Hey, everyone back again with a new story! Just kidding, it's actually a revamp of an older story I had promised to somewhat revamp a while back. I started getting back into Transformers and gosh my love for Knockout in the TFP show rekindled that flame so here we are!
If you remember my story "Kailas", then oh boy you've been here a while. I recently went back and...skimmed...it because DAMN that story was written so bad... I was clearly a child. So now, I've come prepared with at least 10 pre-written chapters of a somewhat decent revamp. Both the OCs I had used in this got a MAJOR overhaul and have new names AND designs. Tikari is now Paige. Shadowstalker is now Swiftblade. I tried to be more original with his name because I found out 'Shadowstalker' is a very common name for a fanmade Cybertronian. Who woulda thought?
Oh, and Maddie and her brothers don't exist anymore. Or do they? Let me know if you think I should bring them back! I kinda made Miko take up Maddie's spot as best friend so uh. Yeah.
There is definitely some mentions of feelings between characters growing as the story goes on, and relationships may form. But I have yet to fully decide of an actual relationship so that's still up in the air for now. It's all just hot guys/bots and fluffy feelings for now.
Anyway, I don't want to prattle on too much and just let you get on with the story.
Disclaimer: Transformers and all its characters are owned by Hasbro. I only own my characters.
"Oh, Miko~" A voice sang over the noisy, crowded school hallway.
The girl in question looked towards the one walking down the hall in her direction, a wide grin on her face. That expression could only mean one thing and it made Miko match the grin with one of her own. "What happened this time, Paige?"
A gleam entered Paige's forest-green eyes as she stopped next to her friend's locker, the grin never leaving her face. "I just got invited to…" She made a show to glance around them before leaning closer to be a little more discreet. "...another race."
An excited gasp left the foreign exchange student's mouth as she hopped in place a few times, her pink-tipped pigtails bouncing with the motion. "No way," she nearly shouted, receiving brief odd looks from nearby students passing them. "When is it? Where is it? Can I come with?!"
Paige threw a hand over her chest and faked a hurt expression. "Miko, really? You should have already known you're invited!" By the end she had dropped the act and was full on grinning again, earning a shrill squeal of delight from the girl in response. "It's tonight. About a two-hour drive out to some spot near the border." She shrugged nonchalantly.
Miko slammed her locker shut carelessly and leaped at her friend to lock her in a tight hug. The two giggled as they shared the hug before making their way towards the exit. "Do I hear another sleepover tonight?" She asked with a knowing smile.
"You know it!" Paige winked at her as they exited the school building. She dug out her keys and easily flipped the one she needed into her awaiting fingers. "Is an hour enough time to get ready?"
"Totally! I'm so pumped!"
Paige laughed, "Thought so. I'll pick you up at your house then."
"See you then!" Miko waved over her shoulder as she took off running down the sidewalk, eager to get packed for the night.
Smiling in amusement, Paige headed towards her ride. In one of the front parking spaces was a motorcycle colored Sacramento green with neon green highlights along the frame like racing stripes. She swung her leg over the seat and immediately plugged her key into the ignition, starting up the engine. She stuck her helmet on her head before backing out of the parking space and heading out onto the street. The familiar sound of the engine revving at her fingertips had her grinning as she sped down the street as fast as she dared, knowing full well the police liked to monitor the area when school ended. There were quite a few teenagers with vehicles who usually did not-so-smart things while driving, like showing off for their friends or crushes. It was the main reason the police patrolled the surrounding area during this time and she knew to be careful.
She turned off the main street and headed towards the outskirts of town, where few buildings stood alone. She pulled up to a large flat building - an old auto repair shop - and drove into the awaiting garage door. Parking the bike and shutting off the engine, she pulled the helmet off her head. She shook out her hair before setting it down on the workbench nearby. Closing the garage door with a press of a button, she jogged over to a set of stairs and took them up two at a time.
The top floor of the two-story building was made into her own personal living space. Off to the left was a two-person wooden table and chairs directly next to a kitchen equipped with all the necessary appliances she needed. Off to the right of the stairs was the main living room, a bathroom, a closet, and a bedroom at the far end. She made a beeline for the bedroom. Swinging the door open, she immediately tossed her backpack onto the bed and dug into her wardrobe for some clean clothes. She debated on an outfit for a few moments before taking them to the bathroom with her.
Closing the bathroom door, she turned on the shower and turned it as hot as she could stand it. She slipped out of her current clothes while it was warming up before stepping into the tub and underneath the steady drizzle of water. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh, allowing the water to soak her hair and skin. She took a few moments to just enjoy the warmth before even beginning to wash herself. She first rubbed a soap scrub over her body before rinsing it off. Then she massaged shampoo into her hair and scalp. She rinsed that out and rubbed the conditioner in. Once that was done, she took another few moments to enjoy the warmth before turning off the water and grabbing a towel to dry off.
"Ah, much better," she sighed blissfully with a content smile. Once her skin was dry enough, she wiped the fog from the mirror and grabbed the blow-dryer. She turned it on, waited for the air to get hot, and then quickly but carefully fanned her hair with it. She ran her brush through the strands as she did, getting out any tangles. She turned it off once her hair was dry and then put on the clean clothes she had brought with her. She tossed her previous clothes into the hamper in the corner and then turned back to the mirror to assess her appearance.
Her skin color was about average with a faint dusting of freckles across her nose and shoulders. Her hair was a copper-brown color with some paler highlights dyed here and there, was fluffy and nearly reached her shoulders in length. Her eyes of course were forest-green. She wore a black spaghetti strap shirt underneath a long-sleeve green sweater that hung off of her right shoulder and dark jeans. She reached into a small pouch on the side of the sink and began to apply a bit of makeup. Not a lot, just a touch of eyeliner to make her eyes stand out a bit more.
"And done." She smiled at herself in the mirror before heading back to her room to pack some necessities for the trip. She snatched her small shoulder bag off its hook and set it on the bed before rummaging around, sounding off all the items she'd need. "Phone, charger, wallet with all important information and money in it, throw a lip gloss in there in case I want to flirt with some guys, some nail polish because Miko gets bored and likes to paint our nails while we wait, my army knife, some bandaids, ointment, and gauze in case we get into some trouble…" She trailed off as she looked around her room, her eyes immediately falling onto another set of pouches sitting on her bedside table.
A smirk tugged at her lips. "And some protection." She walked over to them and took the two pistols out to do a quick check, making sure they were still in top condition even though she had just checked and cleaned them the day before. She made sure the clips were intact, a round in each chamber, and made sure the safety was on before putting them back in their holsters. She then looped the belt around her waist, fastened it comfortably so the holsters rested against her hips, and tugged the bottom of her sweater over them to make sure they were concealed. She did a quick double check and nodded to herself.
"That should do it."
A familiar chime went off and she grabbed her phone. Her smile pulled wider as she read the text message.
From Miko: Ready whenever you are!
Not even a second later another message popped up.
From Miko: Hurry up before my host parents start asking questions!
She laughed at the obvious impatience of her friend. She sent a quick text back before shouldering her bag.
To Miko: Omg on my way lol!
Shaking her head, she headed for the kitchen. She put on a pair of black leather Coda boots and snagged two water bottles from the fridge. She then grabbed another set of keys and headed down the stairs to the garage. Instead of going to her motorcycle, she made a beeline for the black Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with green stripes along its hood, doors, and trunk - sitting in the back where she kept it out of sight. She tossed the protective covering off of it and opened the garage door before hopping in. She snuggled into the leather seats before starting up the engine, hearing it give a rumbling purr that made her grin.
This was her racing car. She only ever used it for joy rides, races, and car shows. She buckled herself in. She gripped the steering wheel and slowly drove it out of the garage, pressing the button for the door to close. She didn't even wait for it to finish closing before she was off towards Miko's temporary home.
Paige wasn't always friends with Miko Nakadai. In fact, she has only known the foreign exchange student since the start of the school year. Both girls hadn't been living in Jasper for very long. Miko had come all the way from Japan and Paige had moved from Michigan on a whim. They only had two classes together and somehow ended up getting paired for projects. They got to talking, Paige admired Miko's art skills, and they had a common love for adventure and 'badass' cars so it was not surprising that they became fast friends. She smiled at the fond memories as she pulled up to the curb in front of the house and honked a quick three times.
Almost immediately, Miko came dashing from the front door like a bat out of hell and very nearly tore the passenger door off as she swung it open and hopped in. She slammed the door shut and instantly started squealing in a tight ball of bottled up excitement. Her overnight bag tucked on the floor mat at her feet.
Paige cringed at the possible damage to her car but couldn't stop her smile. "Yikes, be careful!"
"Sorry! I'm just so excited!"
"Seat belt," she rolled her eyes in amusement, waiting for her friend to obey the simple rules of riding in her car.
Normally, Miko would have scoffed and griped about the rule - as she tended to do nearly every time she got in - but she clearly had a one-track mind. She was too stoked for the road trip they had planned and so she clicked her seat belt into place across her body while grinning. "Oh my gosh, this is going to be awesome! Who even invited you? You gotta give me the deats!"
Paige giggled and pulled away from the curb. She turned onto the main road and headed out of town. "Okay, so, you know how Vince is a hotheaded prick with a stick in his pants?"
"Pfft! Yeah? What else is new?"
Paige rolled her eyes half-heartedly but continued. "Well, remember the last time he challenged me to a race and he ate my dust?"
"Ugh. Did he seriously challenge you again? What is this, the fifth time?"
"Something like that. But, yeah. I don't think his pride will let him lose to a girl." Paige snickered and Miko joined in.
"What a doúche! He needs to seriously stop. I mean, come on! Who in their right mind would want to date a guy like him?"
Paige watched Miko's animated hand gestures as she talked from the corner of her eye, keeping most of her focus on the road. That girl didn't know how to sit still. "Popular girls." She gave a half shrug. "Seen too much of it in movies and shows. Wouldn't surprise me if it was actually true. Popular people can't seem to keep their paws off each other."
"Eugh!" Miko made a comical display of shuddering and sticking out her tongue in disgust. "I'm glad I was never that type of girl. They can keep their paws as far away as possible."
Paige laughed, barely noticing a blue motorcycle pass them going the opposite direction. "Honestly, same here! Guys like Vince need to get a life." She glanced at her friend with a smile. "Did you eat?"
"Nope! Was too excited!"
That didn't surprise her. That's why Paige usually took extra money with her so they could stop somewhere for food along the way. "Well, what do you feel like eating?"
They lapsed into idle chatter. The conversation topic switched constantly, never staying on one thing for too long. They talked about what food they wanted to eat, their day at school, their home life, news they heard from other students or online, and other topics of shared interest. And then thirty minutes into the ride Miko finally couldn't take the sounds of just their voices and the purr of the engine. She had to turn on the radio and flip through the playlists they had created. They often went on drives together so they had compiled a few CDs of music they liked. A disk was chosen and it was inserted into its slot. Instantly, the volume was turned up as the melody began to blast through the speakers.
Paige was just glad she installed a set of speakers that could handle the volume and amount of bass that her friend enjoyed. She wasn't quite as fond of super loud music, but she had long since chosen to forego her hearing for the happiness of her friend. She smiled and tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel to the drum beat, nodding her head as they sped down the empty road. They both opened their mouths and sang along to the music, not caring what they sounded like as they simply lost themselves in the lyrics.
"Hey-o~
Here comes the danger up in this club
When we get started man, we ain't gonna stop
We gonna turn it out 'till it gets too hot
Everybody sing, hey-o~
Tell 'em turn it up 'till they can't no more
Let's get this thing shakin' like a disco ball
This is your last warning, a courtesy call."
They stopped at a fast food joint for their meal about thirty minutes out from their destination. The sun was setting and casting an array of oranges and pinks across the sky, but it was still too early so they had sat outside on a bench to talk and enjoy the clear weather while they ate. Once they finished their food, they tossed the garbage, used the restroom, and headed back onto the road.
By the time they got to the empty road that was the meetup spot, the sun had set below the horizon and cast the land into darkness. Only the headlights of the vehicles lit the road as Paige pulled up beside the other three muscle cars. They had killed the music by now, letting the revving engines fill their ears. Thankfully, Vincent's black Dodge Challenger with a custom flame paint job was on the other side of the lineup so they didn't have to deal with his attitude. She giggled as Miko squealed in barely contained excitement, kicking the floor mats as she did.
Another vehicle pulled up on her left and she did a double take. No way! Is that what I think it is?
She rolled down her window to get a better view, her eyes scanning the red-and-silver paint job of the vehicle beside her. She wolf whistled at it, barely registering that Miko quieted down to watch her. "Hey, I wanna say something to you," she called, hoping the driver would hear her over the purring engines and through their tinted windows. "Roll down your window." A few seconds went by and she pouted a little. "Please?"
Several seconds went by and Paige almost gave up waiting for a response. But then the passenger window rolled down halfway. Through the darkness and the red light accents from the inside of their vehicle, Paige could make out what looked like a guy in his late twenties with his bangs swept off to one side, and a pair of red eyes gleaming almost ominously at her. She blinked, wondering if the red lighting from inside his car was playing tricks on her mind to make it look like he had red eyes. Yeah, that must be it.
"What?" His voice was smooth and - dare she say it - husky. His tone gave away the slight suspicion he no doubt felt towards her, but he had an unreadable expression on his face. Like he was trying to figure her out.
She simply beamed at him, making the guy blink in surprise at her sudden smile. "I just wanted to say your ride is beautiful! Probably the best-looking car I've seen at any of these races." His car's engine seemed to rev at her words while she gestured half-heartedly towards the other vehicles on her right side with one hand, keeping the other firmly on the wheel. She met his gaze and her eyes glinted with mischief. "I've dusted these guys plenty of times already. Why don't we see who's the fastest? Just the two of us?"
He seemed to consider her words for a moment, his eyes roaming over her, the interior of her car, and then the exterior of her car before meeting her gaze. A devious smirk pulled at his lips and she felt her heart flutter. This guy is too handsome for his own good, even in low light! "Oh-ho~ You're on!" He then rolled up his window, shielding himself from outside view.
Paige couldn't stop grinning as she rolled up her own window and turned forward. The referee stepped in front of the vehicles with a flashlight, signaling the race was about to start.
"Oh, wow, Paige. Were you flirting?" Miko was both dumbfounded and amused at her friend's conversation, having seen everything from where she was sitting. She had to speak a bit louder as each vehicle revved their engines, Paige among them.
The brunette scoffed half-heartedly though she never stopped smiling. "Whatever, just-" She waved her hand dismissively towards her friend. "You know the drill."
Miko grinned at her words and instantly pressed the button to eject the disk. "Theme song coming right up!" She switched it out for another one and hit play, turning the volume up as loud as they could handle. The beat nearly drowned out the sound of the engines. As the beat dropped and the bass hit, the referee lifted his flashlight and flicked it on to signal them to 'go'.
Throwing it into gear, Paige pressed her foot onto the gas pedal and they took off down the road like a bullet. Miko whooped beside her, throwing her arms up in excitement. Vince and the other muscle cars were instantly left behind them as she pushed the engine as hard as she dared, but her attention was on the Aston Martin easily keeping pace with her. She shifted gears as the road began to wind through the mountains, knowing that there was a sharp turn ahead. Her gaze flicked back and forth between the road and her mirrors, watching the curves of the pavement and the movements of her opponent. The sharp turn came up and she shifted gears, pressing her foot on the brake as she drifted around the corner. Tires squealing filled her ears above the music as both she and the red car drifted around the curve before throwing their vehicles back into gear and speeding off down the road.
The road was mostly a slightly windy but straight stretch for three miles so she chose to have a bit of fun. She began to subtly swerve back and forth on the road in front of her opponent, creating the illusion of her vehicle 'wagging its tail'. Both she and Miko giggled at her antics and then gasped as the red car suddenly swerved around them and pulled up beside them on the left. The passenger window rolled down a bit for them to catch a glimpse of the guy giving them a smirk and a two-fingered salute before speeding ahead.
"Oh, it is on," Paige growled playfully, a smirk of her own on her lips as she gripped the steering wheel and the stick shift respectively. She threw it into gear and sped off after him. Yet no matter how much she tried, he wouldn't let her pass him. And was he- She and Miko both gawked before bursting out laughing. He's wagging his own tail at us, the cheeky bastard!
They drifted around another curve and sped off down the last stretch. The song had ended by now but neither of them cared, simply too enthralled by the race and the guy currently hauling ass in front of them. They passed the second referee and the girls whooped, having too much fun to really care that they had lost first place to someone else. Both vehicles slowed to a stop near the side of the road and Paige turned to Miko.
"Wait here," she told her, grin still on her face. "I'm gonna go talk to him."
"You mean flirt?" Miko teased with a shit-eating grin.
"Ugh!" Paige scoffed and rolled her eyes, but there was no venom or fire fueling either action. She got out of her car and sauntered over to the idling Aston Martin, which seemed to rev as she got closer. She waved her hand at the driver side window as she stopped beside the door with at least a foot of respectable distance between them.
The window rolled down and he leaned one elbow on the door as he smirked at her. "How was that for your first race against me, sweetheart?" He asked, voice dripping with his smug teasing tone. His eyes glinted in the red light with mirth and mischief.
"That was awesome!" She admitted with a bubbly laugh, brushing her fingers through her fluffy bangs to keep them out of her eyes. "I haven't had that much fun since I first started racing! You're pretty good."
"Why, thank you. I live to please." He placed his free hand over his chest, his expression and tone never faltering.
She giggled, finding him amusing. "Hey, I was wondering-"
"Yo, Bishop!"
"Ugh…" Paige visibly sagged at the interruption, her smile fading along with her mood. "Hold on." She held up a finger in a sign to tell the stranger to 'wait' before turning and plastering a polite smile on her face and placing her hands on her hips. "What do you want, Todd?" She watched the redhead approach, noting the displeased scowl on his face.
He stopped in front of her and towered over her in a clear show of intimidation, even though he was literally only half a head taller than her. He stuck a finger in her face but she never flinched or looked away from his face. Backing down would be a sign of weakness and Paige had that beaten out of her when she was little. "You made a fool of me and my pals again! I have a reputation to keep, and you and your new friend aren't helping!" He shot a glare over her shoulder.
Paige rolled her eyes with an annoyed scoff. "Listen, I came for a good time and I did. Without you. It's not my fault your car can't keep up with us and-" She frowned and snapped her fingers in his face, startling him out of his scowl towards the stranger and causing him to blink at her in shock. "Hey. Leave him out of this. You challenged me, and you lost. Now if you want to keep whatever shred of dignity you have left, I suggest you turn around and go home, Vince." She gave him a hard glare to get her point across when he tried to open his mouth to argue. Neither of them noticed how the Aston Martin revved slightly.
He flapped his gums for a moment before scowling at her. "Whatever. Next time, first place will be mine." He then turned on his heel and stomped back towards his waiting vehicle.
Paige watched his vehicle turn around and start towards Jasper before she turned back to the driver of the Aston Martin with an apologetic smile - who was watching the retreating vehicle with an unreadable expression. "Sorry about that," she said, gaining his attention as her posture relaxed. "He's pretty much a jerk to everyone, so don't feel like he's trying to single you out."
"Yeah, he's a doúchebag!" Miko called from the Corvette which coincidentally had its windows down.
"Shut up!" Paige called back with a playful bite to her tone, though there wasn't any real venom behind her words.
"Isn't there always at least one of those?" The guy asked with a sigh, waving his hand dismissively. He met her gaze again and his smirk returned, making her heart skip a beat. "Now, what was it you wanted to say? I do have some place to be."
"Oh- right. Sorry." She smiled sheepishly and dug her phone out of her pocket, not noticing how he watched her movements like a hawk. "I really enjoyed our race tonight and I was wondering if you'd be up for more in the near future?"
"Well, I don't see why not," he said, a playful smirk on his lips as he gestured mildly in the direction behind her. "After all, you were the only one who kept up with me."
She giggled and opened her contacts list, tapping to start a new profile before meeting his gaze again. "Let's see… We could meet up here at the same time, let's say… four days from now? We can exchange contacts in case something comes up and we need to reschedule." She held her black phone towards him but he simply waved his hand, as if to shoo it away.
"No need for that. Here." He made no other move and she frowned in confusion as her phone chimed.
Opening the notification, she blinked in surprise when she saw a text from an unknown number confirming the date and time of their race. "Wh- How did you…?" She glanced up at him with a dumbfounded expression that made him chuckle.
"I have my secrets," he sang slowly, an odd gleam in his eyes.
She smirked at that. "Well, alright. What do I call you then?"
"K.O."
She raised a curious eyebrow as she saved the contact as the name he had suggested. "Is that your initials or some sort of codename?"
"Eh, both." He shrugged nonchalantly and she couldn't help the tiny snort that escaped her. He grinned in response. "And what do I call you, my dear?"
She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and placed a hand on her chest with a smile. "Just call me Paige. It was very nice meeting you… K.O. And I do hope to see you and your pretty ride again soon." She trailed her eyes across the paint job once more, appreciating the design. She heard the engine rev and she snapped her gaze back to him, her heart fluttering at the devious smirk plastered on his face.
"Oh, you will. See you around, Paige." The window rolled up and he peeled off, kicking up dust as he sped off into the night and disappeared around a curve further down the road.
Paige stared after the vehicle for a moment before turning and heading back to her own car. She plopped into the driver's seat and buckled herself in. She began rolling up the windows before finally noticing Miko's shit-eating grin from the passenger seat.
"Someone's got a date~"
Paige rolled her eyes and shoved the girl playfully. "Oh, shut up. It's not a date," she insisted. She started the engine, reversed, and turned the car to begin their two-hour long journey back towards Jasper.
"That's not what I heard~"
"Ohh-! Be useful and put in another CD!"
Miko burst out laughing at her friend's flustered response but thankfully said nothing. She ejected the current disk and stuck another one in its place. She then sat back to enjoy the music and they both lost themselves in it once more.
"The cycle repeated
As explosions broke in the sky
All that I needed
Was the one thing I couldn't find
And you were there at the turn
Waiting to let me know
We're building it up to break it back down
We're building it up to burn it down
We can't wait to burn it to the ground~"
When they got back to Paige's place, the first thing they did was throw on their pajamas and set up a movie on the TV in the living room. They decked out the couch in blankets and pillows, and the little coffee table in front of them was nearly full of snacks and a drink of their choice. They snuggled into the blankets against each other. And since they had gotten back rather late, it was no surprise that the two fell asleep twenty minutes into the movie.
And there you have it, a nice introduction to the story before we start diving into the episodes! If you caught the tiny mention, this did actually take place during the very first episode when Cliffjumper sadly dies. He was lost potential smh.
And what is that? And Aston Martin with a red and silver paint job coincidentally named K.O.? Whoever could that be? To be fair, there was never any mention of WHEN Knockout and Breakdown were even on Earth, I just assumed for this story's plot that he's kinda been there since the beginning on his fun little drives in search of street races to pass the time until Starscream calls for his expertise. So have him thrown in immediately because I can and he's my favorite Decepticon so why not?
Songs used:
- Courtesy Call by Thousand Foot Krutch
- Burn It Down by Linkin Park
- Neon Blade by Moondeity (the mentioned "theme song" for Paige when racing, because listening to the full thing - espeically the beginning with the car engines - made me think of street races so why not?)
Thank you for reading up to this point, I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review letting me know what you thought about it, and I'll have another chapter out within a few days and hopefully a decent cover art.
How does one draw transformers?