Chapter 2 Speed Racer

~Rex's POV~

I leaned forward and laid my forehead on Speed's. As I held his body close, tears were beginning to fall, though I did not want them too. I couldn't fall apart right now, even though my heart was broken in my chest. I couldn't fall apart, not when I had a job to do.

Opening my eyes, I stared at the pale, lifeless body of my little brother.

"I am so sorry," I whispered as I hugged him to me, I felt like screaming. This was not how this day was supposed to go. He was supposed to drive the pants off every single driver out there but now that couldn't happen.

"Speed, I am so sorry" I cried out again even though I knew he couldn't hear me. "please forgive me" I mumbled under my breath. I stiffened when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was the Inspector Detector.

"X, I am so sorry for your lose" he said quietly.

"Being sorry won't bring him back" I growled, knowing I should watch how I react around the Inspector because my job was on the line.

I looked down at Speed's face and while holding him close, I raised my hand and brushed the hair out of his face.

"I never imagined this is how the day would be" I said "I always thought Speed would win the race not lose his life."

"Thing's do not always go the way we plan them too" the Inspector Detector said "while Speed's loss is unfortunate we still have to find another racer to take his place."

I looked up at him and glared, my pain showing in my eyes.

"You will never find another racer like Speed, he was the greatest there ever was." I snapped. The Inspector Detector stood up when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. It was the emergency crew that had arrived just moments too late.

"He's gone" I said, tightening my hold on Speed's body. I didn't want to let him go. The crew came over to where I was sitting, holding Speed. They took the body from me and placed it on a stretcher. Before they could place the white sheet over his face, I stood and walked over to him.

Staring down, I reached out and placed my hand on his face.

"I am so, so sorry I couldn't stop this from happening and I'm sorry I had to hide my identity from you, if people knew who I was, I would have been killed, but I do promise you I will find a way to help Spritle deal with the loss of you." I turned away as the lead EMT placed the sheet over Speed's face.

"Royalton, will pay for what happened here today. My little brother will not have died for nothing." I turned away as the EMT's rolled the stretcher out of the locker room.

Taking a deep breath, I swallowed the tears and the heartache I was feeling. I had a job to do and I couldn't be torn up. I would grieve for Speed later, when I was not surrounded by people.

"His parents need to be told" I said closing my eyes so I wouldn't see the blood on my hands, so I wouldn't see Speed's blood. I knew if I concentrated on it long enough the tears would come and I didn't need them to, not right now.

"They are your parents too" The Inspector Detector said "Besides I'm sure they know something is wrong Speed was supposed to have been in his car five minutes ago."

"I know, I just didn't plan on telling them I was still alive in this way" I said "In fact, I didn't plan on telling them at all." opening my eyes I glanced at my blood covered hands and muttered "Speed's blood is on Royalton's hands now," my heart ached at the thought of having to tell my parents their second oldest child was dead, I knew since Spritle was so young he would have a really hard time dealing with it.

I looked up when I heard footsteps coming down the hallway and I knew it would be Pop's and more than likely Spritle with him. I closed my eyes once more I did not want to tell them that Speed was dead. A few seconds later I heard a young voice cry out:

"Not Speed, Not my brother!" I knew it was Spritle, what I did not know was that the sheet had fallen off of Speed and the EMT's had not bothered to put it back on before they had run into Pop's and Spritle in the hallway.

I stepped out into the hallway to find Pop's demanding to know what had happened and Spritle was beside the stretcher shaking Speed. My heart broke watching him.

"Please Speed, you have to wake up" Spritle pleaded a single tear making its way down his face "you can't be gone you were supposed to take us to victory lane."

Then it seemed to hit Pop's that his second child was dead. His face crumpled as he turned and looked at the pale lifeless version of his oldest son.

"Not you too" he moaned "you can't be gone too" Spritle burst into tears when the still body of his big brother wouldn't wake. I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart as I watched the young boy cry out for Speed to come back.

I wished then more then ever that I had been able to get there sooner, I would have been able to save Speed's life. Especially, since we had a feeling an attack would be made on Speed's life. I had never thought they would succeed.

As I watched the scene unfolding I wondered if it was like this for Speed when he had been told that I was dead. Something told me it must have been because despite the differences in our age, Speed and I had been really close. It tore me up that I'd had to do what I'd done and I could no longer be in contact with my family but at the time it had been necessary.

All of a sudden the sobbing Spritle spun away from Speed's bloody body and bolted down away down the long hallway. I looked at the Inspector Detector and he nodded. He took out a cell phone and quickly dialed a number.

"The youngest Racer just took off, we need a man to follow him" he was quiet for a moment before he said "make sure what happened to Speed does not happen to him."

"This place is a deathtrap" I muttered to myself before I stepped out of the shadows and to where Pop's could see me.

"Spritle" Pop's called out I knew he was torn between staying with Speed, though he knew that nothing more could be done for him, or going after Spritle who could get himself into a world of trouble.

"Pop's" I called out quietly, feeling like I was making a mistake in reveling myself, but then again Speed had asked me to, and I would do anything he wanted me to.

"What do you want?" Pop's snapped "can't you see I have something going on?" he seemed to ignore the fact that I had blood all over me, for all I knew he wasn't even really seeing me, just seeing through me. He glared at me and I sighed silently this would not be easy.

"I know that this is not the best time to tell you this" I started "but I'm going to tell you anyways, Rex Racer never died in that crash."

"What are you talking about? Of course he did" Pop's exclaimed "we buried him and who are you to bring up my son."

I took a deep breath before replying.

"Because, I am him" I watched confusion dawn on Pop's features.

"Rex died in that car crash" Pop's said only this time he didn't sound so sure of himself.

"It wasn't me it was a criminal I had helped track down, if you want I can give you the logistics of the whole thing later."

"How do you expect me to believe that, especially right now when I have other things to think about" Pops said looking towards Speed's body. I knew what I was about to say would make Pop understand because nobody outside the family other than Sparky.

"I took Speed to the Thunderhead track and I let him drive and Speed rolled us over. I always told Speed we only survived because he wore red socks." I wasn't sure if he knew that much but I hoped so I would do anything to get him to believe me at this point.

"How did you know that" Pops' stammered "I never told anyone outside the family that Speed rolled that car."

"I know because I was with him when he done it, I had plastic surgery after the fake crash" I said, turning to where I couldn't see Speed's body lying there, I couldn't understand why the EMT's had just left him there, but it broke my heart to look at the body of someone who had just a little while earlier had been alive.

"Then you really are Rex" Pops said "we have so much to talk about but right now I have to find Spritle, he loved Speed so much, and I have to tell Ma and Trixie and Sparky about Speed."

I looked at the Inspector Detector and nodded. I knew he would understand what I meant for him to do. With saying a word the Inspector turned away and walked out of the hallway in which we were still standing.

"Inspector Detector will tell them right now we need to find Spritle" I said "with Royalton here I wouldn't put it past him to try and hurt Spritle too."

"Hurt Spritle but he hasn't done anything to Royalton" Pops' exclaimed.

"Royalton knows that Spritle meant the world to Speed and in his own mind he thinks that hurting Spritle would mean hurting Speed wherever he is now" I said wishing I didn't have to be so blunt, but knowing that right now the man beside me needed to know the truth, and he needed to realize just how much danger his entire family was in.

"The man is crazy" Pops said and with tears in his eyes he said: "he can't hurt Speed no matter where he is now."

I shrugged, wishing I could tell him more that Royalton would be dead by the end of the day. I didn't even know that but if I had my shot at him Royalton would be dead.

"Royalton will keep trying to harm those you love until you are completely destroyed." was all that I said.

"Which doesn't make sense because he had issues with Speed, not my family" Pops said, "why would he try to harm the rest of my family."

"We are talking about a man who is not playing with a full deck here," I said "I don't know why, I just know that he will try."

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