Speed Racer: The 67th WRL World Championship (Part 3)
[Intro Music]
Chapter I: Cooldown time
Night fell over the ocean as the dark blue waters became black. The remaining drivers, of which there were few, had arrived in the early afternoon. The ship's deck was also loaded with each team's helicopters. This next leg of the race was about resting and resetting the grid, to begin with, a fresh start when they reached Brazil. In Speed and Trixie's cabin, Racer X, Hank, and Sparky stood to discuss their main rival: the ERX.
"Your brakes went out on a mountain again?!" Sparky's voice screeched when Speed told him the news.
Speed rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah… but it wasn't my fault this time!"
"I think Ace Deucey did it when we were leaving Korea!" Trixie blurted out as she put her hand on her chin and looked to the ceiling, "Although it could've been the co-driver… oh, what's his name? It's such an odd name."
"Ace said his co-drivers name is Acklam Gust." Speed reminded her.
"Acklam Gust is the ERX's driver? That's impossible!" Racer X said.
"Why is that, Racer X?" Speed asked.
"Acklam Gust is dead. He has been for some time, Speed." Racer X informed. The mood in the room became cold.
Hank nodded, "That's right, I nearly forgot. That happened when you were a kid, Speed."
Racer X folded his arms and recounted from memory, "Acklam Gust is the co-founder of your old friends, the Car Acrobatic Team. It was a race in California along Mulholland Drive, a deceptively dangerous mountain road. I was making myself known as Racer X a little bit before I met Kabala. The circus was in town that week, so Acklam and Captain Terror arrived at the Mulholland race to promote the show. The curves were tight and treacherous. Barely two cars could drive side-by-side on the road, let alone race. Acklam got a better start than his compatriot, and so did I. We both passed by Captain Terror, and I was pushed to the edge of the road as Acklam Gust used his skill and his car's abilities to ride along the side of the mountain to get past his teammate. Once we got by, Acklam and I traded places repeatedly, gaining advantages and being forced to give in to one another's moves to get to the front. As we neared the most infamous corner of the path, I slowed down and slotted in behind Acklam's car. I stuck close, so I could immediately get back on the attack when we were through the corner. But as we turned left, his car understeered, and he checked up, causing me to bump into him, unsettling his car that he fishtailed off the side of the mountain. That was the end of Acklam Gust. All it took was a little too much speed and an accidental tap to seal his fate."
Speed's eyebrows raised in reaction to Racer X's story, "I'm sorry that happened, Racer X. I didn't even know that the Car Acrobatic Team had two founders."
Racer X nodded, "It's why Captain Terror drives with the number eleven instead of ten. In their team, the number ten has been retired for a long time." Racer X nodded, "Speed, whoever the ERX's co-driver is, it's not Acklam Gust. Be careful around them, especially now.
Speed nodded in confirmation, "I will, Racer X. But it doesn't mean I won't try to win."
Racer X turned to leave Speed and Trixie's cabin, "Good. Just know that it will be impossible to win fair and square at this point. If you want to beat this imposter, it will have to be by any means necessary. I'll see you all tomorrow, I have to make some calls to Inspector Detector… and even Captain Terror himself to let them know about this information. Good night, everyone." Racer X said as he left, going to his cabin to inform those who needed to be in the know.
Hank yawns not soon after, "I'm gonna hit the hay too, Speed. We should all meet tomorrow and devise a game plan, so we don't get separated again, okay?" Hank gave Speed a thumbs up.
Speed returned the thumbs up, "Sure thing, Hank! We'll meet up in the dining hall for breakfast."
"And we'll check over all the cars, make sure that the ERX team didn't mess with them again," Sparky added.
"Sure thing, good idea, Sparky." Speed agreed.
"Goodnight, you two!" Trixie said as the Mach 4 team said goodnight and retired until morning.
In the cargo bay of the ship, within the cockpit of the ERX, the mysterious co-driver, once thought to be Acklam Gust is on a call with his bosses, Mr. Karat Goldminter and Oriana Flux. "This is unacceptable! Speed Racer can't keep getting away with this!" Flux shouts over the video call while lighting a cigarette. "We're going to have to release the weapon."
Goldminter's eyebrow raised, "What weapon? I don't want anyone killed, Ms. Flux!"
Flux cackles, "We're running out of time, Mr. Goldminter. You want your daughter to win, don't you?"
Gust then interrupts, "I don't need your weapon, Flux! I can beat Speed myself!"
Oriana's expression becomes uninterested, "Evidently not." She says, puffing smoke. She gestures off-screen, and in walks a young girl. The same one who was at the Prague Grand Prix! "This is Wendy. She's been at every one of Racer's escapades this season." Wendy's face was blank as she nodded without speaking.
"What?! She's just some little girl!" Gust shouted.
"Wrong! Wendy is a prodigy. Not only is she a trained assassin, but she's also the one who took out Mr. Racket and Clande under the instruction of Trick Idler in Prague. She was also trained under me by my team, and she is about to out-drive her coaches. Even Mr. Goldminter has her ride prepared for when the teams cross the border into the United States." Flux explains.
"I-Indeed I have." Mr. Goldminter holds up an image of a black, 3-wheeled car, "There was once a gang of assassins in Japan. They were not only exposed but defeated by Racer X and Speed Racer last year. Their many assets went to auction, and I acquired one of their cars. Japanese police removed its many powers and weapons; it was just a rolling chassis, but with my finances and Ms. Flux's engineers, we could restore the assassin car to its former glory. The assassin car was supposed to be a last resort, but it seems the only way my daughter will become World Champion now." Karat Goldminter explains.
Oriana then takes control of the conversation, "If you cannot do the job by the time the North American leg begins, we will deploy Wendy to take out the entire Go Team, The Mach 5, the Mach 4, even the Shooting Star. Understood?"
Gust was overwhelmed by the information he was just given, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. Speed could counter and equal his maneuvers up to this point and even beat him in Japan! The secret assassin Wendy was becoming more and more like the only option. Gust nodded, "S-Sure. But you'll see, I'll get the job done before Texas!" Gust said.
"Oh, we will see." Flux takes another puff of her cigarette, "We'll be watching." She says as she signs off, the image of Wendy's face fizzles as the car's screen goes black.
Gust slams a fist onto his dash, "Damn it!" He shouts as he sits back and seethes in the cockpit of his car.
The ship's horn cracked the silence of the air as the remaining teams were set to arrive in Brazil. Trixie shoots awake in bed and sees Speed dressed and prepared for the day, "Good morning!" Speed greets.
Trixie rubs her eyes, "Gosh, did they really have to honk that loud?" She asks, yawning afterward.
Speed chuckles, "Well, we are almost there. I'll grab you some breakfast while you get ready, okay?" Speed asks, holding a thumbs up.
"Okay. Thank you, Speed." Trixie says as Speed leaves their cabin. As Speed closes the door, he sees drivers he didn't realize were still in the race!
"Well, look who it is," Yuon said, strutting over to Speed. "Too busy at the front. You forgot about us, huh?"
Speed rubbed the back of his head, "I… kinda." He answered honestly.
Slick growled, "Cocky bas…"
Yuon interrupted him, "Oh, so the great Speed Racer has forgotten about the people who made him who he is, huh?"
Speed straightened his posture, "You didn't make me anything, Vroom Vroom. Slick, maybe. But not you."
Yuon sized him up, "Wow. Alright then, Speedy. I'll remember that."
"Maybe, huh?" Slick asked, his arms folded as Yuon joined his side.
"I've raced you and beat you four times. What else is there to prove?"
Slick gritted his teeth as Racer X came out from his cabin, "Is there a problem here, boys?" Racer X asked.
"Mark my words, Racer. The ERX will be the least of your worries in the coming stages." Zoomer said as Yuon stuck her tongue out at them before the two left.
Racer X chuckled before turning to Speed, "I'm impressed. Usually, you would be modest about your accomplishments, Speed."
Speed shrugged, "Sometimes you have to own your accomplishments. If a troublemaker like Slick is gonna puff his chest out, I can do that tenfold."
Racer X put a hand on Speed's shoulder, "That's right, Speed. Don't be afraid of the progress you've made as a racer." He smiles as he points down the hall, "I'm going to do checks on the Shooting Star. Sparky and Hank are already down there."
"I'm just gonna grab Trixie some breakfast, and then I'll join you guys." Speed said as Racer X nodded in acknowledgment and went down to where the cars were parked.
Racer X made his way to the Mach 4, where Sparky was working, "Good morning, Sparky." Racer X greeted.
Sparky scooted out from under the orange and white car, "H-Hey, Racer X!" Sparky said, getting to his feet and dusting himself off, "What's up? What can I do for you?"
"Have you checked over the Mach 5 yet?"
"I checked it over first; Speed's gotta win the championship," Sparky confirmed.
"Were there any signs of tampering?"
Sparky put his hand on his chin and looked up, "Yeah, the brake fluid was shallow, which means the brake lines had to have been loosened up before the Japanese leg of the race. I know the Mach 5 like the back of my hand, so I know when something is out of place."
"That's all I have to know. I'll be back at the start of the race; watch over the Shooting Star for me."
"Sure thing, Racer X! You won't have to worry about it," Sparky said.
"Thank you, Sparky." Racer X said as he walked back to his cabin. Racer X went over to the cabin's phone and placed a small blinking disk between two wires he had severed the night before.
Racer X held the phone up to his ear and pressed the operator button, "CIB signal received. How may I help you, Racer X?" An operator said over the phone.
"Is Inspector Detector available?"
"One moment." The operator pauses. "Inspector Detector is in, connecting you now, Racer X."
Racer X waits a moment as a familiar deep voice crackles, "Racer X, right on time." Inspector Detector greets.
"Inspector, any leads on what we talked about last night?" Racer X asks.
"I spoke with Captain Terror, and he was livid. But no leads, sadly."
"Hmm. I understand where Terror's coming from."
"But there is something beyond suspicious, Racer X. I'd call it downright incriminating."
"Oh? What is it? Quickly, the race is going to resume soon."
"Do you remember that Japanese Assassin gang?"
"Yes, they were almost the end of Speed and I."
"As you know, when we acquired their cars, we stripped them of everything. From the weapons down to the engine itself."
"Wasn't it stolen months back? I still don't know what they plan to do with a roller like that; it's not exactly inconspicuous." Racer X questioned.
"One of our agents found it at a black-market auction and tried to win it back with the full backing of the CIB. He lost the auction to an unknown… but it ended up in the possession of Mister Karat Goldminter."
"Lovelace's father?"
"Indeed, Racer X. I have my suspicions. Please watch over Speed and keep an eye on that ERX." Inspector Detector warned.
"You won't have to worry about that, Inspector. Racer X, out." Racer X hung up the phone and took his CIB encryption device with him before reattaching the cut wires of the phone and leaving his cabin with his duffel bag. Racer X walks down to the hangar bay and throws his luggage into the Shooting Star's passenger's seat before hopping in himself. He grabs the radio from his center console, "Speed, Hank, come in."
Speed picks up his radio, "Speed here."
"Hank here," Hank replies, waving from the Mach 4.
"Stay alert. We need to talk when the race begins." Racer X informs.
"What's up, Racer X? What happened?" Speed asks.
"Not now. Discretion is paramount, and there's no time more discrete than when we're on the move. Make sure your radios stay on our private channel connected through the chopper."
"Pops here. What are you guys talking about?" Pops interjects.
"Soon, Pops. I'm sorry I can't divulge more, just stay close so we can speak privately. Racer X out." Racer X replied.
"I will. We're docking right now, so the helicopters are about to take off! I'll be watching!"
"10-4, thanks, Pops! Mach 4, out." Hank said.
"Stay safe, Pops." Speed said.
"I will, son. Don't worry!"
Speed nodded and took a breath, "Okay. See you up there, Mach 5 out." Speed said as he placed the radio back into the center console.
Trixie put her hand on Speed's shoulder, "Don't worry, Speed. We'll get through this leg easily since we're starting first."
"I know, but the ERX will pass us out of the gate."
"Let them. Eventually, the weight will let them down, or at least their charge will."
"Right." Speed takes another breath as his eyes become more intense, his leather gloves creak, as his fingers tense up. "I'm ready then."
Chapter II: Brazilian Chase
Speed's blue eyes become focused as the ship's door opens to reveal a bright Brazilian morning. All contestants squint or wince a little bit as the 5 red lights above the ship light up. On TV, the commentary crew get viewers around the globe riled up as the lights go down one by one, and release the pack! The ERX, as expected, got the jump on the Mach 5, with the Shooting Star following close behind! One-by-one, the cars flew through the Brazilian favelas.
"I almost feel like bumping into him." Speed said, hot on the trail of the ERX, its battery made it way heavier in comparison to how nimble the Mach 5 had become.
"You know you shouldn't, Speed. Fair and square, remember?" Trixie reminded him.
Speed sighed, "I know, it's just frustrating that it gets in front so fast just to be so slow when things get tight."
"We'll have our chance!" Trixie encouraged him, as Speed kept close to the ERX's rear-end. Speed grinned, he knew Ace and the mystery co-driver didn't drive exactly fair, so he would pull a harmless, yet distracting move. Speed's thumb jammed the E-Button, the red high-beams turned on and off behind the ERX. "Speed, what're you doing?"
"Being distracting,"Speed answered.
Ace looked in their side mirror as the cabins of the ERX filled with yellow and red lights, "Eh? What's the kid up to now?!" Ace complained.
"An old trick. He's trying to distract us into making a mistake, and since we're talking about it, it means it's working." The mystery driver answered.
"Well, we have a distraction for him, don't we?" Ace said.
"We do. Give me the controls, you're too distracted to get through this." Gust said as the controls of the ERX were transferred over similar to the way a helicopter does.
"Ace Deucey to Flux, Deucey to Flux. Is our little assassin ready?" He asked.
Oriana's face appeared on the screen inside of the ERX's cockpit, "Yes, she is Ace. But she is far ahead of you in Mexico City.
"What?! That's a hell of a ways away! Can't you see Racer is trying to make us crash?"
"Then don't let him. I'll report back when she is deployed, Flux out." Oriana's face crackled into static as Ace thumped the screen with a fist.
"Calm down over there! Are you trying to break the car?" The supposed Acklam Gust scolded him.
"She won't help!" Ace whined.
"She will, you need to do your job first or you won't get any pay or your revenge on Speed."
Meanwhile, Racer X keeps his distance in 3rd as Lovelace Goldminter and Hank Racer are in a small battle of their own for 4th! "Racer X, come in." Inspector Detector's voice rang through the Shooting Star.
Racer X pulled a yellow knob inside of his car, "Go ahead, Inspector."
"We just intercepted a transmission from the ERX. They're going to spring a trap on Speed and Trixie when you guys reach Mexico City."
"The Assassin Car?"
"We think so."
"Keep a bird in the sky, Inspector. We have to stop this before it begins."
"Sure thing, Racer X. I'll keep you posted on any changes. Detector out."
"I've got to tell the rest of the team when we reach the checkpoint in Guatemala. But right now, we have to survive the favela, and the rainforest." Racer X thought as he took a narrow corner, popping the Shooting Star on two-wheels and cornering at faster speeds than both the Mach 5 and ERX!
As night fell, the drivers reached the forests and dirt roads as they continued towards the Central American border! "Aren't you tired, can't I have my turn back, yet?"
"I can't trust you to navigate the forests, Ace. It's why you've only been driving on the pavement!"
Ace grabbed his controls, "I said, I'm bored! Let me drive it!" The ERX started jerking around.
"Are you crazy?! We're going to smash into the trees or worse!"
"You're gonna crash us by being exhausted! What could be worse than smashing up anyways?!"
"Huh?" Speed audibly questioned as the ERX began to jerk and twitch, "The drivers in there… they're out of sync! Now's our chance!"
"Go Speed!" Trixie cheered on as Speed pressed the B-Button and started gradually applying pressure to the throttle. Speed pressed the Mach 5's unique horn as he hit the A-Button as the car was inches from the ERX's tail! The white and blue Mach 5 launched into the air, the overpowered hydraulic jacks shunting it high as it soared over the ERX!
"He's gonna smash up the car!" Acklam panicked, as he slammed the brakes. The Mach 5's rear wheels would have rolled right over the front of the car and crushed it if evasive action wasn't taken! In the scuffle, Racer X moved over to the left and also went around the ERX, now slotted into 2nd place!
"This is exactly where I need to stay, but I don't know if I can hold the ERX back forever." He thought to himself.
"Alright, Speed!" Trixie cheered as they landed. The rear-end of the Mach 5 wiggled as it fell back to Earth, spitting dust in the ERX's dual-canopies.
Pops pumped his fist in the air from the helicopter above, "Atta boy, Speed!"
The car gathered itself back up, but it was quite obviously weaker on the loose surface thanks to its weight, and it began to fall back into Lovelace Goldminter's clutches. "The ERX! It's quite slow on the dirt and gravel!" Her car swerves around the gravel, trying to look for a space where she would be able to pass.
"Ace, you stonehead! You got us embroiled in a battle in the middle of the rainforest!" Gust yelled.
"I'm bored, I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing! I should just split us up into bike mode!"
"No, don't you dare! The batteries drain faster in bike mode, don't forget how long it takes to charge this beast. Don't forget who the number one driver is here, Deucey."
Ace scowled as he was forced to watch the 'number one' driver try to defend from Lovelace Goldminter behind them! Meanwhile in the Mach 4, Hank and Sparky watch on, "Gah! If we could have passed Goldminter in the favelas I know I could've taken advantage of the ERX!" Hank said through gritted teeth.
"Don't worry. With how hard Lovelace is pushing the ERX, they might make a mistake."
"It's not enough just to hope that they make one. Sometimes, you have to coax them into it." Hank replied as he turned this chase into a three-way battle!
"Oh! What's Racer doing?!" Lovelace said as she almost collided into the nose of the Mach 4, forcing her to open up her steering a little bit. Hank was placing his nose in any little opening, making sure his lights were always in her mirrors, making himself unignorable. Goldminter focused ahead and tried to do the same to the ERX. As they went into a wide, muddy turn, the ERX understeers, having to slow down a considerable amount as Lovelace tries going down the inside! The Mach 4 put its nose in what little gap there was again, as it lightly bumped the rear fender of Lovelace's car, sending it up the muddy turn, Lovelace's tires spun in the dirt and packed mud as they tried to find traction, but they ended up burping against the ERX!
"Now!" Hank said, pressing the B-Button on his car, deploying the grip tires and zooming underneath both cars into third place!
"That seemed more like moving them out of your way more than mind games." Sparky said.
"To-may-to, to-mah-to, we're in 3rd! Now we can go catch Racer X!" Hank said as the Mach 4 charged forward.
"So, those goody-goodies can drive a little dirty if they want, huh?" Ace hissed.
"We'll pay them back for it, don't worry! Hank got lucky, but he's washed up." Gust replied as Lovelace slowly passed them by, the car struggling for grip for a moment before finally finding its footing.
The cars would stay in this order as they reached the checkpoint in Columbia with the Mach 5 stopping many minutes ahead of the Shooting Star and Mach 4. The race official walks up to Speed and Trixie as they stop, "The Mach 5, driven by Speed Racer and Michi Shimura. I'm not too surprised to see you two ahead of the pack!" he said as Trixie handed him their checkpoint sheets to stamp while Speed ran to top them off on gas and check the tires.
"Thank you, Sir. Any news about the road ahead?" Speed asked as the Mach 5's large tank filled up.
"Your next stage will be a treacherous mountain pass known for landslides. I know you've driven enough of those to last a lifetime." The official says.
"Uh-huh, you bet we have." Speed chuckled.
"Is there any good news about the upcoming stage?" Trixie asked.
The official scratched his head under his cap, "Well, you should get a beautiful view of the Caribbean Sea. Just don't get too close of a look, if you know what I mean."
Speed nodded as he put the fuel nozzle back, "You bet we know. Thank you, Sir."
The official waved as Speed cranked the engine, "Good luck you two!" He said as the Mach 5 took off into Central America. Not too long after, Racer X, Hank, and Lovelace got all of their stamps, followed closely by the ERX.
"Hurry up and plug us in!" Ace called as the official wheeled out the huge battery charger.
"Don't rush me! These things are heavy!" He said. Ace responded by snatching the plug and putting it into the ERX himself.
While the official was begrudgingly stamping Ace and Acklam's checkpoint sheets, Acklam was on call with Flux, "I'm tired of him. He's nowhere near skilled enough to win the race." Gust said.
"You and I are thinking the same thing. The mountain run has a secret road midway through. We have some… upgrades for you. Let him have control during this stage, I'll take it away when the time is right. You'll know what to do."
"Thank you, ma'am. I'll get the job done." Gust said as Oriana fizzled from his screen.
Ace Deucey unplugged the ERX and hopped back into the vehicle, "Let's get going!" He yelled as he slammed the canopy shut.
"You take the reins. I'm tired." Acklam said.
Ace grinned, "Finally." He pushed the start button and the car whizzed away, while Gust opened the small storage compartment to reveal the golden head of a cane within.
Chapter III: Revelation
The Mach 5's V12 engine hummed loudly as the wheels bounced along the uneven surfaces, the suspension keeping the Mach 5 relatively stable. Trixie looked up from her map, "We're following a mountain pass soon, and the exit should lead us to the Panama Canal."
"How do we cross the canal?" Speed asked.
Trixie tapped the map, "There are two rotating bridges. We won't be able to jump across this time, Speed. If they rotate, we have to wait."
"Hmm… then we've got to hope that we get there before any big ships arrive." Speed thought aloud.
"I wish I had that information too, Speed. But we're just going to have to hope. Take a right up that hill, the road is out the other way. This is the mountain pass, be careful." Trixie replied as the Mach 5 turned sharply with the other cars not far behind. The group ascended as the vegetation began growing a little sparser with more rocks coating the road.
"Better be safe." Speed said, pressing the B-Button and deploying the Belt Tires. He grabbed the radio and pressed the team's communication button, "Speed to Hank, come in."
Sparky picked up the radio, "Sparky here, Speed. What is it?"
"I wanted to make sure you deployed your belt tires, I know that the Mach 4 has them."
"R-Right, I forgot. Sorry." Hank said, pressing his B-Button, the treads were also deploying around his tires, giving him extra grip.
"Be careful, stay close. Don't let the ERX catch up!" Speed relayed back.
"Don't worry, Speed. We'll stick close to ya. Over and out!" Sparky signed off, but all was not well in the orange and white Mach 4. Hank's white leather gloves creaked as he death gripped the wheel, his eye peering over the ever growing edge of the cliff. "Hank? Hank, are you alright?"
A bead of sweat dripped down from Hank's face as, despite the new amount of grip from the belt tires, he began to slow down, his car getting very close to the mountain and as far away from the edge of the cliff as possible. Racer X kept an eye on his rearview mirror, "Hank is going too slow. Lovelace will pass him if he doesn't pick up the pace. Come on, cousin… I know you can do this." Racer X thought.
Lovelace grinned as she was catching the Mach 4 at a rate of knots! Her car weaved around the road that was merely a lane and a half wide, looking for any opening or upcoming opportunity. Sparky looked back up at Hank, "Hey, what's going on? Lovelace is gonna pass us!"
"I was always more of a road racer, Sparky. This rally stuff really isn't my comfort zone." Hank said, his inputs on the steering wheel were uneven, jittery.
"Well, get comfortable soon because Lovelace is gonna either pass us or make us both crash!" Sparky exclaimed as if, almost on cue, Lovelace's front bumped the rear of the Mach 4, causing it to wiggle.
"Agh! Come on!" Lovelace waved her hand at Hank ahead, who was holding her up and allowing the ERX to catch up!
"Patience, Ms. Goldminter. There's a fork in the road coming up, it widens the trail slightly, take your chance there!" Halfdollar said from the helicopter.
"Fine, Burges. Fine." Lovelace said, backing off for now, but driving closer to the edge of the cliff so she could see ahead. However, even she needed to keep one eye on the rearview mirror, as the ERX had caught up. Electric cars were not affected by the altitude of the mountains, so it was driving at its 100% while everyone else was suffering from at least some power loss!
"Haha! We got 'em now!" Deucey grinned. As he put himself alongside Lovelace, holding her on the edge of the cliff!
"Oh! What is Ace doing?!" Lovelace yelled as she was forced to back out, but not before Ace cut her off so close that the rear of the ERX slammed against Lovelace's nose, causing her to slow down considerably!
"Whoa… did you see that, Hank?! Ace almost drove Lovelace off the mountain!" Sparky said.
"I saw… I might have to let him go, Sparky. He has full power at his disposal, and we don't." Hank said.
"What?!"
"Sparky."
The young mechanic sighed and crossed his arms, "I… I understand. But I still don't like the idea!"
"Trust me, it's the smartest move." Hank said as they approached the fork in the road.
"Turn here, it's a shortcut. Our ERX will be able to survive this path that the other cars wouldn't!" Acklam said to Ace.
"Happy to take any advantage we can get!" Ace grinned, hooking a hard right turn into the alternate mountain pass.
"Huh? They turned? There's nothing back there, it's a dead end!" Sparky said as Hank was also suspicious.
The ERX ground to a complete halt as the car shut itself off, "Huh? This is… this is a tourist stop for pictures! I'm not here for the scenery, Acklam! I'm here to win, I'm here for the money!" Ace said as he stamped the throttle, "Huh? Why won't this thing go?!" He jammed the start button, but nothing happened. Ace threw open the canopy and stepped out, marching over to Acklam's side, and slamming his canopy glass, "Who are you anyway?! Get out of there and let me see your face, coward!" The canopy opened and Ace staggered back, "No… you're supposed to be dead!" The cane poked out from the canopy and shot Ace in the chest, also knocking him on his back! Ace looked up as the mystery man stepped out of the ERX and hobbled over to him, "N-No… get away!"
"I'd say I'm sorry about this, Deucey… but I'm not. I know we both have our reasons to take revenge on Speed Racer. But mine… my revenge is more important." He aimed his came at Ace once again as his finger pressed on the jaw of the golden snake's head handle and closed the maw, as a shot rings out, echoing through the mountains! Gust gets back in his car and gets on the radio, "Oriana, it's done." He said as the ERX whined back onto the trail.
Unfortunately for the ERX, its advantage through the mountains had all but dwindled. Its lack of combustion allowed it to catch up at a rapid pace, but only enough to get back to Lovelace as they began their descent, where the heavy Mach 5 was able to get an edge as its power curve began to rise the thicker the air got! They ran through the afternoon in Venezuela until night fell once more, and they reached the Panama Canal! "Look, Speed!" Trixie smiled as she pointed out.
Speed smiles, "The bridges are all lined up! Shouldn't be long until we cross!" But unbeknownst to Speed and Trixie, one of Oriana's agents stood at the bridge controls.
"Those headlights… now!" The man said as he pressed the button so the bridges would turn the motors slowly began catching the bridges.
"Wait… no!" Trixie cried out. Speed's eyes got wide and intense, his brow furled as he focused and metaphorically mashed the gas through the floor! "Speed? Speed! We're not going to make it!"
"We'll make it." Speed said as the Mach 5 began pulling away from the Shooting Star.
"Hah? Speed can't think he's going to make that!" Racer X thought aloud as the white and blue car started to disappear from his view.
"Speed, please! Be sensible!" Trixie pleaded, but it was no use.
"Hold on, it's gonna be tight!" He warned as they crossed the first moving bridge! The first and second were further apart, but creating a straight line wasn't impossible! He ran the section of the bridge and at the last possible moment, hit the A-Button! The Mach 5 launched into the night sky, the yellow headlights among the only things visible in the darkness! The Mach 5 landed on the crooked bridge as it was still moving as Speed threw the Mach 5 in neutral and slammed the brake, also pulling up on the E-Brake and turning it sideways, drivers-side facing the edge, where the Mach 5 would screech to a halt!
Trixie took a deep breath before growling a little and lightly hitting Speed on the chest, "Are you crazy?!" She scolded.
Speed put a hand on his head and chuckled, "Well, we're not exactly done with the maneuver." He said, looking over.
"You're not. I hate going under."
"Don't be such a girl, Trixie. It won't be long. Just… hold on a minute." Speed pressed the F-Button and E-Buttons simultaneously, the canopy and periscope raised as the oxygen tank hissed while the headlights turned bright red. "Here 'goes." Speed said as he drove off the bridge and into the canal itself! The Mach 5 made a huge splash as it hit the water.
Hank stared wide-eyed, the other competitors were forced to wait now so they left their cars, "Did he just… drive into the canal on purpose?!"
"He did." Sparky smiled, leaning against the Mach 4.
"Can the Mach 4 do that?"
"I'm afraid not, Hank." Sparky patted him on the back as Lovelace threw her helmet down.
"NO!" She yelled, "That's it! That's the race, we're not going to beat him now! Who knows how long it's going to take to make the bridges right! You'd think the WRL would have made it so the bridges were in place, there's a World Championship going on here!"
The Mach 5 slowly sank to the bottom, allowing Speed to activate the Belt Tires as well, driving across the soft and uneven depth of the canal. They reached a way up and scaled the high angled wall, out to the other side! The canopy, periscope, belt tires, and lights went back to normal as the Mach 5 sped away on the other side of the canal towards Nicaragua, Guatemala, and ultimately Mexico.
It turned out, Mr. Karat Goldminter was just as angry as his daughter, watching the Mach 5 easily circumvent the obstacle. "Oriana! You fumbled this badly! After all of his races, you didn't predict Speed Racer would find a way out?! Now my daughter is at a large disadvantage! The race is practically lost for her!"
"Not yet, Mr. Goldminter. My agent is realigning the bridge now, and my assassin is awaiting Speed's arrival to Mexico City."
"This better do the job, Flux… or it's over!" Goldminter slams down the phone.
"Make sure Wendy* is ready." Flux said to her agents in Mexico. The petite girl puts on a robin-egg blue helmet with a black bandana covering her face. She gets into the cockpit of the Assassin car and straps in, her bright blue eyes focused, almost rueful as the double-window canopy closes and the three-wheeler warms up. Who was this girl? Where did she come from, and where did she and Speed's paths cross before?
[*Wendy debuted in the episode: Enter the Mach 2!]
"There, Speed! The Mexican border!" Trixie pointed out as the Mach 5 arrived many minutes ahead of everyone else.
Speed smiled, "This is great! Think we can make it to Mexico City before we call it a night?"
Trixie nodded as they slowed down at the checkpoint, the officials running up to mark their passports and driver logs. "I think we could stay up a little longer."
"Great! Let's go!" Speed said as Trixie was handed their paperwork, and Speed gunned it on course into the various villages and cities of Mexico. Back where they began in the No Limits World Race in the beginning of the year!
Chapter IV: Viva Mexico!
Hours passed through the rural Mexican roads, and not another competitor was seen, "We're all by ourselves, I think crossing the Panama Canal like that gave us a big advantage." Trixie said.
"Can we reach any of the team from here?" Speed thought aloud as he took the radio, "Mach 5 calling the GO Team, do any of you read us? …No answer." He flipped to the next channel with Pops' helicopter. "Mach 5 to helicopter. Pops? Do you read us?"
Thankfully, Pops was just close enough but Speed's voice was garbled, "Pops here, Speed. But I can hardly hear you, it's all static."
"How far are we ahead?" Speed asked.
"Huh? Repeat that, son. I couldn't hear you."
"How far are we?"
"Ahead by a few miles. Repeat, ahead by a few miles." Pops relayed.
"We're going to stop in Mexico City, see you there." Speed also repeated what he said to make sure his message went through.
"10-4, be careful!" Pops said as Speed put the radio back on the hook.
"We're way ahead, I bet we can get to sleep and wake up first too, we have to make sure we maintain our lead at all costs." Speed said.
Trixie nodded, "Mhmm, crossing under the canal might just have been the winning move, Speed!"
The Mach 5 drove until sundown, still no updates on where their competition was as the helicopter was now completely out of range. The yellow headlights illuminated the dark road ahead as they saw lights on the horizon, "Look, Speed!"
"Oh, we reached the next checkpoint." He said as he picked up the radio and flipped to the WRL's own personal radio channel that was set up at every checkpoint. "This is the Mach 5 to WRL checkpoint, come in."
"We read you, Mach 5. Are you coming up already?" The official replied.
"We are. We need gas ready to go when we get there. Over."
"Copy that, Mach 5. We'll have high octane waiting for you when you arrive." The official said as the Mach 5 entered the city limits. Flashbulbs went off in high volume as the Mach 5 navigated the city streets, everybody wanted to see the championship favorite passing right by their homes in his one-of-a-kind racecar! Speed finally was able to put the car in neutral as he pressed the brake and let the car stop. "You're way ahead, Speed!"
"Yeah, we're gonna stay here for the night." Speed said as he directed the official towards Trixie so they could stamp their checkpoint papers while Speed walked around back and popped the trunk where the fuel cell was located. Another official wheeled over a tank of fuel and put the hose in it, pumping the Mach 5's large fuel cell full. Speed then grabbed the Mach 5's toolbox and popped the hood to perform some end-stint maintenance; but unbeknownst to Speed and Trixie, Wendy in the assassin car waited on top of one of the surrounding buildings with a large hook from the back of the car attached to the edge of the rooftop.
"Go now! They're vulnerable!" Oriana said over comms. Wendy smashed the gas and drove off the edge of the rooftop, as the grapple snagged and allowed the car to put its wheels on the side of the building! Gasps and screams echoed through, getting Speed and Trixie's attention.
"That's an assassin car! Get down!" Speed exclaimed as he slammed the Mach 5's hood shut and jumped behind the Mach 5 with Trixie. The assassin car reached the ground and its front headlights opened, revealing dual machine guns underneath the lights that opened fire as the people tried to get out of the way! Trixie and Speed crawled over to the driver's side of the Mach 5 and opened the door, "Get in, Trixie. Stay low!"
Trixie crawled across the seats, trying her best to keep her head down, "Hurry, Speed!"
"Get ready!" Speed said as he tried his best to crawl in and keep his head low. But the guns stopped, the assassin car was changing its placement, but Speed was faster. He hopped in, pushed in the clutch and turned the ignition. He pressed the D-Button, the bulletproof canopy deploying over the two as he revved the GO-V12, threw it into 1st gear and let off the clutch, launching the car forward!
"Crafty…" Wendy said.
Oriana Flux's voice then crackled over Wendy's radio, "Wendy, quickly! While he's driving through the city!"
"10-4." Wendy plainly replied as she went off after the Mach 5! The black 3-wheeler tore through the streets, its small frame and nimbleness made street racing much easier. The Mach 5's horn echoed through the streets as Speed tried getting people to take cover or go inside while trying to get away from his pursuer and assailant as the police got involved in the chase! Wendy pulled a lever in her car, a compartment in the rear opened, dropping small spiky balls bouncing all over the road. The police cars ran over them, tires blew in quick succession as cruisers veered in the narrow streets, and smashed into buildings! Police started setting up barricades and ambush points, shooting at the assassin car but the bullets bounced right off of the bizarre machine.
"Make sure you don't shoot the Mach 5!" An officer shouted.
"But sir, our barricade! He's going to be in the way!" His subordinate replied.
"No, the Mach 5 can jump over. I've seen it in films before! …There they come! Take cover and ready your guns!" He pointed.
"Hold on, Trixie!" Speed said as he pressed the A-Button. The Mach 5's four hydraulic jacks shunted into the ground, sending the car up and over the barricade.
"Now, fire!" The officer shouted as they opened fire on the assassin's car.
"It's not slowing down and our bullets aren't doing anything!"
"Take cover!" The officer ordered. But, the black tripod shot a single rod into the ground from underneath the car, also launching it over the barricade.
"Oh! They added some new tricks!" Speed said.
"How are we going to get away, Speed?"
"We're gonna have to drive and hope that thing's gas tank is smaller than ours! If I can get some space between us, maybe I can slice off one of its wheels with the cutter blades!"
"What if it's electric like the ERX?" Trixie asked.
"Good point… I guess we're going to have to hope it runs out or runs low." Speed said as the assassin opened fire once again, causing the two to flinch as the bullets ricocheted off of the domed glass. "We have to get out of here. We're safe, but the spectators are in danger with every bullet that bounces off us! ...But I have an idea." Speed says as he slowly lifts off the gas.
Meanwhile, Wendy was forced to multitask, driving the narrow streets and trying to aim her guns! "Difficult to manage." She said over her comms.
"You are trying to take down the greatest car and driver combination in the world, it wasn't going to be as easy as the others. But I have faith you will do it." Oriana answered.
"Wait… he's slowing down. What is he-" Wendy was cut off mid-sentence as Speed slams on the brake, checking her up. The single rear wheel locking, and without a counter-balance, snapped the car into a fishtail!
"Sometimes all you need is a simple solution." Speed said as he took his chance to run away as Wendy was regrouping.
Further back, the rest of the front runners reached the checkpoint, with the ERX straggling behind. "Where's Speed?" Sparky asked as he and Hank looked around while refueling.
"Racer X." A deep voice said as Inspector Detector walked up to the Shooting Star.
"Inspector Detector... Where's Speed? I thought we were all stopping here to rest." Racer X asked as his checkpoint book was taken by the official.
"The assassin car we spoke of earlier was waiting for him, Speed and Trixie barely escaped. Many police cars have been disabled by the assassin's tricks."
"Is it still after them?"
"Yes, it-" Inspector Detector was cut off as Racer X slammed the gas and shot forth towards the border. "Racer X!"
"Racer X! Your checkpoint book!" The official yelled after him. "If he doesn't get every stamp, he'll be disqualified!"
"I'm sorry, Inspector, but I'm already a WRL Champion… I'd rather give up the championship if it means Speed and Trixie are safe." Racer X thought to himself as he followed Speed and Wendy's path of destruction as he picked up his radio, "Racer X to Hank and Sparky, get some rest. I'm pulling out of the race to help Speed."
"But Racer X, you're in contention for the championship!" Hank replied.
"Not anymore. Racer X out." He signed off as the bright yellow Shooting Star continued after the Mach 5 and its pursuer.
Unable to find any rest, Speed and Trixie run from the mysterious assassin known as Wendy, as well as the now single driver of the ERX, the supposed Acklam Gust, the dead co-founder of the Car Acrobatic Team! With the final rounds of America and Britain on the horizon, can they win the championship, or will Oriana Flux and Mr. Goldminter's agents succeed in handing Lovelace an easy championship? Find out on the FINAL EPISODE of… SPEED RACER!
[Outro Music]
Writer's Note: Kept you waiting, huh? In all seriousness, I do apologize for how long this took to get out. In the time it took to write this I had some insane life stuff happen which includes becoming a real, certified racecar driver where I put myself through school last summer and started my first SCCA sanctioned event early this April. On top of this, I finished my latest book, a mystery short story called "Borrowed Time" which I have no idea when I'm going to find a publisher to put it on the shelves.
So yeah, I've been quite the busy guy. But this Speed Racer 4-Part finale has not left my gaze every time I opened GDrive. I am super appreciative of those who have found and commented on this, your voices are always appreciated! A few months ago, Wattpad told me I needed to mark my story as complete because it hadn't been updated in a year. That was when I really started putting pen to paper, especially when I didn't feel like writing Borrowed Time, or the fifth installment of the Special Defense Unit series. It took a long while, but today is the day. This is an extra-long episode, I hope you all enjoy it! Hopefully the final episode won't take me as long as this one did, but we'll see.
Have a great holiday season and Happy New Year 2024! Go Speed Go!
-Josh