!" Jack exclaimed as Bumblebee drove up onto the top of the bridge.
"Good thing the others are almost here."
While Talida wasn't sure to let out a sigh of relief or go pale out of fear, Jack was only irritated.
"I-I-I can't understand!" Jack shouted back. "Look, I'm not Raf or Krystal! Can't you just honk once for bad news and two for good news?"
Instead of honking once or twice, Bumblebee honked three times in response, leaving a slight space between the second and third one to let Jack know he had good news and bad news.
And that was when Jack and Talida spotted Arcee and Bulkhead approaching as Bumblebee transformed into his robot mode.
"Jack, Talida, we need to chat." Arcee scowled, glaring down at the two with a less than pleased expression.
"Not right now, Arcee!" Talida interrupted the femme. "Vince got snagged by Knock Out!"
"What would Knock Out want with that slaglick?" Arcee asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jack and Talida both had no idea.
"Maybe he thought Vince was Bumblebee's human friend." Jack guessed with a sigh of frustration. "Heck, I'm not even Bumblebee's human friend."
"Hey!"
"Bee thinks your his friend, Jack." Talida muttered to her boyfriend.
Jack looked up at Bee with apologetic eyes. "That's not what I meant, Bee."
"It's good. I know what you meant." Bumblebee nodded, accepting his apology and letting him know with a thumbs up.
"Well, tough break for Vince." Bulkhead shrugged, unconcerned for the punk, earning looks of surprise and disbelief from everyone there. Upon seeing the looks, he raised an eyebrow. "What? I hear the guy's a jerk!"
"No argument there, but the guy is also innocent-"
"Is he?" Talida asked somewhat curiously.
Jack deadpanned.
"Okay, point made." Talida sighed, before looking up at Bulkhead. "Even if he wasn't innocent, that's another person who has, or may have, learned about the Autobots!"
FOr a moment, no one responded.
And then Arcee transformed.
"Hop on."
"Should've called back by now!" Raf said, a worried tone in his voice.
"Don't worry, Raf! Bulkhead won't let anything happen to Jack, Talida, or Bee." Miko reassured him.
They were interrupted, however, by the sounds of heavy footsteps. They turned towards the source, to find Optimus approaching them.
"We should just tell Optimus the truth!" Raf whispered to Miko as the Autobot leader approached them.
"No, we made a deal!" Miko immediately objected. "Just act normal!" She warned before looking at Optimus as he approached.
"Raf, Miko, do either of you know where the others have gone?" Optimus asked them out of curiosity.
"Why no, sir. We do not know." Miko lied… poorly…
"Miko is correct, we do not know." Raf tried to support the poor lie… just as poorly as the lie itself was constructed.
"Why would we know?"
Optimus studied the two for a moment, raising an eyebrow at their antics.
However, an answer would come in the form of someone else.
"Giant robots and you can't fine a single- Optimus!" Amy's voice spoke up from behind the Autobot leader as the woman walked back to the man area at a brisk pace.
"Amy, do you know where the others have gone, per chance?" The Autobot turned to the woman. If she knew, she'd say something, which was good.
"After Jack, Talida, and Bumblebee." The woman growled. "Arcee took Jack and Talida for a race yesterday, and they agreed to another one tonight. My guess is they took Bumblebee when Arcee said no."
Optimus' eyes widened in surprise at the words, before he turned towards Raf and Miko, his gaze critical, his eyes narrowed. "Did you two know about this?"
Under the intense gaze of the Autobot leader, Raf broke first, averting his gaze.
"Yes sir…" He spoke softly. Miko didn't say anything, feeling just as guilty as Raf under the intense scrutiny of the Autobot leader's gaze.
"I must ask why you lied to me a second ago when I asked." Optimus asked sternly, causing Amy's eyes to widen.
"You did what?!" She asked, snapping her gaze towards the two, averting their own in shame.
"We promised Jack and Talida we wouldn't say anything." Miko admitted, rubbing her arm shamefully.
"But we didn't know they took Bumblebee until Bee called a little bit ago, requesting backup because he was being chased by Knock Out." Raf told Optimus, finally looking up at the Autobot leader, still feeling guilty.
"We haven't heard from them since." Miko finished.
Optimus studied the two for a moment, before he sighed. "Alright." He said as he turned to look towards Amy. "Amy, let Ratchet or Skyquake know where I've gone should they return from their mission."
"Oh, they aren't here?" Amy asked in surprise, before shaking her head. "Never mind, no problem. But before you leave, can you bridge Clark and Krystal here?"
"Might I ask why?" Optimus asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Clark is good at dishing out punishments." Was Amy's answer.
Out in Jasper, it was now the early hours of morning, but the Autobots were out searching anyway. Their secret was at risk, but even still, they would all probably have tried to save Vince anyway.
As they came up to an intersection, they stopped at the stop sign to allow the car to pass.
Jack and Talida widened their eyes as they realized it was Knock Out who'd wizzed by.
Immediately, the Autobots took off after the Decepticons, their engines roaring as they drove after him.
"Bumblebee brought company." Knock Out observed in his rearview mirror, before turning into a fenced off storage complex, hoping to escape the Autobots. Or so it seemed.
"On your guard, boys. Could be a trap." Arcee warned.
"And remember…" Jack began.
"No shooting." Talida finished, reminding all three Autobots.
"Speaking of safety, Jack, Talida, this is where you get off." Arcee said as she pulled over.
While Jack got off without question, Talida immediately objected.
"Oh no, I'm coming with you." She replied, refusing to budge from atop Arcee.
"Talida, I can't be watching you when we're focusing on saving someone." Arcee explained to the teen.
"So don't." Talida replied. "My powers have kicked in, and I've been practicing with them. But they won't be of any use if I never get to at least gain some experience with them."
"Lida, please-"
"No, Jack!" Talida interrupted, turning to look at Jack. "It's our fault Vince was kidnapped anyway. The least I can do is help save him."
"But-"
"NO!" Talida objected, silencing both Arcee and Jack.
After a few moments of silence, Arcee gave in.
"Fine." She said with a sigh. "But you will be careful."
"Please." Jack said, an immense amount of concern in his voice. "Please, Lida, be careful." He begged as he took his helmet off.
Talida smiled, touched at the concern. "I will. I promise." She assured Jack.
Jack smiled back, though he still had a visible amount of worry showing in it.
Talida leaned over, giving Jack a quick, reassuring kiss, before she allowed Arcee to drive into what was probably about to be a warzone.
As Bumblebee and Bulkhead drove into the complex, they spotted a melted hole in a section of the wire fence. Deciding it best to continue on foot, the two Autobots transformed into their robot modes and unfolded their blasters. Even though Jack and Talida both had advised against it…
Meanwhile, Arcee was climbing a tower, hoping to get a vantage point as she watched the two and surveyed the area as best as she could.
Talida, meanwhile, had her hands set ablaze as she surveyed the area herself. She was intent on saving Vince.
Even if he didn't necessarily deserve it.
Bumblebee and Bulkhead stopped in their tracks when a pair of headlights suddenly illuminated the entire area.
And then a section of building nearby crumbled to pieces as Breakdown bulldozed his way through it, charging Bulkhead and Bumblebee.
The two Autobots barely managed to avoid a hit from Breakdown's hammer as they jumped in opposite directions.
Bumblebee immediately retracted his blasters back into his hands as he took up a boxing stance, almost immediately ready to charge the larger Con. He attempted to hit him, only for Breakdown to send Bumblebee flying with ease.
Bulkhead took advantage, punching his nemesis with his own wrecking ball as payback for Bumblebee, landing to solid hits back to back, but Breakdown interrupted the third with a powerful uppercut.
Knock Out was watching the entire exchange, but his mind was focused on something else.
"Where's the two wheeler?" He asked himself.
Seconds later, Arcee's foot was on his windshield as she slammed her fist down onto his hood.
"Hey! Watch the paint!" Knock Out growled as he drove off, Arcee managing to stay on top of him in spite of the sudden change in speed. Ahead of him, he spotted Talida, who's eyes were glowing blue and her hands engulfed in flames. He barely managed to swerve around her as she blasted a torrent of flames at him, hot ones two considering the heat he felt from them.
Jack watched in surprise as Knock Out turned the corner, finally managing to knock Arcee off of him.
Arcee transformed the moment she hit the ground, changing forms and immediately chasing after Knock Out as Talida followed around the corner.
"Scrap!" Talida cursed.
The chase between Arcee and Knock Out continued all the way out into the desert. Arcee was hot on the Decepticon's trail, but unfortunately, Knock Out's boasting of his alternate form wasn't just for show.
He put more power to his accelerator, easily leaving Arcee in his dust, both figuratively, and quite literally.
"Eat my dust." Knock Out muttered, almost certain he'd escaped.
The sound of a truck horn had both Arcee and Knock Out flooding with fear.
Off to the right, Optimus Prime could be seen driving into view, riding alongside Knock Out.
Despite all appearances, Optimus was actually pretty fast, and since Knock Out wasn't expecting the sudden appearance, he was unable to pick up speed in time.
A gentle tap from Optimus sent Knock Out sliding all over the place, his tires losing traction and squealing in protest as he slid off the road, finding himself teetering over the edge of a ditch.
"Optimus, Knock Out has a hostage." Arcee warned her lover, knowing she'd been caught anyway as Optimus transformed into his robot mode and approached Knock Out..
"Understood." He acknowledged as he lifted Knock Out up by the back of his vehicle mode with ease.
Knock Out let out a grunt of pain as Optimus ripped off his driver side door, before reaching in and pulling Vince out as the Decepticon began to shake in his grasp.
He let the medic go as Knock Out transformed into his robot mode, examining the arm that was now missing it's door. And in spite of how painful it was, he was more concerned with his vanity.
"Do you know how hard that is to replace?!" Knock Out shouted in outrage. His eyes widened in horror, however, when he spotted the other Autobots catching up, an indicator that Breakdown had been beaten.
With no other choice, Knock Out turned and ran in the other direction, transforming and driving away from the scene.
As the others drove up, Optimus turned to face them all.
"Optimus… look, this is-"
"I'm aware of the circumstances, Jack." Optimus said, disappointment in his tone as he looked at all of them. "This boy's safety is priority, but I do expect explanations from every single person involved in the events of the past two days." He said, eying Arcee and Talida specifically. "Including my sparkmate. AND my daughter."
Everyone there looked down in shame and guilt, with the exception of Bumblebee, who gave a guilty beep.
"I'm sorry…"
Vince sprung awake with a gasp, looking around in disbelief and fear, remembering the events that had lead to his current predicament.
However, instead of finding himself within the red sports car, he found himself within Darby's car, Prime in the back seat.
"How did- what happened?" Vince asked, looking over at Jack in confusion.
"Some guys jumped you under the bridge. They tossed you into their trunk." Jack explained to him. "Must've been some sort of initiation."
Now, say what you will about him, Vince wasn't stupid. He knew a memory from a dream, and he knew that no 'man' lifted him up off the bridge like that.
"Really?" Vince asked with a raised eyebrow, not at all believing the story.
"Yeah." Talida nodded, hoping to back up the lie. "We found you knocked out on the side of the road." She added.
Vince raised an eyebrow at the two, but said nothing else.
As Bumblebee pulled up to the Bridge where Vince's car was, they pulled to a stop atop it to let Vince out.
Vince stared out the window for a moment.
A moment turned into a few seconds.
"Vince?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow, noticing the lack of movement from the local Jasper bully.
"Dude, what's up with you?" Talida couldn't help but ask. "You're not usually this silent-"
"Cut the crap." Vince interrupted, surprisingly calm with his words. "We all know that it wasn't a bunch of guys that jumped me."
Admittedly, Jack and Talida were surprised by his words, though Talida was the first to respond.
"Dude, we saved your ass and you-"
"I thought you found me on the side of the road?" Vince interrupted her, causing Talida's eyes to widen in surprise. Admittedly, neither she nor Jack expected him to catch that. "That's what I thought." He said, taking their silence as an admission that he was right as he turned to look back out the window.
Talida and Jack looked at each other for a moment, before turning to look at Vince.
"Ever since I told you I met your cousin, you've been giving me these evil looks." Vince said, causing Talida's eyes to widen in surprise. "Now, I know you don't like me, but I know the difference between dislike and pure hatred."
Talida looked at Vince for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Where are you going with this?"
"Be straight with me." Vince said turning to look at the two. "Was that girl, Malita, actually your cousin, or and did she have anything to do with the repairs the Talon needed?"
Talida looked at Vince for a moment, silent, before she let out a sigh. "Yes, and yes."
Vince looked at her for a moment, before he let out a mirthless chuckle. "Of course… I knew something was wrong with that girl when her eyes started glowing." He muttered, causing Talida and Jack's eyes to widen.
"What?" Jack asked in disbelief.
"Say again?" Talida asked.
"You heard me." Vince said, tuning to look at them. "Now, tell me the truth, what actually happened?"
Talida narrowed her eyes as Jack's own gaze hardened.
"We don't owe you any sort of explanation at all, Vince." She spat.
Vince looked at the two for a moment, before he let out a mirthless laugh. "No… I guess my sister came close to being alone by coincidence, huh." Vince muttered as he removed his seatbelt and opened the door, leaving Jack and Talida to look at him in confusion.
"What do you mean by that, Vince?" Talida asked as she climbed into the front seat.
"I don't owe you any sort of explanation at all, Prime." Vince repeated Talida's earlier words as he walked down into the canal, and back to his car, without even looking back at them.
Talida and Jack looked at each other for a moment as Bee started up his engine, driving him back to base.
"What do you think he meant by that?" Talida couldn't help but ask.
"No idea." Jack replied. "I didn't even know he had a sister."
"So, who wants to go first?" Optimus asked, his gaze hard as he ran it over every single person present, including Jack and Talida.
Up in the human area, Miko and Raf occupied Krystal by helping her rehearse lines once more, while Amy looked down at them with an angry gaze, while Clark looked on with a raised eyebrow, curious to hear their explanation.
Ratchet and Skyquake were still absent.
When no one stepped forward, his gaze snapped towards Bulkhead. "You go first."
"I don't really know, to be honest." Bulkhead admitted, shrinking under his leader's gaze. "I mean it. I heard about racing, and stuff like that, but I figured it wasn't any of my business, so I didn't ask." He told the leader.
Examining the Wrecker's face, Optimus could see the confusion mixed under the guilt, the guilt the wrecker felt from his own disappointment.
Optimus let out a sigh. "Bulkhead, you are dismissed." He told the Wrecker. As Bulkhead walked away, Optimus turned his stern gaze towards Arcee. "Since it sounds as if you, my Sparkmate, started this whole debacle, I'm interested to hear what you have to say for yourself."
Arcee could only look down in shame. She couldn't bring herself to look in Optimus eyes, for fear of the disappointment that would greet her.
"I originally was against it." She admitted. "But that slaglick called me ugly… and I just wanted payback."
"So you decided to race, against my explicit wishes." Optimus guessed, his tone filled with disappointment. "Not only that, but you got my daughter, and your charge, involved." His gaze snapped towards Bumblebee. "Which leads to you."
"Talida and Jack told me it was to get payback at Vince, because of how much of a bully he is to them." Bumblebee explained his own reasoning for his actions. "I didn't expect Knock Out to be there, and I'm sorry." He said, whirring with guilt.
Optimus looked at the two for a moment, before he decided their punishment. "Bumblebee, you are on curbside duty for the next month." He declared, causing the scout to visibly droop in disappointment. "And you, Arcee, will be confined to base with the exception of missions assigned to you by myself or Ratchet. Do I make myself clear to the two of you?"
"Yes sir."
"Yes Sir."
"Dismissed." Optimus said, before turning his gaze towards Talida and Jack. "As for you two, is what Bumblebee said correct?"
Neither Jack nor Talida could bring themselves to look up at the disappointed gaze of Optimus Prime, nor those of Amy and Clark.
"It is…" Talida admitted, her voice small and quiet, a far cry from her usually confident personality.
"Yes sir." Jack said. No matter what Vince had said to goad them, they took the bait. It was their decision.
"I'm disappointed in both of you." Optimus said sternly. Quietly, Talida's voice hitched, causing Clark's nose to twitch, his eyes widening slightly as he's the only one who heard it. "Especially you, Talida. You know the rules, and you still blatantly disobeyed them."
"I know…" Talida whispered, trying to keep her face down. Clark had a pretty good idea of why.
"You have both disappointed not only me, but the others you consider parents as well, and I believe they have words for you as well." Optimus spoke, turning to look at the two of them.
Amy was the first to speak up.
"I told you two that racing was dangerous, and you still did it anyway." Amy said, her eyes hardened as she glared at the two of them. "I've been a racer. I've experience what can happen. And I'm a nurse. I've seen what accidents can do." She spoke, looking down at the two in a mixture of disappointment and anger. "I'd have expected you two to at least know better, but instead, you roped Bumblebee into it, and Miko and Raf ended up trying to keep secrets, even lying to Optimus.
No amount of apologies could make up for it, both of them knew. So neither tried. Jack could hear Talida sniffling next to him, trying to keep it hidden from the others as best she could, and he reached his hand out for hers, taking it into his own for some semblance of comfort for her.
"I do not want to see the two kids I used to babysit, who I see as my own, in bodybags." Amy said, her voice stern, hard. "I'm pissed beyond belief, and disappointed in both of you."
Once Amy had finished her own scolding, she turned to Clark.
"I know you got some stuff to say, Clark."
Clark looked at Amy for a moment, before nodding.
"Yeah, I do." He said, turning to look down at the two of them. "Jack, Talida, look at me."
Jack did so without question, but Talida hesitated, bringing a hand up to try and wipe her eyes before she did so.
"Talida, now." Clark said, his eyes narrowing.
At his tone, Talida finally did as told, looking up at Clark, a look of shame and pure regret on her face as tears flowed down her cheeks, causing Optimus eyes to widen and Amy to let out a small gasp.
"S-Sorry sir." She stuttered, trying to put on a brave face, amidst the humiliation.
"I'm not gonna even try and sugarcoat it." Clark's tone was a very clear mix of scolding, and firm parenting, something he had gotten used to with Krystal, and his volume never changed as he spoke. "What you two did was dumb as fuck, and it shocks me that two of the brightest kids I've known since they were babies can be so fucking stupid."
Clark's words were like daggers to the heart, and both Talida and Jack averted their gazes out of shame.
"Eyes up here." Clark said sternly, his eyes narrowing. Slowly, the two forced their gazes back towards the Kent patriarch. "I know you two aren't stupid. You know what you did was wrong, and that's what gets me. You know it wasn't right. At all. And you still did it." He let out a disappointed sigh as he shook his head. "I have never been more disappointed in you two than I am right now."
Talida's voice hitched once more, try as she might to hide it, and even Jack looked like he was fighting back tears from the tongue lashing he was getting.
"I'm even more irritated because I had to come out here, interrupting some quality time with my daughter, to find out my two other kids were not only street racing, again, but that they were doing it on the Circuit, and that I needed to be the one to punish them."
Both Talida and Jack gulped in fear at his words, mixing with the immense amount of shame and guilt they were already feeling.
"So here's what's gonna happen." Clark said sternly. "I know I got your dad's permission, Talida, and you better believe we're having a talk with your mom, Jack. Starting tonight, you two are gonna stay at my place for a week. You two are grounded. We'll talk with the school, get you all some vacation time for the next week. Because every day, you two are gonna be helping me and Pete work, got it?"
The two of them nodded, giving mutters of confirmation, wanting so badly to tear their gazes away from Clark, but too afraid to disappoint him even further.
"Now, I'm not gonna be a complete dick about it. You will be paid for it. Two hundred at the end of the week, and if you work hard, you'll have cell phone privileges at the very least, maybe some computer time."
"That means our camping trip is done with." Jack couldn't help but whisper as the two finally averted their gazes.
"Not quite." Clark said, catching the two's attention once more. "Krys's been looking forward to that, so if you guys want, if you do enough work leading up to Friday, I'll let you all go on your trip. But your punishment will be extended two days in exchange for the days you get off. I'm not gonna shorten your punishment, only postpone it." He said sternly. "Now, either of you got anything to say for yourselves?"
The two of them looked at the group of gathered adults, including Optimus, before averting their gazes.
"We're sorry." Talida whispered, her voice breaking. "I know it doesn't mean much, and it's probably to late, but we're so, so sorry."
The three adults looked at the two of them for a moment, before glancing at each other.
"Apology accepted." Optimus said, smiling slightly at the two. "While you two will still have to serve out your punishment, we are at least proud to know that you admit your mistakes, and do truly regret them."
"Right, Amy?" Clark said, glancing over at his fiancee.
Amy nodded. "I am still pissed at you two… but I'm still proud that you can admit your mistakes." She assured with a small smile of his own.
"One more thing." Clark said, his eyes turning serious as he gazed down at the two. "While you are staying at my place, I better not hear any, and I do mean any, sort of fucking coming from your room." He said sternly.
Jack and Talida both looked mortified at the implications.
"Don't give me that look. You heard me, and I don't plan to have to listen to you two porking in my own home."
"Clark, we're not-"
"We aren't there yet-"
All three adults couldn't help but to smirk at the embarrassed ramblings of the two as they spoke, trying to defend, or deny, the implications Clark had made.
One thing was for certain.
The two were in for a hard week.