CHAPTER 12 - RACING INTO TROUBLE
NORMAL P.O.V
Bright lights lit up the town of Jasper, Nevada in the distance, but for a red Aston Martin One-77 on the mountain road, they were certainly not heading into the direction of the small town.
"As Metropolitan PD continues to crack down on illegal street racing, citing the danger to both drivers and pedestrians-"
A hand reached out to switch off the radio while the car revved its' engine, both obviously uninterested by the local news report about illegal street racing issues. Instead, they were focused on heading towards the bright lights shining through the trees ahead… coincidentally towards the location of a street race being held on the outskirts of Jasper.
Three vehicles were lined up at the start line, ready and waiting to go. A boy holding up a torch walked up to prepare for the race start just as the final competitor pulled up.
Inside a black muscle car the Aston Martin had parked beside, a black haired, tattooed racer spared a glance at what he discovered was an unfamiliar race car, "Not from around here. European design?" His competitor remained silent, not even pulling down the window to acknowledge him. "Sure is pretty. Too pretty." The racer curled his hand into a fist, where he used his overly large and shiny ring to scratch a line onto the door of the European car.
Unsighted by the racer, the red vehicle's side mirror twitched upwards to get a closer look at the mark the human had scratched onto him. He moved his mirror towards the racer, and continued to remain silent. His competitor rolled his eyes and pulled up the heavily tinted window to prepare himself for the race.
"Big mistake," the red vehicle growled an angry whisper, switching gears.
"Stop crying about the ruined finish." A pair of human hands gripped the steering wheel. "You can fix it up after we've had our turn of ruining him."
In front of them, the man holding the torch lifted it up, and clicked it on.
All four vehicles spun their back wheels as they got off the start line, leaving the starter to watch them sped off. The green vehicle jumped into the lead first as they turned a bend, but it wasn't long before the black car came racing by both it and the blue car behind him, straight into the lead. All while behind them, the Aston Martin lagged in last place… waiting for the right time to begin the hunt.
The racer in the black vehicle checked his rear-view mirror and quickly picked up the pace, flames licking out the back of his exhaust pipe as he began to leave his opponents in the dust. At the nose of an approaching vehicle, he spared another glance at the mirror where he discovered one of his competitors squealing their tires around the bend… rapidly coming up to the back of his vehicle.
The red vehicle slammed hard into his back bumper, catching the racer in a mixture of shock and surprise, "HEEEY!"
As the pair of racing cars approached the bend, the black car turned sideways, trying to drift around the corner to get a better entry out. The red vehicle missed the turn entirely and slammed into his competitor once again. The driver lost control this time, flying off the edge of the nearby cliff and diving the front bumper first into the ditch.
The car landed on its roof, windscreen smashed and the driver groaning from the impact, "Dude…"
Back on the road, the Aston Martin sat at the edge of the cliff, shining his headlights on the accident scene, "You scratch my paint, I scratch yours."
"Now that we've taken care of that issue, let's go run away with this thing." His passenger adjusted the cap upwards on her head.
Knock Out chuckled as he pulled back onto the road, "You read my mind, Rose."
Without another second wasted, the pair drove back onto the road with intent on crossing the finish line first, no matter what…
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
Finally, the day was just about over. I was so looking forward to getting back to base and chilling out for a bit. Arcee and I had spent most of today patrolling throughout Jasper so we could be around to pick up Jack and Carly from school when they were ready. Miko and Rafael were likely going to be at base already by the time we got there. They'd left not too long ago with Bulkhead, as Bumblebee was away with Starlight and Ratchet on some sort of medical training bootcamp.
He could've done it at base, but he believed there would be 'too many distractions', and his course needed to be taken seriously…
I mean, we were all going to be doing the same bootcamp training with him at some point… I guess with the humans, and Sunburst and Aquastrike's constant banter, and us being in-and-out of base, it does make sense for him to take his course elsewhere…
Carly sat down on my form. I flicked my mirror to check if she was secure - I would've asked, but since the area was still populated with a few humans, it was better to be safe and check silently. I could sense Jack pulling Arcee out of the parking spot beside me. It was the same thing - we needed to remain as 'human' as possible while we were in Jasper.
"Hey, Cherry moped!"
I heard a loud and irritated sigh, "Not now Vince."
I flicked my mirror in the direction of who spoke. It was a boy with orange hair leaning up against this car with flames on it. Carly had mentioned this guy called Vince for a couple of weeks now, about how he was trying to get her to go out with him or something. According to her, he had dated the majority of the girls in their age group already, and she was one of the last that was still saying no… I knew she didn't say so, but she was getting a little frustrated over his persistence.
If it were up to me, he would've given up ages ago.
"Uhh, this moped has dual carbs and it can go from zero to sixty in three point five seconds."
Arcee could probably do that at an even faster pace if the circumstances were dire…
Jack and Arcee sped off first. Carly began pulling me out of the park so we could leave and join them…
"Offers' still on the table, Esquivel. Just saying."
I twitched my mirror up at Carly, who was looking back at that annoying kid. "Not even if you were one of the last human beings left, Vince."
I didn't waste any time speeding away from that sleazy kid. Punk's gonna get what's coming to him soon enough unless I get to him first… hopefully karma does before me…
Carly and I pulled up at the red light alongside our friends. "Uh… Jack?" That didn't sound like a happy tone from my teammate. "A lady's vital stats are her own business."
Jack's sigh made me laugh, "Lighten up, Arcee. We all know you can go faster than that any day of the week."
"Hey!" I flicked my mirror over at the human girls in skirts on the sidewalk… they looked familiar… "Nick, right?"
"Actually, it's Jack, Sierra." Carly looked like she was rolling her eyes under her visor…
Oh right! Sierra! The girl from that drive-in place where we met Jack for the first time… the same one that was the current object of Jack's affections… and who didn't exactly see eye-to-eye with Carly…
Sigh… she had yet to say anything about her crush on Jack to him because, in her terms, 'it hadn't been the right time'. Yet, she'd had plenty of time to pull him aside and say something about it. Miko had also been pushing her to say something too. For some reason Carly just wasn't eager to talk about it with either of us… Maybe she thought of it as being a lost cause, given that Jack was obviously still interested in someone else.
Though… Some of his actions when he was around Carly did suggest otherwise, and I knew very well I wasn't the only one seeing it.
"Sorry… I'm Sierra."
"I know," Jack nodded.
She gave him a weird look, "You once offered to take me for a ride?"
"...Of course, I-I did… at any time."
"Jack, what are you doing?" He seriously wasn't going to be doing this in front of Carly, right? Cause if he was, I certainly wasn't going to be leaving my friend here to wallow in her emotional misery.
"I'm your guardian, kiddo, not your wingman." Arcee sounded as eager as my thoughts.
"So... how about now?"
"Uhhh..." Jack was looking at Arcee like he was seriously considering going against his own guardian.
Squealing tires suddenly pulled up beside Arcee and Jack, "Hey, hey, small world!"
"Too small," I could hear Carly mutter.
I flicked my mirror to Jack, whose eyes appeared annoyed, "I'm… having a conversation."
Vince was climbing out of his seat and leaning onto his windscreen as if he didn't care, "Cheer captain here might enjoy watching you take on four wheels of muscle car."
I watched Carly push up her helmet visor, "Is your ego so deflated from my rejection of you that you need to prove yourself?" My girl had quite the mouth on her when she wanted.
No wonder Optimus assigned her to me.
"Anything to impress you, Esquivel." If we weren't in the presence of multiple humans that didn't know Cybertronians existed, I would've revved my engine angrily at Vince's smirk.
"I'm more impressed by you not picking on my brother for two months… It's not exactly a surprise as to why-"
"Carly, stop." I flicked my mirror at Jack turning to the other guy, "Are you challenging me, Vince?" He sounded like he was in disbelief. "To a race?"
I mean, I would sound like that too if he asked me or Arcee. After all, we'd had months of practice races just between us and we still hadn't found a true victor…
"You catch on quick, Ponch. What do you say?"
I could tell by Jack's uncertain posture and humm of thought that everyone was expecting his answer…
Don't think too much about it, Jack. It ain't happening.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
I knew exactly what Arcee was thinking, "Ohhh yep, let's go."
I looked up at the traffic lights, where they flashed green at what I considered to be the right time. Arcee and I revved up and out of the situation before either Jack or Carly could even consider an answer… though next time, we'll have to make sure they're both ready for us to move as we just about threw them off…
"You didn't let me answer?!" Jack was obviously unhappy with us deciding for him.
"Nope."
Ow, Carly! Why the sudden grip on the handlebars?! "'Swept, Jack and Arcee can beat him easy!"
"Yup."
No doubt Arcee was in agreement with me, but was she going to go out of her way to prove it when this kind of thing wasn't allowed in the rulebook? Absolutely not.
Jack was sighing, "You just don't get it."
"'Swept and I don't make the rules, Jack. Optimus does," Arcee told him as we pulled up to the next red light.
"Section three, rule number one: never abuse power for personal gain." …Woah, I'm starting to sound like Sunburst. "And that includes a little thing called horsepower!" I flicked my mirror up at them sharing defeated glances - they knew Arcee and I were right… but I still felt bad for them. "Sorry."
That unfortunately familiar car engine revved up beside Jack again.
"Vince, maybe racing isn't such a good id-"
That punk suddenly burst out into laughter as if he expected Jack to decline him, "I figured! You ride around like your bike's something special. But it's just a chunky, clunky trike! And ugly!"
…He said WHAT about my friend?!
"Couldn't help yourself, could you Vince?" Carly was clearly annoyed at him on my behalf.
"There's room in this car for two, Carly. You never know when your slow little pedal bike will break down in the middle of nowhere."
… PEDAL BIKE?! SLOW?!
"THAT'S IT! The yahoo's going down!"
"Scrap yeah, it is!"
That whole thing about rules? Scrap that! I'll race that little punk-aft and put him in his place!
"Whoa! What happened to rule number one?!"
"Gets bent. Just this once."
"You better embarrass him, Arcee!"
Oh you bet she will, Carly!
Section five, rule number one: do not mess with the female-identifying Autobots of Team Prime. We may be outnumbered, but we'll be able to scrap you into pieces with our optics closed… and then some.
"Yo girls! Your pal Darby he's-"
"Ready when you are Vinnie!" We pulled up beside his car.
Vince looked amused at Jack's sudden change of mind, "Dirt road by Drucker's Ranch. One hour."
Let's do this.
The hour had passed and everything was all set to go. Arcee and Jack, and Vince and his car were parked at the mile marker down the road with Sierra and her friend. Carly and I were at the next mile marker ready and waiting for whoever crossed it first.
I flicked my mirror up at Carly. Her visor was up, so I could clearly see the look of indifference on her face that she was trying to display. We both knew that Jack had more motive than just wanting to beat Vince because he offended us. I also knew that she was trying to not let herself show her jealousy. I mean, she wasn't usually a jealous person anyway, it was just hard seeing her care for someone that didn't seem to really see what he was missing.
As far as what Miko and Carly had said, Sierra was the popular cheerleading captain at their school who seemed too perfect for her own good. On top of that, she received attention from the guys on a regular basis. Hmph… she's not even that pretty...
Carly was beautiful, smart, funny - call me cliche at using what was probably considered the usual words to describe someone, but she truly was and more. A quick thinker, selfless and with an outgoing and bubbly attitude that could lift anyone's spirit up in a sparkbeat… But don't be fooled, because while she was all those things, she certainly wasn't perfect. Her selfless decisions haven't always been the best ideas, and sometimes she could let her frustration get the best of her…
That was Carly though. My best human friend.
"It's starting!"
I focused my attention to the road where Vince's car had easily pulled away from Jack and Arcee. He must've pulled some dirty trick to get ahead.
"Smash his aft, Arcee!" I commed to her.
"I will if I don't win."
Vince and Jack went sailing past Sierra and her friend and were quickly approaching Carly and I. Vince was probably thinking he was going to get away with victory easily with Jack and Arcee behind him… but he didn't know them like we did.
Arcee was going to make that boy cry…
As I expected, they suddenly pulled out alongside Vince, and slingshot past him with Jack giving a wave of what was likely a smug farewell as they sped up the road.
Let's go!
They rushed past us with the win. I could hear Jack cheering and Arcee honking her horn in victory. I revved up my engine and drove out onto the road with Carly to catch up with them.
"You know, now might be a good time to give Sierra a quick once around the block?"
Carly pulling her visor down was enough of a hint that she was done with all things Sierra for the day. I know I certainly was as well.
"Don't push it." Clearly, Arcee was too.
NORMAL P.O.V
As the Decepticon Warship floated through the quiet, night sky, work was beginning on buffing out the wounds on the still comatose Lord Megatron. Breakdown held the buffer at his leader's chest plating, gently hovering the tool across the smoke-covered marks.
"Ahh, Breakdown." The Decepticon warrior turned to the pair of Seekers entering the room. "Has there been any change in Megatron's condition?"
He hummed briefly at Starscream's question, "Only cosmetic."
"Well, I am sure that you and the good doctor have been doing everything in your power," The male Seeker nodded.
Slipstream pursed her lips at her true leader. She was beginning to grow further uncomfortable with her twin's deceit. Alternatively, the loyalty between her twin and her leader divided her, as despite her devotion to Megatron, her split-spark kept her tied to her twin.
"One day, our true leader will return to us."
"Don't worry your pretty little spark, Slipstream." Slipstream's eyes gave a roll of irritation at Moonlight making her presence known. "You brought Knock Out and Breakdown in for a reason, you should have every confidence they can bring him back to life, hmm?"
Slipstream breathed in a deep intake, and allowed herself to release it slowly in an attempt to calm herself, "I appreciate your concern over my own twisted spark, nevertheless, as you had made clear, I do have every confidence in the work ability of my acquaintance."
"Speaking of your acquaintances, where is Knock Out?" Starscream glanced around the medical room.
The doors suddenly slid open, revealing a far-from-happy Cybertronian medic stomping into the room. His current emotion was not matched by the person standing on his shoulder, appearing highly smug over something.
Slipstream placed her hands on her hips in annoyance. There was only one reason why Knock Out and Rebecca had suddenly begun getting along with one another.
The doors of the medical bay slid shut, "Can you believe what some skinjob did to me?" Knock Out huffed angrily, pointing out the scratch on his arm armour.
"I told you to stop grumbling already! It's bringing my mood down!" Rebecca removed her signature cap, attaching it to her belt loop. "Can't you be happy we won… again?!"
"You two have been street racing among the humans again, haven't you?!"
It was no secret amongst the Warship that both Knock Out and Rebecca had found common ground in the form of street racing, and were eagerly inputting their involvement into it on a regular basis. It was something the twin Seekers were beginning to become frustrated with, as their enthusiasm for it was growing quickly.
"I'm not only an auto-mobile, I am an auto-mobile enthusiast!" Knock Out cocked his head towards Rebecca. "And Rose has a taste for victory. A win-win."
"I do strive to run a tight ship, Knock Out. I would strongly suggest that you and Rebecca seek my permission next time you decide to disappear on one of your little 'jons'."
Knock Out was smirking, "No worries, Herr Kommandant."
Starscream's facial expressions dropped abruptly, "It is Lord to you."
"Only if Megatron takes a nosedive!" Rebecca sing-songed smugly.
Starscream snarled as he approached the medical officer and the enhanced human, "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 was met by a pair of unfazed expressions as his response. Deciding against reacting to their carelessness, Starscream spun around towards the doors. "So continue buffing. We do want Megatron looking his best for the memorial."
The Decepticons scattered afterwards, with Slipstream in tow of her twin while Moonlight moved to another part of the medical bay. Breakdown was turning back towards his stasis leader to continue his work when Knock Out suddenly raised his arm to him.
"Buff this!"
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
We wasted no time returning to base after the race. It had taken us longer than necessary given that we ended up further away from the base than we had initially planned, but we needed to return to not raise suspicions with the others. After all, they would've likely assumed we were already here. No one needed to know about the race... if they did figure it out, then obviously, we'd explain it was for good reason... mostly...
We took an alternate route into the base that led us into the hallways. Hopefully the others believed we had been here for a while and we'd just been training or something.
"'Swept?" I pulled up so Jack and Arcee could go on without us. Carly's tone sounded uncertain. "Should I tell Jack about… you know?"
Honestly? Yes. If it was something that was she was going to stew over and put herself into more misery, then yes. However, I didn't want to meddle too much; she needed to make that decision for herself.
I transformed, and remained at my knee plates before my friend, "I think you know what you need to do."
Carly gave me a look that suggested she did.
I stood up and walked over to Jack and Arcee. They had stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked as if they were waiting on us for something.
Arcee was looking between the three of us, "Not a word to anyone."
"Our little secret," Jack winked at us.
Arcee and I began walking away from them. I trusted them enough that they would keep it between them. If Optimus found out we went and broke the rules he enforced - his two-ICs, no less - then we'd be in a whole bunch of scrap.
"Carly gonna tell Jack about her feelings?" Arcee asked quietly.
I hummed, "Hope so." I really did.
NORMAL P.O.V
As the pair of Cybertronians walked away, Carly glanced at the person of her affections, nervously fidgeting with the straps of her helmet. Her guardian was right - she knew what needed to be done. If she didn't tell Jack about her feelings, by the time she felt ready to tell him, it would be too late.
"Jack?" The elder teenager turned to Carly expectantly. "I have something to te-"
"DUDES!" An excited Miko suddenly appeared between the two, making excited revving noises and acting like she was riding a motorcycle. "And the winner is…!"
Jack and Carly exchanged a look of concern. News of the former's victory against Vince had already been spreading around their social circles.
Carly's feelings had to wait a bit longer.
"Miko, wh-who told you?" Jack stuttered to ask.
The girl in question gave the boy a look of disbelief, "You're kidding? It's all over school!"
"You beat the pants off that blow-hard bully, Vince!" The younger brother of Carly appeared behind Jack with a huge and happy smile on his face.
The two eldest teenagers shared another look of concern. There was potential for the race to be heard by more of the Autobots now that Miko and Raf knew.
Carly pulled Miko into a huddle with the boys, "Guys, we have to keep this hush hush!"
Jack was nodding in agreement, "Especially from Optimus!"
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
So Carly didn't tell Jack about her feelings, but it was better that she prioritised keeping Miko and Rafael quiet about the race yesterday. According to them, Jack had quickly become an overnight sensation after beating Vince, and his popularity had started to sky rocket. A lot of their classmates were either messaging Jack or Carly about the race. Though, my girl had become less concerned about all the messages and had suddenly become interested in how Vince was taking the loss… he was prone to making a big deal out of things when they didn't go his way, apparently.
Footsteps made me focus my attention on Jack and Carly walking out of school. They appeared to be having a serious conversation... Maybe she was finally telling him everything.
"Hey Jack! I've been looking for you!" Great… Sierra… "The race! How great was that? I was like 'Yeah, go Jack!'" I could see Carly's expressions become a little uncomfortable now that Sierra was here. That answered my wonders of if she said something about her feelings.
"I-I-It was no big deal-"
"You got that right!" Where the frag did Vince come from? Was he really that annoyed with Jack beating him yesterday that he had to shove past him like that? "If you think you can with the big boys, the circuit. Tonight. Eleven PM."
"What makes you think he'll agree to that?" Carly asked. "He doesn't have to do anything you demand, right Jack?" …I think he was too focused on Sierra waiting for an answer in front of him to even answer her… "Jack?!"
"Or how about this?" I wanted to rev up at Vince approaching Carly. "If you don't turn up tonight and win, I finally get that date with Esquivel."
What?
"Did Vince just involve Carly in this?" The tone Arcee had in the private comm was a little frightening.
…Then again, so were my thoughts over this punk-aft human who thought he controlled this narrative over Carly.
"I'm not some play thing you can bet on, Vince. What's wrong with you?!" My human friend sounded just as enraged as me.
"Y-Yeah, Carly's right." Finally, Jack seemed to awaken from his nightdream… whatever it's called. "This is between you and me."
"Not anymore. You beat me when I should've won, so this time I make the rules." It was taking everything in me not to give up my cover… especially when Vince decided to throw an arm over Carly. "If you weren't so clueless Darby, I would've stopped chasing this one weeks ago."
…Vince knew about Carly's feelings for Jack?
"Shut up, Vince!" Carly couldn't get out of that punk's grip and come running my way quick enough.
"How about you tell him, Esquivel? You've liked Jack as long as we've been in school!"
How dare that boy say everything Carly has been wanting to say to Jack?! It wasn't his place to take that decision away from her! Ughh, if I wasn't a government secret, that kid would b-
"'Swept, let's go." I must've been so deep in my thoughts that I didn't hear Carly arrive.
…As much as I wanted to stay for Jack's choice, I knew better than to leave a friend in a vulnerable position. So I pulled out of the parking to trundle down the road. Hope Jack sees my rearview mirrors still on him. I would be glaring weapons at that boy if he said yes.
"Are you okay?"
"Not really." Carly's voice sounded a little emotional. "I can't believe Vince did that."
I couldn't believe it either. It wasn't Vince's place to say something about her feelings for Jack. Even if he somehow figured it out or if it was that obvious… The next time I see that boy, he better watch out because I'm gonna-
"You agreed to WHAT?!" I flicked my side mirrors behind me. Arcee was rapidly approaching us, and based on her tone, she was not happy.
…Actually, that was an understatement. I hadn't heard her so angry in ages. But if she's so frustrated…
Oh…
"Please tell me you did not agree to Vince's race offer." I didn't bother formulating my response into a question.
"It was some sort of secret racing club! I don't know! I had no choice! Sierra was standing right there!" Hold up… he said yes because of Sierra?
This boy...
"Actually forget about that. Carly, what was Vince talking about?"
"It's nothing, Jack." I could tell by her tightening grip on my handle bars that she wasn't interested in talking about this right now.
"You having feelings for me is nothing? H-How long have you had feelings?" Why did Jack sound so… eager to talk about this? "Were you even going to tell me?"
Carly released a defeated sigh, "I was going to before Vince opened his mouth…" It was clear she had thought about not having this discussion now, but changed her mind. "Yes, I have feelings for you. It's been like this for a long time. I'm sorry if this causes problems with your plan to… woo Sierra." Her tone had changed drastically.
She sounded so hurt.
"Jack, I'm not 'forgetting' about this agreement you made with Vince." Arcee interrupted the growing tension. "You always have a choice. And what part of 'just this once' did you not understand?"
Honestly, that was the least of my concerns.
"I know. I'm sorry." Jack was looking at Carly. "But I said yes for the right reasons… I think."
"To impress Sierra?" My tone was still angry.
"And to beat Vince."
Right… Vince said if he beat Jack, then he would get his date with Carly… So if Jack said yes to the race, and if it wasn't all because of Sierra… then he was going for Carly. Huh... Maybe Vince was right... unfortunately - maybe Jack was clueless…
"But… we're on, right?"
"We are not on." Arcee knew better than to say yes twice after breaking the rules once.
If Jack was going to this meeting tonight - which I believed he should - he was going to have to find someone to go in Arcee's place. There was no way I was going to be her replacement; I was already recognised as Carly's motorcycle.
Vince appeared stupid. Clearly, he wasn't.
Bumblebee was away with Ratchet and Star. Bulkhead's not a racing kind-of 'Bot, and Aquastrike's not going to be back from patrolling until later this evening... Which only left one 'Bot… One who could easily, and happily, match the speed of Arcee and I, and Vince's car.
But would he say yes? Primus, I hope so.
NORMAL P.O.V
Out on the open roads where evening was beginning to set in, the same red Aston Martin from the nights before was casually racing down the road. Patrolling the area and awaiting for action.
"Knock Out, the twins have been looking for you and Rebecca again. Where did you go?"
"Out for a little drive," Knock Out responded to his partner, "Rose and I just roll from town to town sniffing around until…" The sounds of a beeping horn interrupted the Decepticon.
Rebecca Rose sat up from her comfortable spot in the driver's seat at the noise, looking to the side mirror. An old muscle car, light purple with yellow flames, rushed by them like they were on a mission. The human pursed her lips thoughtfully, "Until the next opportunity presents itself."
Knock Out switched off his communications link and adjusted his gears, "We're on?"
The powered human pulled the cap over her eyes, "Oh, we're on, all right."
The Decepticon pair sped after the muscle car, eager to see where he was going, bypassing a sign that said they were heading straight into the small town of Jasper.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
"Come on, Sunshine! You know I don't ask for much out of you!"
"I've done a lot for you in my time, 'Swept. I'm not doing this."
My attempts to talk Sunburst into taking Arcee's place for the race tonight were failing. I knew he was going to reject my request. After all, this was the same 'Bot who highly respected Optimus and his rules. I honestly should've known better than to ask him… it was that he was really the only option. Aquastrike was still out on patrol and Bulkhead was shaking his helm because racing wasn't his thing, and I - for obvious reasons - couldn't go.
Sunburst had a fast vehicle form, one that could easily outpace me and Arcee if he wanted. He could totally smoke Vince.
I heard a sudden crashing sound from the television set Rafael and Carly were on. Our arguing must've distracted them… but at least for the moment, Carly's attention was elsewhere.
"You guys know racing's against the rules," Rafael reminded us, "What if Optimus found out?"
"This is exactly why I'm not going. I'm not disregarding the rules he set in place for a reason!"
"But Raf, Sunburst, he's gotta get the girl!" Raf was pulling a face at Miko, which was probably warranted considering the girl Jack was trying to impress wasn't his sister. "And beat the bully! And get him to leave you guys alone!"
I was surprised Miko wasn't suggesting that Carly was the girl Jack was trying to win over, as she had known about her feelings for a while. She hadn't been exactly thrilled about the situation when we got here, though...
Jack turned to my partner, "Come on, Sunburst. Just this once?"
Where have I heard that sentence before?
"Your tone suggests this wouldn't be the first time you've said that." Smartaft.
...He wasn't exactly wrong, however.
I grabbed his wrist plating, pulling him towards me, "Sunshine, I'm begging at this point; please don't think about the rules for once. I know you well enough that if it were a life or death situation where it involved rules and friends or family, you'd be on our side without a sparkbeat."
As Optimus' two-IC, I knew I shouldn't have been encouraging this. But I would break every damn rule in the rule book and more if it meant Carly was safe or wasn't in a position that made her uncomfortable. I wasn't going to let Vince have any sort of power over this situation.
"This isn't a life or death situation, 'Swept."
"Seriously Sunburst, I'm doing everything Miko's saying." Jack was sounding desperate.
"We all know you're pretty fast, Sunshine. Think of this as pride!"
Sunburst looked like he was thinking. He was actually considering this. For once, Miko's words were helpful - because Sunburst valued his pride as much as rules. He knew deep down he could walk away a winner.
My partner looked at me with an unhappy expression, "So we're clear 'Swept, I'm not doing this for pride."
Relief rushed through my systems at his confirmation.
I glanced over at Jack, where he was moving to Carly and bending down in front of her. She was unreadable when you looked at her facial expressions. She hadn't really said much since we got back…
"Sunburst and I are gonna win for you and Raf, okay?" Jack's hand was hovering over hers, but it looked as if he couldn't get himself to actually touch her.
Carly returned his look after a while, but even then, there was no smile on her face, "You better come back a winner. You know I'm not a fan of losers." One thing I loved about my human partner was that she was still her cheeky self, even if the situation was dire - though I wouldn't describe this situation dire.
Jack didn't respond, but I don't think he had anything he had to say. Besides, he couldn't wait around any longer.
There was a race he needed to get to!
NORMAL P.O.V
The moon shone bright and full, its light casting downwards upon the yellow 2009 Nissan GT-R arriving onto the track. The engine revved lightly as it drove past the other racers with their vehicles, pulling up beside their passenger's main competitor.
The window rolled down for Jack to glare menacingly at the person in the black muscle car Sunburst had pulled up beside. Feeling the stare, Vince turned to his right, shock covering his face at what Jack had pulled up in.
"Bike's in the shop." He casually rested an arm on the door.
Vince smirked - this had become a real race now.
In front of the two racers, a young girl appeared. Jack turned his attention back to the windscreen. A smile graced his face upon discovering Sierra in front of him, waving at him. His focus on the girl made him ignore the angry glare his rival presented.
"Circuit drivers, are you ready? Make it mean but keep it clean! Fire 'em up in five… four… three…" Another competitor silently joined the racers at the back, in the form of a red Aston Martin.. "Two… One… !"
Sierra swung her arms down, signalling the start of the race.
The five race cars zoomed ahead, with Vince grabbing the lead early into the first two corners. It wasn't long until Sunburst's Nissan form suddenly pulled along his outside as they turned into the third corner, giving the lead to himself and Jack. Behind them, the rest of the racers lagged behind… except for one…
"Sunburst," The Aston Martin muttered in recognition.
"Old acquaintance?" Rebecca gripped the steering wheel as they turned onto a straight.
"You... may say that."
The enhanced human smirked, "Oh, he's that kind of acquaintance."
The Decepticon pair started pulling up alongside Vince, who was struggling to keep up with the quick Nissan ahead. The human glanced to his left at the Aston Martin coming up beside him… and who immediately started punting him to the side.
At the collision noise, Sunburst adjusted his rear view mirror to check what was going on behind him. It was a sight that had him growling, "You have to be joking me."
Jack was spinning around in his seat, "What's going on?"
Sunburst led the way through the next turns, with his new competitor right on his tail, "We've got company, Jack, and not the good kind."
The boy flicked his eyes to the rearview mirror again, "Wait. I know that car."
"And he's not alone." His teen-aged passenger sat up closer to the mirror, and gasped at the human figure in the driver's seat.
He was soon gasping again, this time as Sunburst took control of the driving and directed himself to the wall of the circuit, taking Knock Out and Rebecca with him. The sounds of a weapon activating had Jack looking back in his seat once more, as Knock Out began firing at them from his blaster weapon above his rear wheel. Sunburst moved left and right to dodge the firepower, but he knew very well this was only the beginning of what was likely going to be an all-out battle between himself and the Decepticon.
"Scrap this!" The Nissan sped over the wall, flying out of the circuit.
…With Knock Out immediately in pursuit.
Behind them, an astonished Vince couldn't believe what he was seeing, "What the?"
Up ahead, the Autobot and Decepticon vehicles returned to the ground, this time on the road as Knock Out returned to firing his blaster at them.
"Can you lose him, Sunburst?"
"You better hope I can, Jack."
"I will be. 'Cause I'd rather not have to call base for back-up."
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
The tone of the base had brightened up a bit more now that Carly was in a much better mood. It was easy to tell it was because Jack had left, but it was harder to figure out why she was happy that Jack had gone, and if it had something to do with the race or not. Regardless, she was having fun watching Miko and Rafael race in the entertainment area like the rest of us were.
Light footsteps made me turn towards… Arcee coming in, "Anyone seen Jack? Or Sunburst? I need a new sparring partner."
Scrap.
I looked at the humans. It looked like no one knew what to say, based on the uncertain looks they were sharing with each other.
"Haven' seen 'im! Didn' even know y'all were 'ere anyway!" That was because Aquastrike had only come back to the base about five kliks ago…
Arcee's optics were narrowing, "Carly?"
My girl was not meeting my teammates optics. She was clearly not trying to give away anything by not speaking, but her facial expressions were saying otherwise… "N-Not since… we last saw him."
I had never seen Arcee look so angry… "They're racing, aren't they?"
"Just this once." Poor Rafael looked like he was shaking holding up that one digit like Jack did earlier.
"Did you three know about this?" I could feel Arcee's scowl on me.
"Abso-tutely not!" Of course Aquastrike didn't - she wasn't even here!
I swear the scowl of my other partner's face intensified when I looked up at her, "Maybe…"
"A little," Bulkhead mumbled behind me.
Arcee's sigh of obvious disappointment was interrupted by a beeping coming from the monitors. "Houston, we may have a problem." What the heck is a Houston?! "We're being chased by Knock Out, and let's just say he's faster than he looks."
Scrap.
"You're being chased by Knock Out?" Rafael sounded like he was trying to identify the 'Cons name…
"That sounds like a Decepticon."
"That's because he is one, Miko." He was one of the 'Cons that ambushed the Energon Harvester mission last week.
"All the dang 'Cons ya coulda had on ya tailpipe..."
"Not helping, Aquastrike."
"Calm down, Sunburst." I walked closer to the monitors. "We're on our way."
"Your first priority is to keep Jack safe. Until I get my hands on him."
…All the time in the training room for Arcee was literally a waste now…
NORMAL P.O.V
Sunburst continued to dodge the firepower from his enemy, but he knew it was time he changed tactics to get away from him. With back-up on the way, he needed to get Jack to safety. So he began leaking oil out the rear of his vehicle over the road. Behind him, the Aston Martin hit the oil and began to skid out of control, causing him and Rebecca to give yells of frustration as they spun out.
Jack glanced over his shoulder with a smirk, "Slick."
Sunburst chuckled, "I know." He shone his headlights at the road ahead, spotting a bridge coming up. "This is where we lose them." The Nissan pulled to the side of the road and down the wall back on the circuit. He reversed backwards until his vehicle form was covered by the bridge above him, switching his headlights off and hoping that his enemy wouldn't find him in his hiding spot.
His chaser, the Aston Martin, turned onto the road the bridge was on and slowed to a stop. Headlights turned off and his engine cut out.
Waiting for anything that would give him a sign that their prey was nearby.
Engines were refired, with gears being switched in Knock Out's vehicle form. In frustration, the Decepticon spun his wheels as he drove onwards.
Having heard the vehicle above driving off, Jack gave a hopeful smile, "I think we lost him, Sunburst."
Bright lights shone upon Sunburst's vehicle form, making Jack look out the window screen at a vehicle approaching them. It pulled to a stop, allowing the boy to see the familiar bonnet of the car before them.
If Jack needed any more confirmation of who it was, then it came in the form of the driver stepping out of the vehicle. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!"
Vince punched his fist into his open palm angrily, "Darby…"
Inside the Aston Martin that had left the bridge, Rebecca Rose was looking through the mirrors in case they had missed something that would suggest where Sunburst's whereabouts was. She glanced towards the side mirror, where bright lights were suddenly illuminating the area below the bridge.
A smirk of victory appeared onto her face, "Stop."
Knock Out did as he was told, and twitched his mirrors lower. He switched his gears once more, this time into reverse…
"Vince! You have to get out of here! You win, okay! Congratulations! Now go!"
Vince slammed his hands down onto the roof of the Nissan, "No. Start 'er back-up, loser. We're finishing this race! Don't wanna take it to the finishing line? Fine! Then we've got something to settle about your little girlfriend. Right here, right now!"
A clawed hand suddenly plucked the boy up before he could say another word.
"Knock Out!" Sunburst yelled.
Above them, Knock Out and Rebecca overlooked the human with intrigue before the former threw the boy high into the sky. The Decepticon transformed back into his car form, leaving his roof open for Rebecca and Vince to fly into the front seats. Seatbelts immediately snaked around the latter, securing him tightly into the passenger seat.
"What's going on?!" The boy cried helplessly.
Beside him, Rebecca smirked with a wave, "Night night, handsome."
In front of the human, an Energon Zapper appeared and immediately activated, shooting the human into unconsciousness. Happy with their catch, the Aston Martin re-fired his engine and took off, leaving a horrified Jack chasing after them.
"Breakdown, you'll never guess what Rose and I are packing! Sunburst's human friend!" Knock Out gushed excitedly to his partner.
Rebecca laughed happily, "And as all good 'Bots do, they'll come running after him like the 'heroes' they are. But, when they attempt to stage a rescue…"
"They have a... BREAKDOWN!" The Decepticon on the other side of the communications link laughed maniacally.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
It felt like something had happened that the rest of us had missed. We were approaching Jack and Sunburst, who were out on the road and looking at something in the distance. Whatever it was, we couldn't see it, but it still had Jack yelling panickedly. He was saying something about honking once for bad news, honking twice for good news.
Arcee was doing the 'honk twice for good news' option when we got to them. When she transformed into her Cybertronian form like the rest of us, she was clearly still unhappy by what Jack was doing, "Jack, we need to have a little chat."
"Later, Arcee. Vince got snatched by that slick sports car 'Con!"
Knock Out took Vince?!
Ohhh, this was going from bad to worse.
"What would Knock Out want with a random human?"
"He probably mistook Vince for Sunburst's human friend. I-I'm not even Sunburst's human friend!" Jack was babbling his response to Arcee. "I-I-I don't know. It doesn't matter why they took him! Vince is in trouble!"
"Oh well. Tough break for Vince."
I scowled. It didn't matter that he was a punk-aft kid with serious boundary issues. He was still an innocent human that didn't need to be part of our war!
"Bulkhead!"
"Got what was comin' to him, Jack! Guy's a scrap-stirrin' jerk 'nd a half!"
"Don't encourage this." Sunburst voiced exactly what I was thinking; all he got in return was Aquastrike waving him off.
"No argument there, Aqua, but the guy is also innocent! Vince doesn't deserve to get crushed by 'Cons!"
"Finally, some common sense." Why was everyone glaring at me like that? "Come on, Jack's right. You guys know I'm not a fan of him either, and if I had a choice, he would've backed off of Jack and Carly ages ago. But the last thing we need is another human casualty on our hands. Do we want another Rebecca Rose?" I hadn't even thought about that until it suddenly appeared in my mind, and honestly, it terrified me a little.
The glares I was being given were softening, probably in realisation, because at the end of the day, I was right. We needed to get Vince out of harm's way, and the sooner, the better.
Arcee suddenly transformed beside us, "Hop on." Her headlights were flashing and her engine was revving.
…It was a shame Vince was a human… but oh well, let's go save this kid.
NORMAL P.O.V
Carly, Miko and Raf hovered over the communication systems above the Groundbridge, waiting for any news on the situation between their Autobots and the Decepticons. But the longer no communications were coming through, the more concerned the trio were becoming.
"They should've called by now!" Carly was biting her lip nervously. "'Swept and the others should be okay, right?"
"Don't worry, Carly." Miko took her friend's hand into hers. "Bulkhead won't let anything happen to the guys!"
Large footsteps made the trio of humans turn to a sight none of them wanted to see, as the person entering the room was the exact person no one wanted to know about the situation that was unfolding.
Raf looked at his sister and their friend with concern, "We should just tell Optimus the truth!"
"Absolutely not! We made a deal!"
"Miko's right! Just act normal-"
"Raf, Miko, Carly." The latter was interrupted by the Autobot leader greeting them, his eyes glancing around the main room momentarily before resting completely on the trio. "Do any of you know where the others have gone?"
"Why no, sir, we do not know." Carly gritted her teeth at Miko's robotic response.
"Miko is correct. We do not know.' Her brother's tone was similar, unable to look at and lie to their leader in the eye.
"Why would we know?"
Optimus raised an eyebrow with an unconvinced hum.
Carly looked away defeatedly, "So much for 'act normal'."
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
We had separated and chased Knock Out and Rebecca all the way into Jasper after we spent so much of the last hour trying to locate them. Carly, Miko and Rafael had suddenly become out of reach to help us find his signal, which meant it became harder trying to find him. Sunburst and Aquastrike had finally managed to get a glimpse of Knock Out in town, but once we had all regrouped again, he had disappeared.
We stopped at a stop sign… just as a familiar colour scheme drove by.
Arcee and I raced after him with Sunburst, Aquastrike and Bulkhead behind us. I could see Knock Out twitching his mirror as if he and Rebecca were trying to identify us. Who knows? He must've recognised us because he suddenly made a sharp turn to the right.
He may have bought back up. We needed to be cautious. "Be on your guard, team. This likely could be a trap."
"And remember, no shooting!" Jack reminded the trio.
"As if I intend on breaking any more rules, tonight," Sunburst quietly scoffed as he, Aqua and Bulk took off ahead of Arcee and I.
"Speaking of safety, here's where you get off." Jack did as he was told before Arcee followed after the team.
I pulled up beside Jack. It may not have been the best time to say something about his situation with Carly, but he needed to hear this. "Please, while you're here, think about your feelings. I can see you care about Sierra… I also know you think differently about Carly too." When Jack took his helmet off, I could see that reluctant look of agreement on his face. "Don't hurt them, just be honest."
I sped off. I didn't need to hear anything from Jack, but I hope he understood the message I was getting across. He definitely was conflicted over his feelings. I just wanted him to do the right thing.
I turned into the area cautiously - it was some sort of large car park in what appeared to be an industrial area. Bulk, Sunshine and Aqua were further up ahead with their weapons ready… I flicked my mirror around in search of Arcee. I found her, high above the others on a water tower. I transformed and scaled it up to join her - she may as well have back-up too just in case someone attacked from high above.
Bright lights suddenly came on in front of the others. A large crash noise followed. Breakdown and Moonlight raced up to attack the others. They dodged Breakdown's swing just in time, before he began attacking Sunburst and Bulkhead. Aquastrike was fighting Moonlight nearby…
Where's Knock Out…?
NORMAL P.O.V
Knock Out and Rebecca watched from their stationary positions as the fight between the Autobots and Decepticons continued. Aquastrike slammed Moonlight onto the ground hard just as Breakdown was gathering the upper hand in his battle with Bulkhead and Sunburst. He punched his enemy down, as blaster shots from his other competitor began raining onto his back. The former Stunticon turned around, charging after Sunburst fiercely.
As their captured human remained unconscious despite the action nearby, Rebecca pursed her lips thoughtfully. Five Autobots had been on their tail, but only three were present in the fight.
"Where's the two wheelers?" Knock Out had been thinking the same thought…
Just as something landed hard onto the Decepticon's vehicle form.
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
Arcee leapt down onto Knock Out's vehicle form and punched his roof as if she was attempting to break him down to save Vince… I mean, it was worth the try, but it was probably gonna take a lot more than that to get to him.
"HEY! WATCH THE PAINT!" The angered Decepticon took off immediately… taking Arcee with him.
I couldn't scramble down from the water tower quick enough. Arcee was not going after him alone, so I returned to my vehicle form and followed them out of the car park.
Knock Out flicked his form to the left so quickly that he sent my friend off his roof. I kicked my speed to chase after him as the familiar sounds of transformation filled my audios. Arcee was coming with in this chase too.
I adjusted my mirror to look at Jack watching us speed up the road. Hopefully the others remember to pick him up on the way once they're done with the 'Cons…
NORMAL P.O.V
Breakdown charged at Aquastrike, his raised and angry fists that would've been able to slam the Autobot down had she not leapt out of the way in time. He swung a fist once more towards her, but as previously done, she dodged to his right quickly. The Decepticon swung his arm back, his elbow this time collecting his enemy and sending her down the pavement.
Aquastrike was soon joined by her teammate Sunburst, who went tumbling to the ground by a thrilled Moonlight. The Autobots could only watch as their Decepticon foes moved towards them.
"Hey Breakdown, Moon, things got messy for Knock Out and I so we've hit the road."
"One scream is enough for today."
The black and pink Decepticon held a twisted grin, slowly raising her bladed weapon above her head, "Thanks for inviting us to the fun."
The light shining down on the group began flickering, both Aquastrike and Sunburst' heads pointing towards Bulkhead trying to snap off a light post from its place in the ground. As Breakdown and Moonlight turned to see what had captured their enemies' attention, the former was met by the swinging light post Bulkhead had managed to pull out in time. He was sent to the other side of the parking lot, only stopping when he smashed through a nearby building.
Stunned by the unexpected hit, Moonlight recovered in time to be shot down onto the ground by a wave of blaster fire coming from the Autobots she had tried to take down moments prior…
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
Knock Out and Rebecca were toying with us. Their speed would diminish suddenly and it would give us the opportunity to catch up, but they'd rev up and pull away again just as quickly.
I could hear Arcee groaning in frustration behind me. If it wasn't for the fact that those two 'Cons had a human on board, I would've given up this chase ages ago. And despite this human being, the same one who's been messing with my friends, it was hard to even ignore the idea of giving up.
A sudden horn blared out to the right of us… a very familiar horn…
"Scrap." I wasn't the only one cursing into the private communications link.
Through the gaps in the rock formations, there was no doubt it - Optimus' truck form appeared through the clearing… with his horn still going. I watched him gently pull across towards Knock Out and ram into him… sending him dangling over the edge of a cliff. Optimus skidded immediately to a stop and transformed into his Cybertronian form to approach him
"Optimus, Knock Out has a hostage."
"And Rebecca," I quickly added.
"Understood." Our leader picked up the 'Con by his back wheels… and yanked off his door!
That's probably gotta hurt… based on his screams.
Rebecca suddenly leapt out of Knock Out before Optimus reached into him and pulled Vince out of the car seat. The 'Con transformed and landed on his pedes… with his whole side arm armour missing…
"Do you know how hard that is to replace?!"
"Is that your only concern right now?" I looked down at Rebecca on the ground, looking highly unimpressed at Knock Out.
The 'Cons looked at Arcee and I… and at something behind us. I flicked my mirrors up to the road, where Aquastrike, Bulkhead and Sunburst were racing up to us… I would've been smirking if I was in my usual Cybertronian form - we outnumbered them by a margin.
Rebecca's face was a mix of smug fear, like she wanted to show she wasn't worried, but at the same time, like she knew the odds weren't great, "On second thought… it's been a pleasure."
She and Knock Out couldn't drive away from us quick enough.
The rest of us, except for Sunburst as he had Jack secured in his vehicle form, transformed and walked up to our leader…
"Optimus, this was my fault."
…I think I would've preferred for Optimus to have kept his mouth guard activated, because this was probably the first time I had ever seen anger on his face directed towards us, "We must get this boy to safety immediately. Explanations can come later… from all of you."
I glanced towards Arcee, who was also looking at me with a similar regretful expression. This whole thing started with us after all… If we hadn't been in some deep scrap just before, we certainly were now…
NORMAL P.O.V
Vince groaned as his body began to awaken, eyes cracking open to take in his surroundings. He was immediately reminded of being knocked unconscious, sitting up with a startle. Flicking his eyes to the left, he was almost relieved to see the sight of Jack Darby next to him, "What happened?"
"Some guys... jumped you under the bridge. They... tossed you into their trunk." Jack's sigh was of relief and concern. "Must have been some kind of initiation."
"Really?"
Jack blinked at Vince believing the story he was telling, one that had been made up prior to being tasked to take him back to his car, "Yeah, I found you knocked out by the side of the road."
Sunburst's vehicle form pulled up on the bridge, above where Vince's car had been left, and allowed Vince to open his side door to step out.
Jack looked at his schoolmate through the open passenger window, "Look, I-I gotta be honest. After what I saw tonight, I'm thinking racing just… isn't my thing."
Vince bent down, leaning his fist and arm on the door, "I hear ya, Darby... Hard to win a race driving a pedal car!"
At the dig, Jack revealed an unamused facial expression before a loud ringing noise sounded from Vince, "Sounds like you're getting a phone call."
Pulling out his phone to check the contact number, Vince's face turned uncertain, "Never had a phone number like this before?" The boy took the device to his ear. "Hello?"
"Vinnie, is it? I'm a family friend of Carly's."
"How did you get my number?" He glared at Jack, who's face showed confusion before looking down at Sunburst' dash. "Who is this?"
"You should be more concerned about why I have this number." The Nissan's dash blinked on and off every time the voice spoke, making Jack widen his eyes with growing realisation. "If I were you, I wouldn't mess with the Esquivels again, or their friends."
"Is that a threat?" Vince challenged.
"Let's call it a warning." Jack faced the bully, sporting a concerned look. "I would hate to have to contact this number again."
"Or what?"
"Why ask when I could show you?" Sunburst's voice had turned menacing. "Don't mess with my family again, Vinnie."
The phone call's connection deactivated abruptly, both boys stunned, just as the yellow Nissan re-fired his engine without another word. Jack gripped onto the steering wheel as the vehicle pulled away, leaving Vince alone to contemplate the phone call in a cloud of smoke.
"Sunburst! What was that about?!"
"'Swept's not wrong, Jack. I would break every rule in the book if it meant keeping all of you out of harm's way..." There was a moment of silence. "Speaking of 'Swept not being wrong - by the way don't tell her I told you she was right twice in one moment." Jack snorted softly. "-You need to talk to Carly." The boy slumped slightly in his seat. "It's probably the last thing you want to do after tonight, only you both need clarity on your relationships with each other. It's been very clear you've been having mixed emotions; not talking about them will only worsen the issue."
Jack watched the steering wheel move in the direction of the road when they reached a long turn, "Didn't know you're a know-it-all about this kinda stuff."
"I saw enough at Iacon to have some understanding. To this day, I still regret not being able to give similar advice to some old friends. I try not to make the same mistakes twice… just want to see you and Carly happy. Whether it's as friends, as more than that or whatever else humans call each other."
The teenager could only watch Jasper come closer into view, knowing very well that Sunburst was right.
"Knock Out! Was I not clear?!" The angry silver Seeker stormed towards his soldier. "You have defied my orders yet again!"
"My mistake, Commander Starscream, but I've learned my lesson…and paid the price." The medical officer grabbed his empty wrist, door armour yet to be replaced.
Slipstream glanced towards the unamused Rebecca. Though she appeared to be, the purple and blue Seeker knew the enhanced human was aware that a punishment was coming her way. For now, both of them wanted to see what Starscream had planned for Knock Out
"It… is… LOOORD! And you have paid when I say you have paid." He activated one of his sharp talons. "Not worry. Your punishment shall be merely…" The talon glinted in the light. "Cosmetic."
Knock Out's eyes widened in fear, "No… not the finish!" He tried to back away from the incoming talon. "Anything but the finish!"
The room went quiet as his screams of horror rang through the Nemesis…
WINDSWEPT P.O.V
The next solar cycle came around pretty quickly… thankfully. After Sunburst came back from dropping Jack off, Optimus sat us down to discuss the last few cycles. And… well… let's just say that once he handed out our punishments, Arcee and I won't be doing much apart from doing our usual guardian duties and in-town patrols for a little while.
I had expected it, of course. Arcee and I were the ones to kinda start this whole mess… However, if it wasn't for my friend regretting her actions, I would've stuck by our intentions of defending ourselves and our humans from a bully…
Footsteps made me focus my attention on Jack and Carly approaching us… Neither of them were sparing even a glance at each other. My girl had decided they needed space while Jack dealt with his feelings. She wanted him to pursue Sierra to see if there was potential for a genuine relationship or something along those lines. Apparently Jack had thought of a similar thing…
I'm not quite sure how they'll be able to do the whole 'distance' thing when they both have the same social - and outside of school, in a sense - circle... We'll see how it goes.
"So Jack!" And speaking of the she-de… Scrap, I'm starting to sound like Carly. "Do you have time for that ride?" Her tone sounded so… nervous? It wasn't what I had expected.
I felt Carly's form on my motorcycle seat, along with her emotional weight. I flicked my mirror up to her face hidden away in her helmet. I could see her eyes though, and they were looking as if she didn't want to know what Jack's response would be. However, Carly had always been a curious soul; she'd be interested in if Arcee would agree.
I was too, to be honest.
"I'm sorry, Sierra. I-I can't right now." Not the answer I had expected.
"No problem. I guess I'll just see you around." Sierra was obviously disappointed.
My friend fired her engines and rode up to Jack, "Hop on."
"Whoa. Really?"
"Just this once."
Carly and I had ended up on a cliff nearby - we chose not to join the others on their joy ride in town. We wanted to enjoy our last moments of freedom. Starting the next solar cycle, all the humans would have to go through some Cybertronian course with Ratchet for their part in the racing mess. They were also barred from even speaking of it, at least with anyone else in town. All four of them had concerns that all this would get back to their families and be dealt with even more punishment, anyway…
I could tell Carly was a little saddened over the rift between her and Jack, but maybe this was for the best. Jack could explore his feelings for Sierra, even if it was clear to everyone that he cared for Carly a lot. She knew it too. But if there was one thing she and I were similar in, it was making sure everyone else around us were happy before our own selves.
Emotions could be a heavy weight at times, that I've learned and lived for so long. No one was an exception to this. However, if there was another lesson I'd learned from surviving this war was that there was some light at the end of this tunnel. Things do get better… one solar cycle at a time… and hopefully, this would be no different.