Chapter Text
If Hydra could have a pound for every time he had heard his sister and her girlfriend arguing recently, he swears he would be rich. They had barely gone a couple of hours without being at each other’s throats, and when Dinah raced with Electra it had just made Greaseball even angrier than she already had been with all the added stress of the upcoming championships. Especially now that Rusty had declared that he would be racing too.
Eventually, Dinah dropped out of the race, claiming that she wasn't feeling well. Hydra could see right through it and he knew Greaseball did as well, but the Dining Car decided to sit out of the next race instead of attempting to get Greaseball to take her back as a partner.
At this news, Hydra began to wear Greaseball down into letting him partner with her.
“I don't know, Stray, it's a dangerous game, those championships. People play dirty and you're barely out of the intermediates.” She had said with an eye roll, but he begged and begged until she finally relented. “Whatever, fine, we’ll race together, gotta show them all that Diesel is still on top, huh?”
Hydra let out an excited yell and raced off to get ready. He was a little nervous already but he knew Greaseball wouldn’t let anything happen to him, and besides, it’s totally normal to be nervous for your first big race, right?
As they made their way to the starting line, he looked around at the other racers, Electra with Pearl, and Rusty with Porter. He was completely oblivious to the fact that Greaseball had made a deal with Slick to sabotage Rusty so that he couldn't win. The Oil Tanker was crouched at the perfect spot to cover the tracks with oil, but her view of the racers was poor.
Greaseball was so focussed on the race, revelling in the feeling of Hydra’s hydrogen mixing with her diesel. Rusty and Porter were a little way ahead of them but she was confident they would catch up and pass them.
“Come on Stray! Give it all you got!” Hydra obeyed without thought and they gained even more speed to round the upcoming bend. Before the pair knew it, Electra had caught up to them and went straight for Greaseball, knocking into her on their way to pass her, sending the two engines into a distracted fighting match along the tracks, their respective partners clinging onto their couplers for dear life.
Due to her being unable to see that Rusty and Porter had already passed her hiding spot, Slick spilt the oil onto the tracks, unaware that Greaseball and Hydra were mere seconds away from disaster. As the diesel engine was already distracted fighting off Electra, she didn't notice the leak on the track in front of her, skidding straight into what was about to be the worst crash of her life. The racers were immediately thrown straight off the track and down the hill beside it. Pearl had managed to release herself before they hit, having gotten fed up with the two engines' petty fighting. Having fallen to the safer side of the racetrack, she watched helplessly as the other three trains disappeared from sight.
Greaseball tried desperately to uncouple Hydra to try to lessen his damage as they gained speed down the hillside, knowing his fuel was highly flammable and if mixed with her diesel and Electra’s inevitable sparking, it would not end well for any of them. Straining and failing to reach her couplers whilst being thrown down a hill was not Greaseball’s idea of a good time. It wasn't long before she was proven right as they hit the ground violently. She watched in shock as Hydra and her couplers were painfully ripped from her back and flung much closer to Electra than anyone would deem safe.
She screamed out for her brother, dragging herself as best she could over to him despite her body protesting each movement. Right as she was within arms reach, Electra’s unconscious form shot out sparks and ignited the mix of oil and hydrogen that had formed beneath them, the fire engulfing them immediately. Being slightly closer to the electric engine, she pushed them as far away as she could before searching once again for Hydra, the thick smoke making it almost impossible to think. Spotting his light through the smoke, Greaseball used the last of her strength to carry herself to Hydra’s side.
“Please, Stray, come on kid, wake up! Open your eyes, t-talk to me…anything, please!” She patted his cheek weakly, her thoughts getting further and further from her as she clutched at Hydra’s limp form. Unable to stay upright any longer, Greaseball pitched forward onto Hydra’s chest, her last thought being relief at feeling his shallow breaths before she lost herself in unconsciousness.