The Secret Engine

by Chase Wheeler

  “Good work,” Pops said. “That takes care of him.”

  Trixie, Mr. Clepto, and Spritle joined Speed and Pops. They cheered.

  “There aren’t many more left,” Pops said. But he spoke too soon.

  Blaggard was back. He stood on a hill above them, a gigantic boulder pointed straight at them. “All I have to do is let go, and you’ll all be knocked off that cliff,” he called down.

  Speed took a quick look around. He realized that during the mayhem they had come to a cliff, and they were very close to the edge. The fall was dangerous and far. He knew no one would survive it.

  How will we get out of this?! Speed thought wildly.

  13

  BILLIONS TO THE WIND

  Speed and the gang were backed up to the edge of the cliff, nowhere to run. All Blaggard had to do was let go of the boulder he was holding, and they were done for.

  Then an engine sounded, and a yellow race car was flying straight at Blaggard. The race car chased him off the hill and knocked the boulder out of harm’s way. The car skidded to a stop before Speed.

  “Racer X!” Speed cried in surprise. “You got here at just the right moment! ”

  Racer X, his identity hidden behind his mask, gave Speed a nod.

  Off to the side, Blaggard crawled to his knees. When no one was looking, he snatched the briefcase with the loot in it and ran for his car. r.

  Speed didn’t notice until he saw Blaggard’s car peel away in a cloud of red dirt.

  Speed thought fast. He did a running leap into the Mach 5, starting the engine in a matter of seconds—just like he’d learned on the racetrack from Fireball Rust.

  The Mach 5 set its sights on Blaggard’s black car and was in hot pursuit. Speed jammed the gas, gaining on Blaggard. The chase took a turn off the mountainside and onto the paved roads.

  Blaggard hit a button and let out some oil onto the road, hoping that the Mach 5 would skid off the side of the mountain.

  The Mach 5 hit the oil slick and did a 360, narrowly missing the guardrail. Speed cried out and activated the belt-tires. The Mach 5 righted itself, moving swiftly over the pavement without another mishap.

  Inside the black car, Blaggard was sweating. “Huh,” he said. “Let’s see him get out of this.” He pressed a button that spilled gasoline onto the road. Then he lit the tail flames. Flames broke out, setting the pavement on fire.

  Seeing that, Speed pressed another button on his steering wheel. The Mach 5 swiftly moved through the wall of flames as if it were nothing.

  Blaggard groaned. “Fire doesn’t have any effect on that car,” he muttered. “Let’s try water.” He turned off the road into the lake. His car was equipped with aquatic propellers. It shot through the water without sinking.

  The Mach 5 followed. It hit the water, bounced a few times, and sunk.

  Blaggard glanced in his rearview—nothing appeared to be following him. He chuckled.

  Little did he know it, but the Mach 5 had been built to withstand all of the elements. The Mach 5 was merely speeding out of sight underwater, like a submarine.

  Blaggard reached the shore of the lake and slowed, thinking he was safe. But the Mach 5 shot out from the depths of the lake, speeding up behind him.

  Blaggard growled in frustration and headed back for the roadway. “Send the helicopter,” he radioed. “I’m still being chased by that kid.”

  Just then, the Mach 5 blasted around him and cut him off. Speed jumped out and yelled in Blaggard’s direction. “Get out, Blaggard!”

  Blaggard opened his door and stepped out onto the pavement. He held the briefcase full of money tight in his grasp.

  But before Speed could make a move for the briefcase, a helicopter appeared in the sky and lowered a rope ladder for Blaggard to grab on to. Blaggard started climbing. “So long!” he called down to Speed.

  Speed hit a button. During the previous night, Trixie had returned the homing robot to the car, and now Speed had one last chance to use it. The homing robot shot upward, and Speed used the controller to direct it at Blaggard, who was still swinging from the rope ladder in the sky.

  With one swift jab, the homing robot knocked the briefcase out of Blaggard’s hand.

  It fell, knocking against rocks and boulders and thumping clumsily down the side of the mountain. Blaggard jumped off the ladder, trying to follow. But when the briefcase landed, it broke open. The money they had seen just minutes before started to disintegrate. Blaggard stumbled and crawled for it, but by the time he reached it, the loot he’d wanted so badly had turned to dust.

  “What happened?!” he cried.

  Speed stepped up. “It must be because the money was buried in volcanic ground for so many years,” he said. “Maybe because of that, it deteriorated ...” He shrugged.

  Blaggard was stunned. He started sobbing as the wind picked up the last of the money dust and carried it away.

  14

  A REWARD

  Soon enough, the police arrived. They had received Speed’s radio signal from the day before. Now they had Blaggard in handcuffs. Inspector Detector, the head of the police unit, was very pleased by the capture of the escaped convict.

  But one person was not happy. “What happened to all the money my father left me?” Mr. Clepto cried. “Where’s the billion dollars?”

  “It all turned to dust and blew away,” Speed explained.

  Mr. Clepto put his head in his hands.

  Speed frowned. He wished it could have gone another way.

  Pops put his hand on Speed’s shoulder. “Don’t feel so bad, Speed,” he said. “Inspector Detector has something to say.”

  Inspector Detector held out his hand to Speed. “First of all, congratulations, Speed Racer.”

  Speed shook the inspector’s hand.

  The inspector wasn’t finished. “Speed, you were instrumental in the capture of one of the world’s most dangerous criminals,” he said. “And for that, we are most grateful. You will receive a reward of one hundred thousand dollars.”

  Speed’s eyes went wide. “Oh!” was all he could say.

  Trixie leaped to his side, grabbing him in a giant hug. “Speed!” she cried. “Now you have more than enough money to enter the Multipeak Race! Isn’t that wonderful?”

  The sound of an engine could be heard coming up the hill. It sputtered and chugged along. It could only be ...

  Mr. Clepto’s Model T! It pulled up, filled to the brim with Mr. Clepto’s granddaughter and the adopted children. “Grandpa!” Susie cried. “We were so worried about you!” Susie and the kids jumped out of the antique car and into Mr. Clepto’s arms.

  Speed took this in, an idea forming.

  “Now, don’t worry, children,” Speed overheard Mr. Clepto saying. “Even though I didn’t get that money, we’ll make out all right. Who needs money when you have such a wonderful family?”

  Speed smiled. He had made his decision.

  “You know what?” he said. “I’m going to give my reward money to Mr. Clepto to help him take care of all his adopted children.”

  “But what about the Multipeak Race, Speed?” Pops asked.

  “Some things are just more important,” Speed said.

  “You’re right,” Pops said, watching Mr. Clepto and the children. He began to tear up. “Speed, you are absolutely right.”

  Knowing he had done the best thing, Speed waved as Mr. Clepto and his children drove away out of Misty Valley. It was thanks to Speed, Trixie, Spritle, Chim Chim, and Pops—and even Racer X—that Mr. Clepto would be able to provide for his family. To Speed, this felt even better than crossing the finish line first at the toughest race in the world.

  SPEED’S BONUS RACE

  I sure had a tough time with those twisty mountain roads near Blaggard’s hideout. There were a few times I thought the Mach 5 would be run off the cliff, but I kept my eye on the road and held tight to the curves—and somehow I stayed on track.

  But you know what? Those mountain roads were nothing compared
to the time I joined some of the greatest race car drivers in the world on a racecourse with the seven swiftest turns ever set to pavement.

  That course was called the Snake Track... and, believe me, it sure earned its name. Want to know how I made it around those turns? Want to know if the Mach 5 crossed the finish line first? Just read on!

  The Snake Track Part One: The Course

  Speed Racer first spotted the Snake Track while flying high in Trixie’s helicopter. From up above, the racetrack looked like a long snake, slithering this way and that from start to finish. In fact, the Snake Track had more sharp turns than any other racecourse the world over: seven sharp curves altogether. This track was where Speed’s next race—the Super Car Race—was going to be held.

  Speed gazed out of the helicopter warily. Trixie had taken Speed and Sparky up into the sky for a sneak peek at the course, just to get an idea of what Speed was in for. Speed had entered the Mach 5 in the race and, just three days later, he would be gearing up to drive his best against some of the most skilled drivers in the racing industry.

  Speed swallowed, getting nervous. The Snake Track was a long run of tightly twisting turns—more turns than Speed had ever seen on a professional course before. He had no idea how cars would be able to drive at top speed around those turns without crashing or running head-on into the walls.

  “I can’t believe they’re actually holding the Super Car Race here,” Trixie said. “They’ve never had the Super Car Race on a course like that before.”

  Speed just nodded without answering.

  “I mean, it looks like a really tough race to win, doesn’t it, Speed?” Trixie said.

  “It looks dangerous,” Sparky added. He was gazing down at the track as the helicopter swept closer to it, a look of concern on his face. “All those turns, one right after the other. I mean, you sure know how to maneuver the Mach 5, Speed, but with those turns, you could lose control ! ”

  Sparky and Trixie didn’t realize that they were only making Speed more nervous about the upcoming race by talking like this.

  “I know,” Speed said quietly. “Every curve on that track is going to be tough. It’ll take all the experience and skill I have to win.”

  “Yeah, and a tremendous amount of luck,” Sparky mumbled.

  I’ve got to try out those curves so I don’t crash,Speed thought with alarm. The Super Car Race was the biggest race he’d ever been in. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of professional race car drivers from all over the world. And he sure didn’t want to wreck the Mach 5.

  He turned to Trixie and Sparky. “Hey, do you think we could take the Mach 5 here tomorrow so I could do some practice runs on the track before the big race?”

  “Like try out those turns on the Snake Track?” Sparky said. “Good idea!”

  “Yeah, great idea, Speed,” Trixie said.

  “I’ll need a lot of practice,” Speed said. More than a lot,he thought.

  And that sure was the case. The next day, Speed was poised in the Mach 5, ready to hit the course for the first time. The big race was two days away.

  Trixie, Spritle, and Chim Chim were on the sidelines, watching. Sparky had the hood of the Mach 5 open and was doing one final tune-up to the engine.

  “There we go,” he said, and closed the hood. “You ready to try out those turns, Speed?”

  Speed had the whole course to himself. No other drivers were practicing that afternoon. He lowered his driving visor and focused his eyes on the curve up ahead. All he could see in front of him was the first turn. That turn was so sharp, he wasn’t sure which way the course went after it. He’d just have to practice, practice, practice to get through this race.

  “I said... are you ready?” Sparky called to Speed.

  “I’m ready,” Speed said. He shifted into gear, jammed the gas, and was off!

  The Mach 5 tore over the asphalt. At the first turn, Speed steered to the left, but the turn was so sharp, sharper than he expected, that he had to downshift to stay in the lane. He kept going. When he came to the next turn—it was there, sooner than he’d expected—he had to downshift again. Each time he downshifted, the Mach 5 slowed, losing valuable time. It was that way around all of the Snake Track’s seven curves. When Speed reached the finish line and Sparky showed him his final time, he knew there was no way he’d win the Super Car Race at that pace.

  “I’m going too slow,” Speed said.

  Sparky shrugged. “But you don’t want to crash,” he said. “Then you’d be out of the race for good. The other drivers will have to go slower, too. ”

  Speed shook his head. “Those racers are serious professionals. They’ll know how to handle these curves. I’ve got to do better.”

  He thought for a moment.

  “My timing’s no good,” he said at last. “My technique just isn’t working.”

  “What else can you do, Speed?” Sparky asked.

  “I’m going to try those curves without downshifting,” Speed said. “I can’t slow down, no matter how sharp the turn is. Going slow is no way to win the race.”

  “But driving like that is risky!” Sparky cried.

  “I have to try,” Speed said. He put his driving visor back on and motioned for Sparky to move out of the way.

  Then Speed stepped down hard on the Mach 5’s accelerator, launching it forward and back onto the course.

  As he approached the Snake Track’s first curve, he quickly turned the steering wheel but still kept his foot on the gas. He didn’t downshift. He didn’t touch the brake, not even a little. He kept turning the wheel, trying to stay in the lane. But the turn was too tight for him, and he was going too fast to double back. All of a sudden he lost control. The Mach 5 flipped upside down and skidded wildly across the track!

  Spritle, Trixie, Sparky, and Chim Chim ran down the track to see if Speed was all right.

  Fortunately, he was. Speed crawled out unharmed from beneath the overturned Mach 5.

  “Speed, you haven’t been hurt!” Trixie cried with relief.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t do this race, Speed,” Sparky said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  But Speed shook his head. Hewas determined to find a way around that Snake Track, no matter what. “Is the Mach 5 okay?” he asked. “As long as the Mach 5 is okay, I’m doing that race.”

  Part Two: The Technique

  Sparky was able to repair the Mach 5 for the Super Car Race without any trouble. The next day, just one day away from Speed’s real debut on the Snake Track, Trixie tried to take Speed out driving so he’d relax a little. They had the top of the Mach 5 down and were cruising slowly through the countryside.

  Speed couldn’t stop thinking about the Snake Track. He knew he needed a new technique in order to get quickly around those turns without crashing. He just had no idea what it could be.

  Suddenly, a red race car sped past, followed closely by two black cars. The two black cars were chasing the red one, trying to wreck it. But, amazingly, when one of the black cars tried to ram into it, the driver of the red car maneuvered up onto two wheels to evade the attack! The black car missed its target completely.

  “Oh, Speed, did you see that?” Trixie cried.

  The red car sped forward, still driving on only its two right tires.

  Speed followed the chase in the Mach 5. When the black cars came at the red race car again, the red car tilted to the left this time. Somehow the driver was able to drive it while balancing on only the tires on the left side.

  It was incredible! Only a professional race car driver could pull off a trick like that.

  Taking curves on just two wheels... that’s the technique I’ve got to use! Speed thought excitedly.

  But right now the red car was in trouble, and Speed wanted to help. He wasn’t sure why the black cars were chasing it, but anyone who drove with that kind of skill was someone he wanted to talk to. He couldn’t let a phenomenal driver like that get hurt!

  Speed released the Mach 5’s homing pi
geon and steered it at the two pursuing cars, running them off the road one at a time.

  The red car slowed to a stop, and Speed pulled up beside it.

  “Are you okay?” Trixie called over to the driver of the red car.

  “I’m fine,” the man answered, though he seemed a little shaken.

  “Why were those cars chasing you?” Trixie asked. “I’m Trixie, by the way, and that’s Speed.”

  “And I’m Rock Force,” the man said. “Those cars must have been from a rival racing team. They’ve been threatening me for weeks, ever since they heard I’m driving in the Super Car Race tomorrow. They know I’ve got a good shot to win.”

  “I knew it! ” Speed cried out. “I knew you were a race car driver! Somehow you managed to drive on only two wheels, and you never lost control. And at the same time, you didn’t slow down one bit ... you didn’t downshift, did you?”

  “No ...,” the man said. “Why do you ask?” He had a strange smile on his face as he looked the Mach 5 over. “Are you driving in the Super Car Race tomorrow, too?”

  “Yes, I am,” Speed admitted.

  “And you’re curious about my technique because you’ve seen those killer turns at the Snake Track, haven’t you?” Rock Force continued.

  “Speed’s been having trouble with those turns,” Trixie said.

  “Trixie! Speed said. ”Don’t tell him that!

  But Rock Force seemed nice enough. “Just because there are some people who don’t want me in that race doesn’t mean I’d keep anyone from racing against me ... ,” he said. “Even if they happened to borrow my technique.” Then he winked at Speed.

  Speed jumped. Was Rock Force saying he wouldn’t mind if Speed tried his technique against him? “But, Mr. Force—” Speed started.