The life of a hero can definitely be filled with untold danger, adventure, and excitement, as well as untold discoveries. However, eighteen-year-old Braedey Martin was experiencing none of that today. In fact, he hadn't done ANYTHING hero wise in just the last few months! As things were the most dangerous thing that could happen to him, getting hit in the head with a socket wrench that's currently sitting up on the hood of the car he was fixing wasn't one of those things at all.
The state of his homeworld Earth has definitely changed drastically within the last several months. Things had finally calmed down, not only on Earth, but throughout most of the universe out there, including the worlds of Cybertron, Eukaris, even Caminus and Velocitron, save for perhaps the Darkurus system.
The Human-Autobot Alliance, the specialised paramilitary organisation of human and Cybertronian forces that are united and dedicated to preserving peace throughout planets across the universe, had been granted powerful new technologies. New weapons, armour, technology; basically, everything that they needed in order to combat hostile threats that previously required the aid of Braedey Martin and his team. It seemed that the special forces had finally begun to shake off their secretive ways when it came to their technology. There were heavy protesters out there, of course, but the general consensus amongst their lead scientists and military officials was that the universe needed to move forward into the future, and that the Human-Autobot Alliance were the ones best suited to make that happen. They couldn't continue to call upon the bearer of the Transformatrix every time something went wrong.
Braedey was definitely mature enough to know this change was a good thing for everyone. There was now peace; crime was down, and life was good. But still, there was a part of him internally that missed turning into an Autobot or a Decepticon every day and fighting some criminal or giant monster. He didn't do any of his heroics for the fame; or at least, not anymore he didn't. He really just missed the feeling of helping others and being a part of the action and the world. But he knew best to not go looking for trouble.
After the incident with Unicron and Megatronus Prime, otherwise known as 'The Fallen' by many, Alpha Trion, keeper of the lacon Hall of Records, and one of the Creators of the Transformatrix, had gifted Braedey with a with a brand new model of Transformatrix. It was much sleeker than the original design was, as it was now only slightly larger than that of an average wristwatch, as opposed to being a large gauntlet that wrapped around his whole arm. It was a square, white watch with blue highlights, with said highlights converging on the black faceplate to form the Transformatrix insignia; an Autobot logo with a sword going through the middle of it in a vertical opposition, the hilt of the sword on top.
As opposed as Alpha Trion was to the evolution feature that The Fallen had added to the original model, he recognised that it had aided Braedey numerous times during his hero tenure, and reluctantly decided to include it in his latest model. Braedey had spent the last two years unlocking new transformations with his new Transformatrix, and plus, even a few new Ultimate Forms as well. But what was the point if he didn't even need them anymore?
The teen hero now closed up his toolbox next to him, then he closed the hood on the car he just fixed up. "Man... I really hate to say this aloud right now, but... couldn't someone or something just try to cause a disturbance in the area? Anything?"
The Transformatrix wielder sighed to himself, then he sat on the hood of the car. The car happened to be a 1960's Ford Mustang Fastback he found in a barnfind that he has been fixing up with his father. Even though he was reluctant to let his Dad work on it, he couldn't help but have some support from his old man.
"I really shouldn't be asking for bad stuff to happen." Braedey berated to himself. "Things could be a whole lot worse, you know. Boredom is a vacation compared to some of the stuff l've been through over the last seven to eight years. Wish I can have something fun to do..." He then had an idea. "Maybe I can travel to the library to take my mind off everything."
Braedey began to walk over to the driveway, but he then stopped as he takes notice of the letterbox wing being up. Guess the mail arrived earlier than expected. He goes to take a look and check the mail. So far, he finds some fan mail for him, one bill for his parents, but he then comes across one letter that got his attention: it was a gold letter with a red wax seal on the envelope that had the letter R imprinted on it. This definitely looks rather important, and he noticed it's addressed to him.
'Hmm... this looks very interesting. And it looks important.' Braedey mused to himself, him walking off into the house. 'I should tell someone about this letter. Maybe get some insider information before making a decision.' As he did so, he looked over to see three members of his family in the lounge room enjoying the calm day today.
Among those who were assembled in the lounge room is Jackson Martin, one of the veteran best members of the Alliance, and Braedey's grandfather. He is an old man with short faded brown hair and rotund figure. He wore brown boots, blue jeans, and a black t-shirt with a blue/white Hawaiian button-up shirt over it.
The second person is Jessie Martin, a teenage girl the same age as Braedey, with long bright orange hair and striking blue eyes. She has on a black shirt under a bright red sweater, long black stockings under a black miniskirt, and black high heels. All in all, she was quite beautiful. Sometimes, people mistook them for siblings, considering they share the same birthday. She was a pretty down to earth girl. She was kind of bossy and annoying when they were kids, but had mellowed out during the years. She still ragged on Braedey every now and then when he was doing something stupid.
And thirdly, the last person is Naomi Jane Martin, Braedey's mother. She is a lovely and beautiful woman, with fair lightly peach skin, looking around 35yrs in age, with bright gentle blue eyes, and a pair of small red lips. Her hair is a golden brown that reaches down to her shoulders with a gentle flow, whilst two small strands of her hair framed her angelic-like face. She has a firm slender body shape with a slightly above average bust and hip size, whilst she stands 5ft tall. She has on a red shirt, a small pearl necklace around her neck, a denim skirt reaching down to her knees, crystal blue flower earrings on her ears, and she has on a pair of leggings that hugged her legs gently.
"Braedey. What's going on?" Naomi inquired as she looks over at her son. "What's the latest news?"
"Well, there's some fanmail, plus a bill, and there was this wax-sealed letter." Braedey informed, showing the letter. "I'm not sure of what to think about this letter, Grandpa. What do you know of it?" He inquired.
Grandpa Jackson opted to take a look at the letter, and his wise eyes widened once he saw the handwriting on the letter. "Whoa... this is an offical letter... written by Speed Racer." He realised.
"Speed Racer?" Jessie and Naomi echoed in unison. The two ladies hadn't heard that name before.
"Speed Racer is a legendary racecar driver who has gone above and beyond for the Motorsport, him and his iconic racecar, the Mach 5, him making rounds all around the world and leaving all drivers in the dust." Jackson explained to them all. "He was a remarkable driver and one of the best out there."
"Oh... Man, that's something." Braedey commented. "But... what's with the letter?"
Grandpa Jackson opens the envelope and pulls out the letter, revealing it to be an enrolment paper. "Looks as though Speed Racer knows about you, and he would like you to enrol into Racer Academy." He revealed.
The Racer Academy is a prestigious motoring school where racers learn to drive and to race, working their way up to be the next upcoming racecar driver, even getting the chance to be noticed by racing sponsors so the new drivers can get the chance of real-life racing, even to find a way to be part of the brand-new and exciting World Racing League.
"Wait, what?" Braedey asked in surprise. He definitely did not expect that. "He wants me to race at the academy for real?"
"Wait." Naomi stood up, looking concerned. "Is this really a good idea? I mean, are you going to retire from being the Transformatrix bearer?" She asks to Braedey. "That doesn't sound like a good idea-"
"Mom. Who ever said that I would be retiring?" Braedey spoke up to his mother. "I'm not retiring from being the Transformer hero. Think of this racing thing as a new opportunity to try something new. I mean, I've done a lot of driving about since I can change form. But to drive my own racecar in a proper race, it'll give me the chance to try out and see how well I can compete with other drivers out there." He then looked over to his grandfather. "And I promise, I won't use my powers for anything greedy." He reassured to him.
"I know you won't. You're not like that." Jackson shows a soft smile.
"Well, if you're sure..." Naomi still sounds hesitant, which was something she usually wasn't.
"Mom." Braedey walked over to his mother, gently holding her hands and having her look at him. "It will be okay. If things get too nasty or something happens, I'll leave the academy and come back home." He reassured to her.
Naomi looks on at Braedey, then she hugged him close to her. Braedey was definitely not expecting this kind of behaviour or reaction from his mother, but he hugged his mother back and patted her back softly.
"Though I'd like to say this -howare you meant to go to this racing academy without a racecar in the first place?" Jessie now asked the important question, Braedey and Naomi releasing their hug. "I mean, you can't exactly go there and race as a Transformer. You can only change form for 10-to-12 minutes." She pointed out.
"Fair point there." Braedey remarked.
"I think Rex and the Autobots can whip something up for you." Jackson spoke up. "It'll be worth it to build something new, and for a good cause."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Braedey nodded back. "It'll give Rex the chance to show off what he could make."
"I'd better get packing, then." Braedey commented, only for Jessie to snicker. "What?"
"Pack what, exactly? You wear the same outfit." Jessie remarked, referring to Braedey's jeans, black shirt, and blue sports jacket.
"Well, you do too." Braedey pointed out, Naomi and Jackson both chuckling to one another at the cousin's interaction.
About a few days later, a convoy of vehicles could be seen crossing the desert heading forth towards one location in mind. Among the convoy is a red/blue Peterbilt 379 semi-truck with a silver-coloured trailer with bright blue highlights hitched up behind it. Alongisde the truck is a heavily-modified yellow/black Urbana 500 muscle car, as well as an army green bulky 4x4 SUV, the two cars following behind.
After he had gotten the enrolment letter to Racer Academy, Braedey explained everything directly to Optimus Prime, who understood this and he allowed Braedey to go ahead and see what he could do, and he'll have the support of the Autobots alongside. With that in mind, Rex offered to build a racecar for him (though Braedey was going to ask him about it) and he got to work, with a little assistance from Ratchet and Bumblebee. Sure enough, in about 24 hours, they got the new car ready, but covered it up to be a surprise for Braedey when he sees it unveiled, and got it all loaded up and ready to depart.
Braedey sat in the driver's seat of Optimus' Peterbilt alt-mode, one hand resting on top of the wheel whilst the other held it loosely at the bottom. Even as he 'drove' the Peterbilt, he was relaxed. Braedey shifted up and down the gearbox easily, his foot at home on the clutch pedal.
Sitting alongside him in Optimus' cab is Rex McJones. He is a tall and muscular young man with brownish eyes, his black hair styled into a choppy mullet. His attire is a tight black T-shirt over a grey long sleeve shirt, blue pants, and black combat shoes. When they were kids, Rex was a psychopath who was hell-bent on trying to kill Braedey after he mutated into some kind of Cybertronian chimera of Braedey's transformations, but over the years, he mellowed out and reformed himself (especially after his time in the Kaon Void), and after changing back to human, now becoming part of Braedey's team and is considered like a brother to him.
"You know... thanks for the assist in this, Optimus." Braedey thanked to the Autobot truck.
"I am proud to be of service." The Autobot leader admitted through the radio set.
"So why go with the convoy drive instead of the whole Groundbridge thing?" Rex questioned.
"I'd rather drive in rather than appear out of thin air outside of the academy. Don't want to spook any of the students and faculty members there on my first day." Braedey answered.
"It will be cool to see you in action." Bumblebee's buzzes and chirps spoke out on a handheld radio, Braedey picking it up to answer.
"I appreciate your support, Bumblebee." Braedey thanked. "Though for you to watch the race, that is up to Optimus Prime to decide."
"That's true, Bee." Bulkhead's voice added in next.
"I guess you make a good point." Rex shrugged. "But is like to ask one other thing - how come you're in the driver's seat right now?" He was referring to Braedey being behind the wheel of Optimus' truck mode.
"Because I can." Braedey answered casually, Rex rolling his eyes at this.
Eventually, the prestigious Racer Academy came into view for the Autobots and occupants to see. They could see it looked to be some kind of multi-storey building of complex design, one with sloping rooftops and lots of glass panes. Around the back of the building, there is the main attraction - the racetrack, with grandstands all around, plus a basketball court and the student's dormitories and garages located.
"Definitely not what I was expecting." Rex commented.
"Guess I have to hand it to Speed Racer, he knows how to design it big." Braedey added in, just as Optimus comes to a gentle stop in the main carpark out front. "Alright, Rex. I'll go and head up to the Headmaster's office. You and Optimus, you go around to where the garages are located, and I'll send the message that I'm in, so you can unload the car." He opens the door and began to climb out.
"Sounds good." Rex replied, him now jumping into the driver's seat.
Braedey rolled his eyes with a chuckle before he goes on into the school building. He was not used to the layout of the building, but luckily, the school secretary was all too happy to help, though she was hesitant when she saw the symbol on Braedey's jacket. Luckily, he realised that look and reassured her that there's no need to worry. The secretary lead Braedey up to the headmaster's office, then opened the door and spoke to who's inside before she left, Braedey taking a deep breath to relax before he goes inside, revealing a room that looked just like any other principle's office at any other school. And there, sitting behind the desk is Headmaster Spritle, the younger brother to the world-famous Speed Racer.
"Braedey Martin, as I live and breathe." Spritle greeted with a smile. "Welcome to Racer Academy. Please, take a seat."
"Of course." Braedey acknowledged, walking up and him taking a seat up by the desk. "I take it that you know me from the news reports?" He took a guess.
"That, which I don't believe in anything William Malcolm says about you, but also, from your grandfather." Spritle clarified to the brunette. "He talked about you while on the phone with me. He also mentioned about you getting a letter from Speed Racer."
Braedey now pulls out the enrolment letter he got. "Yeah, here it is. All signed by him." He stated, Spritle taking a closer look.
Spritle looks at the writing and nodded in confirmation. "Yep, this is my brother's handwriting, alright. Always dots the 'i's and crosses the 't's." He acknowledged. He looked to Braedey. "Now. Please tell me, why are you here?"
"Well, I'd like to try out my hand at racing. Like real racing." Braedey answered. "I mean, I've spent almost 8 years of my life being able to turn into Transformers that can change into cars, trucks, machines, and being able drive like that is great and all, but having my own car to drive, it be a thrill."
"Well, to succeed here at Racer Academy, you will need skill, determination and if you're lucky, a few friends along the way." Spritle said. He picked up a set of keys from his desk and handed it out to Braedey. "This is your dorm room key for the Grand Prix building. You drop your things off there, farm get ready for the Qualifying Race."
"Thank you, sir." Braedey thanked, now taking the keys, him feeling excited for my first race. "By the way, when is the race?" He inquired.
"One o'clock, today." Spritle responded. "So, what car are you racing today? I did notice your little convoy when you arrived."
Braedey smiled back. "That is a surprise. Even I don't know what car I'm driving."
The Headmaster let out a small laugh and opened his mouth to ask something else before his phone went off causing both of them to jump a little. "I have to take this. I guess I will see this surprise car at the race later?" Spritle asked.
Braedey nodded his head as he stood up and he picked up the phone. "Until then, Headmaster." With that, he around and quickly exited the office.
'That was surprisingly better than I thought.' Braedey thought to himself. He reached into his pocket to take out the key, and looked to see where his room was. He saw he got room 595. He sent the message to Rex, before he heads off to the Grand Prix building.
The Grand Prix Building, located on the East side of the school, connected by paved roads, looks to be made of a series of four two-storey buildings in formation around a grass field and basketball court in the middle. The garages are also located directly below the dorms.
Braedey made his way over, just as Rex had finished putting the covered car into the garage, with Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Optimus parked nearby. Rex saw the Transformatrix bearer walking up, the two now shaking hands with one another.
"When's the race?" Rex asked.
"Around 1:00PM, so we've got about 20 minutes before the race begins." Braedey answered. "So, why don't we look at the car?" He asked.
"Thought you'd never ask." Rex and Braedey walk over to the covered car, gripping the tarpaulin and pull it off to reveal the car.
The racecar looks like an Indy car and a Formula 1 car all rolled into one, with more curved angles instead of sharp edges. The car's paint is a bright silver-white with blue highlights, noticeable of the blue 'M' on the front of the car, with a glass canopy over the cockpit of the car, and the wheels have the main drive pieces in the shape of 'M', in the same blue as the 'M' on the hood. The car has a custom-designed suspension system whose components are derived from biological sources for a degree of flexibility. The chassis is a custom-built nitronium cage with octovalve fasteners, along with a body shell reinforced with submolecular metallitizers. There's even a jet exhaust pipe located at the back of the car where the engine is housed as well.
Braedey gives a whistle of appreciation. "Nice... very nice, indeed." He then opens the hood section behind the cockpit to look at the engine.
The car is powered by a single-forge Cybertronian Tritanium Bernoulli Convergenator engine, which looks like that of a super-hypercharged 35,000hp quad-turbocharged W16 Bugatti Chiron engine, so the car will do 0-60 in under 1.5 seconds, and can reach up to 500mph in under 120 seconds if the need arises. The car's internal CPU allows interface with the Transformatrix, allowing the user to transform the vehicle into any form selected from the watch. It also features auto-jacks to 'jump' ofer other cars with case-hardened dampeners for extra power.
"By the Matrix... That's a monster..." Braedey muttered.
"What's more monstrous is that this beast has got up to 35,000 horsepower under the hood. You've basically got a jet turbine sitting behind you." Rex commented. "Like that Thrust2 jet car from Britain."
"Wicked awesome..." Braedey closes the hood.
"You're definitely gonna be dancing with danger with that engine." Bulkhead commented.
"I'd advise extreme caution." Optimus warned.
"Yes, sir." Braedey acknowledged. He then opens the cockpit to take a look inside.
The cockpit looks like that of a jet fighter and an F-1 car blended in together, the steering wheel being like that of an F1 car, with the dials and switches from a jet, the car having a flappy-paddle gearbox design, the paddles on the steering column, the pedals all aligned, and there seems to be a hole in the dashboard on the left, big enough to fit a hand and the Transformatrix in.
Braedey gets himself settled into the seat, him looking about as he does so. He grips the steering wheel and looks on ahead. "Wow... feels like I'm launching at speed even if I'm standing still."
Rex looks on at Braedey. "How does it feel?" He asked.
"Like I'm ready to race." Braedey answered.
"Right, then. Turn it over." Rex asked.
"Uh... I don't have a key." Braedey pointed out.
"It's on your wrist." Rex stated casually.
Braedey looked at the Transformatrix, then he realised what Rex meant. He held the watch up to the steering wheel, and with three beeps coming from the watch, the dashboard lights up and the engine roars to life, the ground literally shaking under the car's wheels, Braedey being rather startled by the roar before he settled down.
Rex couldn't help but laugh and smile. "Talk about a roar." He commented. "See you down at the track."
Braedey nodded before he got strapped in and secured himself. He closes up the cockpit before he got the car into gear, driving carefully out of the garage before making his way down to the track.
A/N: here is my reboot of the 'Transformers: Speed Racer' book I did before. There will be more to come soon, and I'll try do get things fixed to the best of my abilities. Hope you enjoy the story.