It all started with a simple notification. A small ping signalling Lightning that someone liked an Instagram post. Bored, he opened the app up to see what it was.
Wait, wasn't that post from three months ago?
Who was 'jigntr20′?
He refreshed the app and watched as the recent like disappeared, as if it had never occurred in the first place. Confused, he went to search the username, but was interrupted as Sally entered the Cozy Cone office to join him.
"Hey, Sal." he greeted her. "Crazy amount of business you got today, huh?"
"Oh, yeah." she rolled her eyes, agreeing sarcastically. "Place has never been busier."
"Guys! Guys!" Mater came shooting over to the entrance of the office. "You're not gonna believe who just showed up!"
"What's goin' on, Mater?" Lightning asked, amused at his friend's excitement.
"It's that Jackwagon Cloud guy!" Mater exclaimed, moving out of the way so Lightning and Sally could see outside. "And he brought friends!"
"You mean Jackson Storm?" Lightning laughed a little, not quite believing him. "What would he be doing out here? And what friends?"
"I wish I could say it weren't true…" Sally redirected Lightning's attention down the road.
Sure enough, three trucks with trailers were coming towards town, each of them representing one of the new next generation racers. The one in the middle was undoubtedly Storm's.
Cruz came down the road from the direction of the town hall, smiling. She pulled off into the Cozy Cone lot and watched the racers' drivers park the trailers off the side of the road.
"I invited some friends to stop by between races!" Cruz explained to her mentor.
"Storm?" Lightning asked, confused.
"Well, just Danny and Chase, but I did say to bring whoever they wanted." Cruz shrugged. "If Storm wants to come visit, let him. He's on our turf now, he can't do anything."
"Alright…" Lightning was hesitant.
Cruz drove across the road to greet her fellow racers, visibly excited that they'd decided to come. Danny and Chase seemed happy to be there, staying by Cruz's side as they drove over to Flo's, but Jackson tagged along behind them, unenthused.
The drivers seemed content to tour the town and relax at the station as well. Gale seemed most excited, and actually came over to compliment Sally on the motel. As they talked, Lightning watched the younger racers converse, and grew more and more suspicious about Jackson. So he decided to join them.
"So, Storm." Lightning pulled into the bay beside him. "What brings you here?"
Jackson flinched at the sound of his voice, but quickly played it off. "Oh - you know, just wanted to see where racers like you come from, champ. I must say, it's a little dustier than I imagined."
"Well don't let it clog up your intake." Lightning taunted. "It might slow you down."
Jackson didn't even have time to come up with a comeback before Lightning pulled out of the bay and invited the racers down to the dirt track.
That night, the racers holed up in the empty Cozy Cones for a restful night outside their trailers. Lightning couldn't fall asleep, as something in the back of his mind was bugging him. He remembered the strange notification earlier and thought about it.
The realization hit him suddenly. He looked out the window towards the cone that Jackson was staying in, found the door wide open and Jackson missing.
"That's suspicious." Lightning said to himself, rolling outside.
Quietly, he circled around behind the parked trailers across the street. The ramp to Jackson's was open, but again, he was nowhere to be found. Taking the liberty to look inside, Lightning peered around the dark interior.
In the far back corner, he noticed a couple small posters - posters of himself and other racers from his era, mostly those who were considered major winners. Intrigued, Lightning backed away from the trailer and behind some nearby bushes to watch.
Everyone else in the town was asleep. The bright beams of halogen headlights appeared from off in the distance, coming from the direction of the dirt track. Jackson had been the only one to not take a lap earlier with the others. He must have gone back and tried it out by himself.
Lightning watched as the younger car came down the main road, looking disgruntled. Jackson quietly came around to his trailer and pushed a button to lift the ramp back up. He was covered in dirt and debris. It was obvious that turn three hadn't treated him well.
"You know - "
Jackson gasped and jumped as Lightning came out of his hiding place.
" - cactus needles really aren't your style." Lightning told him with a slight smile. "And you might wanna get that intake cleaned out. A dirty filter can't be good for ol' 'j - igniter - twenty'."
Jackson was horrified, unable to say anything. Lightning flashed him a big smile and briskly drove back to the Cozy Cone to sleep peacefully.