Disclaimer: Don't own a thing except for what was stated in the previous chapters. DEAL.
You can take the one thing I have left
I'd give it all away for so much less
Can even take the heart inside my chest.
And you can take the one thing I have left
Beat me to the ground & take my breathBut you can't take who I am
Woah, woah.
--Hawk Nelson—
The next morning, Tony roared into Rocket's garage and was amazed at what he saw:
There sat the gleaming Forvettillac, repainted and supercharged. In other words, the WindRunner was completely tripped out. The black base had been replaced with an electric dark blue that seemed to glow under its own power. The orange 'scorpion' design that ran from the hood to the back fender was now a glowing white Japanese dragon that was outlined in navy blue and black. The hood now sported cooling vents and from the sides of the car sprouted twin pipes. The WindRunner had been lowered, there was a spoiler on the back, and the windows were tinted in pitch.
Tony whistled and ran his hand along the 'Runner's hood. "She's beautiful!" he breathed to himself.
"She sure is. Under that hood is the famed V-T8X engine. This baby's capable of speeds over 800mph over any type of terrain. Built that engine myself. What do you think?"
"I. . .well. . . Wow! Rocket, you know I can't pay you enough for this!"
"Aw, don't insult me, Zinger! I did this because you needed help so you owe me nothing." The Car Magician suddenly stiffened, then raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender. Tony looked to where the legend was looking and groaned in recognition.
"What are you doing here, father?"
Trace Munic motioned for his men to lower their weapons then walked behind Rocket and put a hand on the boy's shoulder in a friendly manner, then said in a pitying way that did not mask the man's sleaziness or cunning,
"I'm here to offer this poor, wretched soul a job, Tony. You see, Rocket, we've had our eyes on you for the past several years, and we could definitely use someone of your talents."
"You're slime, Munic. I don't work for slime." Rocket spat, jerking away in discust. Trace only chuckled and shook his head.
"Well there's always racing, I suppose. I could have my secretary draw up the paperwork."
"I don't drive for slime either. I heard you actually tried reeling in Speed Racer a while back but like a true driver he refused. What makes you think that I would jump at your offer?!"
Munic's eyes grew hard and the light tone disappeared from his voice as his fury erupted.
"Speed Racer is a fool and if you don't enter the cross-country race, he'll be a DEAD fool!"
Tony gasped and Rocket was already starting to seethe. Does this idiot think I'm a fool?! I know what he's trying to pull but he's an amateur if he thinks he can snare me that easily! Rocket grit his teeth and growled in a low tone of hotty defiance,
"You were going to kill him anyway whether I entered the race or not, so why would it matter whether I drove in the race or not?"
Munic chuckled, "You're wrong, boy. We would let Racer live provided that he throw the race and let Tony win."
"You also know that he would never throw a race even if his life depended on it!"
"He made his choice! Now it's your turn to choose. All I ask is that you enter the race under my colors with Tony. Do that, and I promise that Speed Racer will live to participate in the race as well."
Rocket growled in frustration, and then his shoulders slumped slightly. Dag nabbit, that bastard's got me! Well, if I must go through Hell, I may as well give myself some Fire insurance. This isn't over and I'm not going without a fight!
"Fine, you win. I'll race with Tony on one condition, slime bucket."
"Amuse me."
"I race under no man's colors. I'm independent and I'd like to stay that way."
"Very well. Pleasure doing business with you, young Rocket."
"Whatever. Take your loyal pets and get lost. Tony and I've got work to do."
The newcomers left and Rocket began to inspect the Rinock. Tony looked at his friend curiously.
"What are you looking for, Rocket?"
The Car Magician held up a small device that blinked red and grimaced as he showed Tony,
"This is a tracer. The garage is no longer safe. We need to move to the Hangar."
The teen legend crushed the device and motioned for Tony to follow him.
GOSPEEDGOSPEEDGOSPEEDGO
Two figures were on a mission as they snuck into the dark room. Crawling on all fours, they nearly got caught as the Enemy patrolled the area. In a dark corner, the Boss sat snoring in a lounge throne. The Cootie Queen was nowhere to be found, but her prey guarded his faithful steed in the storage part of the bunker. "The mission must be completed or all is lost, Private!" hissed one of the Bandits to his cohort. The Enemy joined the Boss on the Throne of Oblivion. Now was the chance to strike! The two figures dove for their targets, only to be stopped by the Boss's bellow!
"SPRITLE!!"
Realizing the mission was a failure, the lead Bandit screamed the only option available:
"RETREAT! CHIM-CHIM RETREAT!!"
Retreat they did, back to base where they hid in their tent and waited for the next opportunity to arise. The chimp clock on the wall read 12:30am.
No wonder the Boss was so cranky!
GOSPEEDGOSPEEDGOSPEEDGO
The morning sun shone brightly through the windows of the Racer garage, bathing the cold room in its warm, welcoming glow. From the seats of the Mach 5 rose Speed Racer, still half asleep. His mind was awake and alert but his body failed to recognize that morning meant breakfast and breakfast meant fuel in the form of Mom's special pancakes. Perhaps his body knew that after the fun of the morning meal had subsided, the hard work began and the young Racer would unintentionally train himself to exhaustion.
Whatever the reasons, Speed's family recognized a change in the teen driver's physical appearance while he moseyed around the kitchen getting ready for breakfast. Mom Racer was the first to question her son after witnessing Speed nearly walk full-speed into the table before finding his seat.
"What's the matter, Speed? Did you stay up all night studying the map for the big race?"
The young driver shook his head and dove into his breakfast. Trixie giggled and passed her boyfriend the milk.
"Maybe he's too tired to remember why he's tired!"
Pops Racer rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he watched his middle son. I haven't seen Speed this drained in the morning before. The only Racer I've seen like this is my older son, Rex who left home many years ago. It happened when Fuzz Luckey's men threatened to take Rex out if he didn't quit winning races. I wonder if. . .NO! Speed would have told us if someone had threatened him. Wouldn't he have?
"Speed, is there something you want to tell us?"
"Hm? No, Pops. I'm just a little slow this morning, that's all. I must have slept wrong again."
"Are you sure, Son?" Pops fixed a no-nonsense glare around the room, letting it stop when it reached Speed's honest, blue eyes. The young Racer hung his head and sighed in defeat.
"I've been threatened recently. They want me to throw the race but I just can't. I was up late thinking about it and when I got up this morning my body was so stiff I could barely move."
Pops was furious and blew a gasket.
"WHO TOLD YOU TO THROW THE RACE?! WHO THREATENED YOU?! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON WHOEVER—"
"Calm down, Pops! It isn't as bad as all that. Zinger's dad wants him to win the race this time."
"Tony's father wants you to throw the race? Tony's your friend, Speed! Why not let him win, just this once?" Trixie knew her question would only make Speed angry but it was an honest question and a fair one. To her surprise, Speed's reaction was calm.
"You know very well why I can't do that, Trixie. It isn't right or fair. Besides, I think Tony could beat me fair and square. We had a mock race and the Rinock won fairly."
Pops gasped, "The Rinock?! Speed, do you know who that car really belongs to?!"
"From the look on your face, I'll bet it was a famous driver!"
"Not just a famous driver but a brilliant mechanic and designer. They call him The Car Magician."
"You mean--?"
"That's right. The famous 'Whisper' Rocket is helping your friend Tony and he may even be entering the Cross-Country race."
"That would be something, Pops, because they say it's rare for Rocket to enter local races like this one. If Rocket is participating then I've got to keep training!"
"What about the threat, son?"
"What about it? It's not like it's the first time a fixer has tried to get me out of a race. I'll race like I always do and if Tony wins then I'll be very proud of him. He deserves an honest win and he is a good driver."
Sparky chuckled, "Then let's get started!"
