SPEED RACER X!!!
WORLD EARTH GRAND PRIX - PART 1 - Episode 24 - X
The shadows of the grandstands have grown long, as sundown draws near at the racetrack.
Speed sits at the picnic table in the shade, satisfied with his rigorous work out in the gym, he's worked up quite an appetite.
Mom takes an empty serving platter outside to Pops who's personally rustled up some barbecue ribs and roasted corn on the cob. She places a platter of roasted vegetables on the table, Speed's ready to chow down. He grabs a corn on the cob and pulls back the charred cornhusk to reveal the juicy golden kernels inside, his mouth waters as he spreads butter on top.
"Where are Spritle and Chim Chim? They're missing out on some great food!" said Speed.
"They should be on their way. We told them to get back before dinner, but they're a little overdue." replied Trixie
Sparky sits down across from Speed and grabs a corn for himself, "Yeah, don't worry. Look, here they come now."
Speed and Trixie look over their shoulders and see Spritle and Chim Chim come running. Meanwhile Mom places a platter full of beef ribs on the table. The strong hickory aroma fills the air, the mouth-watering ribs are still sizzling, and Mom covers them with aluminum foil.
"Hey! Is the barbeque ready yet?" Spritle says licking his lips Chim Chim is already seated.
"It's ready but you two had better go wash your hands first!" says Mom as she places a couple of more serving bowls with veggies on the table. Trixie sits down next to Speed and pours soft drinks from a 2-liter bottle into some cups filled with ice.
Spritle and Chim Chim soon return once again running to the table. They all sit down to enjoy their dinner and discuss the World Earth Grand Prix that will take place at noon tomorrow.
"You know, it's strange. There's been very little activity over at Racer X's garage, his pit crew seem to be standing guard, but Racer X is nowhere around!" Said Sparky
"He's obviously decided to go into town for dinner." replied Pops
"I suppose he doesn't like the food around here." said Speed
Elsewhere a limousine cruises the city streets Rex and Joe discuss dinner.
Joe speaks, "I'm afraid we won't have much of a choice of fine cuisine sir."
"That's alright, Joe. You know me, that which doesn't kill me --- makes me sick!" Rex says smiling.
"---That's 'makes you stronger', sir", replies Joe, "Here we are sir." Joe parks the limo in front of a small cafe saying, "This establishment should provide what would be as near to home cooking as is possible sir."
"Joe, what would I do without you to keep my health in peak condition!" replies Rex smiling.
They enter the cafe and sit down to order their dinner.
"Joe, against my better judgment, I will be back late again tonight, so don't wait up for me." says Rex
"Everything will be ready for you upon your return. Do be careful sir!" replies Joe, "You've come so far."
"Thanks, Joe." says Rex.
Later that evening, Speed and Trixie exit the access tunnel and head into the vacant grandstands hand in hand. They walk up the stairs together and go to the very top where they can see the sunset together. Speed looks down at the empty parking lots and then looks further towards the North end and sees the trailer park filled with fans passing the hours away until the race tomorrow.
"Wow! Look at 'em all Trixie, families together. They've left their cozy homes to see us race here tomorrow. It's truly remarkable!" exclaims Speed
'Family' the word touches her heart, Trixie dreams of their lives together, she and Speed. She cuddles close to him.
"You know, it's great that we're here together now Trixie. Imagine all the special moments we'll share together, moments like this one, moments that make life worth living." says Speed
Unbeknownst to them, they're being watched. An optic with crosshairs is raised, and a telescopic lense is focused.
In the distance the conversation continues and finally they share a kiss as the sun turns the sky a deep orange.
"Gotcha!"
A loud electronic whirr cycles and...
"Ahhh!" yells Trixie, "Spritle! That's my camera! Why you little...!" exclaims Trixie
Spritle and Chim Chim run away laughing, successfully taking several candid pictures of Speed and Trixie kissing.
"Huh?" Speed opens his eyes still holding Trixie, "Heh, heh, forget it Trixie, it doesn't matter."
Speed draws her close and kisses her again.
Nighttime as midnight draws near on a moonless and starry night.
On the road to the racetrack the Dark Shadow approaches at high velocity. Unseen and unstoppable, the black car speeds toward the grandstands in stealth mode. Inside, the display reads 115 mph and accelerating. Night Wraith presses a button on the console, without a sound, the car ascends leaving the road below and soars quickly over the grandstands and glides above the track heading toward the pits. A brisk breeze strikes the ground as he sets the car down silently just beyond the pits between two buildings.
A heads up display projects the interior of the building and its perimeter, the Mach V's thermal signature in silhouette. He zooms out the image a little too far, he sees the multitude of sleeping race teams in their trailers, and then zooms in again with the Mach V at its center. With no apparent activity, he decides to run a final systems check. Then suddenly two heat signatures are detected approaching at a distance, he gets out of the Dark Shadow and opens his palm face up.
Night Wraith's glove emits a 3-D holographic projection of his surroundings; two suspicious men creep towards the Mach V's service bay. "Heh, heh! When will they ever learn!" whispers Night Wraith
"The coast is clear!" whispers one man to the other
"This is gonna be sweet!" replies the other man laughing
They go up to the door leading to the Mach V's service bay. One of the men pulls out a penlight while the other takes out lock picking tools. "Ok, go ahead, open it!"
The man feels someone taping his shoulder.
"What?"
"What? Why did you stop?"
"You tapped my shoulder, quit shoving!"
"I didn't lay a finger on you! What are you talking about?"
"If you didn't then who did? Quit yankin' my chain!"
"I didn't do nothing! You're nuts!"
They turn around slowly and look from side to side and see nothing. They turn their attention back to the lock.
"Psst!"
This time the man drops his lock pick startled. "What the heck?" Someone grabs his shoulder and spins him around. He received a sharp blow to the face and gets knocked out. The other man is startled and confused; he pans the penlight around but sees nothing. "Huh?" Before he can say another word, waves of electricity course through his body rendering him unconscious as the penlight bulb shorts out and bursts.
Night Wraith ties up the hoods and keeps watch the rest of the night within the confines of the Dark Shadow. Before sunrise and just as the pit crews start to awake, the black car rolls out onto the racetrack then disappears down the road into the darkness.
Morning and race day! Sunrise fills an orange and purple sky. The morning dew soon vanishes on what will be a very hot and dry day.
Speed slowly wakes and blinks his eyes and looks around, yawns, then smiles. "Yes! This is it!" He jumps out of bed and into the shower. Soon he is dressed and ready to go. "Gotta scope out some breakfast!" He takes a sniff, "Mmmm...Oh boy! Mom's cookin' on the grill!" He runs outside and Pops is already seated at the picnic table.
"Good morning, Speed" says Pops, "Nothing quite like the taste of breakfast cooked outdoors!"
"Good morning." replies Speed, as he smells the unmistakable aroma of fried eggs and bacon
"Here you go, boys," says Mom with a smile, sitting herself down
"Hey! Where is everybody?" asks Speed
"They've already eaten, they've gone down to the Mach V to get it ready for your race." replies Mom
"We haven't seen Trixie yet, but Spritle and Chim Chim went early with Sparky" added Pops, "something about some trouble down at the garage, probably nothing."
"Hmm...Guess she's not much for breakfast. She doesn't know what she's missing!" exclaims Speed smiling
"Thank you, Speed", replies Mom smiling.
They enjoy their breakfast then go over to the garage.
"Well the good thing is no harm was done to the Mach V..." said Sparky
"We will contact you if we have any questions" replies the officer, "Take them away."
"Thank you officer." added Sparky
"Sparky, who are those men?" asks Pops
"Apparently, they were trying to break in to sabotage the Mach V, but they didn't make it very far." replied Sparky
"Who stopped them?" asked Speed
"No one knows." said Sparky, "We just found them tied up along side their burglary tools. We think it might have been one of the other teams that was watching our backs for us. We asked around but nobody is claiming responsibility."
"Well, lucky for us, we're surrounded by people with some sense of honor." replied Pops
"Hmm...I wonder..." adds Speed
Later, two hours before the beginning of the World Earth Grand Prix, music plays over the loudspeakers for the fans until race time. Race fans arrive and filter into the grandstands in a seemingly endless flow like floodwaters, carrying coolers, and souvenirs of every kind.
Just as the fans get seated, the race teams make final preparations for the race. The pre-race announcer begins the show by welcoming the race fans and proceeds to announce some of the afternoon's events.
Like many of the drivers in today's race Speed skips lunch after his hearty breakfast and instead naps before the race, while Sparky and Pops fine tune the Mach V and run continuous diagnostics.
"Well Sparky, how's the Mach V testing out?" asks Pops
"It's about 98.97% efficiency Pops. By race time I expect to bring that up at least 99.01% or better." replies Sparky, "How's Speed?"
"Speed? Oh he's napping as usual. How he can manage to get some shuteye before every race is beyond me! I know I'd be too nervous to sleep! He's really come a long way to become a real professional racer." replies Pops
"Uh huh! Speed really knows how to get in the zone even before the race!" adds Sparky
"And where's Trixie and the others, I imagine Spritle and Chim Chim are up to their usual mischief!" exclaims Pops
"No, actually they're both assisting Trixie, they've actually become quite a team in their own right." replies Sparky
"The World Earth Grand Prix! Photographed and covered by journalist extraordinaire, Trixie Fontaine! Woo Hoo!" cries Trixie, "This is really going to be awesome!"
"Yeah whatever!" replies Spritle, "When do we eat!" Chim Chim shows equal concern for lunch, mimicking Spritle.
"How can you think of food at a time like this! The greatest grand prix drivers in the world are here, not to mention the fastest cars in the world, and all you can think of is food? You need to get with the program!" exclaims Trixie
Suddenly a loud disturbing growl comes from within Spritle's stomach,"!!!!!........!!!" The noise startles Chim Chim, "Awk! Ooooo?" squawks the ape as he jumps away and looks at Spritle.
Spritle just smiles feebly, "Heh, heh."
"O-Kaay,"Trixie's eyes widen,"Umm...here, you'd better go get something to eat quickly, before you hurt yourself!" she says as she hands them some money. "But get back here as soon as you can, Ok?"
But before she can finish what she's saying, they are gone.
The start of the World Earth Grand Prix draws near and the opening ceremonies are close at hand.
Speed walks in to the Mach V's service bay.
"Well Speed this is it, zero hour." says Pops
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be Pops." replies Speed, "Is the Mach V ready Sparky?"
"Affirmative Speed, everything checks out A-OK!" exclaims Sparky "Heh, but I noticed Shooting Star's pit crew just standing around, but Racer X is nowhere around, his car's here but no Racer X!"
"That's odd, I guess if his car's here he won't be making his grand entrance as usual." says Speed
"Maybe he's not the professional driver we thought he was after all, maybe he won't show up." quips Pops
"Not likely!" replies Speed
Cheers from the crowd draw their attention. They hurry outside to see what all the commotion is about. In the sky a small airplane performs loop the loops for the crowd, then circles above.
"You don't suppose..." begins Speed
"No, it couldn't be!" exclaims Pops
At that moment a skydiver jumps out of the airplane. The crowd watches as the skydiver falls from the clouds with smoke flares in either hand.
"He sure is taking his time about opening that parachute!" comments Speed
"He's either very foolish or very daring!" replies Pops
The smoke flares go out and skydiver now stretches his arms and legs out to form an "X" falling from the sky!
"It is him!" exclaims Sparky
Now a large black parachute opens to reveal a yellow capital "X". The crowd jumps to its feet and cheers!
"Well you can say this for him, he sure knows how to make an entrance!" exclaims Pops
Racer X lands on the ground, smiling and waving to the cheering crowds.
The time comes for each of the cars to be pushed by hand out onto the track by their respective pit crews. Random camera flashes from cameras in the grandstands capture the beauty and sleekness of the cars lined up in rows. As each car is in position, its pit crews stand at the four corners of each of the cars.
Soon the drivers emerge from the pits and walk in a perfect horizontal line towards the track amidst cheers from the crowd, they wave to their adoring fans. More flashes from cameras intensify as the drivers stop at the inside edge of the track there they remain standing at attention.
As the pre-race announcer concludes, the World Earth Grand Prix commissioner welcomes the race fans to the race and announces the person who will sing the National Anthem. At this moment, everyone at the racetrack stands and removes their hats and place their hands over their hearts. All is silent and the person begins singing. When the song concludes amid cheers, their pit crews assist the drivers into their cars.
Mom, Pops and Sparky wait in the pits. Mom with has a look of concern on her face touches Pops' shoulder. He turns to her and she tells him she wants to use his binoculars and he hands them to her.
"What's wrong?" he asks noticing her worried look.
Without replying she quickly heads for a small observation desk, Pops follows close behind a bit confused.
She raises the binoculars as he comes to her side.
"What's wrong?" he asks again.
She answers as she looks at the cars, "I don't know, I just get a terrible feeling! I feel like I going to lose a son!"
"Wha...?" he replies concerned.
Through the optics she looks at the Mach V and at Speed, then at the Shooting Star and at Racer X. Then she pans past Jettison and Michael, and looks at Sonya, she is about to put on her helmet and she turns as if to look directly at Mom.
Sonya laughs and smiles evilly, Mom gasps. "This will be the end of Racer X and Speed Racer!" says Sonya then she puts on her helmet.
Moments later, the race commissioner speaks again, "Ladies and gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!!!" The crowd goes wild!
The racecars now rev their engines together loudly! The race fans now put on their headsets and some insert their earplugs, while still others cover their ears with their hands.
The green flag is raised and the drivers are ready. The green flag is waved and the World Earth Grand Prix begins!
TO BE CONTINUED...
WORLD EARTH GRAND PRIX - PART 1 - Episode 24 - X
The shadows of the grandstands have grown long, as sundown draws near at the racetrack.
Speed sits at the picnic table in the shade, satisfied with his rigorous work out in the gym, he's worked up quite an appetite.
Mom takes an empty serving platter outside to Pops who's personally rustled up some barbecue ribs and roasted corn on the cob. She places a platter of roasted vegetables on the table, Speed's ready to chow down. He grabs a corn on the cob and pulls back the charred cornhusk to reveal the juicy golden kernels inside, his mouth waters as he spreads butter on top.
"Where are Spritle and Chim Chim? They're missing out on some great food!" said Speed.
"They should be on their way. We told them to get back before dinner, but they're a little overdue." replied Trixie
Sparky sits down across from Speed and grabs a corn for himself, "Yeah, don't worry. Look, here they come now."
Speed and Trixie look over their shoulders and see Spritle and Chim Chim come running. Meanwhile Mom places a platter full of beef ribs on the table. The strong hickory aroma fills the air, the mouth-watering ribs are still sizzling, and Mom covers them with aluminum foil.
"Hey! Is the barbeque ready yet?" Spritle says licking his lips Chim Chim is already seated.
"It's ready but you two had better go wash your hands first!" says Mom as she places a couple of more serving bowls with veggies on the table. Trixie sits down next to Speed and pours soft drinks from a 2-liter bottle into some cups filled with ice.
Spritle and Chim Chim soon return once again running to the table. They all sit down to enjoy their dinner and discuss the World Earth Grand Prix that will take place at noon tomorrow.
"You know, it's strange. There's been very little activity over at Racer X's garage, his pit crew seem to be standing guard, but Racer X is nowhere around!" Said Sparky
"He's obviously decided to go into town for dinner." replied Pops
"I suppose he doesn't like the food around here." said Speed
Elsewhere a limousine cruises the city streets Rex and Joe discuss dinner.
Joe speaks, "I'm afraid we won't have much of a choice of fine cuisine sir."
"That's alright, Joe. You know me, that which doesn't kill me --- makes me sick!" Rex says smiling.
"---That's 'makes you stronger', sir", replies Joe, "Here we are sir." Joe parks the limo in front of a small cafe saying, "This establishment should provide what would be as near to home cooking as is possible sir."
"Joe, what would I do without you to keep my health in peak condition!" replies Rex smiling.
They enter the cafe and sit down to order their dinner.
"Joe, against my better judgment, I will be back late again tonight, so don't wait up for me." says Rex
"Everything will be ready for you upon your return. Do be careful sir!" replies Joe, "You've come so far."
"Thanks, Joe." says Rex.
Later that evening, Speed and Trixie exit the access tunnel and head into the vacant grandstands hand in hand. They walk up the stairs together and go to the very top where they can see the sunset together. Speed looks down at the empty parking lots and then looks further towards the North end and sees the trailer park filled with fans passing the hours away until the race tomorrow.
"Wow! Look at 'em all Trixie, families together. They've left their cozy homes to see us race here tomorrow. It's truly remarkable!" exclaims Speed
'Family' the word touches her heart, Trixie dreams of their lives together, she and Speed. She cuddles close to him.
"You know, it's great that we're here together now Trixie. Imagine all the special moments we'll share together, moments like this one, moments that make life worth living." says Speed
Unbeknownst to them, they're being watched. An optic with crosshairs is raised, and a telescopic lense is focused.
In the distance the conversation continues and finally they share a kiss as the sun turns the sky a deep orange.
"Gotcha!"
A loud electronic whirr cycles and...
"Ahhh!" yells Trixie, "Spritle! That's my camera! Why you little...!" exclaims Trixie
Spritle and Chim Chim run away laughing, successfully taking several candid pictures of Speed and Trixie kissing.
"Huh?" Speed opens his eyes still holding Trixie, "Heh, heh, forget it Trixie, it doesn't matter."
Speed draws her close and kisses her again.
Nighttime as midnight draws near on a moonless and starry night.
On the road to the racetrack the Dark Shadow approaches at high velocity. Unseen and unstoppable, the black car speeds toward the grandstands in stealth mode. Inside, the display reads 115 mph and accelerating. Night Wraith presses a button on the console, without a sound, the car ascends leaving the road below and soars quickly over the grandstands and glides above the track heading toward the pits. A brisk breeze strikes the ground as he sets the car down silently just beyond the pits between two buildings.
A heads up display projects the interior of the building and its perimeter, the Mach V's thermal signature in silhouette. He zooms out the image a little too far, he sees the multitude of sleeping race teams in their trailers, and then zooms in again with the Mach V at its center. With no apparent activity, he decides to run a final systems check. Then suddenly two heat signatures are detected approaching at a distance, he gets out of the Dark Shadow and opens his palm face up.
Night Wraith's glove emits a 3-D holographic projection of his surroundings; two suspicious men creep towards the Mach V's service bay. "Heh, heh! When will they ever learn!" whispers Night Wraith
"The coast is clear!" whispers one man to the other
"This is gonna be sweet!" replies the other man laughing
They go up to the door leading to the Mach V's service bay. One of the men pulls out a penlight while the other takes out lock picking tools. "Ok, go ahead, open it!"
The man feels someone taping his shoulder.
"What?"
"What? Why did you stop?"
"You tapped my shoulder, quit shoving!"
"I didn't lay a finger on you! What are you talking about?"
"If you didn't then who did? Quit yankin' my chain!"
"I didn't do nothing! You're nuts!"
They turn around slowly and look from side to side and see nothing. They turn their attention back to the lock.
"Psst!"
This time the man drops his lock pick startled. "What the heck?" Someone grabs his shoulder and spins him around. He received a sharp blow to the face and gets knocked out. The other man is startled and confused; he pans the penlight around but sees nothing. "Huh?" Before he can say another word, waves of electricity course through his body rendering him unconscious as the penlight bulb shorts out and bursts.
Night Wraith ties up the hoods and keeps watch the rest of the night within the confines of the Dark Shadow. Before sunrise and just as the pit crews start to awake, the black car rolls out onto the racetrack then disappears down the road into the darkness.
Morning and race day! Sunrise fills an orange and purple sky. The morning dew soon vanishes on what will be a very hot and dry day.
Speed slowly wakes and blinks his eyes and looks around, yawns, then smiles. "Yes! This is it!" He jumps out of bed and into the shower. Soon he is dressed and ready to go. "Gotta scope out some breakfast!" He takes a sniff, "Mmmm...Oh boy! Mom's cookin' on the grill!" He runs outside and Pops is already seated at the picnic table.
"Good morning, Speed" says Pops, "Nothing quite like the taste of breakfast cooked outdoors!"
"Good morning." replies Speed, as he smells the unmistakable aroma of fried eggs and bacon
"Here you go, boys," says Mom with a smile, sitting herself down
"Hey! Where is everybody?" asks Speed
"They've already eaten, they've gone down to the Mach V to get it ready for your race." replies Mom
"We haven't seen Trixie yet, but Spritle and Chim Chim went early with Sparky" added Pops, "something about some trouble down at the garage, probably nothing."
"Hmm...Guess she's not much for breakfast. She doesn't know what she's missing!" exclaims Speed smiling
"Thank you, Speed", replies Mom smiling.
They enjoy their breakfast then go over to the garage.
"Well the good thing is no harm was done to the Mach V..." said Sparky
"We will contact you if we have any questions" replies the officer, "Take them away."
"Thank you officer." added Sparky
"Sparky, who are those men?" asks Pops
"Apparently, they were trying to break in to sabotage the Mach V, but they didn't make it very far." replied Sparky
"Who stopped them?" asked Speed
"No one knows." said Sparky, "We just found them tied up along side their burglary tools. We think it might have been one of the other teams that was watching our backs for us. We asked around but nobody is claiming responsibility."
"Well, lucky for us, we're surrounded by people with some sense of honor." replied Pops
"Hmm...I wonder..." adds Speed
Later, two hours before the beginning of the World Earth Grand Prix, music plays over the loudspeakers for the fans until race time. Race fans arrive and filter into the grandstands in a seemingly endless flow like floodwaters, carrying coolers, and souvenirs of every kind.
Just as the fans get seated, the race teams make final preparations for the race. The pre-race announcer begins the show by welcoming the race fans and proceeds to announce some of the afternoon's events.
Like many of the drivers in today's race Speed skips lunch after his hearty breakfast and instead naps before the race, while Sparky and Pops fine tune the Mach V and run continuous diagnostics.
"Well Sparky, how's the Mach V testing out?" asks Pops
"It's about 98.97% efficiency Pops. By race time I expect to bring that up at least 99.01% or better." replies Sparky, "How's Speed?"
"Speed? Oh he's napping as usual. How he can manage to get some shuteye before every race is beyond me! I know I'd be too nervous to sleep! He's really come a long way to become a real professional racer." replies Pops
"Uh huh! Speed really knows how to get in the zone even before the race!" adds Sparky
"And where's Trixie and the others, I imagine Spritle and Chim Chim are up to their usual mischief!" exclaims Pops
"No, actually they're both assisting Trixie, they've actually become quite a team in their own right." replies Sparky
"The World Earth Grand Prix! Photographed and covered by journalist extraordinaire, Trixie Fontaine! Woo Hoo!" cries Trixie, "This is really going to be awesome!"
"Yeah whatever!" replies Spritle, "When do we eat!" Chim Chim shows equal concern for lunch, mimicking Spritle.
"How can you think of food at a time like this! The greatest grand prix drivers in the world are here, not to mention the fastest cars in the world, and all you can think of is food? You need to get with the program!" exclaims Trixie
Suddenly a loud disturbing growl comes from within Spritle's stomach,"!!!!!........!!!" The noise startles Chim Chim, "Awk! Ooooo?" squawks the ape as he jumps away and looks at Spritle.
Spritle just smiles feebly, "Heh, heh."
"O-Kaay,"Trixie's eyes widen,"Umm...here, you'd better go get something to eat quickly, before you hurt yourself!" she says as she hands them some money. "But get back here as soon as you can, Ok?"
But before she can finish what she's saying, they are gone.
The start of the World Earth Grand Prix draws near and the opening ceremonies are close at hand.
Speed walks in to the Mach V's service bay.
"Well Speed this is it, zero hour." says Pops
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be Pops." replies Speed, "Is the Mach V ready Sparky?"
"Affirmative Speed, everything checks out A-OK!" exclaims Sparky "Heh, but I noticed Shooting Star's pit crew just standing around, but Racer X is nowhere around, his car's here but no Racer X!"
"That's odd, I guess if his car's here he won't be making his grand entrance as usual." says Speed
"Maybe he's not the professional driver we thought he was after all, maybe he won't show up." quips Pops
"Not likely!" replies Speed
Cheers from the crowd draw their attention. They hurry outside to see what all the commotion is about. In the sky a small airplane performs loop the loops for the crowd, then circles above.
"You don't suppose..." begins Speed
"No, it couldn't be!" exclaims Pops
At that moment a skydiver jumps out of the airplane. The crowd watches as the skydiver falls from the clouds with smoke flares in either hand.
"He sure is taking his time about opening that parachute!" comments Speed
"He's either very foolish or very daring!" replies Pops
The smoke flares go out and skydiver now stretches his arms and legs out to form an "X" falling from the sky!
"It is him!" exclaims Sparky
Now a large black parachute opens to reveal a yellow capital "X". The crowd jumps to its feet and cheers!
"Well you can say this for him, he sure knows how to make an entrance!" exclaims Pops
Racer X lands on the ground, smiling and waving to the cheering crowds.
The time comes for each of the cars to be pushed by hand out onto the track by their respective pit crews. Random camera flashes from cameras in the grandstands capture the beauty and sleekness of the cars lined up in rows. As each car is in position, its pit crews stand at the four corners of each of the cars.
Soon the drivers emerge from the pits and walk in a perfect horizontal line towards the track amidst cheers from the crowd, they wave to their adoring fans. More flashes from cameras intensify as the drivers stop at the inside edge of the track there they remain standing at attention.
As the pre-race announcer concludes, the World Earth Grand Prix commissioner welcomes the race fans to the race and announces the person who will sing the National Anthem. At this moment, everyone at the racetrack stands and removes their hats and place their hands over their hearts. All is silent and the person begins singing. When the song concludes amid cheers, their pit crews assist the drivers into their cars.
Mom, Pops and Sparky wait in the pits. Mom with has a look of concern on her face touches Pops' shoulder. He turns to her and she tells him she wants to use his binoculars and he hands them to her.
"What's wrong?" he asks noticing her worried look.
Without replying she quickly heads for a small observation desk, Pops follows close behind a bit confused.
She raises the binoculars as he comes to her side.
"What's wrong?" he asks again.
She answers as she looks at the cars, "I don't know, I just get a terrible feeling! I feel like I going to lose a son!"
"Wha...?" he replies concerned.
Through the optics she looks at the Mach V and at Speed, then at the Shooting Star and at Racer X. Then she pans past Jettison and Michael, and looks at Sonya, she is about to put on her helmet and she turns as if to look directly at Mom.
Sonya laughs and smiles evilly, Mom gasps. "This will be the end of Racer X and Speed Racer!" says Sonya then she puts on her helmet.
Moments later, the race commissioner speaks again, "Ladies and gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!!!" The crowd goes wild!
The racecars now rev their engines together loudly! The race fans now put on their headsets and some insert their earplugs, while still others cover their ears with their hands.
The green flag is raised and the drivers are ready. The green flag is waved and the World Earth Grand Prix begins!
TO BE CONTINUED...