They went out and sat down in the shade underneath the overhang and waited for the next racer to jump off the line.
"So, what brings you back here? You didn't just come back for the track, did you?" Blade asked her as two top-fuelers lined up.
"I did. It's been so long since I've been to any track; it's like being home here. The people are friendly and I'm around the things that I loved. This was what my family and I lived for; we lived for the smell of burning fuel and the high temperatures of the track on summer days." She said as the racers got the signal to ready. The lights went down on the Christmas tree and they were off down the half-mile straightaway. Both Alex and Blade looked on as the racer in the far lane clocked in with an even 10 seconds.
"Wow, they're getting faster. Who knows when they'll break pop's record." She said as the other dialed in only a few tenths of a second later.
"How fast was your dad again? He was in the low sevens wasn't he?" Blade asked. Alex nodded.
"Yea, dad had a seven-two. I don't think anyone will beat that anytime soon."
"Well, there was that one guy who had a seven-four…"
"What?!" Alex asked frantically and nervously. "A SEVEN-FOUR??!!"
"Yea, you didn't hear about it? The guy dialed in a seven-four but lost consciousness in the last ¼ of the track. He was in a coma for a week and a half." Blade said.
"Wow, when was this?" Alex asked in amazement. Blade seemed to be thinking about it for a few moments.
"It had to have been about three months ago. Since then, the guy has been after your dads data from the runs so he could find out how to beat his time."
"And up now in the far lane," the loudspeaker boomed, "We have Pidge Bordeaux with a quick time trial to test his new transmission after he blew his last one up a month ago attempting a stupid stunt."
"PIDGE!!!" Alex screamed with a huge smile.
"Oh yea! Your dad and Pidge were good friends, I almost forgot about that. Yea, he blew another trans last month trying to pull a 360. That makes 16 since January he's trashed."
"Pidge, you psycho…whatcha gonna do Pidge?" she muttered to herself with a huge smile on her face as the car leapt off the line. The reaction time was good as the sleek little craft sped down the track. The timer recorded an eight-six as it gradually slowed and turned back into the pits.
"Wow, an eight-six! He's gotten better, maybe he won't blow this trans since it's giving him good times." Blade said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. Alex jumped up and hopped down from the stands. "Where you going!?" Blade asked as soon as he saw her hit the ground.
"I'm going to go see Pidge, wanna come?" she asked as he leapt down beside her.
"Yea, why not. Let's go." He said as he hooked his arm around hers and they walked off towards the pits together. They reached the gates and walked through. The smell of exhaust was like roses to Alex, so familiar. She continued to walk through with Blade she caught a glimpse of the yellow and black racer that Pidge drove and headed straight for it. She got closer to his area and saw the tall, salt and pepper haired man leaning in checking the engines.
"Now Alex, behave yourself." Blade said as Alex smiled widely.
"Hey, I'm always the one who tells you to behave!" she lectured. Blade smiled at her.
"Yea, you're right…" Alex called out to the older man.
"MISTER PIDGIE!!!" She practically screeched as if she was a little girl again. The man looked up and around before laying eyes on the tall, blond girl who was smiling at him. He looked at her strangely before saying anything.
"Is that you little Lexis Bondora?" He asked as he squinted his eyes to see. She smiled and nodded happily as she ran up to him and hugged him. Even though his hands were greasy, he hugged her back, just not touching her with his grimy hands.
"Mr. Pidgie, it's been so long! How are you?" she asked.
"Ah, I've been good…could be better though." He said with a sigh and a smile. "Where've you been? Everyone's been looking all over the place for you and they couldn't find you."
"I got put in an orphanage back on earth but then ran away when I turned 13. It was such a bad place, I just up and ran off one day."
"Alex! You didn't tell me that!" Blade jumped in.
"It didn't seem important at the time. Besides, that's my past and I can't change it now." She said glancing around and checking under the hood of the old man's racer.
"Ah, yes. I figured you'd be checking up on that." He said as he leaned back over the car.
"Yea, I hear tell you destroyed 16 transmissions in less than a year, is this true Pidge?" she asked him like he was in for a beating.
"It wasn't all me!" he said. There was a pause as Alex glared at him. "Okay, yes, I blew 16 trans' since December." He said lowering his eyes to the ground.
"You need to be much more careful mister, or else you aren't gonna be around a whole lot longer!" she said attempting to warn him.
"Yea, yea…so wait, who's your boyfriend?" he asked as he wiped his hands clean with a rag.
"Pidge, you remember Blade! The little white-haired boy that always played tag with me?" she said trying to get him to remember. The older man thought for a moment.
"Ah yes! The scrawny little bugger that always played with my ratchets! Looks like you put some weight on boy, and some muscle too." He said joking with him. Blade frowned as both Alex and the older man chuckled.
"Yea, it's pretty funny…I make more money that you so I wouldn't be laughing old man." Blade said sourly. Alex wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him.
"Oh calm down Blade. He was only teasing…don't be such a brat." She said with a smile. Blade rolled his eyes as Pidge gradually slowed his laughing to a slight giggle.
"Alright…whatever." He said with a sigh.
"Hey Alex, you wanna see the pictures from last weekend's race?" he asked as he wiped his hands clean and reached into the trailer. He pulled out a small box and opened it to show Alex the pictures. There had to have been close to three dozen photos stacked up in the box as Alex pulled them out. She flipped through them and then placed them back into their box.
"Hey, wait!" Blade protested as he reached for them. He pulled them back out and flipped through them until he came to a picture of Pidge's racer at the line. It was taken from probably somewhere halfway up in the stands and there was a tall man with puffy greenish hair looking up towards the top of the stands as if he was looking for someone. He wasn't meant to be in the picture, he was obviously in the way but the picture was taken with him in the lower left-hand corner of the shot. Blade pointed to the man. "I recognize him!" Alex and Pidge looked closely at the picture.
"Oh yea, I met him last week. He seemed slightly disoriented but was a pretty nice guy." Pidge said as he took the picture from Blade and looked it over. "I guess he was accidentally in the frame when the picture was taken."
"Where did you see him, Blade?" Alex asked as she looked at the picture again.
"I can't remember. All I can remember is that I've seen him before and I can't remember where…maybe he just has one of those faces that you think as someone else." Blade said as he scratched his head.
"Yea, he came up to me after that run, actually, and just started talking about racing and what I use in my racer to get it so fast. So I helped him out. He said he has a Swordfish II and his name was…ah damn, I forget what he said his name was. It began with an 'S' I remember that. He said he was sticking around for another few days and then heading out." Pidge said as he told the story of how he met the guy. Alex took one last look at the picture before putting it back into the box.
"Oh well, another friend for you. Congrats Pidge." She said as she handed it back to him.
"Yea well, he was such a nice guy. Wait! That was his name!" he practically yelled.
"Congratulations, you're losing your memory Pidge. That means you're getting old!" Blade said sarcastically.
"He said his name was Spike." Pidge said with a smile. Alex's eyes went wide as blade still stood there looking the old man over sarcastically still. "His name was Spike Spiegel."
"So, what brings you back here? You didn't just come back for the track, did you?" Blade asked her as two top-fuelers lined up.
"I did. It's been so long since I've been to any track; it's like being home here. The people are friendly and I'm around the things that I loved. This was what my family and I lived for; we lived for the smell of burning fuel and the high temperatures of the track on summer days." She said as the racers got the signal to ready. The lights went down on the Christmas tree and they were off down the half-mile straightaway. Both Alex and Blade looked on as the racer in the far lane clocked in with an even 10 seconds.
"Wow, they're getting faster. Who knows when they'll break pop's record." She said as the other dialed in only a few tenths of a second later.
"How fast was your dad again? He was in the low sevens wasn't he?" Blade asked. Alex nodded.
"Yea, dad had a seven-two. I don't think anyone will beat that anytime soon."
"Well, there was that one guy who had a seven-four…"
"What?!" Alex asked frantically and nervously. "A SEVEN-FOUR??!!"
"Yea, you didn't hear about it? The guy dialed in a seven-four but lost consciousness in the last ¼ of the track. He was in a coma for a week and a half." Blade said.
"Wow, when was this?" Alex asked in amazement. Blade seemed to be thinking about it for a few moments.
"It had to have been about three months ago. Since then, the guy has been after your dads data from the runs so he could find out how to beat his time."
"And up now in the far lane," the loudspeaker boomed, "We have Pidge Bordeaux with a quick time trial to test his new transmission after he blew his last one up a month ago attempting a stupid stunt."
"PIDGE!!!" Alex screamed with a huge smile.
"Oh yea! Your dad and Pidge were good friends, I almost forgot about that. Yea, he blew another trans last month trying to pull a 360. That makes 16 since January he's trashed."
"Pidge, you psycho…whatcha gonna do Pidge?" she muttered to herself with a huge smile on her face as the car leapt off the line. The reaction time was good as the sleek little craft sped down the track. The timer recorded an eight-six as it gradually slowed and turned back into the pits.
"Wow, an eight-six! He's gotten better, maybe he won't blow this trans since it's giving him good times." Blade said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. Alex jumped up and hopped down from the stands. "Where you going!?" Blade asked as soon as he saw her hit the ground.
"I'm going to go see Pidge, wanna come?" she asked as he leapt down beside her.
"Yea, why not. Let's go." He said as he hooked his arm around hers and they walked off towards the pits together. They reached the gates and walked through. The smell of exhaust was like roses to Alex, so familiar. She continued to walk through with Blade she caught a glimpse of the yellow and black racer that Pidge drove and headed straight for it. She got closer to his area and saw the tall, salt and pepper haired man leaning in checking the engines.
"Now Alex, behave yourself." Blade said as Alex smiled widely.
"Hey, I'm always the one who tells you to behave!" she lectured. Blade smiled at her.
"Yea, you're right…" Alex called out to the older man.
"MISTER PIDGIE!!!" She practically screeched as if she was a little girl again. The man looked up and around before laying eyes on the tall, blond girl who was smiling at him. He looked at her strangely before saying anything.
"Is that you little Lexis Bondora?" He asked as he squinted his eyes to see. She smiled and nodded happily as she ran up to him and hugged him. Even though his hands were greasy, he hugged her back, just not touching her with his grimy hands.
"Mr. Pidgie, it's been so long! How are you?" she asked.
"Ah, I've been good…could be better though." He said with a sigh and a smile. "Where've you been? Everyone's been looking all over the place for you and they couldn't find you."
"I got put in an orphanage back on earth but then ran away when I turned 13. It was such a bad place, I just up and ran off one day."
"Alex! You didn't tell me that!" Blade jumped in.
"It didn't seem important at the time. Besides, that's my past and I can't change it now." She said glancing around and checking under the hood of the old man's racer.
"Ah, yes. I figured you'd be checking up on that." He said as he leaned back over the car.
"Yea, I hear tell you destroyed 16 transmissions in less than a year, is this true Pidge?" she asked him like he was in for a beating.
"It wasn't all me!" he said. There was a pause as Alex glared at him. "Okay, yes, I blew 16 trans' since December." He said lowering his eyes to the ground.
"You need to be much more careful mister, or else you aren't gonna be around a whole lot longer!" she said attempting to warn him.
"Yea, yea…so wait, who's your boyfriend?" he asked as he wiped his hands clean with a rag.
"Pidge, you remember Blade! The little white-haired boy that always played tag with me?" she said trying to get him to remember. The older man thought for a moment.
"Ah yes! The scrawny little bugger that always played with my ratchets! Looks like you put some weight on boy, and some muscle too." He said joking with him. Blade frowned as both Alex and the older man chuckled.
"Yea, it's pretty funny…I make more money that you so I wouldn't be laughing old man." Blade said sourly. Alex wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him.
"Oh calm down Blade. He was only teasing…don't be such a brat." She said with a smile. Blade rolled his eyes as Pidge gradually slowed his laughing to a slight giggle.
"Alright…whatever." He said with a sigh.
"Hey Alex, you wanna see the pictures from last weekend's race?" he asked as he wiped his hands clean and reached into the trailer. He pulled out a small box and opened it to show Alex the pictures. There had to have been close to three dozen photos stacked up in the box as Alex pulled them out. She flipped through them and then placed them back into their box.
"Hey, wait!" Blade protested as he reached for them. He pulled them back out and flipped through them until he came to a picture of Pidge's racer at the line. It was taken from probably somewhere halfway up in the stands and there was a tall man with puffy greenish hair looking up towards the top of the stands as if he was looking for someone. He wasn't meant to be in the picture, he was obviously in the way but the picture was taken with him in the lower left-hand corner of the shot. Blade pointed to the man. "I recognize him!" Alex and Pidge looked closely at the picture.
"Oh yea, I met him last week. He seemed slightly disoriented but was a pretty nice guy." Pidge said as he took the picture from Blade and looked it over. "I guess he was accidentally in the frame when the picture was taken."
"Where did you see him, Blade?" Alex asked as she looked at the picture again.
"I can't remember. All I can remember is that I've seen him before and I can't remember where…maybe he just has one of those faces that you think as someone else." Blade said as he scratched his head.
"Yea, he came up to me after that run, actually, and just started talking about racing and what I use in my racer to get it so fast. So I helped him out. He said he has a Swordfish II and his name was…ah damn, I forget what he said his name was. It began with an 'S' I remember that. He said he was sticking around for another few days and then heading out." Pidge said as he told the story of how he met the guy. Alex took one last look at the picture before putting it back into the box.
"Oh well, another friend for you. Congrats Pidge." She said as she handed it back to him.
"Yea well, he was such a nice guy. Wait! That was his name!" he practically yelled.
"Congratulations, you're losing your memory Pidge. That means you're getting old!" Blade said sarcastically.
"He said his name was Spike." Pidge said with a smile. Alex's eyes went wide as blade still stood there looking the old man over sarcastically still. "His name was Spike Spiegel."