Chap. 4: Father to Son

After driving a short distance Hotshot caught up with Override. He transformed and walked up to her and she turned to him.

“Back to race already or is this going to be about the planet key?”

“As much as I would love to race you, I can’t since that’s not why I sought you out,” Hotshot remarked.

“Then I’m not interested,” she replied about to leave.

“Override, wait, could you at least hear me out?”

She sighed heavily, “Fine, just make this quick.”

“I need information on the planet cup, just enough to determine if it’s the planet key or not,”

“I’m not willing to discuss it, unless you’re willing to beat me in a race,”

“Have it your way leader,” Hotshot exclaimed transforming into his vehicle mode.

“You’ll pay!” Override said angrily and transforming herself.

They went to the starting line and Override called the race. Both of them roared forward once she said go. Both remained neck in neck for a couple turns and then Override began leaving Hotshot in the dust.

“No!” Hotshot thought, “She can’t win, I won’t let her. Cyber key power!”

A cyber key entered him and he sped ahead easily catching up to Override who was shocked to see him. Hotshot lost control suddenly and drove off the road. Override quickly went to his aid. Hotshot lay on the ground in robot mode.

“Hotshot, you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he retorted getting up, “I suppose you’re not going to tell me anything.”

“Well you didn’t win,”

“Neither did you,”

“I said I’d only tell you about the planet cup if you beat me in a race. You didn’t finish and neither did I, so I’m not telling you anything,” Override explained.

“Do you actually realize how important it is that we find this planet key?”

“It may be important to you but not to me,”

“Override!” Hotshot groaned clutching her shoulders tightly, “You don’t understand.”

“Understand what?” Override asked flinching from Hotshot’s grasp.

“Our mission is to stop a black hole that has swallowed my home planet. This black hole can only be stopped by the omega lock and four cyber planet keys,”

“Why should I care about your home planet?”

“If left unstopped, the black hole will swallow the entire universe, including Speed Planet,”

Override gazed into his optics, “I’ll only let you have the planet cup once you beat me in a race.”

Hotshot groaned and let her go. He couldn’t deny she was thick skulled. He couldn’t deny he loved racing her. Whatever the case, he would beat her in that race and change her mind.

“You’re still young though. I still have time…time to change your mind about everything,”

Hotshot clutched his head as Megatron’s voice echoed through his thoughts once again.

“Hotshot, is something wrong?”

“No, I’m fine,”

Override put a hand on his shoulder and a sharp pain went through her suddenly. She yelped and fell on her back. The pain only increased.

“Override?” Hotshot asked turning to her, “Override!”

The leader of Velocitron blacked out slipping into a dream…

Override stood watching Hotshot talking to Megatron. She was scared for the light blue bot and she didn’t know why. She didn’t know what the two were talking about though she really wished she did. Like magic, her wish came true.

“Hotshot, join me. With the decepticons is where you really belong,” Megatron said.

“I’d do anything to please you,”

The decepticon smiled, “I don’t want to leave you behind anymore.”

“My loyalty is to you,”

“Welcome back my son,”

Hotshot was bent over Override gently shaking her. He didn’t know if she was alright or not. He prayed she was and he wasn’t exactly sure why. Override stirred and her optics came online.

“H…Hotshot,” she stammered looking up at him.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she answered sitting up, “You’re one of them aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“You’re a decepticon,”

“No, I’m an autobot,”

“Really?”

“I’ve been one all my life,”

“Then just when were you planning on telling me you’re Megatron’s son?”

“What?! N…no, I’m not,” Hotshot said standing up and walking away.

Override got up and caught up to him, “Then who is your father?”

“I don’t…I don’t know,” he paused, “Override, I have to go.”

She stopped walking and he walked on ahead of her. The femme knew something was bothering the poor bot. She wished she could figure what.

“Hotshot…what’s wrong?”

He stopped walking but didn’t turn to her, “I have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

“Whatever it is,” Override said quietly, “You can tell me.”

“There’d be no races involved right?”

“No, c’mon, I’ll escort you back to the road, and you can tell me all about whatever it is that is troubling you,”

“Alright,”

They transformed and headed back to the road.

(Decepticon base…)

Megatron sat in his quarters thinking about the dream he had. He was sick of it but as hard as he tried he couldn’t forget about it. He turned on his comlink.

“Megatron to Optimus,”

There was a bit of static and then, “Optimus here. What is it Megatron?”

The decepticon sighed heavily thinking about what to say, “What…whatever happened to my son?”

Optimus was the quiet one this time, “It’s a long story.”

“Is he dead or alive?”

“Alive,”

“Is…is he fighting as an autobot right now, in your ranks?”

“Y…yes,” Optimus answered, “Megatron, how did you figure all this out?”

“It doesn’t matter. Why did you, my own brother, tell me he was dead?”

“I don’t want you to have him back. He’s a good bot, and you would never be a good father for him. You always left him behind or forgot about him. Thank Primus he doesn’t remember who his father is,”

“I never got the chance to father him, his mother brought him to your side before I got the chance. Apparently she didn’t have any faith in me either,”

“Just what are you planning Megatron?”

“I’ll get him back. He is the heir to the leader of the decepticons, he is my heir, and he will make an excellent decepticon soldier,”

“You don’t even know who your son is,”

“I know who he is, and I’m going to pay Hotshot a visit right now,”

Optimus was silent a couple seconds, “I don’t know how you remember, but I will not let you turn him into something he’s not.”

“It should be easy…he’s got decepticon in his genes,”

Megatron ended the transmission and opened a dimension gate to Speed Planet and stepped through.

(On Speed Planet…)

Hotshot told Override all about his dream and vice versa. They neared the road and were silent a few seconds.

“Do you think it’s true?” Override wondered, “I mean, we both had a dream about it.”

“I don’t want it to be true, what would I do if it was?”

“Well you could go on like it isn’t true, become a decepticon, or runaway,”

“No, I’m not a coward,”

“Calm down Hotshot, I wasn’t calling you one,”

They arrived on the road and transformed into robot mode. The person they saw on the road before them startled them.

“Hotshot,” Megatron spoke, “I think it’s time we had a little chat. You know, father to son.”