Speed Racer: The Ballad of Hank Racer

[Intro Music]

Chapter 1: Daydreamer

Pops stood atop a pit box at Thunderhead Raceway, the home-track of the Racer family as well as the one that Mifune Motors uses to test all their vehicles. Pops had a stoic expression on his face as he watched Speed round the banked portion of the track in the newest iteration of the Mach 5, which Sparky completed while the team was away during the Grand Prix of Prague. This track held some good and bad memories for Pops, it was the first track that Speed, Rex, and Hank won races at, but it was also the track where Rex crashed the Mach 1 and argued with Pops before running away, right there at the start/finish line. Right behind Speed was the Mach 2, recently acquired via Dash Whisker after the Grand Prix of Prague. The current driver of the Mach 2 being none-other-than Trixie, who was helping put the car through its paces after it was restored to its original state after Pops and Sparky removed the deployable spikes on the front of the car. Pops watched them diligently, but little did he know, so was someone else.

Atop the viewing tower sat Hank Racer, Speed's cousin. His crutches lay on his lap as he watched Speed go around and around in his new Mach 5. But as Hank watched, he began to daydream, the sight of the Mach 5 morphed into the vision of Hank's Mach 4 back on the day he first put the car in a big race. The afternoon sun glistened on the Mach 4's rust orange paint as he remembers going into the first turn and passing numerous cars. He didn't qualify well because he was young and didn't understand the full extent of this new car, but he was getting a feel for it and everyone could tell. By the time the race ended, Hank crossed the finish line in first, and he remembers victory circle where he and the Mach 4 were showered with confetti and champagne. Just remembering the feeling gave him chills as he snapped out of his daydream and saw the Mach 5 come around to the pits where Speed and Pops made adjustments as Sparky continued watching Trixie.

Hank grinned, but the grin quickly faded. He loved how exciting it was to make an upgrade to a car and test it out for the first time, but he was reminded of his career-ending crash during the testing for the Condor 500. Not only did it end his career, but it critically damaged the Mach 4 in the process. The Mach 4 was repaired since Pops didn't want Speed to race, but what wasn't repaired was Hank himself, he was still going through rigorous physical therapy to regain the use of his legs; it's been two and a half years and he's shown progress, but sometimes he still feels the need to use his wheelchair. The last time Hank was on a track was with Speed as an instructor and he'd say that he was a very good teacher, but teaching people how to race cars was not exactly what he had in mind as the sight of the Mach 4 under a tarp in his garage clouded his thoughts. A tear dripped down his face as a hand touched his shoulder, Hank jumped and looked behind him to see Racer X, his cousin who ran away from home years ago.

"Racer X? What are you doing here?" Hank questioned.

"I was going to ask you the same thing, Hank. Why're you up here, and not down there with Speed?"

"What do you care?" Racer X reached for the straps of his mask and Hank's eyes widened. Racer X took the mask off to reveal to Hank that he was Rex Racer! "Rex?!" Hank gasped as he looked at his long-lost cousin.

Chapter 2: Reminiscing

"That's right, Hank. Speed and the others already know, I'm surprised they didn't tell you."

"Rex…I thought you were dead." Hank remembers when he, in the Mach 3, and Rex, in the Shooting Star Formula raced. The Shooting Star Formula crashed with a what appeared to be Rex inside.

"Everyone did, Hank. I'm sorry, but it wasn't planned to happen that way." Rex sighed.

"Wasn't planned?!" Hank began to break out in tears, "I thought I watched you fall out of that car and vanish into a fireball! What exactly was supposed to happen?"

Rex looked down at his feet, "It was the beginning of my career as a spy for the CIB. As you may remember, there was a man in a mask and goggles from Kapetapek that arrived that day. Now you know, that was me. I had the remote control for the Shooting Star Formula in my hand and was driving the car from the grandstands until I was attacked, the sudden assault caused me to drop the controller and the car crashed. I never wanted it to happen, Racer X was never meant to be, and if all went to plan, I could have returned home; luckily for me, I was prepared for that to happen, unfortunately for everyone else…it wasn't so. That's why I never returned home." Rex explained.

"I-I don't know how to handle this." Hank trembled, trying to get a handle on the rage and grief that he was feeling.

"Do you remember your first rally with the Mach 4, Hank?" Rex asked.

"Yeah." Hank replied.

"Do you remember how mad you were at me?"

"You were in it?"

"Yeah. That was me posing as Prince Kabala." Rex revealed.

"Yeah, I remember that race. I blamed it all on Kabala and I was ready to show it."

"You did show it, kid. Trust me." Rex grinned, remembering both cars speeding along a rocky path. Rex was in Kabala's Blue #13 car and was leading the race until he looked in his rear-view mirror and saw the orange car with the white "M" on the hood. The Mach 4 inched ever so close to Rex as they went down the mountain pass that opened to a narrow road that ran alongside a lake. It wasn't long until Rex looked over to his right side to see the black #4 inside of a white circle, one of the unmistakable trademarks of all of Pops' racing cars. He then looked up to see Hank who was scowling at him.

"What did you get Rex into?" Hank yelled. Rex only gave a big, toothy smile back, but Hank wasn't taking that for an answer as he slammed into the side of the car! Rex fought the wheel, surprised by the sudden attack. "Well? Answer me or I'll smash you into the lake!" Hank shouted again, slamming the Mach 4 against Rex.

Rex quickly thought of something that Kabala would say, "I did nothing! He raced admirably for Kapetapek! His loss was regrettable, but he was honorable!"

"Unbelievable! What kind of honorable death is one that's completely unnecessary? He was family to me, and I don't even know why I lost my cousin!" Hank yelled trading paint with Rex again, but this time, he held the two cars together and inched closer to the lake. The fake grimace on Rex's face went away as he felt that he was about to go into the water below! He hit the brakes and backed off to save the Prince's car, letting Hank put the Mach 4 in the lead and eventually into victory lane. But Hank didn't even pull into the Winner's Circle, rather, he took his winnings and left not even bothering to grab the trophy. As he drove away, his mind couldn't stop racing, thinking about what exactly Rex got into that got him killed, he felt a tightness in his chest as he pulled over and climbed out of the Mach 4. He sat on the ground and leaned against the car, he breathed heavily and was forced to sit through the massive panic attack that had hit him.

It was then that a Willy's Jeep stopped behind him and Pops jumped out, "Hank? Hank, are you okay?" Pops knelt to check on his only nephew.

"Just a little panic attack, Pops. I'm sorry for just leaving, but my mind was in a haze." Hank apologized. Hank's memory became a little hazy after that, only remembering them towing the Mach 4 home since Pops was worried about Hank driving. Only one weekend after this was Hank's accident at the testing run for the Mach 4's performance upgrades.

Hank and Rex sat atop the spectator tower at Thunderhead, Rex hearing Hank's account of the rally as well as the stuff that happened after, he put a hand on Hank's shoulder, "I know this'll sound callous…" Rex started.

"Can't be worse than hearing that my career as a racer is over, so get on with the bad news." Hank replied.

"I think it was a little more than a sabotaged break line that caused the Mach 4 to crash that day."

"You think?"

"Yeah. What did you think of when you lost control of the car?"

"That day. The day you died." Hank admitted.

"Just as I thought." Rex said, hand on his chin. "You panicked and lost the car, didn't you?"

"You found me out, Rex. It's why I was so hard on Speed during my instructions."

"I see." Rex stood up and put his hand out. "Hank, let me drive you home. I want to see something."

"I dunno…" Hank contemplated.

"Please, Hank. I want to make the years of grief up to you."

Hank looked at Rex's hand and took it, getting up and supporting himself with his crutches, "Alright. I'm not sure what this is about, but I have not much else to lose."

Rex grinned as he walked Hank out, "I promise, you're going to like this." Rex said as he helped his cousin into the disability access SUV that Hank uses.

Chapter 3: Racer X's Offer

The SUV quietly drove into the driveway and Rex turned the car off as he and Hank both got out and entered Hank's house, which was filled with racing memorabilia. "Some things will never change in this family." Rex commented.

"Kinda hard with our last name." Hank chuckled. "So, what do you want to show me?"

"Is this to your garage?" Rex asked, hand already on a doorknob.

"Yeah." Hank confirmed, and Rex opened the door to the garage, flipping the lights on to reveal that the garage only held one other vehicle. There was the spot for the SUV, and a car under a tarp. The rest of the garage was extremely neat and well-kept, with everything properly sorted and straightened out. Rex grabbed the tarp and whisked it off, revealing the Mach 4!

"So, here it is. The only Mifune Motors car that didn't have red or blue as a prominent color. The black sheep of the entire Mach line." Rex said, looking upon the orange, white, and black car.

"It's also the first two-seater Pops ever built, and the first Grand Tourer since the Mach 1." Rex added.

"How'd you get Pops to go orange? He's so adamant on whites, reds, and blues."

"Yeah, he is. I think he likes white because it shows the body work better than some flashy color, but he said that it was my call. I said, 'rust orange because it's my favorite color', but he still argued for red with white details like on the Mach 1, but I stood my ground and got the orange and white like I wanted." Hank recalled, chuckling at the memory.

"Get in." Rex said, unlocking the car and opening the passenger door.

"How did you get my keys?"

"You had them sitting in a bowl like they meant nothing, but obviously this car means something, after all, you've told me." Rex held up the key with a white "M" stamped onto it.

"Alright." Hank conceded, he went over to the passenger's side and Rex helped him in, but he put Hank's crutches on the floor. "Hey, I need those, Rex!" Hank whined.

"You won't need em' right now." Rex answered as he opened the garage door and vaulted into the Mach 4's driver's seat. He turned the key and the Mach 4's engine started without any trouble. Rex revved it a couple of times and noticed, "You've been keeping up all of its maintenance, I see."

"I have. I'm just praying that I'll be able to drive this car competitively again." Hank sighed.

"Hmmm." Rex grinned as he put his mask back on and slammed the car into 1st and gunned it out of the garage and down the road back to Thunderhead. They arrived back in no time, the track's stadium lights lit up the main oval section, but Racer X was aiming for the road course in the middle where there wasn't much lighting, so the Mach 4's white headlights were the only thing between them and complete darkness.

"Rex, what're you doing?!" Hank yelled at Racer X.

"What's the matter? You sound afraid of going fast!" Racer X taunted, swinging the Mach 4 around another corner. The mid-mounted Twin-Turbo V8 engine whined behind their heads as Racer X came back around again, upshifts sending flames spitting out the car's pipes as they hit a straight.

"I'm not afraid of going fast!" Hank defended.

"Then what're you scared of, Hank? Racing? Adrenaline?" Racer X took the Mach 4 on two wheels going around a sharp turn.

Hank began getting flashbacks back to his crash, "I'm afraid of the danger! I don't wanna crash!"

Racer X pulled the Mach 4 even harder, before going along the final banked corner and back onto the front straight where the Mach 4 quickly made its way to 200 mph before settling back down into turn 1. "So, you're afraid of racing, is that it?" Racer X replied. "How'd you become Speed's teacher if you're afraid of racing?"

"Because I saw a lot of you in him. I was terrified to go into the Mach 5, but I felt an obligation. Now, my work is done. It's done, Rex!"

"We'll see how done you really are." Racer X gunned the Mach 4 down the back straight and right towards the wall of the next turn.

"Rex, what're you doing? Rex? REX?" Hank shouted before throwing himself to the side and punching the A Button, sending the Mach 4 soaring through the air, over the wall and catch fence! Racer X smirked as he pressed the B Button, deploying the belt tires as they landed to make sure that they stuck the landing and screeched to a halt in the empty parking lot. The engine still grumbled behind them as Racer X looked over to Hank, who was breathing heavily.

"So, you do have it in you." Racer X said.

"Get out of my car, Rex. Please." Hank demanded, still gasping for air.

Racer X got out of the driver's seat and walked to where he had left the Shooting Star, but before he was out of earshot, he looked back and commented, "Hank, I want to retrain you as a racer. I beg you to consider this offer and tell me what you decide the next time we cross paths. I've been watching your progress in physical rehabilitation, Hank. You're more healed than your mind is leading you to believe." Racer X then parted ways with Hank and left his cousin slouched over in the Mach 4's passenger's seat.

Hank looked up and caught the Shooting Star driving away, "Rex…what happened to you to cause you to change like this?" Hank then looked over to the steering wheel. "He only let me with two ways out. Drive myself home, or swallow my pride and wait for a few hours until someone finds me helplessly laying here." Hank pushed himself back upright, he then clambered over to the driver's side and sat there. He positioned one of his feet on the clutch, then placed the other on the gas. He put his hands on the steering wheel and looked out at the parking lot where they had landed. Hank breathed deeply and closed his eyes, paying attention to the grumbling behind him and the feeling of the brisk night air filling his lungs; he focused on his feet that were unmoving. "Rex said that I've made more progress than I know. But how could Rex of all people know what I don't?"

But then, as he continued to focus, Hank felt a tingling sensation in his ankles, "No. No way." Hank looked down to see his feet moving ever so slightly, although it took a lot of willpower to get them to move. Hank focused especially hard to move his right foot just enough to press on the gas, but before he knew it, the Mach 4 began to move! "I-I don't believe it." He breathed as he continued to move faster and faster, from 15 to 30 to 45 miles per hour back on the road home, using his handbrake as a substitute since he couldn't move his leg fast enough to change pedals. But sure enough, the orange Mach 4 was calmly on its way back home and before Hank knew it, he was triumphantly pulling the Mach 4 back into his garage. Hank put the car in park and, in his excitement got out of the car without aid from his crutches and was able to stand on his own, but not for long as his legs became wobbly, "Uh-oh." Hank said as he started to fall. He caught himself by holding on to the Mach 4 and sliding down it until he was just laying against it, sitting on the floor of his garage.

Hank huffed and pulled his crutches close to him, "Rex. I don't know if I can take your offer just yet, but this feeling definitely pushes me closer to saying yes." Hank smiled as he used his crutches to get back on his feet. He looked outside one more time before closing the garage and going to bed. But just out in the distance, Racer X was watching, he even watched Hank's drive home, and Racer X for the first time in a while felt pride because, at his core, he's still a Racer.

Could another Racer get back into the fray in the form of Hank and the Mach 4? What's next for Speed and where will Racer X turn up next? Find out in the next thrilling adventure of Speed Racer! [Outro Music]

Authors Note: Thanks for sticking with me on another story, and I'm glad you're enjoying Speed Racer Season 2 so far! But, I do have more to offer in the form of my original stories that I dream to be made into real graphic novels one day. So, if you like superheroes and action of a more mature kind, check out Southpaw-Comics on Deviantart, Wattpad, and currently updating 5 issues a week every Sunday morning on Fiction Press (because the Fiction Press account is new and behind compared to the others). If you like those, we have Southpaw-Comics on Facebook and Twitter that you can follow for updates! Thanks for reading and Stay Tuned for more Speed Racer coming at you next week!