-Your POV-
I put on the new jacket, waiting for my ride. I might not be able to see Knockout, but I can talk to him at least. I don't mind. There was a time when I was unknown, a black horse amongst well known racers. Then, I wanted to be known as a mystery, someone people would die to get to know. That idea was thrown away after meeting a team of racers who welcomed me, rather than push me away. If you're good at what you're doing, many will hate you for it.
"Hey," I looked up from the step I was sitting on, "You ready to go?"
"You know it! Driver's side or Passenger?"
"Driver's side, how else am I gonna get by the gate?"
"How did you get by the gates before?"
"Snuck in."
I rolled my eyes. Of course he would do that. I don't know why I didn't connect the dots earlier.
Getting in, I looked at my phone. The contact name said 'Dash', meaning it's a one-way fastest-takes-all race, the actual text being coordinates.
"Do you know how to read coordinates?"
"Do you have a USB cord?"
I answered 'yes', then plugged it into one of the charging ports in the Aston Martin, my phone attached.
"Got it, let's go."
We sped off towards the race, me laughing and ready for my first truly fun night in forever.
When we, well, I, got to the gate, the guard (who was really just some burly guy who looked mean) checked for the text I had gotten not to long ago. He noticed the car I "drove" and huffed, obviously not a big fan of Knockout. Finding a parking space was easier, especially since a few red lights were driven through, and the speed limit only seemed like a mere suggestion to Knockout as he piloted his car, I wish I knew from where. I started to imagine him as some scrawny kid with glasses, treating street racing like some sort of game, but the voice didn't match, so maybe someone with a good reputation and worked out a lot? Handsome swimmer? Or maybe a secret agent with a secret of his own? Now that would be a predicament! Especially if someone found out.
"Hey Knockout," no response, "What did the street racer say to the cop?"
Still nothing.
"Nothing, cop couldn't catch him."
Knockout 'remained silent', and acted like a regular car as many other makes and models began to arrive. They all looked mean, fast and powerful, but only a handful had actually come to race, the rest came to show off, or they came to do both.
"The first race is around 12:00, you wanna wait for the last race at 3:00 a.m.?"
"Second race, then beat em all at the last."
The second race was at 2:30 a.m., giveing about 15 minutes to repair and tune up your car, less if you're really fast. The catch is the last race, no one knows what it is until you're on the starting line. Could be a down and back, or a full on race course, usually it's just a run with no burn out, keeping the tires cold, and making the race harder on the car. That could change though. In the meantime, I got out and looked around, telling Knockout that I'd be back in about an hour. He made no reply, earning a shrug from me.
Nothing peaked my interest, or came off as a threat to the red beauties win. A red and white camaro came close, but the rear axle was slightly off, and the tires were lopsided, not by much, barely noticeable actually, but it would still make it hard to steer. A newer model that I didn't recognize came to view near the end of the line of cars, several girls surrounding the driver. He was obviously loving the attention, flirting with every girl that simply looked at him. I decided to have some fun.
"Well, ain't you a sight to behold!"
"You flatter me, though I'd say the same when looking on someone so beautiful."
He had a slight french accent, no wonder the girls were oggling at him, his brown hair and lightly dusted green eyes didn't help either.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was talking to the car, but thanks anyway."
I could see in his eyes that he accepted this as a challenge, taking a different approach.
"Ha, you're funny, do you know your cars?"
"Are you trying to win me over with trivia?"
He looked into my eyes, astonished. His plans were not usually thwarted so easily, is what I concluded. As the question hung in the air, the racer smiled, then asked if I wanted a ride in the first race. I politely answered 'no', saying that my own car might get jealous. In truth I don't know what Knockout would say, but I wasn't going to risk him feeling like I betrayed him. I know that feeling all to well. He then asked if he could take a look at my car.
"Well, in truth it's not my car, I'm borrowing it, for now."
"Surly the one you are borrowing it from won't mind me looking at it."
"Most Likely not, he takes pride in his finish most of all though, so I don't suggest touching."
My hour was almost out anyway, so I should be heading back. When we got there, Knockout's car was waiting patiently.
"Heya, brought a fellow car enthusiast."
"You're talking to your car?"
"You don't?"
He admired the paint, the finish, the interior, and the engine, but he always made comments about aerodynamics of the curves and how perfect they were.
"First off: You can stop flirting, it ain't working. Second: Shouldn't you be getting ready for a race or something?"
I put myself in between him and Knockout's car.
"I'll be racing the last two races, save the best for last, no?"
"Yeah, to bad the best is the red beauty here, and not you."
I heard a small chuckle from behind me. Knockout was listening. I continued with my little 'game'.
"I'll meet you on the track at 2:30. We'll see who's best, though there's no doubt it's me and the red beauty."
"How about we make a wager." the racer proposed. A wager intrigued me, so I asked what kind of wager.
"If you win, you decide, but if I win, meet me by the power plant at 7:00, I'll show you what I can really do."
"Sure, but only if you don't use that NOS hiding in your trunk. That's dangerous, and I don't want to be responsible for a sudden explosion on the track."
"You drive a hard bargain, but okay."
"Bargains aren't the only thing I drive. Best you get to your car and make sure everything's running, wouldn't want to win due to mechanical failure."
With that he left, a cocky smile displayed on his face. He was so going to lose.
"We're going to win, for my sanity, and cause so far you've won every race you've been in."
"If I lose I'll throw in myself as a prize."
"That's the spirit! Can I check the motor? Tune her up for ya?"
"I'm good, besides-"
"Oh come on! Please, I promise I won't mess with anything!"
I heard a sigh, then a pop sounded as the hood came up ever so slightly. As I checked for even the most minoot of details, I was astonished to see nothing wrong, even after the speeding to get here.
"What'd you do? Appear out of thin air and tune her up when I was gone?"
"No."
Closing the hood I hopped into the driver's seat and made myself comfortable. The seat fit around my form perfectly, almost like one of those new beds that can smoosh themselves so that your stuck in a you-shaped hole. This was way more comfortable though.
Watching the other racers go by, they sneered at Knockout's car. Some pointed and laughed, saying things like how they're going to beat him this time. No one saw me, so every time someone made a joke about Knockout I chuckled, and commented on how weak they make themselves look. All bark but no bite.
2:30 rolled around to fast for my liking as Knockout rolled up to the starting line.
"ON YOUR MARK!"
"You got this one Knockout?"
"GET SET!"
"You know it."
"GO!"
We were off like lightning, leaving most everybody in the dust. Well, except for French Toast, he stayed on our tail, until he zoomed right past us.
"GET HIM KNOCKOUT!"
"YOU GOT IT!"
His speedometer went up rapidly as he picked up speed, gaining ever so slowly to the French Fry.
"HE CHEATED! HE AGREED TO MY TERMS!"
"You can yell at him later, in the meantime, leave the racing to me."
The G-force made me fold into the seat as the front end skyrocketed, feeling like it would flip over. It might have been comfy, but it scared me. Of all my years racing, I've never felt this much power from one car. I loved it. The red beauty is truly special. That was only proved further as we ran right past the Frenchy, his face one of surprise, and hate. When the red beauty passed the finish line we took it slow and steady back to our parking space. Mister accent came storming right to the door, his once handsome face distorted by the hatred shown.
"You cheated!"
"You broke the deal! We agreed you wouldn't use that NOS, and you did!"
"OH YEAH?! Well that sure wasn't pure horsepower you used back there!"
A crowd started to gather. A fight hadn't broke out yet, and many were itching to see one, I wasn't going to be the start of one.
"You can check the trunk, but you won't find anything, even under the car, in the car, even in the engine once more, but you won't find anything. What you saw back there was something you won't find anywhere else, raw horsepower with no limits except one: the competition. If you can't handle the explosion, don't drop the bomb, else you'll be blown away."
"I want a rematch!"
"No rematch, just the final race. Same terms, only this time I know you won't use that NOS."
He stomped his way to his car, I'm guessing to tune it up, and wipe out any signs of the NOS used. I got back in the red beauty to ask if I should do any work.
"No, I have that handled, but you could polish a bit."
"You are so full of yourself, but yeah, no problem."
I got out laughing, no one knowing why, and I wasn't going to tell them. I found a clean rag I brought in the back seat and applied a simple goo-ish wax that would keep the dirt and muck from sticking to badly.
The time was up to take care of our vehicles, and only the Frenchy and I were at the starting line.
"Now, I heard a small quarrel between you two sprung up, so I'll make this simple for your festering minds," The sponsor for the race stood proud, and spoke clear for everyone, "You two will compete in a race from here, to the history museum, and back. You can take any route you want, BUT!"
Someone put a camera on the front of the hood, it was a horrible ornament, and I could hear Knockout growl slightly, which amused me.
"You have to make five drifts, two miles running backwards and only one left turn, these cameras will make sure you do exactly that! Oh, and you can only do this going to the museum, freestyle it on your way back!"
Looking over to the Frenchy's open window, I could see how he had no idea how to do it, but it's possible, if you want to take a risk.
"Let me drive this one!" I told Knockout.
"No, you'll choke."
"You let me drive this one and I'll never ask to see you in person."
"That won't matter--"
"LET ME DRIVE THIS ONE!"
~Knockout's POV~
She's way too persistent. I gave in but on one condition: she had to be my personal cleaner. I guessed she was thinking along the lines of 'we won't see each other again' as a condition because her face was priceless. She looked almost adorable with her face all contorted in confusion, but she agreed, and I let her take control of my steering wheel.
"You're so going to lose French Fry!" She called over to the other human. He just stared straight ahead, waiting for the one in charge of the race to end his speech.
"Now, I want a good clean race... AAAAWWWW WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?! GO!"
My, well, (Y/N)'s Competitor raced off ahead of us as she turned a corner going right.
"This is the opposite way of where we want to go!"
"Shut up I'm racing! If you want to be noisy play the radio."
I didn't just to spite her and kept silent. Suddenly my wheels tried to turn left but my back end spun right. It was hard not to take control right then and there as I dubbed this girl insane.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Driving backwards you wuss! Count to two miles for me! It's hard to do this when looking backwards!"
I did as asked and when we hit the two mile mark she hit the brake and turned us around again, almost hitting a trash can on the way. If she scratches me she will pay!
"Get ready for some drifts Knockout!"
She took a loose hold on the wheel as her hands flew from one side to the other, calculating each turn so that I gained momentum after each drift. We hopped onto a highway not to long after, the competition not to far in front.
"Let me handle this, we have one more drift, and he's going to use this opportunity for one too. I can cut him off and-"
"NO, I've got this. He drifts first, but when he does he'll leave a gap large enough for your car to get through. French Toast doesn't realize it but he's going to fast to not create that gap."
"YOU'RE CRAZY! IT WON'T WORK!"
"BITE ME!"
Before I could get a single word in (Y/N) changed gears and went even faster, slowly catching up with the human she thought she could by-pass. I readied myself for the worst, being cautious on how close I was to a wreck. Frenchy (the name just stuck) started to drift, but was too slow to react for how fast he was going, and left a huge gap, which (Y/N) saw as the perfect opening. She turned my steering wheel so hard I thought it might rip off. I couldn't help but be amazed as we easily slipped through the gap left by the human boy, I had forgotten about the slight pain in that moment of disbelief.
"Smart move, but what about that left turn?"
"EASY! I'll just have to cut through the police station parking lot undetected."
"WHAT!?"
Knowing the tendency of the authority here, I knew this to be a rather risky move, especially when I'm, well, me.
"Bad idea, take a different route!"
"TO LATE!"
We made a left into the parking lot and she headed straight for a ramp used for getting other vehicles off of bigger trucks.
"Hold on to your hood Knockout, we're gonna fly!"
She has no idea how insulting that is.
As we landed from the sudden flight lesson, I wondered how anyone else on the 'Nemisis' who flies doesn't get their circuits rattled every time they landed... though Starscream seems to be an acception... I think his circuits were wired incorrectly from the beginning.
"You're more of a wuss than I thought you were Knockout. I thought you'd be all for this idea!"
Her smile was unmistakable: this was the most fun she'ld had in years. Fun. Yeah, this was the most fun I've had too, even after I started racing.
"How about we get outa here and head back?" I suggested. (Y/N) humbly said yes, and let me take control. I had some fun of my own before that Frenchy rear ended me! I could tell he wasn't to happy, and didn't want to go back a fool, though in my book, he already was one, cause THAT, was a big mistake.
"Do you trust me?"
"What?"
"Do. You. Trust me?"
'Yes' was her answer, and I took full advantage of that as I stopped abruptly, causing the human to smash into my now transformed self. I kicked his car away, leaving a scratch or two that would never be fixed, transformed back, and erased the footage on the camera, hopefully no one was watching on the screen that it was transmitting to. (Y/N) sat in the driver's seat, her mouth a gaping hole that could most likely swallow a planet.
"You okay?" Why am I asking? She'll most likely go crazy.
"One moment," she grabbed a bottle from the back seat, opened it, then poured it on her arm, "OW! MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS HOLY! THAT BURNS!"
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"An acid based cleaner that's not supposed to come into contact with skin... now I know why..."
... she said that so matter-of-factly...
And what does it clean exactly? Whatever, I'll ask later. In the meantime...
"You're not going to try to get out?"
"NO WAY! This is the best thing that has ever happened to me since my first race! I can't believe that YOU'RE Knockout! My assumptions have been completely wrong! ... Oh gosh..."
"What is it?"
She started to blush a bit. I understand it to be a human thing to show embarrassment.
"I've been calling you a 'red beauty'.
"Well, it's not like 'red handsome car' really rolls off the tongue."
"It doesn't, does it?" She giggled a bit, then looked up to see the finish line. "Looks like I'm your human communications officer now huh?"
"Why not, our deal still stands though."
"Sure thing boss."
She saluted my rearview mirror, and got out once we were stopped.
"That was a close call with that last drift missy! May I ask the winner of this grudge match race's name?"
She looked at my side mirror, her eyes holding one question. I answered with a simple rev of my engine.
"Call me Knockout."
(I'm making these chapters when I can! Longest chapter EVER, 3,110 words! I hope it was worth the read! How did I do with the races? Enough detail? To much? Anyway, hope you liked it! Love ya'll!)