Song: Nothing Can Stop Me Now – Mark Holman

The evening of the Agility Race was here. All the citizens of Delta were crowding the stands of Dreadnaught Speedway again, but Arcee noticed the track had been realigned. The loops in the middle were moved towards the end more so with the turns being near the beginning and middle. As many pieces were levitating on floating platforms and the starting line remained the same, she could see why they would do such a thing. If it was all the same every time, it would be too easy. It explained why she was booted out of the area along with Road Rage and Blurr in the afternoon. They had to prepare it for the race.

She felt she was ready. With the speedster ability now in her possession, she felt she had a better shot at competing against the natural racers of the world. As she stretched and the announcer did his pre-race speech, she heard her commlink go off.

"So, any progress with Override?" Haywire asked. "Hope things have been going smoothly."

"Ha, you wish. But all I have to do is compete in a race now and Velocitron is on Cybertron's side again. Tell Bumblebee he's missing out on some fun."

"A race, huh? Velocitron prides themselves on the track more than anything else, so it makes sense. Well, here's hoping you win. We're all dying to see you guys again."

Arcee smiled, "I'll win it just for you. How about that?"

He laughed, "That'll do. See you soon, Arcee. Contact us when you're ready to come back."

As she cut off transmission, Megatron gently patted her back. "I take it that was one of our friends back home? I believe you can win, Arcee. No one's defeated you yet."

"Battle-wise, eh. Race-wise...that's, uh, that's a 'we'll see' thing right there."

Bolt and Moonhunter came up too, the latter yowling happily. "Whatever happens, you're a champion to us. Afterwards, I need to ask a favor of sorts."

Arcee scowled humorously, "I'm not stealing any wildlife to take home-"

"No, no, no, not that! I really want a copy of Velocitron's complete cyberbiology texts. The ones I had on the isle were multiple different books from each planet, some with repetitive information and some written by myself in a limited timeframe, which is why it often took a while to find information on those creatures we encountered. If I could have a completed archive of them to place in Iacon's records, it would mean a lot to me and help the rest of Cybertron understand the many wonders each planet holds. The people deserve to know...and I, of course, wouldn't mind having it for other reasons."

The queen shook her head silently with a roll of her optics but then said, "Fine, I'll talk to Override after this and see if I can get it."

Bolt clapped giddily, "You're my savior, Arcee! Now, go out there and show them how Cybertronians race!"

"Racers, rev those engines!"

Twenty vehicles were lined up on the track. Override was in the first row as the leader as expected. Arcee sat comfortably in the third line of four, and she could see the crowd roaring in anticipation. Megatron and Bolt were sitting alongside Blurr, who gave up his spot in the race as promised, and Road Rage, whom Arcee found out was truly banned from racing at Dreadnaught as Blurr claimed for her aggressive driving, in the pits. She seemed to harbor no disdain for the decision and cheered with them. The three ranchers were just above them in the stands obviously now cheering her on. And in the very corner of the stadium, Arcee swore she saw in the shadows faint lingering glows of two eyes and skull gems of yellow hidden on top of the roof. Silos. She was impressed if anything that he would show up.

"I want to hear the crowd out here; I mean really hear you! This evening, we have an extraordinary race joined by esteemed guest, Cybertron's leader, Arcee, and our very own leader, Override!"

Override made a loud roar of her engine in response which the crowd went nuts over.

"Three laps around the course will determine who takes home the Agility Cup! Racers, you know the rules and if you don't, well, I suggest consulting your team for the next fifteen seconds. Our race will begin in one moment."

"Arcee," Override called out, "remember, the race is just a race. It's living in the moment of the race that counts most of all."

Arcee replied with the revving of her own engine to which she heard some of the racers beside her laugh in a friendly way. The floating electric strip of lights powered by Energon lit up the ends red and she was eager to go. The racetrack itself pulsed red and gold again, its colors shimmering with the sky just right.

"Racers! On the blue light! Three! Two!"

The two red lights shifted to purple going inward facing a single light. "One!"

As soon as the blue hit, tires screeched. "GO! GO! GO!"

Arcee used her speed boosters to get ahead of a whole row of racers but fell behind two blocking her route to the leader who happened to be Override herself. Watching the red and white femme go proved that racing her was an extreme challenge. Most of the racers seemed to know they weren't going to win against the sole person assigned leadership by being the fastest Velocitronian on the planet.

The first stages of the track were all shifty turns. Arcee found being smaller, she could hug the corners easier and gained one car position up. Leaving one spot before coming up behind Override. She boosted again but the turn forced her outward and three bots overtook her on the mistake. Scowling inward, she chased them down.

"Looks like Arcee is having a little trouble keeping to the curve but is not backing down as she gains on XP and the Roller Twins who are taking turns hogging the road, their signature strat for locking down their positions. Override remains first with a good lead. But don't fret yet, folks, for those of you with certain favorites, this is still the first lap and things can change."

The so-called Roller Twins, identical cars with similar blue and icy purple color schemes with gold underlining tones walled Arcee off from passing the twin closest to the bend of the track as they were coming up to the jumps. XP ahead of them seemed keen on breaking their formation. She didn't know whether he was trying to help her or just found the road hogging a bit too unorthodox. But when he break-checked the light purple twin who was forced to slam on his brakes, Arcee used her boost to slide through the small window before the other twin cut her off. She found herself head-to-head with XP.

"What the hell, Xeropoint?!" One Roller twin yelled out furiously, "You want the foreigner to win?!"

XP, as he seemed to prefer, scoffed, "I'd rather her win fair then let you dumbasses. Ignore them, they bash and clash but can't make the dash."

She nearly lost her concentration laughing but stuck to her route as they jumped over a few of the racers in farther positions after taking a sharp turn. Then the loops came around. What startled her was the fact they were together as in just right after the other. As soon as she went into the vertical ascension, she hit her speedster ability and managed to make it around but with the second loop coming up too fast with her boost unavailable, she feared she was out of luck. The ascension started again despite the speed and her meter was nearly complete when the twins slowly gained on her.

"Come on, come on! Don't do this to me now!"

The ability beeped full, and she didn't hesitate to activate it on cue. She followed XP around the loop again and trailed him all the way to the beginning of the second lap. Override still had a sizable distance between her and them. Arcee was surprised that XP was being as lenient as he was.

"Onto the second lap, Jetwheel and Hotspire fighting for sixth, XP and Arcee keeping each other in check, and Override still holds her position strong. Revaboom and Divine are making plays in the back, aiming for at least the top ten. Around the sharper turns, Arcee seems to have overtaken XP, but he is keeping on her tail ready to take back his place at any moment."

Arcee kept her turns tight, refusing to let XP gain any leeway on her. She jumped over a few racers before another turn had her drifting. Override was ahead by at least several yards, catching her would be impossible at this rate. A few more jumps, one of which she saw the Roller Twins do identical flips on for clout, led back to the more brutal aspect of the course. She knew she had to develop some sort of plan.

Last time, she used the loop to ramp off of but with two large ones in a row, she didn't know if she could make them work. But maybe she could. They were back-to-back, jumping on one would lead her to the other and then she could bounce off it to cross the second easy assuming she landed correctly. It was worth the attempt as apparently it wasn't illegal if she stayed within the boundaries of the course.

Right as the ascension began, she took her chance. She veered off to her left and jumped with her boost. Right through the center of the loop she went directly onto the track and appeared directly behind Override. To Override's surprise, she did it again and managed to get in first. The gasps and stunned comments of her fellow racers were hardly audible, but she didn't care.

"Is that legal?! Wait, seriously, is that legal?!" The announcer asked off to the side though he forgot to turn his mic off. "The other day, Steamliner said something about this happening in a race against Blurr. I don't..."

Another voice was heard faintly, "She's technically on the track and didn't leave the boundaries of it...yeah, I think that still counts."

The announcer was silent for a second before stuttering, "W-well...I guess...kudos to Arcee. You go, girl. With a more strategic mind from Cybertron, I guess I should have expected the unexpected. Arcee takes the lead in an astonishing move. XP and the Roller Twins are bumper to bumper while Override seems determined to take back her position."

Arcee saw the crowd going wild, especially Bolt and Road Rage who seemed to be the unofficial cheerleaders. She could see Override slowly catching up despite using her boosts as soon as they were available. Crossing the line, she had only one lap to go now.

The turns were gut-wrenching as she knew one mess up would lead to Override getting too close to shake. In her mirrors, Override drifted multiple times around the corners to maintain her top speed. Then came the ramps. She was far enough ahead to jump over XP and the Twins, but Override came down sporting a quick wheelie before her engine was heard loud and clear. Seeing the Velocitronian leader's bio lights as bright as the sun with maximum energy made Arcee a bit nervous. The blue motorcycle held her position until the loops.

Arcee aimed to repeat her last trick, roaring up the ascending part and jumping off it, but Override seemed to be so determined to catch her that she followed. Seeing the larger vehicle roar as she left the ramp made Arcee realize she was coming in far too fast. She was forced to swerve off her direct line to avoid being crushed by Override's powerful landing. She knew Override didn't mean to do that, but control in the air was not possible.

They were head-to-head off the second loop, a few racers behind them following their lead. Arcee refused to yield and kept herself aligned with Override as the finish line was coming up fast. She could hear Override pushing herself. Closer and closer they came until the crowd became deafening.

She didn't know who won and she slowed down with Override, and she doubted her fellow racer did either. Moving along the side before Override slid to a halt and transformed, Arcee could see she was smiling broadly.

"Wow, you actually kept me on my toes there."

Arcee transformed too and leaned to place her servos on her knees panting. Her engine was fuming from the strain, and Override patted her shoulder in reassurance.

"Bots of Velocitron, it seems we are facing quite the dilemma here. A head-to-head victory it may be. We are taking a close look at every angle we have to see if we can determine a winner, so we ask you to be patient while our judges work."

As they tried to figure out the winner, XP transformed and walked up to Arcee, offering a high-five which she gladly enabled. "You're fierce, racer. Override, you sure she's not from Velocitron?"

"Don't know...I'm starting to question it too," the leader laughed.

Arcee said, "Yeah, I get those questions a lot, even in my own world."

"Well, it was nice meeting you. If you ever want to race us again, bug Blurr and we'll get you ready to roll in a spark beat."

As XP walked away, she saw the Roller Twins scowling as they shifted to robot mode. She merely returned a glare which they wisely didn't respond to. Override noticed and nudged her, "Don't let those two get to you. Bruisers. They tag team everything...and they are the ones who got Road Rage banned from racing in Dreadnaught. Pissed her off and she kicked their asses on the track with an unfortunate price."

The announcer's mic blared for a second before he spoke again. "Alright, we have the results in! By only several inches and one of the closest races we've seen in a while, the winner of the Agility Cup is...OVERRIDE!"

The picture of them crossing the finish line indeed showed Override was ahead by a few inches but with a 00.12 second difference. Confetti erupted from cannons on the side of the track. Arcee felt proud despite not winning as she certainly made her mark on Velocitron.

"Thank Primus this wasn't a race for leadership. You would have had me worried there, Arcee. Well done," Override congratulated as everyone from the pits started to run on the track.

Megatron and Bolt both hugged her which she grimaced at. "Guys! Okay, alright, that's enough! Overheating!"

Moonhunter jumped on her immediately as they released her, and she winced unprepared but stroked the Nitrotiger's head with a hoarse laugh. Then she saw Road Rage hand something to Override, a data pad. Signing it, Override matched her smile.

"Quite honestly, I didn't think I would ever see Velocitron and Cybertron together again because I had my doubts even when you were here. You changed my point of view of Cybertron, Arcee."

Arcee was handed the last Radiant Core she had and with it, Override's data pad that held a written agreement of peace with the Cybertronians she could bring back as proof of their alliance. She didn't expect Override to suddenly hug her too.

"Keep impressing people. I look forward to hearing about the other worlds one day, too. Promise to keep in touch?"

"I promise," Arcee smiled.

She was given one last pat on the shoulder before Override moved out of the way for Road Rage who squealed and almost tackled her in delight. "I'm going to miss you, dearie!"

Arcee felt her chest compressing from the brutal hug and couldn't speak until Road Rage quickly held her an arm's length away and grinned. "Oh, and I got you something to give to Bolt! I heard him mention cyberbiology! Here!"

She was nearly shoved when a large cylinder with rotating holo-inscriptions was put into her servos.

"I made a quick detour before the race and got one of our many copies of our records. This contains every little detail from animals to formations and key points and cities and-!"

Override smirked, "What she means to say is it contains information all about our world. Separated and filed each with care but it is a copy so there are some secrets among it we usually edit out just in case of someone unwanted getting ahold of sensitive information. I hope you understand."

Bolt was nearly vibrating in place with excitement when Arcee handed it off to him from the strain its weight had against her smaller frame. He didn't hesitate to say, "Thank you! I love it! I will protect it with my life!"

Blurr pet Moonhunter before addressing Arcee. "You did good, Cybertronian. I haven't seen Cybertron itself in forever. Maybe one day, we can visit?"

"We would be honored," Megatron said. "Anytime."

Rockahilly bowed respectfully as did Silverstreak, but the latter hit Zoomkill upside the head when he wasn't paying attention. Arcee laughed a little as he growled in response. "You have some great skills, little darlin'. If you ever need us, just holler."

As everyone else said good-bye, Arcee was a little surprised when Silos called. "Nice racing, my dear. A strong finish and certainly an even better outcome. Second place is often looked down upon, but I say different. You are the winner to me. Now, the Energon Core. I have a client just outside the stadium awaiting delivery, if you would be so kind before you leave. I also am notifying you of this: Caminus is the Metal Head Leader's next target. I can meet you over there but not before tying up a few loose ends while everything's safe again. I thank you for your services above all."

Arcee peered around before saying, "I'll be right back. There's something I just want to see before I leave again. Won't take but a second."

Megatron and Bolt looked at each other while Moonhunter twitched his ears watching his master leave before wincing as Road Rage continued to cuddle him. Override didn't notice as her peers and friends praised her performance and as the media began to swarm the place.

Arcee went outside the stadium as directed and looked for anyone in particular that stood out. A few people were walking here and there, but she saw a lavender femme smoking a cyber-cigar with a skull gem bracelet. That was probably his client. As she approached, the femme blew smoke in her direction with a raised brow.

"You Silos' errand girl?"

"Maybe, who's asking?" Arcee prodded.

The femme grew a smirk, her tires rotating at her amusement. "Shellshock. I do business with Silos in Gyro Plains. He said you have the item of my interest, correct?"

Arcee kept her frown but didn't argue, relieving the Energon Core immediately. Shellshock looked over it and laughed, "You crazy bot. You actually got it? That's impressive. Lovely doing business with you, girlie."

Shellshock seemed to immediately contact Silos to confirm pickup as Arcee walked away. It didn't sit right that she had stolen it still, but what was done was done. She could only move on now, and hope Override would never hate her for what she had to do to help Velocitron, morals be damned.

When she returned, everyone was waiting for her, and she shrugged a bit awkwardly. "What can I say? I'm going to miss being here. I hate to race and run but we have other worlds we need to see about making peace with."

As the paparazzi took their pictures, Override said, "It's perfectly understandable. I enjoyed the race, and I think we'll miss you more. Farewell, Queen Arcee."

Bolt then activated his commlink. "Haywire, signal the boys to bring us home."

A space bridge suddenly appeared, cackling with energy parallel to the setting sun. Moonhunter didn't wait for them, running in first with Bolt following behind. Megatron offered his servo and Arcee took it. She then waved back with her free servo as her new allies cheered back. They vanished once they entered the vortex. Bolt and Moonhunter were seen only for a second within the light tunnel before vanishing to Cybertron. The two followed shortly after and were surprised to see the Allspark as well as Optimus, Bumblebee, and the other leaders waiting for them. Haywire and Scythe were on the side of the vortex.

Bumblebee asked, "Override made the alliance? We're now on good terms?"

Arcee nodded, "We have Velocitron. I think our next world to go to should be...Caminus."

Haywire seemed a little uncertain about that. "Okay. Well, let's get everything sorted out before you head there. A day should suffice."

Bolt snickered as he held up the data cylinder, "I'm going to need a day to read through even a third of this data. You two do what you need to do and call me when you're ready. Moonhunter, want to come along?"

The Nitrotiger purred and lifted his tail proudly following the Vehicon back to Iacon. Arcee didn't bother stopping her pet as she felt it would be good for the two to spend more time together. At least they weren't hissing at each other.

The Allspark sounded like it was smiling among its ghostly voices. "You've done well, Arcee. But there is still more you will learn. Fear not the demons that cross your path; their only strength is what you allow them to take from you."

Arcee hated to hear that but all she could do was nod. "Noted."

Grimlock and Predaking waited for her to get close before both nuzzled her. Predaking then said, "Didn't think we would stick around, did you?"

Grimlock laughed, "If you're wondering, we decided that since you helped us, we will help you whenever you need us on or off Cybertron."

Arcee was playfully pinballed between them shoulder to shoulder as she was separated from Megatron who was equally amused. "And you have the need to tell me this now?"

"Just wanted to make sure you knew. After all, the queen deserves protection," the Dinobot leader stated.

"And yet," Arcee started to mock, "if I recall correctly, I protected you from the universe being torn apart and shredded. Your kindness is appreciated but I think you need my protection, boys."

Both large faction leaders paused as the small femme continued to walk without them and looked at each other. They grunted surprised but said nothing as they couldn't come up with anything to counter such a comment.

Scythe suddenly said, "Heads up!"

Her instincts kicked in and using her speedster ability, she countered Scythe as he nearly jumped her. She pulled out her double-edged sword and held it against his neck in milliseconds. Everyone grew shocked as she grinned.

"Where the hell did you learn that?!"

"Call it a gift from the Velocitronians. Why are you trying to push me?" Arcee asked smugly.

Scythe grinned, "Only making sure you're on your feet, that Velocitron didn't make you soft. I was wrong."

Haywire snarled, "Scythe, you aft! Just let the queen breathe before you try to train with her again!"

Arcee sheathed her weapon and shook her head. "You know sneaking up on me is a bad idea."

"I know...but it's funny. That's the Decepticon way of greeting each other. Even ask Megatron."

She looked towards Megatron who merely gestured, walking off from the conversation. "It wasn't my idea."

Once everything calmed, they all returned to Iacon to the newly refurbished Nova Point, Optimus' command center. Perceptor was put in charge of communications between the planets. Arcee knew immediately who was on the other end of confirmation of Override's decision when Perceptor visibly winced as an excited voice nearly shattered his audio receptors. It was loud enough that Bumblebee and Grimlock backed away from him concerned.

Arcee laughed alongside Megatron on the side, much to Perceptor's anger. "Primus, I love Road Rage and her personality."

"Why is she called Road Rage if she's nice?" Predaking asked.

Neither answered like they were little kids keeping a joke between them. Only Megatron said, "Oh, there's a reason. You'd have to see it to believe though."

That only confused the Predacon more and he stared at them suspiciously while Perceptor had narrowed his optics just to try and focus on what Road Rage was saying more so than the bots around him.

Haywire sat beside Arcee at the conference table examining the written treaty Override offered. Among his silence, Arcee brought out the six Radiant Cores she had earned across her stay and organized them out of boredom. He noticed this immediately and raised a brow.

Arcee merely replied, "Cramming up my subspace. I think these cores can be used in massive amounts, but I wonder what for? Override had an Energon Core, a different type...but I heard it was stolen...unfortunately."

Megatron peered down at her front her left. "She said the Metal Heads stole it, but even she's still not sure. The cores are primarily used for weapons, mainly bombs I believe. In the wrong servos, these things can do considerable damage."

"That means they are more like a time bomb for me because I'm carrying so many. Haywire, don't suppose you can hang onto these or place them somewhere secure, can you?"

"I can...hey, Arcee, why do the incident reports attached mention 'endangerment from Metal Heads and Mourningstar'? Who is Mourningstar?"

She was hesitant to answer that last part on account of just who indeed. "A...uh, serial rapist and slave trader I helped bust. I got caught trying to free some of his victims when I accidentally stumbled upon them."

The warlord frowned, "You didn't mention the second half of that-"

"You busted a criminal while you were over there?" Bumblebee scoffed, "You always get into something. I'm amazed how you're still alive."

"Don't worry, Bolt's been asking the same thing ever since we met on the isle," she responded.

A burst of light had the Allspark reappear within the room but to their humor, its rings found themselves scraping against the ceiling as it was a bit too big to fit. Its color flared briefly orange in embarrassment before resuming its normal blue coloring. It caught sight of Arcee and spoke in an ominous tone.

"Arcee, I must speak to you alone."

Megatron grew annoyed, "You know, we're all a team. I think what you can tell her, you can tell us as well."

"It is not a direct concern of yours. And you would be wise to remember this, Megatron. Don't repeat what you lost the first time by making the same mistakes. History can and will repeat itself, as we all can attest. And you were doing so well..."

That shut Megatron up abnormally quick and Arcee noticed how tense he got as well as slightly saddened. He retreated to look away at Haywire's confusion. The most noticeable reactions though among the rest were Scythe and Optimus, both of whom seemed to immediately know what the Allspark was talking about. She knew about his relationship with Optimus but not all of it, though it sounded like he had another relationship with someone else that ended horribly too. She didn't press the matter but grew slightly curious as to what the Allspark directly meant.

The queen interjected, "It's okay, Megatron. I can handle it."

She left him to be with Haywire and went down to a lower level of Nova Point. Once she was in a suitable room, the Allspark spawned behind her. She was quick to say, "You didn't have to throw him under the bus like that."

"Listen, Arcee, something has changed, something darker than prior has been unleashed. Before, I saw the Metal Head Leader vividly on a set path of destruction but now, it seems your presence has awakened a new plot at a terrible price. I made a mistake of my own. I shouldn't have sent you to Velocitron."

"A little late, don't you think? I can finish this no matter what. I'll stop the Metal Head Leader and end this. That's a promise!" Arcee growled.

"But I cannot allow-"

"I can do it! Send us to Caminus as soon as possible. I helped you retrieve the relics, right? You gave me an insight, so I'm far more aware of the danger than ever before. It's fine."

The Allspark turned dark blue before sighing, "If that is what you wish. Just be careful. Nothing can stop the flow of time or anything that happens among it. Remember that."

Arcee huffed but merely made a quick bow and left. The Allspark, however, remained there growing solemn of the events of the past and soon-to-be events of the future.

Override sat drinking a glass of Energon as she looked over several documents of the Metal Head legion. With them gone as far as everyone knew and her guards reported, Velocitron was once again its same fast-paced, carefree environment. She looked at the Agility Cup trophy on her shelf among all her other trophies in her office with a sigh. Slowly, she smiled at the memory of racing and how Arcee had made the victory more fun than normal, a rare moment she was hardly used to.

She had sent Blurr to keep Road Rage out of trouble as she talked with the ranchers whom Override was thinking of making a deal with to buy a piece of their property for a scenic, medium league track to set up if they were alright with it. So far, Rockahilly was being quite nice about the idea, and she understood certain areas were off-limits due to their status among his family that he swore to protect. She agreed that they were best preserved too. It was so far in writing that Zoomkill and Silverstreak would each run the track in shifts if built under Rockahilly's command. That was fair.

One of her security guards walked in with a data pad of reports. He offered them to her, and she made a cozy spot for them on her desk. As soon as she finished with her current documents, she switched to the new one. They were mostly files about new proceedings against Mourningstar and all the evidence accumulated against him. Velocitron could breathe easier with him now in custody. However, one file caught her attention more than Mourningstar's upcoming trial.

With a signature from the commander of Robex Base, dubbed classified in red font on the top, there seemed to be an update on the stolen Energon Core. She expected to see the Metal Heads or maybe someone in league with them, but the results baffled her. She nearly spit out her drink bewildered. It made no sense. It could be...it should be. In the security footage holofeed, the culprit was none other than...

"Arcee?"

AN: Next up, the Interlude chapter. Override was fun to write in action. Now, Velocitronians move at extremely high speeds but in a video game, obviously it has to be a bit more fair than what might be canon. Of course, i couldn't let Arcee really win the race. Override isn't the leader by racing for nothing. But what does the future hold in regards to them? I will never tell...