The Most Dangerous Race

by Chase Wheeler

  The sky was streaked with dark clouds, which hung low above the Alps. Down below, a lone figure stepped out from the mist, his cape whipping in the wind.

  “It was one year ago that Speed Racer and his Mach 5 defeated us,” the man announced to a group of men holding flaming torches.

  “Yes, Captain Terror,” the men responded. They were the members of the dreaded Car Acrobatic Team.

  “We swore that someday we would get our revenge,” Captain Terror continued. “That time is almost at hand! We will race against Speed Racer again, and this time we will not only defeat him, we will destroy him!” Captain Terror let out an evil laugh. The members of the Car Acrobatic Team shuddered.

  “We will challenge Speed to a race, which of course he will accept. Then, once again, we, the great Car Acrobatic Team, will be recognized as the greatest racers in the world!”

  A streak of lightning crossed the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Rain came down from the sky, extinguishing the torches, and everything turned dark.

  That night, Speed Racer had a dream that he was talking to Captain Terror.

  “Do you remember when we raced a year ago, Speed?” Captain Terror said. “Think back and remember it well. How could you forget?” The Captain’s image spun in circles in Speed’s mind.

  “We will race you again, soon, over the same treacherous trails, across the same yawning chasms, over the same brinks of disaster, and we will beat you!” Captain Terror said with a terrifying laugh.

  Speed woke up with a start. To his surprise, he found a letter from Captain Terror lying next to his pillow. It was a letter challenging him to a race. Speed’s dream had come true! Quickly, Speed changed into his racing gear and hopped into the Mach 5. In a flash, he drove out of the garage and into the blinding storm.

  As Speed drove through the night down a lonely highway, he came upon a figure standing in the road with his arms stretched out. Was this person in trouble? Did he need Speed’s help? Speed stepped on the gas. As he reached the figure, he slowed down and discovered it was Racer X!

  Racer X ran up to the Mach 5. “Speed, a race is not a fight. Don’t accept the challenge of the Car Acrobatics.”

  “How did you find out about the race, Racer X?” Speed wanted to know.

  Racer X shook his head. “Never mind. You’re a professional racer, and a professional racer doesn’t fight, he races! And he doesn’t hold private grudge races. Go home and forget about a grudge race against the Car Acrobatic Team.”

  “I can’t,” Speed told him. “They’ll think I’m afraid to accept their challenge to another race. They’ll think I can’t beat them again. Now get out of the way!”

  “Don’t be a fool,” Racer X warned.

  But Speed didn’t listen. He drove off, leaving Racer X in his dust.

  Back at the Racer home, Pops Racer was sick in bed. He was surrounded by Trixie, Spritle, and Chim Chim. They were all worried about him.

  “What a fine day for me to catch a cold, the day before an important race!” Pops said weakly, trying to prop himself up.

  “You’ve got to stay in bed, Pops,” Trixie said, gently pushing him back down on the bed. “You’re running a very high fever! ”

  Pops wiped the sweat from his brow. “I wish my oldest son, Rex, were here. I wonder where he is now. If only he hadn’t disobeyed me years ago and entered that race. That was when all the trouble started. He was too young, too inexperienced to compete against the professional race car drivers.”

  In that race, Rex lost control of his car just before the finish line and crashed into a wall. Rex wasn’t hurt, but Pops was shaken up. He forbade Rex to become a professional racer. Pops wanted him to wait until he was older and had more experience behind the wheel.

  But Rex refused to listen. “You can’t stop me from racing,” he told Pops. “Racing’s in my blood, and I’m going to continue doing it!”

  Pops and Rex continued to argue, but Rex still wouldn’t obey. He was determined to race—no matter what. So he ran away from home!

  Pops tossed and turned in his bed. His fever climbed higher and higher. “I hope Rex comes home someday,” Pops whispered.

  At a house in another part of town, a secret meeting was taking place.

  “Is everybody here?” a man dressed in white asked. He was carrying a cane, and he tapped his peg leg nervously on the floor as he spoke.

  “Yes, Mr. Supremo,” answered one of the many men who was sitting at a long table.

  “All right, Mr. Magnito,” Mr. Supremo said, taking a seat. “Give me the report.”

  Mr. Magnito cleared his throat and began. “As you know, the international secret police have been smashing our secret branch offices. We’ve discovered that one man is behind these disasters. Take a look at this,” Mr. Magnito said, pointing to a screen.

  “The secret agent goes under the name of Racer X,” Mr. Magnito explained as slides flashed on the screen. Sure enough, there were pictures of Racer X!

  “Some of our best brains and top agents have proven to be no match for Racer X,” Mr. Magnito continued. “Time and time again Racer X and his friends have out-tricked and out-fought our agents. We cannot underestimate the threat this man poses to our future.”

  Mr. Supremo banged his cane on the ground. “I’ve heard enough! The report is about nothing but failure, failure, failure! What have you people been doing to get rid of Racer X?”

  “Everything we can, sir,” Mr. Magnito said. “But watch carefully. There’s more to our report. Racer X is not the only one who has caused trouble. A great many of our agents have been defeated by another young man.”

  Mr. Supremo looked surprised. “Who is he?”

  “A professional racer,” Mr. Magnito responded. “One of the best—his name is Speed Racer. He drives a powerful, specially designed and built car called the Mach 5. Here you see film clips of the great Alpine Race where he competed against the Car Acrobatic Team, among others. In a moment, you will see and learn something fascinating. Watch closely!”

  “I’m watching! I’m watching!” Mr. Supremo said impatiently.

  Mr. Magnito pointed toward the screen. “And there you are-Speed Racer and Racer X racing side by side!”

  Mr. Supremo shrugged his shoulders. “So they competed against each other in the same race. So what?”

  Mr. Magnito sighed. “But Mr. Supremo, we’ve discovered that Racer X is secretly Speed Racer’s older brother, Rex Racer, who ran away from home years ago.”

  “What?!” Mr. Supremo exclaimed in amazement.

  “It’s true,” Mr. Magnito replied. “And not even Speed Racer knows Racer X is his brother!”

  “That’s astounding! But are you sure it’s true?” Mr. Supremo asked.

  “Compare their photographs,” Mr. Magnito urged. “See the resemblance for yourself.”

  Mr. Supremo scratched his chin and nodded. “So you have been busy after all. A magnificent job!”

  Mr. Magnito breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Our next step is to get rid of Racer X forever. This is the Car Acrobatic Team,” he said, pointing to another slide. “They plan to race against Speed soon. We’re certain that Racer X will also be around. He knows that the Car Acrobatics are out for revenge, and he’ll want to protect his younger brother, Speed. That will give us the opportunity we’ve been looking for. We will find Racer X and destroy him!”

  “What about Speed?” Mr. Supremo wanted to know.

  “Why worry about him?” Mr. Magnito said with a shrug. “Without Racer X to protect him, he’ll be an easy target for the Car Acrobatics. They’ll take care of him for us. All we have to do is concentrate on getting Racer X.”

  “Very clever, Mr. Magnito. You have everything worked out excellently!” Mr. Supremo said with an evil laugh.

  “Now, sir,” Mr. Magnito said. “I suggest we put the plan into effect.”

  After driving all night, Speed Racer found Captain Terror and the Car Acrobatic Team in the middle of a dark road.
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  “We’ve been waiting for you, Speed,” Captain Terror said. “As you can see, we accepted your letter challenging us to one more race. And this time, you will lose badly!”

  “Wait a minute,” Speed said. “What do you mean my letter challenging you? I got a letter from you challenging me to one more race!”

  Captain Terror looked confused.

  “That’s why I came,” Speed continued. “Regardless of how we both came here, I plan to race against you and win!”

  Upon hearing this, Captain Terror was outraged. “No, you won’t! We are the greatest racers in the world, and this time we’ll prove it!”

  “You failed to prove it the last time we met, and you’ll fail again,” Speed shot back. “I’m warning you! I’m going to win!”

  “We’ll see,” Captain Terror said. “Come on, Speed. Let’s go!”

  Everyone immediately jumped into their cars and sped down the course. As the rain continued to pour down, the cars sped down the mountain road, packed tightly together. They raced past waterfalls and over slippery rocks. As the cars approached a steep incline, Speed managed to take the lead. And just as he made it to the top, three of the Car Acrobatic Team cars slipped and crashed into the canyon below.

  As Speed paused to survey the fiery crash, one of the Acrobatic drivers passed him and took the lead. Taken off guard, the Mach 5’s tires slipped and dangerously teetered on the end of the road.

  “He’s going over the cliff!” the Car Acrobatic Team driver observed. But no sooner did he utter those words than his own car tumbled off the road and into the water below.

  Miraculously, Speed edged his way back on the road and regained the lead.

  Meanwhile, from afar, Racer X was driving in his car and trying his best to keep his eye on Speed. But suddenly, his path was blocked. Racer X stopped his car, got out, and came face-to-face with Mr. Magnito and two other thugs.

  “We’ve been waiting for you, Racer X, or should I say Rex Racer, the international secret agent?” Mr. Magnito said, stepping out of his car.

  “What’s going on?” Racer X shot back.

  “We’re going to get rid of you forever so you never interfere with us again,” Mr. Magnito said.

  But before Mr. Magnito and his men could make a move, Racer X jumped back into his car and made a 180 degree turn.

  “After him!” Mr. Magnito shouted. A dozen black sedans appeared from behind Mr. Magnito and followed Racer X.

  Racer X checked his rearview mirror and made a sharp turn, sending a few of the black cars crashing into the side of the mountain.

  A littler farther down the road, Racer X spotted one of the thugs lying injured beside his car.

  Seeing that no one was behind him, Racer X stopped his car and jumped out. He wanted some answers. “Why did you try to get rid of me?” Racer X asked, standing over the man. “Who are you and what’s the name of your organization? Come on, tell me!”

  “Uh, uh,” the man stuttered. “I’m with International Spies, Incorporated, and we want to get rid of you and your brother,” the man said nervously.

  Racer X couldn’t believe his ears. “You’re trying to get rid of my brother, Speed?”

  The man nodded. “We set time bombs in all of the Car Acrobatic Team’s cars. Since Speed is racing with them, when the bombs in their cars go off, it’ll be the end of them all!”

  “I’ve got to reach Speed before those time bombs in the Car Acrobatic Team’s cars go off,” Racer X said urgently, hopping back into his car.

  By now, the sedans were gaining ground on Racer X. While one of his associates drove, Magnito kept a close eye on Racer X. Suddenly, Racer X swerved off the road, and in an instant was out of sight. Thinking that Racer X had fallen off the side of a cliff, Mr. Magnito was satisfied. He called his boss, Mr. Supremo, to give him the news.

  Back at the race, Captain Terror and Speed were flying down a narrow dirt road that hung over a river.

  Captain Terror, who was in the lead, glanced into his rearview mirror and cackled. “This road is so narrow that Speed can’t possibly pass me and pull into the lead.”

  Unbeknownst to the drivers, Racer X was still alive. He made his way up a back road and stopped right in front of Captain Terror’s car!

  “What are you doing?” Captain Terror shouted, slowing his car to a stop. “Can’t you see you’re in the middle of a race? Get your car out of the way! ”

  Just then, Speed pulled up behind Captain Terror’s car. “Wait a minute-that man’s Racer X!”

  “You’ve got to stop the race immediately,” Racer X warned them. “There are time bombs planted in every one of your cars.”

  Captain Terror looked alarmed. “Time bombs? What are you talking about?”

  “I found out that the challenging letters you each got were phony,” Racer X explained. “You didn’t write them to each other. Those letters were sent by the International Spies to trick me into coming here. They want to get rid of me,” Racer X explained.

  Captain Terror and Speed didn’t know what to believe. But they believed that there were bombs in the cars, and they knew they had to work together if they wanted to stop the evil International Spies. So they agreed to call off their race.

  “Racer X, you drive with me. Speed will follow in his car, and the rest of the Car Acrobatic Team will follow behind him,” Captain Terror declared. “We’ll take their time bombs back to them and give them a taste of their own medicine.”

  Racer X directed them to the spies’ headquarters. “Faster! You’ve got to go faster!” Racer X shouted as Captain Terror drove. “We probably don’t have much time left before the bombs go off!”

  “Look! There’s their hideout!” Racer X said, pointing to a building on top of a hill.

  “As soon as we surround the hideout, we’ll get away from the cars,” Captain Terror said. The cars split formation to fully encircle the building. As soon as the building was completely surrounded by the team’s cars, Captain Terror gave the order to his men: “Abandon you cars—run for your lives!” As Speed pulled the Mach 5 to safety, the rest of the men ran for cover.

  Inside the building, Mr. Supremo heard a noise. “What was that? Magnito, didn’t you hear something just now?”

  “It’s probably the wind howling through those mountains,” Mr. Magnito replied.

  As Mr. Supremo started to speak again, a huge explosion went off outside. Car parts and metal shot off in all directions. Moments later, the hideout caught fire.

  From the side of a cliff, Speed, Racer X, and Captain Terror stood together, looking at the destruction. They knew that the International Spies would never recover from this.

  “Racer X, how can we thank you?” Captain Terror asked. “If it hadn’t been for you, our race with Speed would have ended in disaster.”

  Just then, a helicopter circled overhead. It was Trixie and the rest of the gang!

  “Well, Speed,” Racer X observed, “it looks as if your racing team has flown here to pick you up.” Then, turning to Captain Terror, he said, “Come on. We might as well get out of here.”

  “All right, Racer X,” Captain Terror agreed.

  “Speed, we’ll meet again,” Captain Terror said with an outstretched hand. “And when we do, I wish you luck.”

  “When you meet again, I’m sure Speed will beat you again,” Racer X added.

  Captain Terror smiled. “That’s what you think.”

  And with that, the two men walked away.

  “Racer X,” Speed called after them.

  Slowly, Racer X turned around.

  “Are you really my brother, Rex Racer?”

  Racer X did not know what to say.

  Captain Terror was shocked at this news. He walked up to Racer X and peered under his mask. “You are his brother! I can see the resemblance even under that mask.”

  Racer X nodded. “I am. But even though I am his brother, I can’t go home again. I’m giving up being a racer and from now on I’ll be a full-time interna
tional secret agent.” With that, he pulled his mask off and threw it down on the ground.

  “Good-bye, Speed,” Racer X said. “I’ll try to keep my eye on you and be nearby whenever you need help, no matter where you might go.”

  Just then, the helicopter landed, kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, all that was left was Racer X’s mask. Racer X and Captain Terror had disappeared.

  “What happened to my brother, Rex?” Speed shouted, running in circles. “Rex, Rex—where are you?”

  Trixie jumped out of the helicopter and raced over to Speed. “What is it? Did you find Rex at last?”

  Speed looked up at the sky. “Rex, wherever you are, I promise to try to be the best racer in the world and to make you proud of me. Good-bye, Rex.”