Chapter One is upon us! Well, actually, upon you…I wrote it, after all. Anyway, this is where the real meat of the story kicks in. This is really fun to write; I had forgotten how much I loved action. It's a nice change from the humdrum of college life.
Please read, and let me know what you think! And to all you authors out there, keep posting your new stories and/or update your old ones.
Disclaimer: Eh, you people know the drill. If I owned Speed Racer, I definitely would not be in school; I'd be rich, and I'd have Racer X as my own personal masseuse. ;)
* * * * * * * * * * *
A crash of thunder echoed through the city, and Speed woke up with a start. He anxiously looked around the room, barely able to see anything through the darkness, but relaxed a little as he could make out the outlines of his father, Sparky, Spritle, Chim Chim, and Trixie. They were all sleeping soundly, clearly undisturbed by the thunderstorm that was taking place.
Speed slowly put a hand on his head, groaned, then fell back down on to his back. This would be the third night in a row that he hadn't slept well; each night had been plagued by nightmares and nameless, unidentified fears. He had no idea what was going on inside of his head, or what exactly it was that he was so paranoid about. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before; he had actually lived the previous years of his life according to the idea of living in the moment, and not thinking about the future. And sure, that maxim had gotten him in to trouble a few times (well, okay, more than a few), but then again, he was better at handling surprising situations that he was at keeping himself relaxed in times of great anxiety and uncertainty.
The six of them were all in Houston, a city famous for its thunderstorms, for a race. It was still early in the season, as there had only been three races prior to this one, all of which Speed had won. The first two went well, but during the third one the feelings of anxiety had begun, and Speed had not focused enough. So, consequently, he had lost to Racer X. Racer X had actually joked with him about it, saying that Speed was finally performing public service to the geriatrics of society (even though everyone knew that Racer X couldn't have been over thirty), but Speed had not found that particularly funny. And ever since, whenever he saw Racer X, he couldn't help but notice that the masked man had looked pretty worried about him.
Everyone was beginning to notice the change in Speed. Trixie no longer joked about it; she kept trying to get him to talk to her, but he couldn't. He knew that he was hurting her feelings, and he felt awful for it, but he still had no idea what he was so afraid of. Sparky and Pops were still trying to make him laugh and bring him back to his old self, but he never responded to their attempts. And poor Spritle was the most confused of all; his big brother, whom he had depended on for support and love for so long, was suddenly cold and distant. With adults at least, they can sort of understand how other adults prefer to keep to themselves and think about their problems, but Spritle was only eleven, and children can't understand things like that. Spritle continuously thought that he had done something wrong, which only made Speed feel worse.
Speed knew he wasn't going to get anymore sleep tonight, so he got out of bed slowly and quietly, and walked over to the large window of the hotel room. The electricity was out in this part of the city, as there wasn't a single light on for as far as he could see. The only way he caught a glimpse of the buildings was if a flash of lightning lit up the sky. He leaned over and rested his forehead against the glass, then closed his eyes and sighed.
'Dammit! Why can't I just forget about this? And why can't I just figure it out?'
'I'm not old, I'm still winning races, everything is still the same. Nothing is changing! Nothing!'
* * * * * * * * * * *
"So, did that storm wake anyone up last night?" Pops said, in between sips of coffee.
Everyone but Speed looked at him with confusion. "There was a storm last night?" Sparky asked.
"Yes, apparently it was rather severe. It blew the electricity within a ten-mile radius, and there were even reports of tornadoes on the outskirts of the city."
"That's Texas for you. Home of crazy weather and crazy politicians." Trixie said with a smile. Once again, everyone except Speed laughed.
The weather that day was actually very beautiful, so far. Texas weather was a lot warmer than the weather back home. Here, it wasn't spring; it was summer. Pops, Trixie, Spritle, and Sparky were all planning to finish their work at the track early in order to be able to go out and enjoy the warmth of the afternoon. But Speed had said that he wanted to spend the whole day at the track. The truth was, he was hoping that by completely immersing himself in his work, he might be able to forget about the anxiety. Pops had been surprised when he said that, but had replied that a hard day of work would do him some good.
Everyone continued to eat their breakfast, and it was predominantly silent, except for Sparky occasionally asking for answers to the crossword that he was attempting (and wasn't having much success with). Speed managed to force some orange juice and hot tea down his throat, but he really didn't feel like eating. However, he knew that if he didn't, Pops would just yell at him. Speed also knew that, while Trixie and Sparky were both very patient, Pops was approaching his limits. The last thing he needed that day was an argument.
"I think I'm going to head for the track," Speed said. "I want to get started on the transmission work."
Sparky quickly perked up. "Oh, I was going to do that for you, Speed."
"Thanks, I appreciate it, but I'll take care of it. I'm a mechanic too, you know."
Sparky smiled back at him, and dropped the paper that he had been reading. Speed was more cheerful than he had been for a long time, and he wanted to take full advantage of it. "Well, I'll ride with you at least. There's got to be something that you can order me to do."
Speed couldn't help but grin, and he found that he instantly felt better. 'See, all you needed to do was occupy your mind with something else' he thought. He leaned over and kissed Trixie on her forehead, which surprised her.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"What, I need a reason?" Speed replied. She smiled and shook her head, then whispered, "Thank you".
"I'll meet you two there. Trixie and I need to go over some computer diagrams before I can begin any physical work."
"Why can't she come with us, and you review the diagrams yourself?" Speed asked.
"Well, uh, she is really the expert with computers, and, uh, I…"
"He doesn't know what the hell he's doing with them. Trixie sort of gives him the Cliffs Notes version of computer graphs." Sparky chimed in. Pops sweat-dropped, but he couldn't deny any of what Sparky had said.
"Oh, alright. But don't be too long you guys." Speed said. He smiled down at both of them again, and then he and Sparky turned to leave the room.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Wow."
Speed and Sparky both stood in awe at the sheer number of people at the track. As most of the racers were from other countries, Speed hadn't expected this many of them to be in town so early. After all, the race wasn't for another week. But it actually seemed as though everyone was there.
"Well, I guess we should get over to our station. Um, where are we stationed again?" Speed asked Sparky.
"Uh," Sparky pulled out a piece of paper from a manila envelope. "Docking bay number, uh, twenty six. Right next to…oh this ought to be fun…"
"What? Who are we next to?"
"Our dear friend Duggery."
Speed groaned. "Wonderful. Just what I need right now."
The two of them made their way over to their station, and sure enough, Duggery was hard at work on his car. But before he could pounce on them and give them a hard time, several other racers had approached the two of them, all offering friendly hellos and hand-shakes. Speed was glad to see so many familiar faces; he actually was beginning to wonder if all of his fears had simply been the product of isolating himself.
Eventually, he found himself face to face with Racer X, who was grinning at him. "You just couldn't let me get two in a row, could you?" he joked.
Speed smiled right back at him. "Nope. I haven't had a losing streak in three years, and I'm not about to start now."
"Not if I have anything to do with it." Speed grimaced and his smile collapsed; he knew that he couldn't avoid Duggery forever. Duggery walked over to the two of them, and he was smiling at them, but it was definitely not a friendly smile; it was more like a sadistic smirk. Speed suddenly felt a strong urge to kick Duggery in the manly areas, which actually made him feel better; he was getting his temper back, a sure sign that he was returning to his old self.
"Hello, Duggery." Speed said, stressing the D to a ridiculous degree. "How are you?" Speed's voice was rife with false sweetness.
"I'm wonderful. I'm going to be three hundred thousand dollars richer in a week."
"Really? Taking advantage of the numerous American lotteries?"
Bingo. Duggery scowled, and everyone else, including Racer X, chuckled.
"No, but maybe you should. After all, those two races you won earlier this year couldn't have provided you with very much money."
"I buy cheap food." Speed replied. He was winning this particular confrontation, and he knew it. He turned back to face Racer X, and said, "It is wonderful to see you again."
"Same to you. You look much better than you did the last time I saw you." Racer X replied. "And I hear that you turned twenty-one a little while ago…congratulations."
"Thank you. I can drink legally now!" Speed said with a smile. But he realized a moment later that his addition of the word "legally" was not lost on Racer X. "Uh, not that I drank beforehand…"
Racer X shook his head, but he laughed. "Don't worry about it kid; I was no angelic teenager myself."
"Hey, I'm not a kid anymore."
"Speed, people under the age of twenty-five are kids, at least in my opinion. My advice to you is, enjoy it."
Speed smiled, and the two parted ways a few moments later. The greeting crowd had finally died down, and Speed was free to go over to the Mach Five, where Sparky had already begun working.
"I've got the transmission man, you forget about it." Sparky said to him. "Oh, and I just got a call from Pops; he said that he and Trixie are on their way over."
"Already? I was expecting the explanation process to take a lot longer."
"Actually, I think Pops still doesn't understand it. He sounded a little frustrated over the phone. Trixie might have just given up, and figured that she'll be able to explain it to him once they get here."
Speed laughed a little. "Yep, that sounds pretty plausible. I guess I'll go out and meet them at the gate."
"Okeldokel." Sparky replied. Speed turned and gave him a look.
"I'm never going to hear the end of that am I?" he said with a scowl.
"Nope. Sorry man."
"Jack ass. One slip of the tongue and I'm reminded of it for the rest of my life." Speed said as he walked away, leaving Sparky laughing.
Speed felt amazing. For the first time in weeks, he didn't feel anxious, or fearful, or anticipatory of anything. He was finally home, surrounded by cars and friends and competition, and in a week, by screaming fans who were just waiting to see him blur past them. It was going to be a tough race, he knew that, but he was ready for it. A challenge was just what he needed, along with a laugh and some good company.
He reached up and removed his outer shirt, stripping down to a plain white tank top. It is hot as hell here… he thought. And he realized, once he was outside, that he had left his sunglasses over with the rest of his belongings at the docking bay. He cupped a hand and put it across his forehead to block the sunlight, scanning the horizon for Trixie and Pops.
But his scanning quickly came to an end, and he found himself frozen in a particular spot. The sweating that had previously been due to heat ceased, replaced by cold chills up and down his spine. His joy, his laughter, his light-hearted mood; all had been replaced by the familiar anxiety that had plagued him for so long…except now it had a cause.
About fifty feet in front of him stood a man that had given him nightmares three years ago. A man who had tried to kill him, Trixie, and Racer X. A man with white hair, a hollow face, and a patch over one eye. A man that Speed thought had perished.
"Anarchy…"
His legs wouldn't move. In fact, no part of his body could move. He was simply frozen in place, staring at the white-haired man in front of him.
It can't be…
Everything about him was different. He was wearing different clothes, his hair was noticeably shorter, and he had replaced the jagged eye-patch with a more normal looking one.
It just can't be…
And yet, while so much was different, Speed saw so many things that were the same. His hair was still that putrid shade of greenish-white, he had that hollow, painfully pale skin, and that same lanky frame hadn't changed at all.
Can it be…
Speed continued to stare, feeling his breathing getting heavier and a sickening sensation coming to his stomach. Then, the lanky man lowered the cigar that he was smoking and moved just enough so that he made eye contact with Speed.
It is…I'll never forget those eyes…
It was Anarchy. The man who called himself Professor, the man who had told Speed that he would have been the 2,708 man that he personally would have killed, the man who had purposefully tried to obliterate the possibility of world peace three years ago. The man who had almost caused everything in Speed's life to fall apart.
"Speed! Hey Speed!"
Speed could vaguely hear Sparky's voice calling to him, but he was still frozen. His breathing continued to get heavier, and he felt as though his heart was going to explode, it was beating so rapidly. Anarchy wasn't moving either, although he appeared noticeably calmer. He clearly recognized Speed, and smiled at him in such a way that Speed feared would haunt his thoughts for a very long time…assuming that he would continue to live…
"Speed!" Sparky arrived at his side, not noticing the look of horror on his friend's face. "Your father and Trixie are here, they're going to be coming in from this gate. I thought I'd join you…dude, are you okay?"
Speed still couldn't reply, and the only words that stuck out in his mind were that his father and Trixie were to be coming in to the track through that gate…the gate that Anarchy was standing in.
"Yo! Earth to Speed, come in Space Cadet Speed, is anyone receiving?" Sparky yelled at him.
Something about that jerked Speed back to reality. He twisted his head to look down at his friend, then instantly moved it back to look at Anarchy, who he noticed was smashing the remains of his cigar on the ground. Anarchy then looked up at him one more time, smiled again, then turned to leave. But it just so happened that he had turned too abruptly, and hadn't been looking where he was going. Consequently, he ran right in to Trixie.
It was immediately clear that Trixie didn't recognize him. She began apologizing, and innocently smiled up at him, even reaching to brush his coat off a little. Pops just stood by, laughing and cracking jokes about how Trixie was very accident-prone and always had to be watched carefully. But Speed's stomach turned when Anarchy reached down to stroke Trixie's face, saying that such a lovely girl couldn't be accident-prone; it was all his fault, for not looking where he was going. He even bent down and planted a gentle kiss on Trixie's cheek, which obviously surprised her a little, but she brushed her surprise off with a wink and a smile. Then, she and Pops turned and headed to wear Speed and Sparky were standing, with Anarchy walking backwards and watching them as they walked.
Trixie's face lit up when she saw Speed. She lifted an arm to wave hello, as did Pops. Both were very cheerful, but their enthusiasm quickly died away when they saw the look of horror on Speed's face, and the look on confusion on Sparky's.
"Hey! Speed, you look like you just saw a ghost…are you alright?" Trixie asked. Speed normally would have been sickened by the irony, but his breathing was so heavy that he couldn't concentrate on anything. There was something physically wrong with him, as if all the anxiety and fear that had been plaguing his mind had suddenly spread to his muscles, his lungs, and his heart.
"Speed? What's the matter, boy?" Pops asked, trying to sound gruff, but obviously concerned.
"Speed? Hey, look at me…Speed, look at me…" Trixie reached up a hand to touch his face, and he looked down at her with tears in his eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was silenced by Speed's lifting of his own hand up to her face, looking down at her as if she was a little child moments away from death. Confusion and concern were all over her face, and they only grew stronger as he suddenly pulled her in to a tight hug.
Trixie just stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, but then lifted her arms up and hugged him back, although not nearly as tightly as he was holding her. But she didn't allow him to hold her for long, as his breathing was dangerously abnormal, and she could feel his heart beating rapidly.
"Hey, hey…Speed, let go…Speed let go of me…"
But Speed didn't let go of her. Instead, he collapsed to the ground, his body no longer able to support itself. And he took her with him, clutching her as if she were some kind of stuffed animal that a child would cling to when they were scared. She struggled out of his grasp, then looked over at Pops and Sparky, who were leaning over the two of them. Pops knelt down and put a hand on his son's chest, immediately recognizing the rapid heartbeat and breathing, and yelled that Speed needed medical attention…now.
"I'll go call an ambulance, there is a phone in the Docking Area." Trixie said quickly. She stood up to leave, but didn't get far; Speed threw an arm out and grabbed on to her wrist. Trixie was beginning to panic, but she saw that Speed didn't want her to leave him, and so she didn't. Speed couldn't talk, but he appeared to be mouthing the words, "No…no…". Trixie looked up at Sparky, who understood her immediately, and he rushed off to call for medical help, while Trixie managed to move her arm just enough to remove it from his grasp, and take a hold of his hand. He gripped hers so hard that she felt her hand might break.
Speed couldn't comprehend very much around him, as his body was going in to shock in order to protect itself from the incredible stress. But he forced himself to pay attention to where Sparky, Pops, and Trixie were. Pops had tried to leave once, and Speed grabbed a hold of his shirt. Sparky had gone to call for an ambulance, and Speed had continually stammed the word "Sparky" until Sparky had returned. When other people began to notice that something was wrong, they crowded around, blocking Speed's vision and inhibiting him from seeing where his family was. He panicked, and looked around wildly for them, finally seeing Pops and Sparky while still feeling Trixie's hand grasping his. Ambulance sirens could soon be heard, and everything was a mass of confusion…and then Speed blacked out.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, did you find him boss? Was he there?"
Professor Anarchy closed the door behind him, removed his jacket, and smiled at the three men who were waiting for him. They could tell just from the look on his face that things had gone well, and here they hadn't even done anything yet. Professor Anarchy often looked angry, but very infrequently did he look as pleased as he did at that moment, so the men knew that something serious must have happened.
"So what happened boss?" one of them eagerly questioned.
"He was there, and he's got several of his family members with him. And to top it all off, he clearly remembers me. Poor boy nearly had a heart attack as soon as our eyes met. The situation couldn't be better."
The three men laughed, cracking jokes about Speed's health and his violent episode. "Poor kid…I feel so sorry for him…" they all said separately.
Anarchy smiled and walked in to another room. He reached to close the door, but before he did, he asked, "Is the office and crew ready?"
"Absolutely. Been ready for a long time."
And with that, Anarchy closed the door. He walked over to a table that sat in the middle of the room, on which several miscellaneous objects lay. A computer chip, a screwdriver, a microscope, and lots of papers. Anarchy touched each object with care, looking over each one, then gently placed them back on the table. Eventually, he picked up the papers, which were the exact same ones he had been viewing about a month ago in the warehouse. There were pictures of Speed, and Sparky, and Pops, as well as textual information about each of them. But Anarchy merely glanced at them; what he was really interested in, and what he looked at with great care, were the pictures and background information provided about Trixie.
He knew everything about every one of them. And the poor people just didn't see what was coming. They didn't realize it, but each of them was going to reverse all of the damage that had been done by Speed three years ago. In fact, thinking that they were simply going to reverse it was rather pessimistic thinking; if luck was on his side, they would only serve to make things better than they were before.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Speed was dreaming. In his mind, he saw flashbacks of events that had happened years and years ago. He saw Rex leaving home, he saw the first time he ever met Trixie, he saw himself embracing Sparky at their high school graduation. He saw his father, and his mother, and the little brother who depended on him for so much. There were inconsequential events as well as momentous ones. But the image that kept on returning, and returning, and returning, was that of his first encounter with Professor Anarchy.
I'll offer you a choice: either join us, or die.
He had been so arrogant; he recognized that now. His morals had told him to laugh at Anarchy, to bluntly refuse the offer to join his organization, to face death before he faced the idea of behaving dishonorably. And his morals had almost gotten him, as well as Trixie, and Spritle, and Racer X, all killed. But he didn't know what he would do if he could go back to that day; would he join the organization? Racer X had done it, and while Speed had believed that he was a traitor at the time, it actually turned out that Racer X had caused more damage and enacted more change from the inside than Speed ever could have from the outside. Would Speed be brave enough, if he could, to mask his morals for a period of time in order to fight for the greater good? Or would he just be arrogant once again?
Don't trouble yourself, Professor Anarchy; I'll take care of the kid.
And at last there was a reason for all of the anxiety. There was a reason that he had not been sleeping, had lost his appetite, and had been fearful for the safety of his family for nearly two months. In fact, he once again felt ashamed of his arrogance, as he believed that all of his fears were caused by the silly idea that he was getting older. He was worried about his childhood slipping away from him, when really he should have recognized that his life, and the lives of those he loved, could have slipped away.
Either join us, or die.
Speed just kept seeing images…he couldn't get the vision of Professor Anarchy out of his head. He had run across his fair share of despicable people in his life, but something about Professor Anarchy had been different. Anarchy had looked at him as if he saw something in Speed that even Speed couldn't see. This caused Speed a great deal of concern as well, except he didn't know what he was afraid of in this realm. What exactly did Anarchy see within him? And why was such a powerful man troubling himself with such a small, young man?
Join us, or die.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Join us…or die? Hmm…what *does* professor Anarchy mean by that? And what are those funny little computer-thingies that he's playing with? And, most importantly, what exactly happened to our dear little racing car driver?
I'm so evil. ) I love it.
Read and review! Read and review! jvalen1@towson.edu
Please read, and let me know what you think! And to all you authors out there, keep posting your new stories and/or update your old ones.
Disclaimer: Eh, you people know the drill. If I owned Speed Racer, I definitely would not be in school; I'd be rich, and I'd have Racer X as my own personal masseuse. ;)
* * * * * * * * * * *
A crash of thunder echoed through the city, and Speed woke up with a start. He anxiously looked around the room, barely able to see anything through the darkness, but relaxed a little as he could make out the outlines of his father, Sparky, Spritle, Chim Chim, and Trixie. They were all sleeping soundly, clearly undisturbed by the thunderstorm that was taking place.
Speed slowly put a hand on his head, groaned, then fell back down on to his back. This would be the third night in a row that he hadn't slept well; each night had been plagued by nightmares and nameless, unidentified fears. He had no idea what was going on inside of his head, or what exactly it was that he was so paranoid about. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before; he had actually lived the previous years of his life according to the idea of living in the moment, and not thinking about the future. And sure, that maxim had gotten him in to trouble a few times (well, okay, more than a few), but then again, he was better at handling surprising situations that he was at keeping himself relaxed in times of great anxiety and uncertainty.
The six of them were all in Houston, a city famous for its thunderstorms, for a race. It was still early in the season, as there had only been three races prior to this one, all of which Speed had won. The first two went well, but during the third one the feelings of anxiety had begun, and Speed had not focused enough. So, consequently, he had lost to Racer X. Racer X had actually joked with him about it, saying that Speed was finally performing public service to the geriatrics of society (even though everyone knew that Racer X couldn't have been over thirty), but Speed had not found that particularly funny. And ever since, whenever he saw Racer X, he couldn't help but notice that the masked man had looked pretty worried about him.
Everyone was beginning to notice the change in Speed. Trixie no longer joked about it; she kept trying to get him to talk to her, but he couldn't. He knew that he was hurting her feelings, and he felt awful for it, but he still had no idea what he was so afraid of. Sparky and Pops were still trying to make him laugh and bring him back to his old self, but he never responded to their attempts. And poor Spritle was the most confused of all; his big brother, whom he had depended on for support and love for so long, was suddenly cold and distant. With adults at least, they can sort of understand how other adults prefer to keep to themselves and think about their problems, but Spritle was only eleven, and children can't understand things like that. Spritle continuously thought that he had done something wrong, which only made Speed feel worse.
Speed knew he wasn't going to get anymore sleep tonight, so he got out of bed slowly and quietly, and walked over to the large window of the hotel room. The electricity was out in this part of the city, as there wasn't a single light on for as far as he could see. The only way he caught a glimpse of the buildings was if a flash of lightning lit up the sky. He leaned over and rested his forehead against the glass, then closed his eyes and sighed.
'Dammit! Why can't I just forget about this? And why can't I just figure it out?'
'I'm not old, I'm still winning races, everything is still the same. Nothing is changing! Nothing!'
* * * * * * * * * * *
"So, did that storm wake anyone up last night?" Pops said, in between sips of coffee.
Everyone but Speed looked at him with confusion. "There was a storm last night?" Sparky asked.
"Yes, apparently it was rather severe. It blew the electricity within a ten-mile radius, and there were even reports of tornadoes on the outskirts of the city."
"That's Texas for you. Home of crazy weather and crazy politicians." Trixie said with a smile. Once again, everyone except Speed laughed.
The weather that day was actually very beautiful, so far. Texas weather was a lot warmer than the weather back home. Here, it wasn't spring; it was summer. Pops, Trixie, Spritle, and Sparky were all planning to finish their work at the track early in order to be able to go out and enjoy the warmth of the afternoon. But Speed had said that he wanted to spend the whole day at the track. The truth was, he was hoping that by completely immersing himself in his work, he might be able to forget about the anxiety. Pops had been surprised when he said that, but had replied that a hard day of work would do him some good.
Everyone continued to eat their breakfast, and it was predominantly silent, except for Sparky occasionally asking for answers to the crossword that he was attempting (and wasn't having much success with). Speed managed to force some orange juice and hot tea down his throat, but he really didn't feel like eating. However, he knew that if he didn't, Pops would just yell at him. Speed also knew that, while Trixie and Sparky were both very patient, Pops was approaching his limits. The last thing he needed that day was an argument.
"I think I'm going to head for the track," Speed said. "I want to get started on the transmission work."
Sparky quickly perked up. "Oh, I was going to do that for you, Speed."
"Thanks, I appreciate it, but I'll take care of it. I'm a mechanic too, you know."
Sparky smiled back at him, and dropped the paper that he had been reading. Speed was more cheerful than he had been for a long time, and he wanted to take full advantage of it. "Well, I'll ride with you at least. There's got to be something that you can order me to do."
Speed couldn't help but grin, and he found that he instantly felt better. 'See, all you needed to do was occupy your mind with something else' he thought. He leaned over and kissed Trixie on her forehead, which surprised her.
"What was that for?" she asked.
"What, I need a reason?" Speed replied. She smiled and shook her head, then whispered, "Thank you".
"I'll meet you two there. Trixie and I need to go over some computer diagrams before I can begin any physical work."
"Why can't she come with us, and you review the diagrams yourself?" Speed asked.
"Well, uh, she is really the expert with computers, and, uh, I…"
"He doesn't know what the hell he's doing with them. Trixie sort of gives him the Cliffs Notes version of computer graphs." Sparky chimed in. Pops sweat-dropped, but he couldn't deny any of what Sparky had said.
"Oh, alright. But don't be too long you guys." Speed said. He smiled down at both of them again, and then he and Sparky turned to leave the room.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Wow."
Speed and Sparky both stood in awe at the sheer number of people at the track. As most of the racers were from other countries, Speed hadn't expected this many of them to be in town so early. After all, the race wasn't for another week. But it actually seemed as though everyone was there.
"Well, I guess we should get over to our station. Um, where are we stationed again?" Speed asked Sparky.
"Uh," Sparky pulled out a piece of paper from a manila envelope. "Docking bay number, uh, twenty six. Right next to…oh this ought to be fun…"
"What? Who are we next to?"
"Our dear friend Duggery."
Speed groaned. "Wonderful. Just what I need right now."
The two of them made their way over to their station, and sure enough, Duggery was hard at work on his car. But before he could pounce on them and give them a hard time, several other racers had approached the two of them, all offering friendly hellos and hand-shakes. Speed was glad to see so many familiar faces; he actually was beginning to wonder if all of his fears had simply been the product of isolating himself.
Eventually, he found himself face to face with Racer X, who was grinning at him. "You just couldn't let me get two in a row, could you?" he joked.
Speed smiled right back at him. "Nope. I haven't had a losing streak in three years, and I'm not about to start now."
"Not if I have anything to do with it." Speed grimaced and his smile collapsed; he knew that he couldn't avoid Duggery forever. Duggery walked over to the two of them, and he was smiling at them, but it was definitely not a friendly smile; it was more like a sadistic smirk. Speed suddenly felt a strong urge to kick Duggery in the manly areas, which actually made him feel better; he was getting his temper back, a sure sign that he was returning to his old self.
"Hello, Duggery." Speed said, stressing the D to a ridiculous degree. "How are you?" Speed's voice was rife with false sweetness.
"I'm wonderful. I'm going to be three hundred thousand dollars richer in a week."
"Really? Taking advantage of the numerous American lotteries?"
Bingo. Duggery scowled, and everyone else, including Racer X, chuckled.
"No, but maybe you should. After all, those two races you won earlier this year couldn't have provided you with very much money."
"I buy cheap food." Speed replied. He was winning this particular confrontation, and he knew it. He turned back to face Racer X, and said, "It is wonderful to see you again."
"Same to you. You look much better than you did the last time I saw you." Racer X replied. "And I hear that you turned twenty-one a little while ago…congratulations."
"Thank you. I can drink legally now!" Speed said with a smile. But he realized a moment later that his addition of the word "legally" was not lost on Racer X. "Uh, not that I drank beforehand…"
Racer X shook his head, but he laughed. "Don't worry about it kid; I was no angelic teenager myself."
"Hey, I'm not a kid anymore."
"Speed, people under the age of twenty-five are kids, at least in my opinion. My advice to you is, enjoy it."
Speed smiled, and the two parted ways a few moments later. The greeting crowd had finally died down, and Speed was free to go over to the Mach Five, where Sparky had already begun working.
"I've got the transmission man, you forget about it." Sparky said to him. "Oh, and I just got a call from Pops; he said that he and Trixie are on their way over."
"Already? I was expecting the explanation process to take a lot longer."
"Actually, I think Pops still doesn't understand it. He sounded a little frustrated over the phone. Trixie might have just given up, and figured that she'll be able to explain it to him once they get here."
Speed laughed a little. "Yep, that sounds pretty plausible. I guess I'll go out and meet them at the gate."
"Okeldokel." Sparky replied. Speed turned and gave him a look.
"I'm never going to hear the end of that am I?" he said with a scowl.
"Nope. Sorry man."
"Jack ass. One slip of the tongue and I'm reminded of it for the rest of my life." Speed said as he walked away, leaving Sparky laughing.
Speed felt amazing. For the first time in weeks, he didn't feel anxious, or fearful, or anticipatory of anything. He was finally home, surrounded by cars and friends and competition, and in a week, by screaming fans who were just waiting to see him blur past them. It was going to be a tough race, he knew that, but he was ready for it. A challenge was just what he needed, along with a laugh and some good company.
He reached up and removed his outer shirt, stripping down to a plain white tank top. It is hot as hell here… he thought. And he realized, once he was outside, that he had left his sunglasses over with the rest of his belongings at the docking bay. He cupped a hand and put it across his forehead to block the sunlight, scanning the horizon for Trixie and Pops.
But his scanning quickly came to an end, and he found himself frozen in a particular spot. The sweating that had previously been due to heat ceased, replaced by cold chills up and down his spine. His joy, his laughter, his light-hearted mood; all had been replaced by the familiar anxiety that had plagued him for so long…except now it had a cause.
About fifty feet in front of him stood a man that had given him nightmares three years ago. A man who had tried to kill him, Trixie, and Racer X. A man with white hair, a hollow face, and a patch over one eye. A man that Speed thought had perished.
"Anarchy…"
His legs wouldn't move. In fact, no part of his body could move. He was simply frozen in place, staring at the white-haired man in front of him.
It can't be…
Everything about him was different. He was wearing different clothes, his hair was noticeably shorter, and he had replaced the jagged eye-patch with a more normal looking one.
It just can't be…
And yet, while so much was different, Speed saw so many things that were the same. His hair was still that putrid shade of greenish-white, he had that hollow, painfully pale skin, and that same lanky frame hadn't changed at all.
Can it be…
Speed continued to stare, feeling his breathing getting heavier and a sickening sensation coming to his stomach. Then, the lanky man lowered the cigar that he was smoking and moved just enough so that he made eye contact with Speed.
It is…I'll never forget those eyes…
It was Anarchy. The man who called himself Professor, the man who had told Speed that he would have been the 2,708 man that he personally would have killed, the man who had purposefully tried to obliterate the possibility of world peace three years ago. The man who had almost caused everything in Speed's life to fall apart.
"Speed! Hey Speed!"
Speed could vaguely hear Sparky's voice calling to him, but he was still frozen. His breathing continued to get heavier, and he felt as though his heart was going to explode, it was beating so rapidly. Anarchy wasn't moving either, although he appeared noticeably calmer. He clearly recognized Speed, and smiled at him in such a way that Speed feared would haunt his thoughts for a very long time…assuming that he would continue to live…
"Speed!" Sparky arrived at his side, not noticing the look of horror on his friend's face. "Your father and Trixie are here, they're going to be coming in from this gate. I thought I'd join you…dude, are you okay?"
Speed still couldn't reply, and the only words that stuck out in his mind were that his father and Trixie were to be coming in to the track through that gate…the gate that Anarchy was standing in.
"Yo! Earth to Speed, come in Space Cadet Speed, is anyone receiving?" Sparky yelled at him.
Something about that jerked Speed back to reality. He twisted his head to look down at his friend, then instantly moved it back to look at Anarchy, who he noticed was smashing the remains of his cigar on the ground. Anarchy then looked up at him one more time, smiled again, then turned to leave. But it just so happened that he had turned too abruptly, and hadn't been looking where he was going. Consequently, he ran right in to Trixie.
It was immediately clear that Trixie didn't recognize him. She began apologizing, and innocently smiled up at him, even reaching to brush his coat off a little. Pops just stood by, laughing and cracking jokes about how Trixie was very accident-prone and always had to be watched carefully. But Speed's stomach turned when Anarchy reached down to stroke Trixie's face, saying that such a lovely girl couldn't be accident-prone; it was all his fault, for not looking where he was going. He even bent down and planted a gentle kiss on Trixie's cheek, which obviously surprised her a little, but she brushed her surprise off with a wink and a smile. Then, she and Pops turned and headed to wear Speed and Sparky were standing, with Anarchy walking backwards and watching them as they walked.
Trixie's face lit up when she saw Speed. She lifted an arm to wave hello, as did Pops. Both were very cheerful, but their enthusiasm quickly died away when they saw the look of horror on Speed's face, and the look on confusion on Sparky's.
"Hey! Speed, you look like you just saw a ghost…are you alright?" Trixie asked. Speed normally would have been sickened by the irony, but his breathing was so heavy that he couldn't concentrate on anything. There was something physically wrong with him, as if all the anxiety and fear that had been plaguing his mind had suddenly spread to his muscles, his lungs, and his heart.
"Speed? What's the matter, boy?" Pops asked, trying to sound gruff, but obviously concerned.
"Speed? Hey, look at me…Speed, look at me…" Trixie reached up a hand to touch his face, and he looked down at her with tears in his eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was silenced by Speed's lifting of his own hand up to her face, looking down at her as if she was a little child moments away from death. Confusion and concern were all over her face, and they only grew stronger as he suddenly pulled her in to a tight hug.
Trixie just stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, but then lifted her arms up and hugged him back, although not nearly as tightly as he was holding her. But she didn't allow him to hold her for long, as his breathing was dangerously abnormal, and she could feel his heart beating rapidly.
"Hey, hey…Speed, let go…Speed let go of me…"
But Speed didn't let go of her. Instead, he collapsed to the ground, his body no longer able to support itself. And he took her with him, clutching her as if she were some kind of stuffed animal that a child would cling to when they were scared. She struggled out of his grasp, then looked over at Pops and Sparky, who were leaning over the two of them. Pops knelt down and put a hand on his son's chest, immediately recognizing the rapid heartbeat and breathing, and yelled that Speed needed medical attention…now.
"I'll go call an ambulance, there is a phone in the Docking Area." Trixie said quickly. She stood up to leave, but didn't get far; Speed threw an arm out and grabbed on to her wrist. Trixie was beginning to panic, but she saw that Speed didn't want her to leave him, and so she didn't. Speed couldn't talk, but he appeared to be mouthing the words, "No…no…". Trixie looked up at Sparky, who understood her immediately, and he rushed off to call for medical help, while Trixie managed to move her arm just enough to remove it from his grasp, and take a hold of his hand. He gripped hers so hard that she felt her hand might break.
Speed couldn't comprehend very much around him, as his body was going in to shock in order to protect itself from the incredible stress. But he forced himself to pay attention to where Sparky, Pops, and Trixie were. Pops had tried to leave once, and Speed grabbed a hold of his shirt. Sparky had gone to call for an ambulance, and Speed had continually stammed the word "Sparky" until Sparky had returned. When other people began to notice that something was wrong, they crowded around, blocking Speed's vision and inhibiting him from seeing where his family was. He panicked, and looked around wildly for them, finally seeing Pops and Sparky while still feeling Trixie's hand grasping his. Ambulance sirens could soon be heard, and everything was a mass of confusion…and then Speed blacked out.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"So, did you find him boss? Was he there?"
Professor Anarchy closed the door behind him, removed his jacket, and smiled at the three men who were waiting for him. They could tell just from the look on his face that things had gone well, and here they hadn't even done anything yet. Professor Anarchy often looked angry, but very infrequently did he look as pleased as he did at that moment, so the men knew that something serious must have happened.
"So what happened boss?" one of them eagerly questioned.
"He was there, and he's got several of his family members with him. And to top it all off, he clearly remembers me. Poor boy nearly had a heart attack as soon as our eyes met. The situation couldn't be better."
The three men laughed, cracking jokes about Speed's health and his violent episode. "Poor kid…I feel so sorry for him…" they all said separately.
Anarchy smiled and walked in to another room. He reached to close the door, but before he did, he asked, "Is the office and crew ready?"
"Absolutely. Been ready for a long time."
And with that, Anarchy closed the door. He walked over to a table that sat in the middle of the room, on which several miscellaneous objects lay. A computer chip, a screwdriver, a microscope, and lots of papers. Anarchy touched each object with care, looking over each one, then gently placed them back on the table. Eventually, he picked up the papers, which were the exact same ones he had been viewing about a month ago in the warehouse. There were pictures of Speed, and Sparky, and Pops, as well as textual information about each of them. But Anarchy merely glanced at them; what he was really interested in, and what he looked at with great care, were the pictures and background information provided about Trixie.
He knew everything about every one of them. And the poor people just didn't see what was coming. They didn't realize it, but each of them was going to reverse all of the damage that had been done by Speed three years ago. In fact, thinking that they were simply going to reverse it was rather pessimistic thinking; if luck was on his side, they would only serve to make things better than they were before.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Speed was dreaming. In his mind, he saw flashbacks of events that had happened years and years ago. He saw Rex leaving home, he saw the first time he ever met Trixie, he saw himself embracing Sparky at their high school graduation. He saw his father, and his mother, and the little brother who depended on him for so much. There were inconsequential events as well as momentous ones. But the image that kept on returning, and returning, and returning, was that of his first encounter with Professor Anarchy.
I'll offer you a choice: either join us, or die.
He had been so arrogant; he recognized that now. His morals had told him to laugh at Anarchy, to bluntly refuse the offer to join his organization, to face death before he faced the idea of behaving dishonorably. And his morals had almost gotten him, as well as Trixie, and Spritle, and Racer X, all killed. But he didn't know what he would do if he could go back to that day; would he join the organization? Racer X had done it, and while Speed had believed that he was a traitor at the time, it actually turned out that Racer X had caused more damage and enacted more change from the inside than Speed ever could have from the outside. Would Speed be brave enough, if he could, to mask his morals for a period of time in order to fight for the greater good? Or would he just be arrogant once again?
Don't trouble yourself, Professor Anarchy; I'll take care of the kid.
And at last there was a reason for all of the anxiety. There was a reason that he had not been sleeping, had lost his appetite, and had been fearful for the safety of his family for nearly two months. In fact, he once again felt ashamed of his arrogance, as he believed that all of his fears were caused by the silly idea that he was getting older. He was worried about his childhood slipping away from him, when really he should have recognized that his life, and the lives of those he loved, could have slipped away.
Either join us, or die.
Speed just kept seeing images…he couldn't get the vision of Professor Anarchy out of his head. He had run across his fair share of despicable people in his life, but something about Professor Anarchy had been different. Anarchy had looked at him as if he saw something in Speed that even Speed couldn't see. This caused Speed a great deal of concern as well, except he didn't know what he was afraid of in this realm. What exactly did Anarchy see within him? And why was such a powerful man troubling himself with such a small, young man?
Join us, or die.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Join us…or die? Hmm…what *does* professor Anarchy mean by that? And what are those funny little computer-thingies that he's playing with? And, most importantly, what exactly happened to our dear little racing car driver?
I'm so evil. ) I love it.
Read and review! Read and review! jvalen1@towson.edu