This chapter crosses over with "Herbie: Fully Loaded" with references to the other, older Herbie movies. I only own my OC's!

Chapter 2: The Race

Two weeks later:

I stand back and admire my work. Besides framed pictures of the Autobots on Optimus' team out west and one of the rescue team, there's also posters everywhere of my favorite racecar: Herbie the Love Bug.

I hear a knock on my door and turn to answer it. "Hey, Dani."

"Dad's waiting. We're all going down to the track to get to know the racers before the race starts. So—what in the world?"

"Herbie." I shrug. "Come on. I'm ready." I clip on my com link as we head out the door.

Dani's flight suit is tied around her waist. I'm wearing the navy uniform pants and a white shirt with a matching navy blue EMS sweatshirt tied around my waist.

Ten cars are lined up at the starting line beside a stage. Dani and I walk through the people to join the five bots on the stage. Graham walks over and stands next to me.

Kade steps up behind me. "Ten cars, one's a bug. Who do you think will win?"

Graham crosses his arms. "There's no rules, Kade. Anyone can win, and anything goes. How can you ask her to decide?"

I smirk before turning to Kade. "Well, if the car has the determination I've seen in Bumblebee, then it won't stop at anything."

He gives me a weirded-out look. I simply shrug and turn around. "You'll see. There's more to what you see than meets the eye, Kade."

After the race starts, we head back to the firehouse. I sit on the back of Medix with a small container of Alfredo pasta. "So what number is the bug?"

Kade walks over from the elevator holding a sandwich. "53. Why?"

I smile, my eyes lighting up. "Herbie." I turn to the family. "I don't know if you'll believe this, but he's alive, and he does have the determination of Bumblebee."

Dani crosses her arms before leaning on Blades' leg. "Her room is plastered with posters of him. She's more obsessed than Blades is with Bumblebee."

I cross my arms before glaring at her. "Now come on, I'm not that bad!"

Charlie turns from the phone on the wall. "We've got an emergency. One of the cars in the race went off the road on the mountain."

I start to my feet in shock, worry evident in my eyes. "Do you know which car!?"

"53. I got the call from the driver."

"Herbie." I throw my now-empty cup into the trash can before running to Medix front door. "His name is Herbie, and he's alive, but mute, talks with his horn, and sensitive. He's got to be scared to death!"

"Yep, she's obsessed." Kade says.

I lean over to glare at Kade over Medix's hood. "Can we please shut up about how obsessed or not obsessed I am about this racecar and go get him off the cliff?! It's not just the car, there's a driver who could die!"

The rescue bots transform at that, and we head to the scene.

I'm the first one out, running to his side. "Boulder, transform and pull him into the road, please. Blades, I need you to fly over and get the driver out. Medix, please open the back door so I can help the driver."

"Who died and made you boss?" Dani asks over our com links.

"No one." I reply, "I'm just worried about the car and driver."

Dani sets the driver on the street and leads her to me before returning to Blades and heading back out over the cliff to make sure the car doesn't fall.

Maggie tries to run for Herbie. "No, don't worry about me. Trip may have hurt Herbie!"

"Just come with us. My brother will get your car off the cliff and make sure it's okay."

"But he's alive!"

I lay a hand on her shoulder. "I know. Getting these guys to believe may be a little hard, but I know. I'm a fan."

Blades is back to hovering in front of the car. Dani activates her comm when she sees something unexpected. "Uh, guys… This car just blinked."

Graham, Kade, and Charlie look over at Maggie, unblinking.

I smirk before turning to them. "Like I've been trying to tell you; and he's probably terrified, so that's why I took charge and told everyone what to do!"

A horn starts honking frantically.

"What's going on?" Kade asks.

Maggie opens her mouth to speak.

I walk over to the group. "He's scared. I have a way with cars. I was able to understand Bee back at the other base. Maybe I can translate for you. Boulder, please pick him up, and set him down on the road." Once Herbie's back on the road and safe, I walk over and crouch down in front of him. "Hey little guy. What's wrong?" I whisper.

All the others can hear is a horn. "Trip Murphy knocked me off the road. I thought I was going to fall to my death!"

"He said that Trip Murphy almost hit him off the road, and that he thought he was going to fall to his death." I say.

Blades walks over. "We're the Rescue Bots. No one's going to hurt you now."

"You—they—tell them that I have to finish the race!"

"He says he has to finish the race." I say, "And you will, Herbie, but you have to let us make sure nothing got broken when you went over, and I have to check Maggie over, make sure she didn't get hurt, okay?"

"Check Maggie out. I've been through worse."

"Really?" The others look at me curiously. "He said he's been through worse. I don't see how."

"Thorndyke put Irish Coffee in my gas tank, cut my spare up—Tennessee told me that—and had someone loosen my wheels so they would fall off. Went off the cliff then too. Almost fell backwards and hurt Tennessee."

"What did he say?" Dani asks.

"Some guy named Thorndyke poured alcohol into his gas tank, the same guy cut up his spare tire and loosened his wheels during a race, causing him to almost go off a cliff the first time. Maggie, I need to check you, make sure you weren't hurt. Don't worry, I won't take more than a few minutes, and you can get back into the race again."

We've been back for about three hours, and I'm still off in my own little world, still unable to believe that I actually met Herbie. Dani is climbing a rock wall, Kade and Cody are playing basketball, Graham is reading, and the Chief is getting things together so he can fix supper when we get back from the finish line.

I lean back against the firehouse. "That was just…wow." I say dreamily, "I got to meet Herbie!"

"Want me to snap her out of it?" Kade asks.

Charlie sighs. "We do need to get back into town for the end of the race…"

Graham steps over. "I'll get her."

I feel a tap on my shoulder and start before shaking my head and looking over. "Oh…hehe. Sorry. I guess I floated off again." I say, embarrassed.

"It's no big deal. Just don't do that when you're out driving."

"Or I'll need rescued. As Bee always says, sometimes you do the rescuing, sometimes you get rescued. Even Kade has needed rescuing before, Dani…Charlie…Cody. You're the only one who's never had to be rescued by the Rescue Bots."

Graham blushes. "I did get knocked overboard once. Bumblebee saved me."

I smirk. "But he's not a Rescue Bot, Graham."

"Come on. You need to get Medix and come down to the stage with us. The race is going to be ending soon."

While the others stare in shock at the first car to cross the line, I run over. "Herbs, I knew you could do it!" I turn to Maggie. "Maggie, why don't you and Herbie come up to the firehouse for supper?"

Dani walks over to us. "I'm not sure that's a very good idea. The bots need a break, and they can't relax if we have company."

I cross my arms and turn to Dani. "Well, Dani, Herbie is also very hard to explain, and I've always felt that the whole "robots in disguise" thing was over-rated. They need freedom as much as the next guy, and Autobots are all about freedom." I turn back to Maggie. "Mags, I'm sure Herbie would love to hang out with the bots while we eat, then I can introduce you to my partner, Medix."

After we eat, the five of us head into the living room with Maggie, leaving Herbie in the bay with the Rescue Bots in the bunker. I grab my computer and start working on a house plan, something I do for fun. Graham walks past and glances down. I look sheepishly up at him before looking back down at my work.

I stand up and take my computer with me to the kitchen.

Graham follows me slowly. "Hey." He says after a few minutes.

"Hey." I reply.

"I never knew you understood blueprints." Graham says.

I laugh gently. "Understand? Graham, I do this all the time! I design houses—it's one of my hobbies. Medicine is my dream. I want to be a doctor, but I couldn't pass this opportunity up."

"I gave up a chance for Gremsky Technical Institute's PHD program to stay with Boulder and the rescue team." Graham pulls out a chair for me before sitting across from me. "How did you know about the position here?"

"Ratchet. He and Optimus wanted to give me first crack at the position. Of course I jumped at the chance."

"We're glad to have you. What about high school?"

"Band geek. Outcast. You?" I say.

"Same. There's not much different between you and I, is there?"

"Nope." I say.

The two of us sit in silence for a minute. Graham stands up and walks over to me. I look up at him. "Hey. You want to go to the Hall of Inspiration tomorrow? You may—"

"Sure!" I smile up at him happily. "But who would we take?"

"Boulder. We-"

"Don't always need Medix, but we do need a medic." I say knowingly.

"Wow. I've never seen anything like this, not even in Chicago!"

"Chicago?" Graham asks.

"Museum of Science and Industry. 6th grade field trip. I was 12 and loving it."

"And now?" Graham asks.

"Ten times more amazing. I've never seen so much tech in one place."

"Welcome to Griffin Rock." Graham says, laughing softly.