Dis: I own nothing all right belong to their respective owners. Names, locations and pop culture references not already established in the SR universe are purely for my own amusement, no infringement is intended.

AN: Sort of AU to everything post season one as I haven't started season two yet.

X had been on the track all day with Speed and his crew, well these days there were sort of his crew too. They had been working on a few new evasive maneuvers that Lucy had plotted out. Annalise and Speed were still having a little trouble with the finishing Over-Under move. Communication between the two still wasn't a strong point. If X spent time thinking about it at all, it came down to the fact that Annalise wasn't a strong point to the team in any form. Thinking about her led to emotions that he just didn't want to deal with, so he simply focused on the finish.

By the time they called it quits X's stomach was roaring louder than the engine of the Shooting Star. With his plate loaded to the point of overflowing X walked into the cafeteria. He knew where the others would be seated so he started that way, as he did so the news cast on a corner television caught his eye. His tray slipped from his grip unnoticed as his eyes focused on the crash footage and reporter's words.

"No, it can't be." the words seemed as if they were coming from someone else and not X. He stood there in shock watching the footage play again, the last being a close up of the charred remains of a motocross bike.

"I know man, Randy Dupree was the greatest. He is, was, like your dad in the world of MotoRacing. To think a test model bike at a demo rally would be his end." Connor's monologue kept going until Speed cut him off, having realized that his older brother had gone pale.

"X, are you ok?" Speed placed a hand gingerly on X's shoulder, a soggy sandwich making a 'sqwart' sound as Speed stepped on it.

"I knew him Speed. Not as in having met him to have something signed, but actually knew him. He would come around for family parties and stuff. Swapping stories with Grandpop's about Dad back in the day. He was one of the people who encouraged Spritle to take headmaster here." X took a deep breath, shaking himself slightly; his mind was swirling.

"I'm going to see Spritle." He took off towards the headmaster's office at full sprint.

Speed looked at the others, who seemed to be watching the two in much the same way the rest of the cafeteria was watching the continually replaying footage of the crash. Receiving a nod of understand from Lucy he took off after his brother, nearly slipping on the little milk and orange Jell-O that hadn't been soaked up by the sandwiches.

As X breezed past his uncle's secretary he wondered why she was even there, no one stopped at her desk, everyone did just as he was now and rushed strait into his uncle's office. Upon entering the office X noticed that his uncle had on his favorite worn brown jacket and was closing a brief case that looked rather full.

"X, Speed." Spritle greeted as Speed entered a few seconds behind his brother, completely out of breath.

"I was going to send you boys a note, but I guess I'll tell you in person now." He continued gesturing for the boys to take a seat. They did, more out of habit than compliance.

"You're here because you heard about Randy Dupree?" When the boys nodded yes he took a breath and looked at his hands a moment before speaking.

"I'm flying out for the funeral. The Dupree family has been close friends with our family for many years. Randy's work was very similar to your father's."

"You're not just talking about racing, are you?" Speed asked with a slight edge in his voice.

A thought struck X that hadn't occurred to him before. He had initially run to his uncle's office because this was a loss of a family friend, a good personal friend of his uncle. He hadn't considered that Dupree was mixed up in the same things that his father was.

"No, not just racing. Dupree's bikes were nothing like the Mach 5, or Mach 6 for that matter, but he did share the same vision of the future with your father. Neither man liked what the large power hungry corporations were doing to the sport that they loved. It took your father and your uncle Rex years of exposing Fixers and the companies they hid behind before legislation was passed to deal with such crimes. Randy had a large part to do with exposing just how far spread the corruption was."

Spritle paused taking a sip from the glass of water on his desk.

"I'm sorry, he sounds like a great friend." Speed said, looking a little uncomfortable.

X knew it wasn't easy to figure out what to say to somebody when they lost someone they cared about. Despite his little brothers discomfort he couldn't shake the realization that had rocked his brain.

"They killed him, didn't they?" The words were out of his mouth before he realized he was speaking them. Even as he became aware of his mouth moving he made no effort to stop. "Just like they keep coming after Speed for the Mach 6, they went after him and he wasn't as lucky as we have been."

X sat on the edge of his seat knuckles white, He was somewhere between angry and terrified and he didn't handle either emotion well. Speed was the total opposite, he deflated, slouching back in his chair staring out the window beyond Spritle who looked caught off guard, but not surprised by X's words.

To his credit, Spritle didn't try to refute X's accusations, he didn't fully confirm them either.

"You two are safe here. All the same stay on your guard and don't leave campus until I get back. It will take a few days, Randy's son Rayne is on tour with the circuit. When I spoke with Kendra, his daughter, she hadn't been able to reach him yet, so I will stay with Kendra until Rayne is able to return home and most matters are settled."

X relaxed a little, Speed was too much of a 'goodie-goodie' to disobey their uncle so keeping him and that blasted car out of trouble wouldn't be too hard.

"Professor Aniskov will be acting Headmaster in my leave," Spritle stood up grabbing the brief case. "And X, Speed, please keep your suspicions among yourselves for now. I have no proof that The Committee was behind this, and I doubt little if any evidence will be found. Panicking the others will do little good."

X shrugged, it made sense. He knew that Annalise could probably care less about a stunt bike racer, and things were awkward between them still. Speed's friends on the other hand would put it together, if they hadn't already. After all Connor had figured out that Speed was X's brother before Speed had even allowed himself to think it.

"Lucy and Connor will figure it out on their own." Speed spoke up before X could. Sometimes he marveled at how similar their thoughts could be, yet they were such different people.

Spritle paused, considering his nephews and their friends.

"I would prefer as few people as possible to know about what may or may not have happened. X, I know you trust Annalise, but don't forget that her father isn't to be trusted."

"Sure." X nodded, now wasn't the time to point out that he still hadn't fully put his trust back into Annalise. His heart pained slightly as an undercurrent of thought mused if he ever would. It was disturbing how his cynical thoughts sounded like Jared.

"All that you need to say is that I went to give my condolences in person, as we were good friends." Spritle reassured them before saying his final good-byes.

They made it most of the way back to Speed's room when X couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Ok little Bro. What gives?" Speed stopped walking a step before X, so X turned back to face him.

"It's just..." Speed heaved a sigh. X had already learned that this was one of Speeds tells and it told that his brother was about to say something farfetched that X wasn't going to like, but as their fate usually read it would be right.

"Come on, out with it. Whatever crazy is coming our way is going to come whether you say it or not."

Speed raised his eyebrows studying X for a moment then laughed.

"Seems like it always does, doesn't it?" Speed shifted his backpack then continued. "Do you think he could still be alive? I mean Dad disappeared and uncle Rex faked his death didn't he?"

X put his hand up, the thought had flitted across his mind, but his inner Jarred voice had squashed it soundly.

"No. First of all, Rex drove a T-180 and blew it up in a remote location where no one could see him flee the scene. Or so the story goes. It's a little harder to do that with a bike in front of a live crowd. Secondly, Randy knows what both Rex and our Dad have put our family through, I don't think he could do that to his family."

Speed shrugged, X could tell that his brother wasn't convinced but he didn't feel like arguing over it either.

"Look, Spritle will be back before you know it. Besides, you need to focus on coming in second to me in Saturday's race." X's ploy worked, his brother had shifted gears and now had his mind on racing.

"Oh yeah?"

X grinned smugly.

"Naturally, unless you plan on losing to Annalise and taking third," He knew the taunt would hit home.

"Ha! Fat chance. She won't beat me and neither will you!" Speed said.

Family drama and corporate criminals forgotten now.

"Bet? Winner gets dinner of his choice."

Speed paused, considering his brother's offer, then grinned.

"Sure, but, looser gets dressed out of Connor's closet for a week."

X felt the color leave his face.

"Connor is like half a foot shorter than me!"

"All the more reason for me to win." Laughed Speed, continuing down the hall.

X knew he couldn't back out, and he couldn't afford to lose. The embarrassment alone would kill him if the pants didn't do the job first.

AN: Thanks to my wonderful beta for giving this the time and attention it needed. kira-kira katsu you are awesome!