The Brothers Racer

The Brothers Racer

A/N: I can only remember a grand total of one episodes of the original Speed Racer cartoon.  This fic was mostly inspired after I watched the movie.  I hope you enjoy it.  Please don't shoot me.

"You can't do this," she told him desperately.  "You're still recovering.  You'll just make it worse."

"I have to do this," he insisted.  "They're gunning for Speed.  I have to protect him."

He groaned in pain as he pulled on his suit and zipped it up.  He reached for his mask, but she pulled it away and held it hostage as she said, "Speed is a grown man and a Racer, like you.  He can take car of himself.  He doesn't need you to protect him all the time."

He angrily snatched the mask from her hand and pulled it on over his head.  "Today, he does," he answered defiantly.

"I love you, Rex," she said as he reached for the door.

He looked back at her through the shaded lenses of his mask.  "I love you, too."

===

"Looks like Racer X has really got your back today, Speed," Sparky's voice said in his helmet.

It was true too.  It didn't entirely make sense.  They weren't on the same team.  There weren't any teams in this race.  It was every man for himself, but that hadn't stopped X from taking out three different drivers who nearly took out Speed.  It was almost like he was protecting him.

"Look out, Speed," Trixie said in his helmet.  "Snake's deployed a cannon!"

Speed did the only thing he could think of; he sped up.  His breath caught in his throat when he saw X swerve in front of Snake just as the latter launched an explosive.  Both cars were rocketted off the path in the ensuing explosion.  Speed spied a green ejection pod from Snake's car.  He saw nothing but flames from Racer X's.

"Did X eject?"

Silence.

"Trixie, did he eject?" Speed shouted.

"No, no, I didn't see him eject."  She sounded as though she might be crying.

Speed twisted the steering wheel.  The Mach 5 did a one-eighty and rocketted back up the path from which it had come.

"Speed, what the heck are you doing?" Sparky asked him.

Speed didn't answer.  He came to a screeching halt next to the wreck of X's car.  He saw the masked driver crawling away from the flames.  "X!" he called, kneeling next to him.  "X, are you okay?"

"What are you doing?" X asked him while trying to gasp for air.  "You have to finish the race."

Speed draped one of X's arms around his shoulders and pulled the larger man to his feet.  "I'm not finishing without you."

Speed, as quickly and gently as possible, put X in the passenger seat and strapped him in.  X cried out in pain as Speed tightened the belts.  Several of his ribs were obviously broken.  Speed jumped into the driver's seat and stomped down the gas.

"Speed, you're gonna have to floor it to catch up," Trixie warned.

"I know, I know!" he shouted back.

X muttered something unintelligible.

"What?" Speed asked as he approached the pack.

"You wearing the socks?"

A million thoughts raced through Speed's mind at a much higher velocity than the Mach 5.  As he swerved through the other cars, avoiding their tricks, he said, "Yeah, Rex, I'm wearing the red socks."

"Good," X breathed.  "We'll be okay then."

Speed stole a glance at his brother.  Blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth.  He had to win this race.  If he didn't, he'd lose more than just a trophy.

===

Two weeks later...

A familiar smell infiltrated his nostrils.  What is that?  Pancakes?  Where am I?  He opened his eyes and immediately wanted to shut them again.  The room was almost unbearably bright to his weak eyes.  His whole body ached, but this place in no way resembled a hospital room.  He let his eyes open a slit.  Definitely not a hospital, he determined.  But it did remind him of something, some place.  It was his old bedroom.  The place hadn't changed at all.  There was, however, someone sitting at the foot of his bed.

"Speed?" he asked.

The little boy shook his head.  "I'm Spritle," he answered.