Chapter 3
Wait... Who?


It seemed like they had traveled for hours.

Judging by the sun, it wasn't a very farfetched guess either. A little ways in, they had Chim-Chim helping with Alpha's weight as well. When they were only walking one direction, it was hard to get any more lost than they already were. Turning the robot into what could only be described as a hang glider with wheels, he was soon relieving the two brothers of Alpha's weight.

Despite the improvement, Speed still felt like passing out. He hadn't eaten anything since his small 'lunch' earlier in the day. He was starting to regret not eating very much as the sun began its last decent, turning the sky violent shades of orange, pink and purple. Thankfully, none of them sunburned very easily so their faces were only pink. Even so, they were uncomfortably hot and their feet were aching in protest from hours of trekking over the rough terrain.

X wasn't faring much better, though he was determined not to show weakness. He never even glanced over at Speed. Right then, he didn't care much for his well-being; he just wanted to go home and wake up. Surely the past 16 years had been just some bad dream. He would wake up with no long lost relatives, raised by his parents and Speed would've had a family to look after him. He supposed that was why he was still mad at his father. Not for leaving him, but for leaving Speed. It wasn't even at some obscure relative's. It was at an orphanage.

Being stranded in desert Arizona gave them both a while to think.

By the time civilization was in view, Speed was having trouble staying awake and X was slouching considerably. Chim-Chim was doing fine, but looked depressed from not seeing Connor for so long. Speed and X were probably the only things that had kept him going for so long. Alpha Leader had only roused slightly, but he wasn't even strong enough to lift his head and had passed out again soon after. He had been on and off ever since.

Now, to their gratitude, they both collapsed at the foot of a large sign at the edge of a highway. Painted on it were some of the most appreciated words they had ever read; "Welcome to Florence!"

Speed layed on his back for a minute while X sat back up and removed his shoes in order to rub his feet. "Well, at least Florence has a hospital," Speed said, closing his eyes. "Yeah, then we can pay for it with air," X grumbled.

Speed opened his eyes and sent his brother a glare. "That or we could always just bury him now. I mean, why wait?" he snapped sarcastically.

"We need to figure out where we are."

Alpha's voice was so soft they almost missed it, shocking them both. Speed instantly got up and looked him over. "We're at Florence," X said.

Alpha coughed weakly before continuing unsteadily. "More specific. The Hourglass part can be very unpredictable, but everything it's done has one thing in common." Speed's eyes widened. "Oh god…"

X didn't get it. "What?" Speed gulped. "Never mind, we have to get Alpha to a hospital before we lose him." X studied his brother with a calculating stare before giving a curt nod.

With that, they got up and began walking again, following the highway. There weren't many cars this far out, but the ones that were were going too fast to stop. Even so, they could swear they were getting weird looks. Suddenly remembering why he was probably so hot, Speed took off his stolen goon outfit and abandoned it in a bush, feeling much better in just his casual clothing.

Thankfully, this journey wasn't as long and they had entered the city in about half an hour.

They took Alpha's weight again, allowing Chim-Chim to convert back into his normal form. The half-conscious teen only moaned softly in protest. "It's alright, we'll get you to a hospital and everything'll be fine," Speed reassured him softly, though it sounded as if he was trying to reassure himself more.

By now, X was noticing something odd and Speed's hopes were plummeting. "Speed, look at the cars… And since when did flannel shirts come back into style?" X pointed out, taking a good look around. Speed shifted Alpha's arm over his shoulder. "Just keep walking."

Finally, somebody pulled over. Speed and X paused as the window was rolled down. Inside the car, a middle-aged man was leaned over and looking up at them. "You guys need a lift?" he said in a young voice. Speed shifted uneasily, but X didn't hesitate. "Yes, please!"

"Hop in," the man said, smiling kindly as Speed opened the back door and got in, X following with Alpha Leader. "Where to?" the man asked, turning to face them. "The nearest hospital, please," Speed said. The man frowned and looked Alpha over. "Yikes, what happened?" he asked with worry. "It's complicated," Speed replied.

"Guess it's none of my business, huh?" he chuckled, turning back around. "I'm Wilson by the way. Wilson Sparkolemew. You can call me Sparky, though," he said. Speed and X both stopped dead, exchanging a glance. Trying to play it cool, Speed spoke first. "Nice to meet you, Sparky. I'm… Brendan and this is my brother X and our cousin Alpha."

X sent Speed a quizzical look and Speed shook his head ever so slightly. Sparky smiled. "Nice to meet you guys," he said before beginning to drive. Thankfully, he didn't ask any more questions and their ride was mostly silent.


Muse X: Hey, how come dad gets to have a more exciting adventure than me? D:
Don't worry, you'll trade in a bit. ;)
Muse X: Yay!