Chapter Eight: Fear Takes Hold

Mater watched Holley approach the vehicles doing her best acts of flirtation. By the looks of things, the men were falling for the ruse quite easily.

"Get ready, Mater" Finn said over his radio. "You're on any moment now."

Mater reversed back a bit, looking nervous. "I don't know about this, Finn. What if I screw things up?"

"Impossible." Finn said confidently. "Just apply the same level of dedication you've been using to play the idiot tow truck, and you'll be fine."

"It's just that them guys look purty tough and..." Mater paused. "Wait, did you say 'idiot'? Is that how you see me?"

"That's how everyone sees you." Finn replied, unaware of the impact of his words. "Isn't that the idea? I tell you, that's the genius of it. No one realizes they're being fooled because they're too busy laughing at the fool. Brilliant!"

Mater stared at his reflection in a pair of glass doors. He jumped at the sound of electricity and a thud, turning to see Holley knocking out the Hugo's tow truck.

"Why aren't you in disguise?" Holley demanded.

"I, er..." Mater looked down.

"Come on! There's no time! Go!" Holley urged.

"Okay, okay!" Mater nodded, trying to get himself focused again. "Computer, disguise!"

"Request acknowledged." The disguise came on over Mater.

Mater rolled up beside the Hugo's henchmen.

"It's the boss. He's coming." One of the henchmen announced as a horn honked and a black van pulled up. The back door lowered down, and the front of a Hugo poked out.

"Ivan." The Hugo called. One of the henchmen bumped Mater with a tire encouraging him forward. "Ivan, why do you insult me so by making me wait here?" The Hugo demanded.

Mater didn't respond as he hooked up the smaller car, the henchmen gathering around as they drove into the hotel where the meeting would take place.

Mater gawked as they made their way through the casino. "Whoa! This place looks like it's made outta gold!" The computer-like screen Holley installed in his windshield scanned the poker tables and listed odds of winning.

"That's because it is, Mater." Holley said over Mater's radio. "Now, be careful what you say."

"Why is that?" Mater asked. "What do you mean, 'Don't talk to ya'? So you want me to stop talkin' to you. Right now?"

"You are acting strange today, Ivan." One of the Hugo henchmen noted suspiciously.

Mater glanced to the black car, his windshield giving him information about the Hugo beside him. "I have no idea what yer talkin' about, Alexander Hugo aka Chop Shop Alex. Hey you got a lot of aka's, Alex. But I guess that makes sense, seein's how you's wanted in France, Germany, Czech Republic..."

"Mater, stop it!" Holley called.

"Okay, okay! Keep your voice down! You gonna make me arrested!" Alexander hissed. He turned to the henchman on the other side of Mater. "Don't mess with Ivan today. He is in a bad mood."

Outside, Holley gawked at Mater's actions.

"He's so good." Finn said with a smirk.

Mater continued on to a set of large double doors, pushed open by two forklift waiters. "Victor!" one of the cars inside called, and Mater eyes widened a bit at the sight of all the lemons inside. his windshield identified the other three heads to the lemon families, labelling them as "very dangerous." Mater to continue on into the room, dropping off Victor Hugo on one side of the table before backing up several feet.

"Is the big boss here yet?" Victor Hugo asked.

"No, not yet." Vladimir Trunkov said.

"He's supposed to be here any minute." Tubbs Pacer added, J. Curby Gremlin nodding.

Loud knocking came from the door.

"Here we go." Finn, Holley and I watched the screen closely.

The doors swung open and a small, German microcar rolled forward.

"Guten Tag." The car, who's name I found out was Zündapp, greeted.

"It's just the professor." Pacer groaned, everyone seeming disappointed.

"Zündapp!" Hugo snapped. "When is he coming?"

"He's already here." Zündapp assured, driving to the head of the table as a television screen lowered from the ceiling. The doors were shut again to give the lemons privacy, and the television switched on to reveal the Big Boss. But to our disappointment it was just like the photo Mater used to carry.

"Descramble that voice" Finn ordered.

"I'm tryin'" Holley groaned as she used her computer to try and make out the talk without any success.

Three more TV screens lowered down, switching on to show the World Grand Prix race just as Brazilian racecar Carla Veloso flamed out and crashed into the railing of the casino bridge.

Out on our vantage point, even Finn, Holley, and I were shocked.

"What just happened?" Finn demanded.

"I'm working on it." Holley said, quickly scanning through her computer filters as she analysed the crash.

The lemons cheered for the crash, as though seeing the racer getting hurt was like a good joke. On the screens, yet another racecar flamed out and ended up crashing into a wall as well. This car, Nigel Gearsley, desperately tried to stop but couldn't prevent his impact.

Finn was quickly growing impatient. "Holley!"

"I'm detecting an extremely strong electromagnetic pulse." Holley finally reported, following the pulse's trajectory to its source. Her eyes widened. "Finn, it's the camera!"

"Where?" Finn demanded.

"On the tower!" Holley said quickly. Finn turned and sped off.

Japanese racer Shu Todoroki flamed out and began skidding across the track. The racer behind him desperately tried to stop, only to crash into Shu and send both of them skidding across the track. A third racer crashed into the two cars. Then two more. Thankfully, the last two racers skidded to a halt before they could crash into anyone.

Lightning and Francesco were the only ones that speed across the finish line, unaware of the major crash that happened behind them.

Soon, all the TVs began to show several reporters approaching Miles Axlerod, who looked mortified at the sight of the race's outcome.

"Sir Axlerod, is the final race in London still going to take place?" A reporter asked.

"I suppose that..." Miles sighed. "Look, the show must go on, as they say. But now is not the time to talk about it."

"Will you require all the racers to still run on allinol?" a reporter asked.

"I cannot, in good conscience, continue to risk the lives of any more racecars." Miles said. "The final race will not be run on allinol."

"Andrew stay" Holley ordered and sped off.

I turned on my radio to hear anything that was said.

"Mater abort the mission." Holley said into her radio. "They've got Finn. Get out of there. Get out of there right now." Holley gasped.

"How is your grandfather?" A cruel, deep voice asked right before the line went dead.

Suddenly there was a lot of noise and I saw Mater suddenly appear on the balcony. A huge orange parachute appeared out of his back, right behind the coil of his tow cable. The wind caught the chute and carried him off the balcony and into the air.

"Mater!" I gasped and sped off to the most likely place he would go. I arrived the same time he did.

"Let me through! Let me through!" Mater called, panicked, as he skidded to a halt in front of the gate to the media entrance. "You gotta let me in! I gotta get through to warn McQueen!"

"You cannot-a come through here!" one of the security cars at the gate snapped. "Back up, signore."

"We have a lunatic at Gate 9." The second security car said. I took one look to see Mater had several strange items attached to him, giving him quite the image of a lunatic.

"No, Listen!" Mater pleaded. "I was disguised as a tow truck to inflitrate this lemonhead meetin' and my weapons system's done misinterperated what I'm sayin'!"

I grabbed Mater's side mirror.

Mater looked past the gates. "McQueen! McQueen!" He continued calling, suddenly darting around the security cars and speeding towards the press surrounding McQueen, all his decorations dropping off. "McQueen!" Mater shouted, desperately trying to see his friend through the crowd. "McQueen! They're gonna kill you! McQueen! McQueen!"

"Mater!" Lightning called, eyeing the rusted tow hook at the back of the crowd.

"McQueen!" Mater called.

I let go of Mater's mirror and looked for McQueen among the crowed. I could hear him but not see him. I did not even notice that I had moved away from Mater a bit.

"Mater! Mater!" Lightning cried happily. "Mater, I'm so glad to see you. I'm so sorry—"

"Lightning McQueen!" Ivan the tow truck cried excitedly. "I am a huge fan!"

Lightning shrunk down a bit, surprised to see someone other than his friend. I glanced around for Mater and move out of sight of the crowd. Suddenly an arm wrapped around me pinning my arms to my side. Before I could struggle or yell the person who had caught me pulled a cloth over my mouth to muffle any noise I made. Or so I thought. The cloth smelt funny and as soon as I breathed the smell in I felt drowsy before blacking out completely.