Chapter 2 – THE CHASE
FASTEX Garage. . .
Later, after the race.
Megan Fassler stood in front of the Nitro Racer, known to the Unlimited Series as the "car of tomorrow". The supercar contained high-flux fusion unit that can get maximum power out of atomic fuel. An upgrade from the sleeker XPT Racers.
According to her readings, the car still had a lot of flaws, but her father, Jack Fassler expected a report in the morning. The time constraint frustrated her.
Overcoming good judgement, she slammed her fists down on the hood. The supercar responded by jerking forward and knocking her backward. Sitting on the ground, the car looming over her.
A moment later, the Supercar was transforming, reshaping itself before Megan's wide eyes. Metal contorted, flowed, folded upon itself, and transformed in a sixteen-foot-tall bipedal loosely humanoid robot. A Decepticon who had assumed a terrestrial designation most accurately translatable as: Knock Out. Enormous metal fingers reached downward.
Scrambling backward, Megan somehow skidded just out of their reach as the blunt tips slammed into the hood of another supercar. Though the words that reverberated in Megan's ears were perfectly lucid and understandable, they contained a not a shred of humanity.
"YOU PRIMATE!" Emitting a metallic snarl, the Decepticon reached down with one hand and contemptuously flung another car aside as it loomed over its quarry. "WHERE'S THE ENERGON?"
Megan found herself eyes-to-lens with a mechanical nightmare that had secured a firm grip on her racing suit and was pulling her close to it jaws.
"Aaagh!" Megan shrieked.
Freed, Megan managed to get to her feet and had tried to get away when another extreme machine roared into view: A Green 404 Supercar. Carlos "Stunts" Rey. She barely managed to leap out its path as the FASTEX Driver did a forty-mile-per hour power slide and smashed sideways into the oncoming metal behemoth, the mechanoid emitted a crazed electronic squeal as the sheer force of the shot knocked it across the asphalt.
"C'mon, Megan." Carlos said. "Let's get this show on the road."
Across the pavement, the enormous Decepticon was rising to its feet. The mechanoid instantly appraised its surroundings and began unleashing one lethal disc after another.
Entering her pink supercar, Megan dove into the bucket seat, as soon as she was in, she burned rubber pulling out. Stunts followed suit.
"Adios, chico! It's been fun." Carlos said.
Gleaming crimson, Knockout swiftly transformed back into its Nitro Racer persona and gave chase.
The Not-Nitro Racer pursued both Stunts and Spitfire through the randomly deserted streets of New Motor City. Employing the added velocity of its adopted terrestrial form, it burned rubber. Anyone looking on would have seen an ordinary NASCAR Supercars racing down the streets.
At least the Nitro Racer was NASCAR approved until the side panels on the supercar rose up like wings to reveal launching pods beneath each cradling arc.
Explosions boiled up on either side of the two FASTEX Drivers as they swerved and dodged. Inside the two vehicles, both Stuns and Spitfire wrestled the steering wheel as best as they could.