Author's Note: Here's the next chapter and my apologies for the length of time between updates-yes Ryan, life does get in the way, I had four assignments for work to complete and until I'm able to do an original piece of writing and become a sought after author, one must pay the rent-:) Special thanks to RedLion2 and her assistance in plotting out the race course around Lake Michigan—she is my navigator for this—Love ya Anime Bud! Thanks for all the support to my readers and my ever-so-faithful reviewers—you guys are the best.

PRE-RACE DISASTER

"Wha?" Pops sputtered as he saw Trixie in the garb of Team Thunderbolt. "Trixie, what's going on?" he demanded.

Gary sidled to Trixie and looped his arm around her shoulders as if to flaunt the fact. "She's my navigator for the race."

It was as if time stood still as the three men from the Go Team stood there, completely astonished by Lightening's declaration. Pops stood there with his eyes popped out in disbelief, Sparky's manner was just as incredulous but Speed's reaction was the most unexpected. Not saying a word, he closed his eyes and turned as if to leave, with a smirk and then in a lightning reflex, turned and slammed his right fist into Gary's nose, dropping the rival racer as he fell spread-eagled on the hard concrete of the apron.

"Speed!" Trixie cried.

She rushed over and knelt beside Gary, who was wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand and glaring balefully at the coal haired racer who grinned unpleasantly, as his eyes were cold cobalt slits.

"Congratulations." Speed tossed over his shoulder then strode over to the Mach 5 and leapt into the cockpit, turned the motor over and screeched off in a cloud of tire smoke. He headed for the exit by the garage and tore away.

Pops glared at the two on the ground as he said, "Trixie, you owe me an explanation. Why didn't you tell me what you were planning, we always were able to work things out before even when you and Speed had a disagreement."

Trixie lowered her head as tears welled up. "I-I," she began but was interrupted by the approach of a vehicle that was not the Mach 5 returning.

The gathering was further enhanced by the arrival of a sleek black limousine, which drew up to the tense entourage. The rear door opened and Flywheel Flatte extracted himself to join them with a benign smile that faded as he saw his driver still sprawled on the pavement and splattered with drops of blood. He knelt besides Lightening, opposite Trixie.

"Lightening, what happened boy? What 're you doing on the ground, huh?" He shot to his feet and confronted Pops, "What the hell happened here, Racer?"

Pops glowered at his rival and archenemy. "I could ask you the same thing. What's the big idea snatching our navigator, eh?" he snapped.

Flatte smirked as he replied, "According to the young lady, your son told her she was no longer needed so I gave her a job." He pointed to Lightening who had, with Trixie's assistance, got to his feet. "He had no right to assault my driver like that but since he's your son, it's only par for the course."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Pops snapped as he glowered at Flatte who was standing there with another sly smirk as he casually lit a cigar.

Between puffs he replied, "Oh nothing. By the way, how's our dear Ani doing?"

Pops turned beet red as his temper reached meltdown proportions. "That's my wife you're referring to," he ground out.

Flatte retorted, "Only because you stole her away from me. I feel sorry for her, if she hadn't been taken in by the big shot wrestling champ, she'd be my wife now and the envy of every woman as I would've showered her with furs and jewels!"

"Shows what you know. She doesn't even like those things," Pops snorted.

Flatte countered mockingly, "That's because you could never even offer those things to her."

"It still sticks in your craw, doesn't it?" Pops snorted derisively, "You couldn't hang on to her so don't blame me if she was drawn to me. Besides, that's all ancient history, what's it got to do with you stealing our navigator away?"

Flatte drew on his cigar and blew the smoke right in Pops face, causing the latter to fall into a paroxysm of gagging on the pungent blue cloud. "Nothing, Racer. Just wait and see, we've some surprises waiting for you on raceday. And also remember what goes around, comes around. See you at the race Sunday." With that parting shot, Flatte turned and strode to his limousine and got in. The sleek black auto then started up and glided out of sight as Pops watched, coughing and seething.

Gary took the rancorous exchange and departure of his boss as a cue. He grasped Trixie's elbow and said, "C'mon Trixie, let's split."

But Trixie hesitated as she pulled away and timidly made her way to Pops. "Pops, I-I'm sorry, I really am."

He turned and looked at the girl he loved like a daughter and there was no fury or indignation on his craggy features, only a sadness of betrayal as he slowly and wordlessly walked away.

Trixie stood and watched as her heart shattered into a million pieces, making her numb as the weight of guilt descended upon her. She barely acknowledged when Gary again took her elbow and gently but firmly guided her to his racecar as a stunned Sparky watched everything with a look that said "What in the hell just happened here?"

Meanwhile, Speed had driven as fast as he could to get far, far away, his head echoing Lightening's words like a mantra of Trixie, his Trixie being announced as Lightening's navigator. He shook his head woodenly as he drove like he refused to believe that it was true.

Speed drove aimlessly until he found himself at Lake Icy Chill, at the secluded, halcyon place that had been his haven since first finding it not long after he first got his license. He pulled the Mach 5 up to the bank of the lake and killed the engine as he sighed deeply and stared at the rippling surface of the lake as a breeze danced across it and the rushes along the bank rustled. The beauty was breathtaking but he did not even notice or care, his heart was pounding with a slow dull ache, as if somebody had stabbed a dull knife in at slow motion, to prolong the pain. And the irony was that the whole fiasco was totally avoidable, he had in fact brought it on himself and therefore, had no one else but himself to blame.

Speed reached and turned on the radio and the song "WhatBecomes of the Brokenhearted?" beganplaying andspoke to his wounded heart…

As the melancholy song played, Speed gave into abject despair as tears stung his eyes and squeezed from his lashes. Sobbing, he laid his head down on the steering wheel, gripping it so hard his knuckles whitened and he grieved the loss of his love. . . .

At the same time, Trixie was riding with Gary as the same song played as she too felt the warm rivulets course down her ivory cheeks, thinking of the hurt in Speed's eyes, buried beneath the furious cobalt fire. His eyes, as they gazed at her when he discovered it was she who was Lightening's navigator were burned into her memory and would haunt her for all eternity. The naked pain she saw there was imprinted on her mind and would stay with her she swore, until the day she died. Absently, she fingered the locket and felt the warmth of the metal sear her as she dropped it I shouldn't be wearing this I don't deserve this, this is now no longer, after what just happened I'm not Speed's girl anymore. The thought caused her tears to flow even more and unable to keep quiet any longer she made tiny, gasping sobs that drew Gary's attention.

He pulled out of traffic and to the curb as he shifted to park and reached his hand to grasp her shoulder. "Trixie, tell me what's wrong."

But she just shook her head as she felt her world crumble and tumble about her like debris in a tornado, drawing her into a maelstrom of anguish as she just sobbed. How things could have gone so wrong, so horribly wrong in forty eight hours was a mystery to her as she mentally played back the events starting from when Gary picked her up for dinner two days ago. . .

Flashback:

At a quiet out-of-the-way restaurant known as CHATS Gary and Trixie were seated before their meals, Gary eating his with gusto as Trixie sat there just toying with the food as she stared blankly like she was shell-shocked. Gary could not help but notice.

"C'mon, Trixie. You have to eat," he coaxed as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

She shrugged as she continued pushing her food back and forth on her plate. "Maybe coming with you out to dinner was a mistake. I'm really not that hungry and I feel like I'm terrible company." She sighed deeply, wondering what Speed was doing at that moment.

"No you're not," he insisted.

"You're being very gallant but it's true. I'm just not in the mood to be with anyone tonight after everything that's happened and the way I've handled everything."

Gary put his fork down as he said, "Stop blaming yourself. You're not to blame."

Trixie sniffled as the tears threatened. "Yes I am. I knew Speed wasn't happy about you being at the party. Nothing personal, " she added as an after thought.

"No problem. I know Racer is threatened by me," Gary admitted.

Trixie protested, "But he has no reason to be. We're just friends but I guess I made him feel like there's something more between us."

"Is that what he told you?"

Trixie shrugged and said, "In not so many words but I know he's been upset by our friendship."

"So," Gary said between bites. "You intend to keep punishing yourself."

Trixie sighed as tears again stung her eyes but she fought the urge to burst into another crying jag. "I shouldn't have danced with you at that time, to that song. Before the record ended, Speed was about to say something important to me and we were well, close. And I had put 'My Girl' on for us to dance to so we could continue."

"But he wasn't around you when I asked," Gary pointed out.

"Sparky told me later that he had to talk to him about something so they went outside. I had no idea where Speed had gone and then you asked me to dance so I did. And I shouldn't have," Trixie said in a tone filled with self-disgust.

Gary took another bite of his steak as he responded, "You're not being fair to yourself. You know we didn't do anything but dance at your party, Racer just jumped to the wrong conclusion. If you ask me, he's the one with the problem, not you."

But Trixie was unconvinced. "No, no I knew Speed was jealous of my friendship with you. I had known all along and should've just saved a dance with you for another song. 'My Girl' has been Speed's and my song since our first date." She sighed again as she stared gloomily ahead.

Now Gary sighed as he said, "Trixie, what's done is done. You can't keep obsessing over what Racer saw. We both know it was just a dance, nothing else." He continued, "Besides, if he really knows and loves you, he should trust you. You've been loyal to him both on and off the track while he's had the reputation of liking the ladies, even while he's got you."

Trixie was at a loss for words because what Gary was saying was, sadly, true. Speed's notoriety on the track made him the idol of millions, mostly females some who did not hesitate to turn to him when they were in trouble, and his own drive to be the hero all the time made him even more drawn to women. Many a time she had been annoyed by his gawking at these beauties and all he would say to her complete with a boyish shrug and innocent cobalt eyes is "Aw I didn't mean it." One time she could remember him showing any remorse was when he came running after her when she had enough and took off as he flirted right in front of her with Yvonne Von Dervonne the night before the Junk Car Grand Prix and was genuinely sorry, begging her forgiveness as they kissed and made up. But for the most part, he had never taken into consideration how she felt when he flirted with other girls right in front of her. She felt a surge of righteous anger rise inside as she nodded her pretty head slowly.

"You're right," she said softly. "His reaction is completely uncalled for, considering that I know nothing happened between you and me. And he acted rashly to remove me from my job as navigator, Pops is the boss and he makes those decisions. Ohhh!"

Gary smiled as he nodded. Then his eyes lit up as he said, "Hey, I have an idea. I don't have a navigator for the race yet, why don't you navigate for me?"

Trixie's eyes flew open wide as she gaped at him. "You're kidding, right?"

"I've never been more serious," Gary replied solemnly. . . .

Later, he took her to meet with Flywheel Flatte who was charming and welcomed her to Team Thunderbolt with open arms. Trixie remembered feeling guilty as she agreed, just for one race, to navigate for the Go Team's fiercest competitor.

End Flashback

Trixie sniffled as she said, "Gary, please take me home."

"But Trixie," he began but she cut him off.

"Please, Gary," Trixie pleaded. "Take me home."

The kitchen was silent as the Racers all sat in deep contemplation about what Trixie just revealed, the individual hearts heavy with the sadness of the reminiscence. Cam and Victori were somber with the realization that their parents who had always acted like teenagers toward each other actually had a period where they were to the brink of never seeing each other again. Speed and Trixie, however, were filled with the despair that they both had felt at the time, that both were losing the most precious thing in their individual lives. They both reached to grasp each other's hand, as if fearful that they would be torn away from each other, their eyes locked on each other.

Cam and Victori glanced at each other and at their parents who appeared oblivious to anything but themselves and the twins were torn between leaving their mother and father alone and staying to hear the inevitable happy ending.

Trixie sighed and still holding onto her husband's hand, their fingers interlaced she continued. . .

Sunday was race day and the town of Shelby, Michigan was decked out like it was the Fourth of July, with banners strewn across the roadways of State Street and Shelby Roads which are the beginning leg of the route of the Great Lakes Road Rally. The course was to follow those roads leading to US 31 and to Muskegon then to Grand Rapids and I-96 where the race follows I-96 all down the coast of Lake Michigan until about Benton Harbor, and then it'll turn into I-94. That will lead the racers into Indiana, where they can hit I-90, and that will take them up into Illinois, passing near Chicago switching back and forth between I-90 and I-94 through there. And finally, they will come into Milwaukee on I-94 and head into the famed Milwaukee Mile racetrack for a ten lap shootout and the prize. The racers were all in designated cordoned off areas that served as their pits in the parking lot of Shelby High, with their navigators and respective pit crews.Speed was behind the wheel of the Mach 5, trying desperately to keep his mind on the race ahead while the mess of his personal life was keeping at him with a persistence that was eating him alive. All the previous week, he practiced for the race yet could not stop his eyes or his mind from straying from the airfield next door and the pretty aviatrix that lived there. His heart was heavy with the loss and no matter what anyone did to try to snap him out of it, he was deep in mourning over separation of him and Trixie. And the fact that she seemed to join up with his arch nemesis was like rubbing salt into an open wound.

Sparky was, where else, bent over and into the bowels of the Mach 5 making last minute adjustments to the stout 12 cylinder power plant, checking the four barreled carburetor, the brakes, and the special controls that made the Mach 5 unique. He emerged from under the hood and closed it firmly.

"Well, everything is all set. She's rarin' to go."

"Yeah," Speed said, distracted.

Sparky frowned as he studied Speed's manner. He sighed and leapt into the passenger side. "Snap out of it, man. It's almost game time."

Pops was at the side panel and caught his son's melancholy demeanor then said gruffly, "You better get bright fast, we got a race to run. Remember, we're still gunning for the championship and a win would pretty much ice it for us."

"Yeah, okay," Speed answered as he gripped the wheel with a forced determination.

Sparky shook his head as he asked Pops. "Any word on the whereabouts of the Dragonfire?"

Pops shook his head vehemently as he snorted, "Nothing. Detector and his men have been on the case around the clock but it's like the Dragonfire's disappeared. It's completely baffling."

Their attention was then drawn to the arrival of Team Thunderbolt and the Silver Streak that slithered up to their designated pit area, which by coincidence happened to be right next to the Go Team.

"Oh great. Look what just crept in, " Sparky groaned as Speed grit his teeth, his eyes flashing cobalt fire.

"Who cares. That's the closest they'll be to us all day. I'm gonna destroy that bastard," Speed snarled, as he gripped the wheel tighter, imagining Gary Lightening's neck in his hands.

Pops grinned maliciously as he approved, "That's my boy. Level 'im."

Lightening extracted himself from the cockpit of the Silver Streak and glanced at the Go Team, his violet eyes narrowed. Trixie, who had also exited the racecar came to him, noticing his attention on the Mach 5 and asked him sharply, "What are you doing, we have to finish preparing for the race."

"We got time. I got a score to settle." He made to head to the Mach 5 but Trixie caught him by the arm and restrained him.

"What are you planning to do?" she demanded.

Gary extracted his arm from her grasp and replied, "Nothing to worry your pretty head about. I'm just gonna go wish the competition good luck while I give Racer a thumbs up, when my fist breaks his nose." He strode away from her.

Trixie made to follow him but Flywheel Flatte detained her. "Where are you going, Trixie?"

She turned and replied, "I'm going to make sure nothing happens."

Flatte laughed as he said, "The way I see it, Racer's got it comin' to him. Gary's just going to get his justice."

Trixie glared at the millionaire. "Fighting before a race is stupid. If the IRC officials see it, both will be disqualified."

Flatte sighed impatiently, "Very well then. Go." He gave her some food for thought. "I don't think I have to remind you that you're working for us now, do I Trixie?" His voice was smooth but had an underlining hint of steel.

She wrenched her arm away as she said acerbically, "I haven't agreed to anything permanent with you."

Flatte grinned smugly as he countered, "Not yet but do you really think the Go Team will ask you back? They are our bitter rivals and have probably looked at this as a betrayal of sorts."

Trixie opened her mouth to retort but instead ran after Gary as Flatte threw his head back to laugh. . . .

Over at the Mach 5, Speed had exited the cockpit with Sparky to confer about fuel with the gasman when Lightening came over to them. Both men stared impassively yet on guard.

"What the hell do you want?" Sparky snapped.

Gary smirked as Speed stood there with his eyes closed and arms crossed. He pointed to the fading bruise on his nose and said, "I just wanted to thank your buddy for his little 'gift' the other day. I'm much obliged but didn't get a chance to return the favor." He flexed his fists.

Speed's hands balled into fists as he responded, "Don't mention it. I'll be more than happy to knock you on your ass any time you want." He got into a fighting stance as Lightening did the same.

Trixie ran up and cried, "Gary, Speed stop it! What about the race, you can't do this!"

Both men glanced over at the chestnut haired girl who was the source of their hatred. Gary said, "Don't worry I can handle him."

Speed retorted, "Don't make me laugh! I laid you out like a rug the other day and I'm about to do the same."

"Speed, please stop!" Trixie entreated but to no avail.

"Stay out of this, Trixie. It doesn't concern you, it's between me and him."

Seeing his son squaring off against Lightening forty minutes before the race was to start, Pops hurried over but stopped as he saw the white and black masked figure of Racer X head over.

Lightening threw a taunt at Speed, "This time it's you who'll be on your ass, Racer. I've waited all week to give it to ya."

"Shut up and bring it on. I'm waitin'," Speed growled, his eyes cobalt slits. He drew his right fist back to hurl at Lightening when a black gloved hand grabbed him. Racer X stepped between the would be combatants.

"Knock it off. You two have a race to run and better spend what little time you have preparing for that instead of trying to clobber each other." The masked racer's baritone brooked no disobedience.

Lightening relaxed his stance as he nodded. "He's right we have a race to run. And I'll get much more satisfaction from beating you with what I got under my hood. By the way, thanks loads, see ya." And he bolted while Speed tried to wrench himself from Racer X's grasp.

"Let me go, I'm gonna take his head off, he stole my girl and I'm gonna kill him."

Rex kept an iron hold on his kid brother. "Easy Speed. Beat him on the track during the race and really get him."

Speed squirmed in his brother's hands and then sighed and stilled so finally Racer X let him go. "I'm okay now." He glanced at Trixie who was still there with a shocked expression on her pretty face and scoffed at her, "You'd better go over to navigate for Lightening, the race is gonna start."

She turned to go away but not before she said a silent "thank you" to Racer X for intervening. Speed watched her go with a cold chill in his heart. He took a deep breath to collect himself.

Pops rushed over and began his harangue. "Speed, what the hell's the matter with you? The race is about to start and you're getting into a brawl."

Speed sighed as he went over to the Mach 5. Over his shoulder he said, "I hear ya, Pops. C'mon Sparky, let's get ready."

Sparky hopped into the car and asked his buddy, "You okay?"

Speed stared off into Team Thunderbolt's pit and his eyes followed the pert dove gray clad girl's every move as she made last minute checks with Lightening and his crew. Sparky watched Speed as Speed watched Trixie.

"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah I'm fine." He made a weak grin and sighed.

Sure you are Sparky said to wryly himself as they waited for the countdown to green.

NEXT----UP IN SMOKE