Chapter 11.
For once in his life, X was scared. He couldn't remember the last time he had been truly frightened, but not knowing where he was, plus the added pressure of not being able to move or make a sound, made him tense.
His father was a bit tense as well, but it was well hidden and he looked just as presentable as any other goon. The shadow lady had walked up, her entire figure hidden in the shadows. "Well done. If this doesn't bring them to me, nothing will," she said, smiling. "Should I set up a trap?" Speed asked, keeping his voice even. "Excuse me?" the lady asked, her smooth voice coated in irritation. "A trap. Maybe if we drove the Mach 6 around in the open, they would find it. We could drag those brats here and jump them," he said, mildly disgusted with himself at how he had just spoken about X and Speed.
Even when she was barely visible, the lady seemed thoughtful. "Fine. But if we lose that car, you're finished," she said finally, walking away. Keeping a straight face, he found where they were keeping the Mach 6. After a short argument with the goon guarding it, he finally got to be alone with the car. Careful not to cut himself on the shattered remains of glass, he climbed in through the window. Inside, he started it up and drove it smoothly out of the garage area. As he passed the Shooting Star, he revved the engine before continuing out.
X heard engines; the signal that there was nobody around and the Mach 6 was on its way home. Putting on his helmet, he forced himself quietly out of his hiding place and got in the front seat. Immediately, he activated stealth mode. Though he could see the whole car, he knew that to anybody else it was nonexistent. Stiffly, he drove out of the garage after his dad. As soon as they were out of view and out of earshot, they sped up considerably back towards the academy. After a few minutes, they passed Speed's hiding place. As the loaned car joined up next to them, X turned off his camouflage system.
Nobody was sent after them the whole trip back to the academy, making for an eerily quiet drive. They pulled all three cars into the garage and met up back in the Grand Prix building, all of them bewildered.
"Does anybody else think that that was just a tad bit too easy?" X said rhetorically. Speed shrugged. "I'm just glad we got the car back."
"I'm glad too, but it's time for me to go again," their father said, frowning. He always hated having to leave them. He promised himself that he would be able to stay with them for good one day; that usually helped him feel better. "Wow, what a shocker. Never saw that coming…" X mumbled, narrowing his eyes. "Do you know when you might be back?" Speed asked hopefully, ignoring his brother's comment. "I'll try to come to the bigger races if I can," he replied, setting a hand on his shoulder. He smiled, feeling a little better before turning to X. "We better move the cars to the right garages," he said, and X gave a curt nod. As they walked off, Speed looked over his shoulder, waving to his father as he left.
"Do you think he meant that?" he asked X quietly.
After a minute, X nodded. "I do."
