Chapter 11
Where are they now?

The three cars swerved to avoid getting hit as another volley of shots fired from a variety of different weapons flew towards them from behind. As they got closer and closer to the Salt Flats, the waves of attacks increased. The Committee wasn't going to let the Mach 6 get away that easily.

Speed Sr., Spritle, Damian, Lucy, Connor and Annalise finally reached the flats mostly in one piece, though each car had damage in one way or another. The Mach 6 had remained mostly untouched, but still sported several scorch marks from lasers that they had been unable to dodge in time and a blown off rear view mirror that was now just a charred stub because of what was had appeared to be a bullet-sized torpedo. The Mach 5 had scorch marks as well and had taken a few hits, leaving the front end a bit smashed in addition to his damaged saws. Damian's car had scorch marks as well and had taken a blow in the back, leaving a massive dent in his bumper.

Without many useful offensive moves, the Mach 5 had been unable to take out any more of the goons once the attacks sped up. Thankfully, Annalise and Damian were able to destroy two more of the goons' cars using oil slicks, leaving only three of them left.

As soon as they were upon the blank, flat terrain, the group scattered, the entire grounds exploding with activity and sound.

Baron Von Moniacle and one of the remaining goons went after Speed Sr. and the Mach 5. Speed remembered the last time he and Moniacle had crossed paths, feeling a chill run up his spine. Having no control of your own mind and then only vaguely remembering what you had done because of it wasn't too pleasant of a feeling.

"Ach! Speed Sr., we meet again!" the Baron said once he had hacked into the Mach 5's communications system. Speed scoffed. "I can't say I'm pleased to see you again," he responded flatly.

Before Moniacle could reply, Speed turned the Mach 5 sharply to the left, drifting sideways around the two cars following him until he was behind them. Baron, however, saw what he was trying to do and slammed on his brakes right in front of the Mach 5. The move took Speed by surprise, and without enough time to react fully, he hit the rear of Moniacle's car hard.

Nearby, Damian was facing off against Mr. Pinkyring, Spritle clinging to the passenger's seat and ducked down as far as he could. The massive black car behind them was firing off a continuous stream of lasers from the machine gun-like cannon perched on the roof of the car. Damian was swerving madly to avoid getting blasted. He couldn't get close enough to use his oil slick attack and when he tried to do it from a safe distance, Pinkyring saw the attack coming and dodged it easily.

"Oh no, Speed!" Spritle gasped as he looked over and saw the state of the Mach 5, whose predicament had worsened. Speed was trying to get the airbag out of his face, but while he was distracted Von Moniacle had turned around and was heading straight for the vulnerable car with every intent of finishing him off. Damian glanced over, his breath catching in his throat. He could never make it over there in time. Spritle quickly made contact with the Mach 5.

"SPEED, LOOK OUT!" he yelled to his brother in panic. Speed popped the air bag right then, his eyes widening as he saw Moniacle charging straight for him. Without a moment of hesitation, he punched the A button on his steering wheel, the Mach 5 leaping promptly into the air. Moniacle's evil grin turned into a look of surprise and anger as he passed straight under the Mach 5, which landed with a thud behind him, out of harm's way. He hollered in frustration, but was cut short as he was thrown forward, slamming into his own airbag as it deployed.

In the short time when he hadn't been paying attention, he had plowed straight into Lord Bowler, who had been chasing after the Mach 6. One of the goons that had been going after the Mach 6 didn't have enough time to get out of the way and crashed into the wrecked cars, smoke wafting in generous amounts from all three.

Spritle sighed in relief. "Thanks, I owe you one," Speed told him over the comm. Spritle nodded. "Anytime."

During the fiasco with Moniacle, Damian had finally managed to get rid of Mr. Pinkyring. He had performed a sharp U-Turn, releasing the last of his oil slick as he went. The thick black substance sprayed in a U shape as Damian drove, making sure that Mr. Pinkyring would hit it whether he turned or not. The heavy car didn't handle as well as the others, making even the small amount of oil just enough to spin him out, disabling him for a while.

The Mach 6 was faring a bit better. With Lord Bowler off their tail and only two of the goons left and firing their weapons at them, Annalise, Lucy and Connor weren't in much danger anymore. Lord Bowler had given them a hard time, proving to be worthy competition with even the Mach 6's powerful gasless engine. He had kept pace with them the entire time, landing several good shots that had demolished the protective force field they had put over the car and did quite a bit of damage.

Now Annalise had changed direction, the two goons following them closely and shooting whenever they got the chance. She was heading straight for Mr. Pinkyring's car, which was still immobile for a while.

"How do you do that thing where we disappear?!" she asked quickly, building speed. "The button on the shift!" Connor replied. Thankfully, from dodging the attacks earlier, they had enough charge built up. At the last second, Annalise made the Mach 6 jump, stunned as she found herself all too suddenly on the other side of Mr. Pinkyring's car. The goons didn't have enough time to react, causing them to wreck into the large car behind Annalise while she sped off.

Connor and Lucy blinked and exchanged looks. They had never actually been in the Mach 6 when it had jumped before. It was exactly like Speed had described; one moment they were about to crash, then the next they were safely on the other side, the car fishtailing as Annalise recovered from the abruptness of it. It was one of those 'you blink and you miss it' things.

"I don't think they're able to follow us anymore. Good work," Speed Sr. said over the comm. system to the other two cars. "Let's head back to the Academy," Spritle added. The others agreed and Damian began to lead the way. Speed tried to get the Mach 5 moving, but the damaged car only sputtered and died. Knowing something in the front of his engine had probably been crushed, he cursed under his breath.

Connor appeared on his comm. system suddenly. "No worries, Mr. Racer. We've got your back," he said. As the Mach 6 passed the Mach 5, its small grappling hook shot out, catching on the front of the car and towing the failing vehicle along behind it. "Thanks," Speed said gratefully. Annalise nodded. "No problem."

They all made it back to the academy safely, storing the cars in their assigned garages. They would all need some degree of repair, but that wasn't what they were mainly focused on. First and foremost, they needed to get Speed and X back from wherever or whenever they were. The group was gathered in the Mach 6's garage, trying to decide how to approach the situation.
"I don't see what we can do. How did it even happen? What do we know?" Damian started. "T-There was a flash. Earlier, b-before we went in," Speed Sr. said quietly, his voice shaking slightly. Everyone in the room looked over at him. He was propping himself up on the Mach 6, nearly doubled over. He looked absolutely miserable, the loss of both of his sons taking its toll on him in full. He felt as if he'd been run over by a truck.

"Speed? Are you alright?" Spritle asked, his voice full of concern for his brother. Speed looked him straight in the eyes. "No, I'm not."

"Don't worry Mr. Racer, we're going to get them back one way or another," Lucy said. Speed took a breath, trying to gather himself.

"It'd help if we knew how the hourglass part worked. Then we'd at least have some idea about where they've gone," Connor suggested. For this, they all looked to Speed. He looked up, glancing at them each. "Wish I could help."

"Woah woah woah, wait a minute… What do you mean you can't help?" Annalise asked. The whole room was a bit stunned as well. Speed Sr. took another breath to steady himself. "I don't know how the hourglass part works. I have no clue. I never put it in the design."

"What?! But you were the one who designed the Mach 6! How could you not know about the part?!" Damian asked, trying not to raise his voice and failing at it. "The design wasn't finished when I went into hiding, Damian! I wasn't the only one who designed the car!" Speed retorted irritably. Spritle's eyes widened in understanding. "Sparky," he said. Speed nodded.

"Sparky had been hooked on the idea of time travel for months before I went into hiding. I told him that if it were possible, it was a horrible idea that would only end in disaster. When I disappeared, he must've put it into the design somehow. I have no idea how it works, because the hourglass part was never my idea and I had no part in making it."

There was silence as the group digested the news.

"Is there any way we could contact Sparky? He might be the key to getting them back," Spritle asked. Speed Sr. jumped up immediately in alarm. "No! The Committee is after our hides and anyone who knows anything about the Mach 6 is at risk, too. If we were to contact him now, we would be putting him in extreme danger. We might even end up getting him killed," Speed said seriously.

Spritle gulped. "So you're basically saying there's nothing we can do?" he asked wearily, dreading the answer. Speed shook his head lightly. "I don't see what we can do."

The whole room went silent again, each of them trying to think of anything useful, anything they could do at all. Speed found that he felt even more helpless than before, having admitted defeat. He stood up and began to head towards the Mach 5's garage. "I should see how much is damaged on the Mach 5," he said quietly on his way out.

The others stared after him as the door slid shut behind him. "There has to be something, anything we can do," Lucy said after he had gone.

Spritle looked around the room. "I think we're all a bit worked up. We just need to take a break, then come up with something when we can think clearly." The rest of the group murmured their agreement.

Speed Sr. was in the garage with the Mach 5, the hood propped open, a faint trail of smoke still issuing from the engine. Even as he dug through the torn metal to get to the problem, he found he couldn't focus, his mind wandering constantly. Finally he gave up, sliding down into a sitting position with his back against the car. He bit his lip, holding back the tears that were beginning to form.

Just then, Spritle walked in. "Speed? Are you in here?" he asked gently. He could hear a few stifled sobs. He walked in and noticed his brother, looking more pitiful than he had ever seen him. The sight almost frightened him; he had never seen Speed break down before. He had always pictured him as the brave and determined Speed Racer, the best driver on the circuit.

However, he did have every right to feel this way, Spritle thought, and he imagined that he would be more worried about Speed if he wasn't at the breaking point.

Spritle knelt down beside his brother, who was failing to stifle his tears. Spritle rested a hand on his upper back, rubbing it in small circles as his brother finally let some of his tears fall, finding himself suddenly crying into Spritle's shoulder.

He'd failed his boys once more and he couldn't stand the thought of losing them again, for good this time.

Muse X: You're a horrible person, you know that?
Yeah yeah yeah, I'm aware. So much angst here...
Muse X: At least you have the next chapter finished already.
YES. It will be posted either tomorrow or the next day, 127% GARUNTEED THIS TIME.
Muse X: I'll believe that when it actually happens.
I know. I can't believe you all have put up with me for this long. I love you all. On another unrelated note, this will be the last present-day chapter for a while, so enjoy it while you can. :c Back to the past in the next chapter! *yay*