A/N:

This was pretty much the hardest scene to write in this entire fanfiction! And it's so long! Easily my longest chapter yet. Really don't know what to put in this author's note... except that this was one of my most highly anticipated chapters? I couldn't wait to get to this one since chapter one, and I spent a lot of time trying to get the dialogue and action and stuff just right.

I always looked at Brandon and Rhett as older/ younger siblings. Brandon as the oldest and Rhett as the youngest. So many of their interactions in the movies point to them having a brotherly relationship. Brandon is the responsible oldest who's constantly annoyed by the crazy youngest. It's perfect!

So yeah.

Hope you guys like this chapter... whoever's reading it...

~ Ashla.


The automatic, glass door to the underground lab in the facility opened, Rhett walked in. It was Brandon's favorite place in the underground facility, and the place he went to cool off - usually by mixing up nuclear power drinks and making them explode. It was weird, they all had so quickly found their own favorite places in the facility. Wyatt could easily be found in the gym, his easily aggravated nerves soothed only to punching a heavy bag to heavy metal music. Gage often times could be seen in the observatory when Larry was not there himself. Especially when feeling in those rare quiet days and down times, Gage often times helped Larry with watching the cameras. Rhett himself enjoyed the main area, tuning up and tinkering with cars. Rhett also enjoyed the library, stocking up on wacky science fiction books.

Taking such an interest in the laboratory, Brandon had psyched Larry's interest, and he let the child help him in his experiments from time to time. While his top technology and scientific wonders, such as the nature of liquid imagination were kept from the young LeBay, Brandon often times seemed the most, crazy as it sounds, extroverted when blurting a bunch of hyper, scientific nonsense to the others about how incredible some type of invention or chemical compound was. Even Wyatt could not understand the language of scientific vocabulary well, despite being his closest friend.

As of today though, Brandon was not playing around with the chemistry kit. In fact, he was huddled on the car seat of a torn apart car, tearing apart and fixing... was that Wyatt's alarm clock? He must of smashed it when waking up again. Amused, Rhett rolled his eyes fondly before taking another look at Brandon. Brandon was changed into his casual clothes again, apparently Rhett had not been the only one wanting to change out of uniform. Of course, Rhett had taken his time changing to give Brandon more time before he tried something, anything, to get him to open up. While Rhett was usually cheery as could be, this time he was surprisingly solemn. Rhett said nothing as he crossed the lab floor, passing the animal DNA collection, and sitting on another dismembered car seat close to Brandon.

Brandon was pulling nuts and bolts from a alarm clock with a screw, not paying any notice to Rhett. They both knew Brandon was hardly oblivious, and maybe even hoping he would go away. Rhett, however, would not walk away from this one. After several moments of sober silence, Brandon sighed (while still not turning to Rhett,) "I said I need to be alone."

Rhett's hands were in his lap, he was squeezing them with steady nervousness. Still serious and unusually down though, Rhett's answer was soft and true to the point, "You know what I want."

Brandon yanked a screw out of the alarm system. He plucked the screw off the screw driver and put it in the pile of parts next to him. Still focused on his work, Brandon responded firmly, "Yeah, and I'm not giving it to you."

No words were spoken since.

The only sound in the room was of Brandon tinkering with the alarm clock. Many moments of silence between the boys passed, not a single whisper to be heard. Silence could be considered a good thing, but it was steadily gritting at Brandon. Rhett knew it, he knew what he was doing, and how waited patiently. He waited for Brandon to crack under the pressure him simply being there.

Several more moments of this, and Brandon finally reached the point that he couldn't stand anymore. He put the broken alarm system aside and stood up, hugging himself, as he took several steps away. Now closer to the center of the room, back turned on Rhett, he sighed, "You win."

Rhett smirked at his victory, "I knew I could." His smile faded though as he asked, "Brandon, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Brandon shook his head, "Are any of us okay? As far as I can tell, everything is wrong! Silver, Gage's injury, Larry being gone! We haven't heard from him since he left, it's like he disappeared off the map. And Silver... Quoting Wyatt here, that guy's a psychopathic jerk."

Rhett nodded, listening with full attention as Brandon started pacing, "That driver, he- th-there's more to him that meets the eye. I honestly can't see me winning against him. He did it to Wyatt, now he did it to me... I can't stop thinking."

More silence fell across them. Rhett was confused a little, but still got a majority of the picture, "Whatever he said, don't let it get to you. It's not like he's some ambush predator, he doesn't even know any of us. What can he-"

Brandon turned over to Rhett, throwing his arms, "-It feels like he does know us! Somehow, everything he said was so accurate."

"Well, what did he say?" Rhett inquired.

Brandon hugged himself again as words raced around his mind like a round race track, "How demanding. Are all LeBay's like this? I wonder what you're like, Brandon LeBay, I wonder how good you are at the deception game. Tell you what I can infer, you're so wrapped up in your lies, even your closest friends do not know what your most traumatic life experiences were. You're such a liar, you've been lying to yourself about your future. You could be a success, but you're far from that. You're too weak, too soft."

"He said..."

"You are going to fail your family. You are going to fail your mother. You are going to fail your friends. Everything you've worked so hard for will burn at your own fingertips. Blood will spill, and it will be your fault. And any blood spilled this day is on your hands..."

"He... Somehow knows..." Brandon closed his eyes. A fresh dose of shy shame coming up as he finally admitted at least part of it, "I've always had this type of fear in me. An irrational fear? Maybe, but it's been there since I was five. I'm a member of one of the most successful families in science. I've always had this expectation to be like them, be a legacy like them. The first time I really felt it was when I was five, I overheard a conversation between her and my old professor.

"Bernadette, your son is showing signs of brilliance. I feel quite sure that I can push him ahead of his ranks. Fly through kindergarten and pre-school, I can get him to first grade by Spring."

A small, blond boy was behind the stairs, listening to them speaking in the living room. Quiet as a mouse, he kept out of sight as he mom spoke to his new professor.

"You can try, professor," she responded, "But I don't think he can."

A pause spread across the child's mind, he previous smile fading as she spoke.

"That boy is soft. Too soft, he doesn't have the guts for this. A LeBay is to refuse the heart and think logically and scientifically. Does he do that? No."

"He's five," the professor responded, "Of course he's led by emotion. But still, ma'am, he's easily beyond the gifted scale. Allow me to teach him for one year, one year is all, and let's see how far he goes. If I get him to first grade by March first, then will you see?"

A moment of silence came across them. Hidden in the boxes below the staircase, Brandon curled up. His mother never seemed to love, but... she didn't believe in him? His own mother did not believe in him? Still quiet though, his presence in his hiding spot was not detected as his mom finally responded.

"You can try," she said, "But he will never amount to anything."

Even if it had happened when he was basically still a toddler, it still hurt today, because her view on him never changed. Yes, Brandon made it to first grade by October, but it was mostly fueled by a long lost dream... gaining her love and affection.

"I worked at my schoolwork like you wouldn't believe. I was smart, I quickly got it and flew through it. I was a grade ahead when I was six, but for some reason it wasn't good enough for her. I'm perfectionist and very bent on following rules, you know that, and it's because of her. I've always been scared of her."

"You can try," Rhett quietly quoted the words, "But he won't amount to anything."

Brandon turned and watched his younger teammate. He was looking to the ground, eyes burning with a type of pain. Rhett looked up to him, carrying a sad smile crossed with amusement. "Funny, my dad said the exact same thing about me once..."

Brandon's eyes widened a bit. Well, this was the first time in, wow, years he had heard a whisper about Rhett's father. Rhett absolutely loved his mother, and was still a bit of a mommy child, but he felt the complete opposite for his father. Everybody knew since they first got to know him that bringing up Rhett's daddy was a huge no-no, one of the few things that got a usually happy go lucky kid in a foul mood. Rhett had become unusually quiet when he was nine over his his father dying off alcohol, and Brandon and Wyatt had not seen much of him since he stayed in the house and refused visitors - except Gage. It took a month or so of waiting, but Rhett finally rejoined the gang under Gage's pleading. While the awkward, silent side of him was ever so present, Rhett quickly broke out of his shell and was his normal, hyperactive self.

During that time though, despite being told by Gage that he was okay, the other two had been a bit worried then over the youngest. At the time, Brandon had still been battling his depression and knew what it was like. For the first time ever, he had been genuinely concerned for him, even if he never pursued him thanks the habits pushed by his kin. Still though, Brandon had noticed something else during the several weeks Rhett had been awol...

He had been missing his cheerfulness and energy.

Brandon had never liked him, especially then, so why did he miss him when he was gone? Brandon had shrugged it off, but took inner comfort knowing that he wasn't the only one with issues back then. Since then, nobody ever spoke about Rhett's father, and he was obviously trying to bury him. Now, here Rhett finally uttered something about his lost parent... something dark...

Brandon was visibly confused at Rhett's statement, and why he suddenly was mentioning something he hated even thinking about. Quite obviously Rhett always had poor relations to him, and what he had said confirmed it. Rhett's smile of irony faded, replaced by a small frown, "And yeah, I'm not much, but I turned out better than he thought." He smiled at Brandon again, "If it's something your mom said or did, don't mind it. I'm pretty sure not even we know how capable we are."

Brandon smiled fondly at Rhett's words of wisdom. What he lacked in brains he made up for in heart, always did. Brandon shook his head though, sadly sighing, "I try my hardest, believe me, but..." Brandon's gaze drifted away, off into space, as he carefully chose his wording, "... I have the perfect opportunity right now to prove her wrong, benefit my bloodline, but it would be coming at a large cost. I quite frankly don't know whether or not to take it, because if I chose them, I'm positive I-..." He sighed again, starting to pace again, "I'd lose everything that makes me me."

Rhett's eyes dimmed, realizing that sacrifice was at Brandon's hands. Rhett shook his head, hands squeezing his knees, "If it means giving yourself up, don't do it."

Brandon stopped, turning rather harshly to him, "But I feel like I have to! Everything here is so confusing these days, and a lot of the confusion was my fault."

Rhett raised an eyebrow, completely lost, "Wu...?"

Brandon winced, clenching his fists, "Every time I go by what I want it's a disaster. It was a disaster on March... Twenty eighth..."

"... What happened?" Rhett's innocent voice pulled Brandon out of a moment in the clouds.

Brandon shook his head firmly, trying to figure out how to put it. He turned back to Rhett, choosing his words carefully, "There was an invention my mother made then. It was dangerous, and against all advice I wanted to see how it worked." Brandon winced, drawing out the painful part of it, "It cost the life of Professor Broderick. I pushed a button, he pulled me out of danger, and..." Nausea once again spread across Brandon's stomach as he choked, "... Let's just say it's the reason I'm giddy around blood."

Rhett certainly got the picture, that horror in his hazel eyes said it all. Brandon's gaze fell to the skull on Rhett's shirt, "You never said anything about your dad's passing, what it was like."

Rhett knowingly put a hand on the picture on his shirt, "Yeah, momento mori, it started with my dad..."

Rhett's almost gothic dressing style was, at the least, odd considering his bright nature. It had not escaped Brandon's suspicions back when it started, only a month or so after the death of his father.

Rhett gritted his teeth, "There are things he said, stuff he did, that..." Rhett took a moment to think up a suitable word, "... did not leave a good taste in my mouth. Close to the end I hated him, so why do I miss him?"

So unusual that it defied the laws of nature to Brandon, negative energy seemed to radiate from Rhett, who looked away, "I still hear him in my dreams..."

Brandon gulped and walked up to Rhett, putting a hand on his shoulder. Rhett's eyes seemed to carry a shift in them, his head snapped up and looked at him. After a moment, Rhett looked away again, "Considering you liked that Broderick guy, it must of been worse."

Brandon took his hand off Rhett's shoulder, that simple action alone having invaded his own personal space, "I don't know if you'd consider him a father figure, my dad died before I was born. Broderick was a mentor though, one of the few adults who knew what respect meant to me. And when your one living parent doesn't give you time to be human and grieve a loss like that... I had it different than you, but who's to say who had what worse?"

Rhett sadly smiled, "True."

Brandon sat down in his car seat again, this time ignoring the project he had been working on. Once again, Rhett watched him like Rolley watched the door after Larry left for anything. Brandon noticed all the concern, all the confusion. Rhett was at the edge of his seat, grabbing the end of the cushion firmly. The redhead dared to ask, "What sacrifice are we talking about, exactly?"

Brandon scoffed in amusement, Rhett just cut straight to the chase. Of course, Brandon's thought was instant. You. LeBay had to be extremely careful though - not just because he preferred this all being vague, but because his mother would not appreciate anyone being let in on their glorious family.

Brandon looked away, eyes still shining in light hearted humor, "I'm not so sure I'm allowed to say, family business."

A simple 'oh' was Rhett's reply before more silence fell. This time, it seemed to last much longer. Brandon continued to fix Wyatt's alarm clock. While Brandon was hoping Rhett would go away, Rhett was sorting through the information, hints, and his own thoughts. As the clock ticked, neither uttered a word or even looked at each other. As an introvert in both interactions and nature, it was continually pushing Brandon closer to the edge. While set alone silence was golden to him, silence with people was a different story. Still, he did not ask Rhett to leave, because it felt wrong. Truth was, Brandon needed that outside, third person perspective, and as Rhett was completely opposite of him he was perfect. Still, there was that instinctive part of him that was more wary than ever, for him. For the youngest person on the team. While Rhett was on the verge of turning fourteen soon enough, a year older, he seemed so much younger to him still. So innocent and vulnerable. Could Rhett take it? The questions kept pacing around his mind more and more, until...

"I always looked up to you, you know."

Surprise visibly crossed Brandon's face, he stopped working on the alarm.

Another, shorter, moment of silence passed. Rhett bit his lip, still gripping the seat edges, "Before we ever even spoke to each other, when I first saw you, something just..."

Rhett was not given enough time search for the proper words. Brandon let out a shocked scoff, raising a puzzled eyebrow as he finally looked at Rhett, "Why?"

Red nervously watched blue through the corner of his eyes, "I don't know? Just always have. You're really cool..."

With the shy smile Rhett gave him, Brandon actually returned it with a small smile of his own, "Really?"

Rhett seemed to slip back into his usual extroversion, nodding, "Yup."

Brandon sadly looked away, ocean eyes filled with fresh sorrow. He put the alarm clock aside again. Rhett looked at him with confusion. A small bit of panic burst across Rhett's eyes as Brandon got up, taking several steps away from him. "Brandon?"

Brandon smiled with a sad fondess as he turned to face Rhett again, "Off and on my mom considered ever getting remarried and having another kid, 'cause I apparently sucked so much. Still though, it made me think. What was it like to have a younger sibling." A light chuckle escaped him, he shook his head slowly, "You answered that for me, no second guesses."

Rhett's childishness nature was ever present, his entire being filled with excitement as he nervously asked, "Oh?"

"Yeah," Brandon smile faded, he turned away as he made a confession, "And I was a snob in return."

Suddenly, the otherwise warm feel of the room vanished like candlelight being swiftly extinguished. Rhett stood up, walking in front of Brandon again. The boy attempted to smile, as if he had just heard a joke, "What?"

Brandon was obviously not joking, "Sure, there were one or two times you got on my nerves, but I never should of reacted the ways I did."

"Hey, what's he doing?"

The four boys looked up to see the ominous, mysterious Rev doing something in the sky, orange loops of glorious track imaginating into existence.

"Maybe he's proposing to Misses Rev?" Wyatt threw a theory into the wind.

"Guys," Rhett called through the comn channel, "Maybe he is Misses Rev!"

That familiar annoyance came up in Brandon's mind again. Unafraid to speak his thoughts, Brandon responded, "That's ridiculous, Rhett."

Brandon's throat grew tight as Rhett's fake smile dropped, his eyes fading into seriousness.

"Why are the dorcs chasing us?" Gage cried.

As the quartet was chased by a mob of Gary's cars, Rhett threw in his answer, "Because we destroyed the mayor's tulip garden."

Brandon rolled his eyes, "That wasn't us, Rhett."

"Well, it could of been us!" Rhett retorted.

Brandon's voice was stern in stress, "No, it-"

Before the fight could escalate, Wyatt intervened, "Who cares?!"

Brandon spoke again, "I hurt you."

"I need an hour to make the cheetah fuel," Brandon explained the situation to Gage and Wyatt, who despite their rivalry were both intrigued with Brandon's plan to capture Rev.

"With Rhett's help," Brandon smiled, "Maybe even less."

As if on queue, Rhett got his face trapped in the automatic sliding door behind them.

Brandon rolled his eyes, "Then again, maybe even more..."

Tears began to flood Brandon's eyes, a phenomenon rare as rain falling up. Against what he understood from the start, he never even tried to improve, "I damaged you. Never once did I consider your feelings."

Underground, within the sewers, they were cornered by... rats ...and looking pretty bad.

"We're trapped!" Gage cried, their cars against the wall.

As usual, Rhett chose the worst time to crack a joke, "Like rats?"

That was it! Annoyance bleed through Brandon's voice as he revolted with the others, outright saying it, "I never liked you..."

Salty tears began to slide down Brandon's eyes, Rhett too was developing tears, but was steadfast in denial. "Damage is a strong word..."

Vision blurred, Brandon ranted on. "Out of anyone, I was the one who knew what you were going through when a loved one died, I never approached you." Brandon clenched his fists, "I bullied you..."

"What are you doing?" Brandon cried, "He'll short circuit!"

Rhett turned from the now soaked robot to Brandon with anger in his eyes. The sound of Gage and Wyatt fighting in the background was barely noted as Brandon's azure eyes pierced into Rhett's hazel. At this point, he was so done with him. So freaking done. How dare this clueless punk give him attitude when it was all his fault?

"Oh, are you afraid he'll malfunction and spill water on you too?"

If only looking at someone alone could kill somebody. Brandon currently felt like destroying this clumsy, stupid brat.

"Welcome to every day of my life!" Rhett shouted, waving his hands.

Do you think I care, you little, dumb nuisance? Brandon's thoughts were like toxic poison, and he acted on them. Saying nothing, he took a bucket of numbingly cold water and, in his exhaustion and rage, dumped it on Rhett.

In reality, Brandon had been the brat.

Now, here they stood. Brandon knew it all along, but now the stings and pangs of regret were so real. Now he cared, and looking back his actions were devastating. Standing several paces from each other, they were at the hardcore truth of what they were. While Rhett tried his hardest to pull together, Brandon was actually losing it. It was always Rhett who pushed him to his edge, and here he'd done it again. Boy, was it misery. Sweet, sweet misery.

Rhett attempted to make it stop, he reached for his shoulder, "Bran-"

"-No!" Brandon swat his arm away, earning a shocked sob from the car guru. Brandon's tears pilled up even more, completely blurring his vision. He saw red. Monstrous red. The monster he was.

"Don't tell me I'm wrong," Brandon's sore throat was so tight, it took effort to speak, "'Cause I did. We both know I did. Don't deny it." He raised his finger, shaking it in self loathing, "Don't you dare deny it!"

Another sob escaped Rhett, who only took half a step back, "M-maybe... you..." Rhett gulped, attempting to collect himself as he finally told the truth, "Yes, it's true."

The confirmation cut like a serrated knife.

Tears started streaming down Brandon's face, off his jaw. That was it. A fear was true, a nightmare was real. He had failed the one he viewed as a younger brother. It caused him to shake, almost fall to his knees.

Yet, in the staggering pain, new resolve was found. While Brandon's head was lowered, he clenched his bony fists, "I know what I have to do."

It was a tone even he himself did not like, but this was it. With the defeats already accounted here done for, Brandon knew where he was going to go. He knew what his decision was. Even if it was going to take everything inside him, staying here would only make things worse. At this point, years behind the abuse, there was no recovering.

All Brandon could do was...

"I'm sorry." Brandon whispered, "I'm so sorry. I failed you. If I'm the oldest, then it's my responsibility to take care of you. I failed. I love you, but I failed you."

Brandon closed his eyes, "I'm not making that mistake again."

From the silence (Brandon and Rhett's tears hitting the floor aside) he could tell the redhead was listening.

"I have the perfect opportunity right now," Brandon gulped, understanding the risk of being direct, but willing to finally go there, "My uncle provided me a job in New York. It'll fix everything."

Rhett's eyes widened in shock, "New York? That's millions of miles-"

"-Not mill-" Brandon growled at his own instinctive responses to Rhett's scientific incorrectness. Just like Wyatt said, who cared! That would be the last time.

"You've been chasing me for too long," Brandon's heart broke more with each of his own words, "I'm not worth it, I'm so not worth it. Out of anybody out there, you're chasing me, and even you don't know why. It will benefit both of us, you the most, if you gave up on a long lost dream."

Silent crying was exploding through Rhett. Unable to tarry any longer, Brandon had to get out of here. "If I'm the oldest, then it's my responsibility to take care of you... Even if it means pushing you away."

Brandon was unable to control the sob that overtook his body. Every fiber in his being despising it, heart telling him no, Brandon was choosing to go. "I'm sorry."

That was that. Brandon turned his back on his friend, his teammate, his brother for the final time. Another sob escaped the usually cold and collected child as he walked towards the door. As the sliding glass parted ways for the blue driver, Rhett finally responded.

"That's okay," his voice was shaky and mangled, "At least I know you care, and that means so much to me."

As Rhett gritted his teeth, holding himself together in ragtag pieces, Brandon left the room. Brandon left Team Hot Wheels. Brandon left Rhett.

Rhett fell to his knees, a loud wail sounding across the room. His hands slapping the concrete floor, Rhett closed his eyes, crying loudly as he emptied all emotion and agony.

And he kept on crying. He would keep on crying until he was too weak to shed tears anymore.


Air conditioning causing his long hair to fly, Wyatt recollected himself in the silence of the garage. The door to his yellow truck open, Wyatt had changed into his usual grey shirt and jeans. His prized, yellow cap was on the passenger seat. Unusual behavior for a thrill seeker, but Wyatt actually needed the solitude. Still waiting on any of his teammates, he had been far too tempted to take a look at the small photo from a life before his. Holding the picture in his hand, he was curled up on his seat. Chin on his knees, he was so lost in thought. He didn't even hear the door swing open and the open crying... until he realized the door swung open and the open crying.

Green eyes suddenly wide, the fourteen year old looked up to see Brandon getting into his car. Wyatt was unable to see his face, but he did not need that to know something was terribly wrong.

"Brand-Oh?" Wyatt called.

No reply, the car just started.

As the car sped out of the garage, Wyatt watched. Slowly pulling himself into a more alert sitting position, Wyatt looked down on the picture one more time.

An easily attached, emotional person, his deepest fears emerged as he put the picture in his pocket. He was not willing to ever so slightly risk the chance of what happened with her a second time. "Not again..."

He slammed the door, yanking only his helmet on before pulling the gear and driving out after him, "Not again!"