Disclaimer:Transformers belongs to Hasbro, Takara, etc . The only thing in this that belongs to me is Arcee's sister.
Knockout was driving down a road, when he got a news report on his radio, "As metropolitan P.D. Continues to crack down on illegal street racing, citing the danger to both the drivers and pedestrians…" Knockout switched his radio off and drove to where a street was was currently being taken place at and drove up next to a man in a muscle car.
"You're not from around here," the man said, noting the type of car Knockout's vehicle form was "European design? Sure is pretty, too pretty." He scratches the paint job of Knockout's door with a ring he was wearing, Knockout looks at the scratch and then to the driver with his mirror in anger.
"Big mistake," Knockout said as the race starts and follows the guy who scratched him and soon ran into him, and did so again causing the driver and his car to fall off a cliff, "You scratch my paint, I scratch yours." He added before racing off.
Jack was getting off of school as he put his helmet on and hopped on Arcee and moved backwards.
"Hey, Cherry moped," the School bully, Vince said mocking Arcee's alternate mode.
"Uh, this moped had dual carbs and can go zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds," Jack shot back at the bully before speeding away going around the corner .
Soon they reached a red light "Uh, Jack? A lady's vital stats are her own business," Arcee told him.
Jack sighs and then he suddenly heard the voice of Sierra, "Hey!" She stood with her friend, "Nick, right?"
"A-Actually, I-it's Jack," he answered.
"Jack, sorry," she apologized, "I'm Sierra."
"I-I know," he said.
"You once offered to take me for a ride," she said.
"Of… course," he said, "I-I did. A-Anytime."
"I'm your guardian, kiddo," Arcee told him quietly, "Not your wingman."
"So… how about now?" She asked him.
"Uh…" he said, nervously as Vince drove next to him in his black colored car with flame designs on it.
"Hey, Hey, Small world," Vince said, interrupting Jack.
"I'm having a conversation," Jack answered.
Vince stood up, "Cheer captain here might enjoy watching you take on four wheels of muscle car."
"Are you challenging me to a race?" Jack asked him.
"You catch on quick, punch," Vince said, "What do you say."
"Eh, I…" he said, conflicted on what to say as he looks at Sierra who also looks at him, "Um…" the street light turns green and Arcee speed forward by herself at full speed catching Jack by surprise.
"You-you didn't let me answer," he told her.
"Nope," she said.
"Arcee, we can smoke him," he said.
"Yep," she said.
He sighs, "You just don't get it."
"I don't make the rules, Jack," she explained, "Optimus does. And rule number one in case you missed it, never abuse power for your personal gain, and that includes horsepower."
Vince came up next to them, "Oh," Jack said "Vince, look, maybe, racing isn't such a good id-"
Vince laughs, "I figured you ride around like your bike's something special, but it's just a chunky clunky trike, and ugly." The light turns green, Vicnce made a U-turn goes back the other way.
That insult got Arcee very angry, "That's it. The yahoo's going down." She made a U-turn and began to drive back to where Vince was.
"Whoa, what happened to rule number one?" He asked her.
"Get's bent…" she explained "Just this once."
They pulled up to Vince who was about to flirt with Sierra and her friend when Jack pulled up next to him, "Ready when you are, Vinny."
"Dirt road by truckers' ranch, one hour," Vince said.
An hour later in the desert, near the Autobot base, Jack was on Arcee's alternate mode and Vince was in his car next to them as they were at the starting line, while Sierra and her friend stood on the sand not that far away from the starting line.
"From here to the next mile marker," Vince said, before starting his car's engine "Ready, go!"
Vince accelerated with Jack and Arcee following behind, "That was fair," Jack said as they drove past Sierra and her friend. "Uh, Arcee?" He soon asked.
"Winning isn't enough, Jack," She said "You want to make him cry." She began to accelerate at full speed, Vince saw that Jack wasn't behind him and then looked on his left and saw Jack, who performed a wheelie and sped in front of him.
"What…" Vince said with disbelief as Jack and Arcee reached the mile marker first and Arcee honked her horn.
"Whoo! Outstanding!" Jack said happily. "Um, hey now might be a good time to offer Sierra a quick once round the block?"
"Don't push it," she said and he sighs as they head to base.
On the Nemesis, Breakdown was polishing Megatron's armor platings with Knockout's buffer, Starscream enters the room, "Ah, Breakdown, has there been any change in Megatron's condition?"
"Hmm only cosmetic," Breakdown answered.
"Well, I am sure that you and the good doctor have been doing everything in your power," Starscream went on till he noticed that Knockout was missing, "Where is knockout?"
Suddenly the door to the sick bay opened and Knockout walked in as the door closed, "Can you believe what some skin job did to me?" He said pointing at the scratch on the door that is on his right arm and groans.
"You have been street racing among the humans again, haven't you?" Starscream asked him.
Knockout turned around to look at him, "I'm not only an automobile, I'm an automobile enthusiast."
"I do strive to run a tight ship, Knockout," Starscream told the medic, "I would strongly suggest that you seek my permission next time you disappear on one of your little... jaunts."
"No worries, Herr Kommandant," Knockout said.
"It is Lord to you," Starscream told him.
"Only if Megatron takes a nosedive," Knockout told him.
Starscream growls as he walks up to him, "The day our Master emerges from stasis, I will graciously relinquish the title. But I believe that outcome is unlikely. Something to do with the quality of Medical care around here." He turned around "So, continue buffing. We do want Megatron looking his best for the memorial." Starscream then walks out of the sickbay with the door closing behind him.
"Buff this," Knockout said giving Starscream the middle finger and left.
As Jack and Arcee entered the base, Jack hopped off of Arcee's alternate mode, who transformed soon afterwards, "Not a word to anyone," she said.
"Our little secret," he said.
Miko walked up to him, Dude, vroom, vroom, vroom!" She said gesturing as if she was riding a motorcycle. "And the winner is…"
"Miko ,w-who told you?" He asked the Japanese exchange student with shock.
"You're kidding? she asked, "It's all over school!"
Raf walked over to them, "You beat the pants off that blowhard bully, Vince," He told Jack.
He grabbed them both forming a group huddle, "You guys have to keep this on the D.L., especially from Optimus."
The next day at Memorial High School, Jack was walking out of the building as School was over and walked down the stairs when Sierra called him from the door.
"Hey, I've been looking for you," she said as he turned around. "The race, how great was that? I was like, 'Yeah! Go, Jack!'"
"It was no big deal," Jack said, stuttering.
Vince walked towards him, shoving him with his shoulder, "You got that right. If you think you can run with the big boys, the curcuit. Tonight, 11 P.M."
Jack looked at Sierra, conflicted on what to do, should he decline or agree, but he inevitably agreed.
"You agreed to What?!" Arcee Yelled at Jack as she drove in her alternate mode down a street.
"I-It was some kind of secret racing club. I don't know. I-I had no choice. Sierra was standing right there," He explained.
"You always have a choice, Jack," she told him, "And what part of 'Just this once' did you not understand?"
"I know. I'm sorry," he apologized, "But we're on, right?"
"We are not on," she said.
Knockout was driving through the desert near Jasper when Breakdown contacted him. "Knockout, Starscream's been looking for you again. Where'd you go?"
"Out for a little drive," Knockout said. "I just roll from town to town, sniffing around until…" a car sped by, catching his attention, "the next opportunity presents itself." He switched his gears and accelerated towards Jasper.
Back at the Autobot base Raf was playing the racing game. "Raf?" Jack said causing the Car Raf was playing as to crash. "Uh, is there anyway I could borrow Bumblebee for an hour?"
Bumblebee buzzed, as he didn't expect him to ask that. "Jack, you know racing's against the rules," Raf told him, "What if Optimus found out?"
Bumblebee buzzed agreeing with Raf, and Jack sighs. "But, Raf, he's got to get the girl," Miko said and Bulkhead approached the catwalk "and beat the bully."
"Well…" Raf said.
"Come on, Raf, Jack said approaching him "Just this once?" Raf then gave in.
Jack and Bumble pulled up at an underpass, next to Vince, rolled the window down, "Bike's in the shop," Jack lied.
"Circuit drivers, are you ready?" The Starter asked as Jack saw Sierra and she waves at him, "Make it mean, but keep it clean. Fire 'em up in five, four, three, two, one!" Knockout rolls into the race as it starts.
Bumblebee drives up towards Vince as they jostle for lead position which Bumble took.
"The Autobot called they 'Bumblebee'," Knockout said, recognizing the yellow and black Urbana 500 and pulls up next to Vince and slams against his car, pushing the bully back a little.
Bumble recognizes the Decepticon causing trouble and beeps, which Jack couldn't understand, "What was that, bee?" He asked looking behind as they drove under a bridge. Jack suddenly recognizes Knockout, "Wait, I know that car."
Bumblebee drove up the side of the underpass and Knockout follows, who activated a blaster at his taillight and began firing at the scout, a few seconds later, he drove up, out of the underpass, Knockout follows after them. Vince saw this happen, "What the…" the bully said.
Bumblebee drove down a road as he tries to lose the Decepticon medic, who continues to shoot at them. "Can you lose them, bee?" Jack asked the scout and Bumblebee buzzed a reply, "What'd you say?" He asked him, Bumblebee buzzes yet again, "I hope that means 'yes'," Jack added, 'Cause I'd rather not have to call base for backup."
Meanwhile at the Autobot base, Miko and Raf were playing the racing game with Bulkhead watching from behind, when the twins came in, "Anyone seen Jack?" Arcee asked.
This startled the two humans, paused the game, "Not since… we last saw him," Miko said as Raf shook his head, attempting to cover for their friend.
"They're racing aren't they?" Arcee asked.
"Just this once," Raf said.
"Did you know about this?" Arcee asked Bulkhead.
"No," he said, "Maybe. A little."
"What do you mean racing?" Chromette asked, "Racing's against the rules."
"This is all my fault," Arcee said.
"Why?" Chromette asked, "What did you do?"
Arcee explained what happened the previous day, "Seriously, sis? You really need help with your anger," Chromette said when Bumblebee suddenly contacted base and began beeping.
"You're being chased by Knockout?" Raf asked, getting off the couch. Bumblebee buzzed a reply.
Miko stood up, "That sounds like a Decepticon," Miko said
"Knockout is a Decepticon, he's their medic," Chromette answered.
"Bee, do not engage," Arcee told Bumblebee, "Your first priority is to keep Jack safe… until I get my hands on him."
Bumblebee was evading Knockout's blaster fire, when he dumps oil on the road, causing Him to spin and slow down.
"Slick," Jack said before Bumblebee drove down underneath a tunnel and turned his headlights off, so they don't attract the Decepticon's attention. Knockout looked for them as he drove on the bridge and turned his engine off, knowing that he was there somewhere before switching it back on and drove away.
"I think we lost him, Bee," Jack said when Vince drove up in front of him, and stepped out of his car, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"
"Darby!" Vince said, approaching the Urbana 500, pounding his palm with his fist.
"Vince, you have to get out of here," Jack said, trying to warn the bully of the danger, "you win, okay? Congratulations. Now go."
Vince places his fists on Bumblebee's hood, "No, no. Start her back up, loser. We're finishing this race. Don't want to take it to the finish line, fine. Then we got something to settle right here, right now."
Suddenly Knockout grabs the bully from above, threw him in the air as he transformed into his alternate mode, with him in the passenger seat and buckled him up tightly with tons of seat belts around his torso, "What's going on? What are…" Vince said before being blasted by a smaller version of his Energon prod, rendering him unconscious.
Jack ran up the underpass as he saw Knockout drove off with the bully.
Knockout drives through the desert and contacted his partner, "Breakdown, you'll never guess what I'm packing, Bumblebee's human friend," he said thinking Vince was one of the Autobot's human allies, Raf to be specific. " And when the Autobot attempt to stage a rescue…"
"He has a breakdown," Breakdown finished, laughing.
"Bee, he's getting away," Jack said and Bumblebee drove up the underpass, beeping, "I-I can't understand you! Look I'm not Raf. Can't you just honk once for bad news and honk twice for good news?" Bumblebee honked his horn three times in a row.
Arcee, Chromette and Bulkhead approached them, transformed, "Jack we need to have a little chat," Arcee said.
"Later, Arcee," He said, "Vince got snatched by that slick sports car con."
"What would Knockout want with a random human?" Arcee asked.
"He probably mistook Vince for Bumblebee's human friend," Jack guessed, "I'm not even Bumblebee's human friend. I don't know. It doesn't matter why he took him. Vince is in trouble."
"Oh, well," Bulkhead said, "Tough break for Vince."
"Bulkhead!" Jack said shocked at what he just heard as everyone looked at the wrecker with confusion.
"What? I hear the guy's a jerk," Bulkhead explained.
"No argument there, but the guy is also innocent," Jack said, "Vince doesn't deserve to get crushed by cons."
"Jack's right," Chromette told Bulkhead, "we autobots are sworn to protect all life, no matter what they are or how they act, we need to rescue him, for all we know if we rescue him, he might stop bullying people."
Arcee transformed, "Hop on," she told Jack and started her engine, he hopped on Arcee's alternate mode, the rest of the Autobots present followed and went to rescue Vince.
Back at base, Miko and Raf were on the Catwalk, "They should have called by now," Raf said, "You think Bumblebee's okay?"
"Don't worry, Raf," she said, Bulkhead won't let anything happen to Jack or Bee."
They heard Optimus's footsteps approaching and saw him approaching, "We should just tell Optimus the truth," Raf suggested quietly.
"Absolutely not!" Miko said, "We made a deal. Just act completely normal."
"Raf, Miko, do neither if you know where the others have gone?"
"Why, no sir. We do not know," she said.
"Miko is correct. We do not know," Raf told him.
"Why would we know?" She asked him
Hmm," he said as he knew they were hiding something as the replies they gave him were the least convincing replies he's ever heard a Human say.
The four autobots drove down a road and stopped at a stoplight when they saw Knockout drive past them and turned right, going after him.
Knockout saw the two femmes and the wrecker, with his side view mirror, "Bumblebee brought company." He soon turned right.
"On your guard, boys and Sis," Arcee said, "Could be a trap."
"I was already thinking that, Sis," Chromette said.
"Remember, no shooting," Jack said.
Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Chromette Drove ahead while Arcee stopped to let Jack off, "Speaking of safety, here's where you get off." He got off the blue femme.
Around the corner that Knockout drove towards, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Chromette saw a fence that was still glowing from being blasted open. They transformed, activated their melee weapons and headed in cautiously while Arcee climbed a water tower and jumped onto the top of it.
The three autobots in the ground when headlights shone on them, they heard blaster fire and a wall smash open nearby they looked at the wall and saw Breakdown rushing towards them with his mace activated as the smoke cleared.
They dodged breakdown, causing him to punch the ground, Chromette activated her blades, as Bumblebee went into a fighting stance and Breakdown Pushed Him away, Chromette tried to attack him but he pushed her away as well.
Bulkhead ran up to him and punched him and then again, as bulkhead was about to deliver a third punch to him, Breakdown punched him, they continued to battle as both Bumblebee and Chromette got up and activated their blasters and began to fire at them, he rushed over to them, with his mace in the air but they dodged the attack.
Knockout couldn't see Arcee, "Where's the blue two-wheeler?" Then Arceejumpes down and began punching the Decepticon Medic, "Hey, watch the paint!" He drove away with her still on him.
Breakdown held Bumblebee and the scout shot him in the face, meanwhile Chromette deployed her blades and began to attack him with them, he was about to attack her when she hamper away with agility.
Bumblebee ran towards him and punched him three times before backflipping. Breakdown turned around and Bulkhead approached him and punched him.
Jack saw Arcee surfing on top of Knockout till he knocked her off and she transformed, did a wheelie as she chased after him. "That's my girl," he said.
Breakdown was about to pound on Bumblebee, when the scout evaded the attack and rolled to his right, Breakdown suddenly flew him backwards, Chromette began to attack him from behind, he threw her towards Bumblebee when Knockout contacted him on their comlink, as he approached the two autobots "Uh, Breakdown in case you're looking for me, thing got messy, so I hit the road. One scrape is enough for today."
The two Autobots saw him standing in front of them, when they heard electricity crackle and saw Bulkhead picking up a street lamp and swung it at him, causing him to fly into a building.
Knockout was driving away, as Arcee was hot on his tail, as she was about to reach him, he drove faster, "Eat my dust," he taunted when suddenly a familiar red and blue semi truck honked its horn, next to him, on his right and began to sideswipe him, causing him to go onto to embankment, causing him not being able to move who tried backing up.
Optimus stopped and transformed as Arcee contacted him, "Optimus, Knockout has a hostage."
"Understood," he said, grabbed him and ripped his left door right off, causing him to yell in pain before grabbing Vince from Knockout's passenger seat.
Knockout wiggles out of his grasp, transforming, "Do you know who's hard that is to replace?" He asked the prime in outrage as the rest of the Autobots showed up, he looked in fear before transforming as he retreated.
Bumblebee drove up with Jack in the driver seat and rolled his window down, and the others were in robot mode,"Optimus, this my fault."
Optimus deactivated his battle mask, "We must get this boy to safety immediately. Explanations can come later...from all of you."
They all but Bumblebee, who was in Vehicle form looked at him with shock and he beeped.
Soon Vince woke up on the passenger seat of Bumblebee and saw Jack with confusion on his face, wondering how he got in the car, "How did… What happened?"
"Some guys jumped you under the bridge. They tossed you into their trunk it must have been some kind of initiation," Jack said covering the entire thing up as he was driving them back to where his car was.
"Really?" Vince asked.
"Yeah, I found you knocked out by the diss of the road," Jack added as they reached the bridge, Vince exited the urbana 500, "Look, I-I got to be honest. After what I saw tonight, I'm thinking racing just isn't my thing."
"I hear you, Darby," Vince said, "Hard to win a race driving a pedal car." As Bumble heard that insult he instantly sped away.
Back on the Nemesis, Knockout and Breakdown stood in the bridge, as Starscream was angry at Knockout for disobeying him, "Knockout, was I not clear?! You have defied my orders yet again!"
"My mistake, Commander Starscream. But I've learned my lesson and paid the price," Knockout said, talking about his door that was ripped off him by Optimus.
Starscream approaches him, threateningly into his face, "It is Lord! And you have paid when I say you have paid." He took out one of his fingers, "Do not worry. Your punishment shall be merely… cosmetic."
"No," Knockout said with fear, knowing what he was about to do to him, "not the finish! Anything but the finish!" He screams as Breakdown watch in horror as Knockout screams.
The next day at Memorial High School, Jack was approaching Arcee, "So, Jack…" he heard Sierra call him. "Do you have time for that ride?"
"Uh…" he said, wanting to tell her that he can't but politely, "Look, I-I'm sorry, Sierra. I-I can't right now."
"No problem," she said, waving back, walking away, "I guess I'll see you around."
He sighs as Arcee approached him, "Hop on."
"Woah. Really?" He asked her with disbelief.
"Just this once," she explained, and soon Jack and Sierra are zooming through town.
Next is Predatory.