You all did want a 9th chapter, right? Well here it is! :D
lolbit, Did you stay alive for this chapter? Hahaha I hope so! I love that you appreciate my story so much and I thank you for that!
Britishlover123, I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you love evil Finn, or the idea of him being evil hahahaha. Well, it took eight long chapters, but he's evil now! Do you love me for that? Thank you and you're welcome!
PASTAAAAA, Do you ship Raoul/Duchess? If so, that's awesome! kailaangel42 made that ship, and when I showed her you said that she got super happy! There will be some more of the ship later, but I don't think I'll do tons and tons of it. (I saved that for a oneshot I wrote lol) And I'm glad you like my villain, Mystery! I don't know how exactly to write him, so I guess I made his character a mix of a few types of villains hahahaha. His name will be revealed probably much later, and his true identity will be sometime after that!
Thank you all for your reviews, I love you all, and enjoy this next chapter!
Nine
"We need medics, stat!"
That was the first thing someone shouted. There was a flurry of movement as everyone rushed to help the downed vehicles. Cars were helped up, put on stretchers, or picked up by forklifts and carried away. Cries of pain sounded as some vehicles were moved in such a way it hurt them, or adrenaline rushes ended to bring pain back to injured bodies. Small fires blazed here and there and some debris fell from the destroyed ceiling. Puddles of red oil were splattered about, causing some unsuspecting vehicles to slide, much to their disgust. Shards of broken glass and metal lay everywhere, creating a minefield of sharp car parts to pop the tires of anyone who got close. Fragments of grenades, bullets, and other ammunition littered the once glossy floor that had now lost its sheen. The janitors came in and began clearing away debris so everyone could be reached and helped easier. It was a crazy, frantic scene, yet nothing could snap Holley from her dazed state. She just didn't understand. What was wrong with Finn? What the heck even happened? Did it actually happen? She was in so much confusion, she didn't even notice Lewis trying to get her attention.
"Hey, Shiftwell?" Lewis waved a tire in front of Holley's face. She blinked rapidly, coming out of her trancelike state to look at the racer. "I would ask if you're alright, but I can tell you are definitely not. You're getting crushed. Can you not feel that?" His voice was calm, yet there was detectable fear and concern in his accent.
"I am?" Holley didn't even register the pain radiating from all over her. Well, now she did as the adrenaline died. The concrete and metal from the ceiling were pushing her sides in and had broken her windows. She could feel the thick metal rods stabbing her in various places, preventing her from even budging, and her undercarriage was now burning from being crushed and bent. Her whole body felt like a pain house, and only then did Holley feel the warm and thick liquid seeping out of her from all angles. It was then that panic took over and she tried climbing forward, but was the burning pain was too much. "Ahhg! C-can you help me?" Her voice was now pain-ridden and shaky. Lewis was alarmed, ordering her to be still and pushing aside concrete blocks and grabbing thin metal rods with his teeth to pull them out. He succeeded in getting pretty big pieces off the pile and away from the trapped spy, but he could only get so much off. There was a thick metal construction beam that was bent across Holley's hood, and Lewis couldn't get it off since the ends were weighed down.
"I…can't…get…that…off you!" he struggled to say as he tried pushing the heavy debris off one end. "I'm going to need help, and I'll be back fast!" Lewis promised. He turned around, looking for Mater. The tow truck was on the other side of the room, putting a lot of effort into pulling someone from a hole in the floor. Lewis sped over as fast as his injured body would let him and waited until the vehicle had been pulled free.
"Hey, Lewis. Need help?" Mater asked, ready to pull more vehicles from rubbish piles and holes.
"Your girlfriend does." was all Lewis had to say. He and Mater took off as best as their damaged bodies would allow. "I can't get this beam off her." Lewis tried pulling at the heavy piece of steel.
"Don't worry, I got it." Mater hooked his cable to the beam and gave a hard yank. But it didn't come off. He pulled harder, screeching his tires on the floor. It barely moved two inches. "Dadgum…" Mater grunted. "Is this…thing…cemented…to ya?"
"I don't know…" Holley almost whispered, her voice a bit strained. "But please, hurry… It's crushing me…"
"Can I get some help ov'r here?!" Mater pleaded. A group of vehicles rushed over to help, pulling all the concrete and metal ceiling off the ends of the beam. Finally, Mater was able to yank it away, revealing a nasty deep dent across Holley's hood. She still couldn't pull herself from the pile, so Mater pulled her out.
"Thank you." Holley said, coughing a bit. Her hood was very loose, as it was attached by only one hinge. It slid halfway off diagonally to the right when she sneezed from the concrete and plaster dust. She felt very light-hooded.
"Holley, yer engine don't look too good…" Mater reported with worry.
"It feels…horrible…" Holley whimpered. Her emerald eyes looked down, and she gasped softly. There was liquid leaking all around it, a mix of black regular oil and red blood oil. Her engine was crushed where the beam had been holding her down at, and looking at it reminded her how much pain she was in. "Ohhhh…" Holley groaned, her eyes blurring and fluttering to stay open. She was on the verge of passing out, and Mater sided next to her so she could lean on him.
"Chrysler, that's a lot of blood!" some nearby C.H.R.O.M.E. agent exclaimed when he saw Holley. "We need a medic over here! Agent Shiftwell's lost too much red oil!"
Holley couldn't stay conscious for much longer. Her vision blurred more and her hearing became slightly muffled. All she remembered seeing was a black shape - Lewis - making everybody back up as a bunch of white shapes - the medics - come to help. She was jostled a bit, and saw another white blur approach her. She only knew who it was when he spoke.
"Don't worry, Agent Shiftwell. We'll make those Lemons pay for what they did." promised Blaze.
"We will…" Holley croaked. "Am…I going to die…from my…injuries?"
"No, you won't." Blaze assured stiffly. "You'll be fine. Everything will be."
"Will it?" It was the last thing Holley said before she blacked out...
...
She was a year old again, a tiny purple car in a sea of bubbles. She was scared of them, hiding from them when they popped. Never had she ever seen spherical shapes like these that floated and popped and reflected her rounded image. Her fear of the unknown made her terrified of everything at first. The warm water that kept being poured over her and the gentle caresses were soothing, calming her from the big, scary bubbles. This treatment was so different from her last treatments, although she could not remember why she used to hurt a lot. Another bubble popped, this one being in her face, and she squeaked. That's when she realized someone was giving her a bath. She couldn't see who it was at first, but she heard his voice.
"Heh heh, they're just bubbles, sweetheart. They are not going to hurt you." he said gently. He placed some bubbles atop her roof, blowing some off. One of them floated down to her hood, popping in front of her eyes. Her fear of the unknown vanished once she realized her father was bathing her. When he told her something was alright, it instantly became no longer scary. She wasn't facing him, but could tell it was him by his voice. "See? Nothing to be afraid of." he added. She began turning around to face him, but the sink suddenly began draining. What was worse, she couldn't move. The drain was pulling her in like a vacuum. She began to thrash, reaching for her father as she was pulled down.
"Daddy!" she cried. Her first word.
"Holley!" her dad panicked, reaching for her. It was too late. His daughter had disappeared down the drain too far, a distance so close yet unreachable for tires.
Holley cried, seeing her father's dark purple face looking worriedly at her. She reached as far as she could, but she just kept slipping down further and further. Finally, the darkness had consumed her entirely and she fell out of the small tube into a bright room. It was C.H.R.O.M.E.'s Training Academy, and she was surrounded by every one of her friends. Suddenly, there was an explosion and she was an adult again, springing into action to fight against the Lemons. She was taking out countless enemies, feeling unlike herself as they screamed in pain and their blood splashed upon her. She felt like a non-sentient machine, not in control of herself as if she was programmed to do this. It seemed familiar in a way, but the spy could not think of why. At one point, Finn saved her from getting killed by a Suburban, and then from a blast. He disappeared after a third blast. There was no time to wonder where he went as more fighting was to be done. Holley kept it up before suddenly everyone and everything froze, all her damaged friends and fellow spies making a huge circle around her and another car. Suddenly, she was facing him. Who she was facing was a silvery blue car, easily recognizable. His eyes were aqua green, but he suddenly blinked and they were now blotched red. The silver Faultless stared at her sadly, almost like he regretted what he had done.
"Finn McMissile! Come!" yelled a foreign voice, Mystery's voice. Finn's expression changed. He now looked at Holley with evil in his eyes and a creepy smile. It began to grow dark all around them, everybody disappearing into the blackness until it was just them on the tile flooring. Suddenly, Holley was a tiny baby car again, but Finn was still an adult. He loomed over her tiny frame and because she was so young again, she knew she couldn't drive away from him fast enough. She was so scared, but she found she couldn't move. It was as if she was glued to the spot. She watched, terrified as he came up to her and whispered something in her ear.
"I'm not sorry, my dear…" Finn's voice was like acid.
Holley wanted to cry. She wanted to scream when he opened his mouth and grabbed her with his teeth. He backed up and with a powerful swing, Finn threw baby Holley far off into the darkness. She watched him disappear through the hole in the wall that the Lemons made to get in. She felt her tears fly off her windshield, shining like tiny diamonds in her headlights before vanishing in the dark void. After what seemed like forever, she finally felt herself land on something hard. Something warm and metal. It was the hood of a car, and he was laughing softly.
"Thank you, Finn…" The vehicle looked down at the tiny car on his hood, his eyes smiling as sinisterly as his mouth in the pitch black. "Now you're all mine, little one…" The tiny Holley froze.
She recognized that voice.
...
"NO!" Holley shot awake, making everyone in the room jump. Her eyes looked all around, trying to see any vehicles in the darkness. But all she saw were agents Mater and Galba Blaze, and the director Royy in a lit hospital room. And herself in…a hospital bed?
"Holley! You're awake, thank Dodge!" exclaimed Blaze. Mater, who had been talking to the TrailBlazer, rushed over to Holley.
"Yer okay!" he said happily, though his voice sounded like he was in pain. "But what was ya dreamin' about?"
"That, that was just a dream?" Holley gasped still panicky. She was breathing very hard. "Nothing actually happened?"
"Somethin' did happen, but prob'ly not yer dream. You was layin' there, soundin' like you was havin' a good dream, then all of a sudden started whimperin' and cryin'." Mater looked at her with concerned eyes. "What was happening?"
"What was happening?" Holley repeated. What was even going on? "What happened? Why am I in C.H.R.O.M.E.'s medical wing? Where is everyone else?" The poor spy couldn't remember a thing; her mind was still so cloudy from the dream. She began to hyperventilate from fear of not remembering, which was raising her oil pressure.
"Just calm down for a second, Agent Shiftwell." Royy calmly said. "Breathe slowly, look at me, Holley look at me, just settle down and breathe. Your oil pressure doesn't need to be high." He gently stroked his tire across her fender.
Holley finally began to calm down. Her engine was still churning uncomfortably which was making it hurt, but she finally breathed herself calm. "What, what happened?" she asked quietly.
"Something none of us expected." Royy said, sighing. "We lost one of our greatest agents."
"Finn McMissile, your partner, has defected and we don't know why." Blaze quietly reported with a confused look. Holley only blinked.
"You mean to tell me I wasn't dreaming about that? Finn really is gone?" she asked shakily. Disbelief flooded her.
"Well, you was dreamin' 'bout somethin'." Mater brought up. "What was it?"
"But he can't be gone! I was only dreaming about that!" Holley desperately wanted to believe it wasn't true, but the looks of the three told her otherwise. "Wait, you're telling me Finn actually went insane? In reality?" Royy nodded.
"Do you not remember?" he asked.
Holley thought hard. Her dream memories were really messing with her actual memories. "Were we actually fighting? Did the Lemons get in through a hole in the wall?"
"Yes and yes. So, you do remember?" Blaze said, hopeful that Holley's memory was okay.
"I think so…" That's when it all came back. Casually talking with Sally, a sudden explosion, Lemons and non-Lemons, fighting, violence, bloodshed, the pain, almost getting killed, Finn rescuing her and protecting her from a blast, him disappearing, and his evil eyes being the last thing she saw before he left. Holley remembered it all. Her windshield began to water when she realized it was no dream. She blinked away the tears, not wanting everyone in the room to see her like this. "Yes, now I remember. But I had a dream that was the exact same thing. Well, one part actually."
"It's no surprise you dreamed of that." Royy said. "Plenty of agents have passed out after an intense fight and re-lived it in their dream. Was yours any different?"
"No, it was pretty much the same. Except how it started out." Holley recalled her entire dream, now realizing it was longer than she thought.
"What happened?"
"I don't know why, but I dreamt I was a very young child again, getting a bath from my father. It felt like a forgotten memory since I don't remember that at all, but it felt like it happened before. The words my father said, the scenery, and even the scent of the soap all sounded, looked, and smelled vaguely familiar. Though I can't recall a memory of anything like any of that. Well, then it got a little strange after. I was sucked down the sink drain, turned back into an adult, and deposited into the fight." Holley paused, remembering what happened next. "Everything that happened during that, also happened in my dream. And then that's when Finn snapped, and it got weird after."
"What happened next?" Mater asked like it was a very interesting story.
"Everyone but Finn and I disappeared, and I was turned back into a baby. Finn told me he wasn't sorry, then picked me up with his mouth and threw me into the darkness. And then I landed on a vehicle's hood that I couldn't see, and he said 'thank you' to Finn, and told me," she hesitated, remembering his eerily familiar voice. "told me I was his. Everyone, including my father, had their own original voices. This last guy had his own voice too." The other three just looked at Holley strangely.
"Okay, then…" Blaze said, processing the strange dream. "Did his voice sound familiar?"
"No." she lied.
"Very strange."
"Very strange indeed." Royy agreed, musing over it. The Rolls Royce drove towards the door. "I was told to keep an eye on you until you woke up. The doctors told me to inform them when you did, and since you have, I should go tell them."
"Your surgery was quite long since a lot of your engine had to be repaired." Blaze told her. Holley looked at him, puzzled.
"But I thought only some of my engine was crushed on the top." she said, vaguely remembering the minute before passing out.
"It was, but the doctors said you are made very uniquely. That was their first time operating on you, and boy could we tell."
"They seemed to have done a fine job. My engine feels functional, but sore of course. They said I was what, Blaze? I'm made uniquely?"
"Apparently so. The doctors were afraid of messing something up since your parts are one-of-a-kind. They had to take your parts out and fix them instead of just replacing them."
"My parts are unique?" Holley had never heard that before. She has seen her own engine a time or two, but thought nothing of it being different. In fact, she had every part a car was supposed to have. "But my engine looks like everyone else's as far as general appearance goes. My parts aren't that different."
"They have small diff'rences." explained Mater. "Some of yer parts were smaller or longer or shaped differen'ly than the replacement parts the doctors have here. That's why it took longer."
"Strange." Holley commented. "I have never, ever known that. Of course, I haven't had much engine work done, so I would have never known. I guess you learn something new every day."
"You really do." Royy said absent-mindedly, staring at the wall. "Heh, I mean who knew our best agent was secretly evil?" He looked over to the others with an amused expression.
"With his weird behavior for about three months, it was a bit evident." Holley stated.
"You noticed that too?" asked Blaze in agreement. "I thought I was the only one."
"Notice what?" Royy inquired.
"That Finn was acting different." Blaze told him. "He went back to his normal self for a while until today."
"Hm, I must have never noticed. Of course, I didn't see him much during the time. He mostly kept to himself at his house when he was acting strange, it sounds." Royy said.
"Is that why I could hardly find him unless we went out on a mission? He was at his house?" Holley realized with some annoyance. Royy nodded, and she watched Blaze follow Royy out the door to tell the doctors.
"While they're out tellin' the docs, can ya tell me if I was in yer dream?" Mater was curious to know.
"Well, everybody was. You were beat up pretty badly, just like how you were in the real fight." Holley said. "I lost sight of you when everyone disappeared in the darkness."
"And that's when Finn threw ya inta it?"
"Yes, though my one-year-old dream self thought Finn was going to eat me when he came at me with his mouth open."
"Good thing he didn't. And that sounds nuthin' like the Finn we know." Mater snorted, shaking his (nonexistent) hood. "Jus' snap an' leave us like that. What was wrong wit him?"
"I have no idea. I still can't believe he did, though." Holley said in a soft, small voice.
"What is it wit spies an' bein' calm all the time?" Mater suddenly demanded. "You an' every one of the agents here are all calm even though we had a surprise attack an' lost Finn! I've been tryin' to be calm like y'all, but I can't!" Mater had been excellent of hiding it, but now he wasn't holding back anymore. He was terrified of not knowing what to do and of the whole situation, and he was petrified.
Holley could tell he was truly scared; Mater was now still and shaking all over, while earlier he had been hiding his shaking by moving around a lot. "Well, we just stay calm because the last thing you want to do is panic and scare everyone else. These new cars have only been here for about three months and have never been in a situation like this. If we panic, they panic. And when everyone's panicking, then nothing gets solved and that makes the situation worse." she explained calmly, feeling terrible that she couldn't do much to comfort her love.
"And I have no idea how you can stay calm. I'm freaking out!" Mater was not really acting like himself, and Holley hoped the fight hadn't taken some toll on him. "I'm gonna go t-talk to Lightning for a bit. I haven't s-seen him since, uh, the last time I saw him. Bye Holley!" And he was out the door rather quickly.
"I hope he's okay. And I was really hoping this was a dream." Holley pleaded to herself. "But where have I heard that voice before?" she thought. She knew she had heard that last voice in her dream before, long ago. But she just couldn't place her tire on it.
"Now you're all mine, little one…" his voice echoed in her mind. It sent shivers through her body, and a strange wave of pain as well. She suddenly felt sick, like she was going throw up oil.
"I wish I had someone to talk to about that…" Holley whispered to herself. At times like these when she was absolutely terrified, she would have given anything to talk to Finn. He had always listened to her problems and helped her take care of them. It was almost as if he was her spy partner and counselor. Holley forced herself to keep calm, but it wasn't working. Without Finn, Holley felt alone and scared.
Before she met him, she wasn't really like this. She kept to herself after becoming a spy, since she was taught to never trust anyone and that relationships could be dangerous. But after they met and Finn dragged her along on that Allinol mission, Holley really opened up to him and they grew close. Even after he acted strange, they were still inseparable in a way. And now that they were separated, Holley felt like a part of her was broken. "Oh no… Have I gotten attached?" she thought worriedly. She began to tear up a little; the actual realization that Finn was gone had finally caught up to her. Holley tried to force herself to stop but couldn't. "I have gotten attached… Why did I let myself get attached to him?" Then she began to cry.
She didn't care about the whole thing with friendships. Any relationships in her line of work could be dangerous? Ha, that was funny. Were her parents dangerous? No. Was Mater untrustworthy? No, absolutely not. Were any of her friends, new and old, dangerous and untrustworthy? Not at all, as far as Holley could tell. But, was Finn dangerous? "I don't know anymore…" she thought and continued to cry softly. No matter how many times she thought about it, she still couldn't believe he was gone. Snapped and went with the Lemons, of all evil vehicles. She didn't know how long it had been going on for, anyway. How long had Finn been losing his mind? Is that why his behavior changed and he was moody sometimes? Holley was almost sure of it. She was still having a mental breakdown of thoughts when the doctor, a beautiful, fiery red, young 1998 McLaren F1 LM, came into the room. Her kind smile put Holley more at ease.
"Hello, Miss Agent Shiftwell." greeted the doctor. "I was the one who operated on you and fixed your engine, and I'm pretty sure you've been told you have a unique one."
"Am I glad to know you were the one to operate on me, Dr. Rose." Holley sighed in relief, knowing Rose personally and knowing she is the best surgeon at C.H.R.O.M.E. "And yes, I was informed." she affirmed through tight lips. "Is that normal?"
"As soon as you came in I was the first in the room, so I got you, love." Rose smiled, but then it fell. "And to answer your question… Well, to put it the way it is, no. It's not normal." she said bluntly. "But, it has been recorded before and it's extremely, extremely rare. However, don't worry. You are perfectly healthy and working properly. It's almost as if your parts were tire-crafted with you in mind of the manufacturers. Or even the Great Manufacturer Himself." Holley shrugged her tires.
"Maybe. I don't really know." she said. "My mother is a very sleek, light purple Jaguar, and my father is a really dark purple, kind of curvy, custom sedan. My parents told me that they wanted me to be like them, so I suppose I really was custom built. At the manufacturer, they requested I look like my mother, have the curves of my father, except more feminine, and a mix of both their colors. But of course, every newly manufactured baby car's first paint job is a mix of its parents' colors."
"Yes indeed. So that's your original paint job?" pondered Rose.
"Yes, it is. I've only had it touched-up some, but never changed."
"Well it's a lovely shade of purple that suits you very well. It really brings out your eyes, honey. I don't think I've ever seen such a brilliant green."
Holley smiled. "Thank you. I don't know where my eye color came from since my mother's eyes were blue while my father's were brown." she remembered. Holley hadn't seen her parents ever since she left to become a spy, which has been a few years. As a random, irrelevant thought, she wondered what they were up to now.
"Interesting. Maybe when their DNA was taken to make your biological parts, one or both of them had the gene for green eyes and it dominated the other genes."
"Perhaps." Holley watched as the doctor readied herself to check her vitals.
"So, I heard you had a strange dream while you were out." Rose brought up casually. She often heard about the strange tales that took place in the sleeping minds of her patients. Often, it was when she went to check on them after a serious medical procedure or mission. "And it was pretty much what happened out there, with some other strange things?"
"Yes. Very, very weird. Ended with some vehicle I didn't know and couldn't see." said Holley. "But I heard his voice."
"Did you recognize it?"
"No." Once again, lying.
"Strange. Well, I need to check your vitals, babe." stated Rose. "I'll try to be fast." Holley laughed a little.
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." she snickered. "Just having time to think to myself…" she thought. The only car she wanted to talk to and even trusted talking to, was Finn. He had the best reasoning and surprisingly gave the best advice for problematic situations. He wasn't old, but he has been around long enough to be very intelligent and wise. Maybe it was because of that or something else, but for some reason, Holley felt more at ease talking to him. It was like talking to a friend she had known forever, even though they had only met a year ago. Yet somehow, they had grown remarkably close in less than those twelve months, specifically right after the Allinol scam.
The two weeks after the scam was when it started, and Holley guessed it was because she wanted to be a field agent just like him. Finn did seem insanely happy and even proud when she told him she wanted to be like him. That was when he started treating her like she was one of his closest friends in the world, regardless of 'friendships or any relationships being dangerous'. Holley even recalled how Finn was the one who mentioned that when he, Mater, and she were on Stephenson. It seemed like after she and Mater started dating, Finn approved of that. He even started treating her like she was more than just his spy partner, and Mater like more than just an American spy (even though he's not a spy). He treated his all his friends like family.
Finn became a little more open when he wasn't having his strange behavior days. Holley wondered why, and if it had anything to do with herself. She only shook her hood to herself and began thinking about everything that had happened so far. She wished her partner was still there so she could have somebody wise to tell her what was going on and what her dream could have been about. But since he was gone, Holley settled with her own thoughts rather than Finn's.
...
"Can you believe everything that happened?" asked a slightly frantic Lightning to Sally. The two had just gotten their more major injuries checked and were waiting with everyone else to get fixed all the way. Luckily the waiting room was big enough to accommodate over 28 vehicles.
"Not really." Sally mumbled, slightly out-of-it. The Porsche had gotten hit on the roof pretty hard and was trying not to fall asleep - or fall over.
"Don't fall asleep, Sal. Doctor said you have a concussion." cautioned Lightning, siding next to his girlfriend to keep her up.
"I'm not tryin' to…" Sally slurred a little. "My hood is throbbing. I didn't know I could feel that way…" She opened her eyes more when someone started shouting.
"Lightnin'! Lightnin'!" Mater yelled while going to find his best friend. He found the racer talking with Sally.
"Oh, hey Mater." Lightning greeted. "Something wrong happen?"
"Are you kiddin'? We jus' got attacked by a buncha Lemons an' lost Finn, an' yer asking if somethin' wrong happened?" Mater exclaimed all at once. "How can ya keep calm? I been tryin' ta be like ever'body else, but I can't! Oh, howdy Miss Sally!" he added. "How do ya keep calm?!" The tow truck was having a hard time keeping it together.
"Easy, there Mater!" Lightning ordered, but not unkindly. "Just breathe if you can't stop freaking out. That's what the rest of us did."
"I already tried that."
"Plus, the doctors did give us all painkillers that are pretty relaxing-" Lightning didn't get to finish before Mater took off. "Mater, where are you going?"
"I ain't seen the doc yet! Maybe he'll gimme some of them pain whatchamacallits!" Mater called frantically before disappearing into the hall to find one of the doctors.
"Oh dear…" muttered Sally. "There he goes…"
...
It was about two days after the incident, and Holley was glad to be released. She healed rather quickly, which stunned the doctors. She could have been released the day before, but Rose wanted to keep her one more night to be sure she was completely okay. Holley was surprised when she told her she heals two to three times faster than normal vehicles. She never really thought about her ability to heal that quickly, but when a doctor told her she does it faster than normal vehicles, that caught her off-guard. "My engine is not like everyone else's, and I heal much faster than everybody…" she thought after. "That's the way I was built, and that's in my genetics… Maybe I'm really not like everybody else…" But she didn't think much more about it.
The purple spy tried not to make eye-contact with anyone as she made her way to C.H.R.O.M.E.'s front doors. "I've got to figure this out…" thought Holley as she drove out of the headquarters. "Where could I find something that would help me figure this out?" She inhaled a large amount of fresh air, happy to be healed and out of C.H.R.O.M.E.'s medical wing. No one was near her, and she was glad; the last thing she needed was someone asking her where she was going. Holley didn't know why, but she had an urge to go to Finn's house. "Something is telling me what I need is there…" she thought. She recalled Royy saying that Finn was always at his house when he was probably acting strange. Why not stop there?
It didn't take her long to find it. She had been there many times, and every time she went it was for something enjoyable, like a spot of tea or just to hang out. But this time it felt different. Arriving at the door to Finn's house and not seeing him answer it was just…weird. It was even stranger that Holley had to pick the lock on the door, rather than just open it and drive in like she owned it because Finn trusted her. "Heh, Finn really did trust me. That's kinda funny to think about." she said to herself. Being a spy meant one could not trust just anybody. Everyone could be a threat, which is why it is mandatory for every spy to have a background checker. It's hard for spies to trust someone fully because they're taught not to trust anybody. Even their own partner. Yet that was not the case with Finn and Holley. They trusted each other almost immediately after they became official partners, but Holley didn't understand that. Finn trusted her first, and it was because of that, that she let herself trust him.
She unlocked the door and as soon as she opened it, felt strange. Instead of warm and inviting, Finn's house felt cold and empty. The purple spy rolled in slowly, scanning the place to see if it looked any different. Aside from some dust gathered about in the corners, it looked relatively clean and organized. No one had come in and done anything since Finn defected and ran away. Holley pulled into the living room area, where she saw everything still the way it would have been as if the house had been cleaned recently. She drove into the kitchen, where she found nothing out of the ordinary again. Going through the cabinets didn't reveal anything worth looking at, either.
She exited the kitchen and went down the hall, where she turned into the bathroom. It was a large bathroom, but only big enough for one vehicle. Holley mentally apologized to Finn as she opened the drawers and found a few of his personal items. Nothing embarrassing; just a toothbrush and toothpaste, some Retread Tire Deodorant, and some air freshener that smelled just like Finn. Holley sighed, not finding anything worth looking into. She still had the air freshener scent in her intake and wondered what her partner would have done if he knew what she was up to. Still saying he was her partner didn't sound right. "I suppose Finn could be called my ex-partner now…" she thought sadly. "Just when I thought things were going super well and I finally felt like a real spy, he just had to snap." Holley growled through her teeth, feeling mad all of a sudden. She suddenly was angry at the Lemons for coming in and killing a bunch of spies in a hellish bloodbath. She was angry at them for coming back and doing it again a second time, but taking Finn with them. She was angry at everyone else for not being extremely concerned like they should be, only because some agents have turned evil in the past and nothing could really be done. She was angry at herself for caring so much and allowing herself to grow close to Finn. She was angry at Finn for losing his mind and leaving. She was angry at Finn for leaving her. Abandoning her when she needed him the most.
Holley glared at herself in the mirror. "Why, Finn? Why did you do this? Why did you just leave us?! Why did you do such a stupid thing, WHY?!" she yelled at the ceiling. Glancing down at the open drawer, she slammed it closed with such force that it broke its track and hung lopsided. The impact was enough to cause a spray can of polish to fall off a shelf above Holley, where it landed with a dull donk on her hood. It made her jump to the side in surprise, and she instantly glared at it angrily. "Why did Finn put this on a shelf so high?" she growled. She tilted her body to make it roll off towards her left side, then hit it as hard as she possibly could when it fell past her tire. It flew into the mirror and, with a sound Holley was expecting, shattered the glass. That was when her rage calmed a little, and she looked at what she had done. The mirror was broken into a few large pieces still in the frame, and millions of tiny shards glittering in the sink. She closed her eyes and breathed, wishing this was all just a vivid nightmare and that she would wake up right then. But she did not. Sighing, Holley opened her eyes and looked at the mirror, feeling as broken as what was reflected. It reminded her of when she was a child, a small purple car pretending to be a ninja.
She hid in the bathroom, away from her parents, to climb on things like a real ninja. Holley remembered she would have gotten in trouble for climbing on things she wasn't supposed to, which was why she went to the bathroom. She remembered climbing up onto a towel rack, and nearly losing her balance. The only option was to jump, but she didn't jump down. Holley jumped straight for the sink but didn't think about how much force she put into her rear axle. She practically flew into the mirror, shattering it. The little car was so scared of what her mother would say, but more terrified of what her father would do. Holley cut herself from her memory, not wanting to think about what anyone would say about this now. Especially the housekeepers, since they took care of every vacant house in C.H.R.O.M.E.'s vicinity. She backed up and left, deciding it was best to leave before she damaged anything else.
She went out into the hall and was about to turn when she saw another door. Holley stared at it, knowing exactly what room it was. Contemplating whether or not to go in, she drove to the door and stopped. "Finn's bedroom…" she thought. "Do I dare enter?" She rested her tire on the handle. Something behind that door didn't feel right, but something else was telling her to go in and have a look. Should she go in? Holley pressed her tire against it. It was locked.
But she still had her lock picker…
...
Finn was at the back of the pack, beside Mystery. He was thinking about what he just did, and how everyone was dealing with it.
"You've been quiet, McMissile." Mystery's voice pulled the snapped agent from his thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, I've just been thinking." Finn said.
"Thinking about what, exactly?"
"Just how everybody is doing back at the agency. We had been training for you guys to do another surprise attack." Finn paused, he hadn't said anything since 'I am ready' back at the headquarters. His voice sounded a bit more sinister than usual, even to himself, and his accent made it creepier. He loved it now.
"Ah, I see. And I must say that training paid off. Your new additions were pretty impressive. They killed many of my men, but that's why I have a special machine, heh heh." Mystery chuckled.
"Special machine? What's it do?" Finn asked.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough."
Finn stayed quiet the rest of the way, not wanting to ask too many questions. The ex-spy certainly wasn't afraid of Mystery. Having all those years' worth of secret agent experience would potentially make Finn more dangerous than Mystery. But judging by the technology this mysterious character has, Finn wouldn't dare challenge him anytime soon. Plus, he wasn't entirely sure how these evil vehicles did things, answered questions, or how short the leader's temper was. He had to admit to himself that he was new at this, only knowing what it felt like to want to become evil. Not actually being evil. But now that he was, it felt absolutely amazing. No longer did Finn have to keep to himself and pretend to be something he wasn't. There was nothing that was going to stop him from being who he truly was now.
After all that thinking, Finn suddenly found himself rather close to the back end of a truck. He looked past everyone to see they were stopped at a lone semi-truck trailer. He hadn't been paying attention to where they were going.
"We're here." Mystery said lowly. He pushed his way to the front and opened the door to the trailer. Everyone disappeared into the darkness in a single line with pushing and shoving. Finn was still at the back, so he was the last in. He followed the truck in front of him until he finally got to the trailer. A familiar green Pacer was waiting for everyone to go in so he could shut the doors. When he saw Finn, his glowing brown eyes widened in shock and confusion.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" Finn speculated, the surprise of recognition affecting him too.
"Considering I know you from somewhere, I don't doubt it." the Pacer said, looking closely at the Faultless. "You're that secret agent, Finn McMissile."
"And you're that AMC Pacer who tried to kill me with a flamethrower in that alley back in Tokyo." Finn specified, remembering blowing him up and making him get stuck in that advertisement. "Acer, if I do recall."
"That would be me. What are you doing here? Did Mystery really get you to snap and join us?" Acer pondered.
"He helped." Finn smirked when he saw the shocked look on Acer's face.
"Helped? You mean you've always been insane and evil?"
"Not exactly. But in a way, yes." Finn rolled into the trailer, leaving Acer to shut the door and be baffled. He turned on his headlights and saw the floor at the other end of the trailer was cut out in a giant square. A ramp led down into darkness, where he could hear the voices of the others echoing. He followed them until he came out into a large room, which was part of Mystery's lair. There were rows of workplaces lined neatly, most of which looked like places to make things, such as parts. A short metal fence lined a raised walkway at the front of the room, and there were two hallways on either side, with a giant hallway in the middle. Out around the workplaces was evidence of fights that broke out: a desk was tipped over, some papers hastily flung about, tire marks on the floor, flakes of paint from various cars, pieces of glass, and blood smeared here and there. The room was spacious, with dark walls and slightly dimmed lights completing the look. The whole building was exactly the opposite of C.H.R.O.M.E., and for a second Finn almost felt out-of-place.
"You are just like them now. Do not feel so misplaced." whispered a voice inside Finn's head.
"Oh, you again." he answered it quietly.
"Yes, it is me. Don't feel so different from these guys. They're who you were once, and they're who you are now."
"Who I was once? You don't even know what happened to me."
"Or do I? Although I would rather have you dead, I suppose this could be as bad a punishment."
"Have me dead? What are you talking about? Who are you?" Finn questioned, taken aback.
"Nobody important to you. Not anymore, at least. I can only hope you do this as well as I could have before, well, you know. I still hate you, Finn McMissile. But you probably still hate me, too."
"What do you mean you and I hate each other?" Finn waited for a response. The voice didn't speak. "Hey, come back and tell me who you are! I don't know you, but I sure hate you now!" he snapped.
"You hate me? What's your problem, pal?" demanded an angered Gremlin who was close to Finn. A few others turned and glared at the Faultless as well. Even the truck that was in front of Finn earlier was looking back with anger in his eyes.
"I wasn't talking to you." Finn snarled, glaring back.
"Then who were you talking to?"
"No one. Leave me alone." Finn snapped.
"Oh, I see." The Gremlin began to ridicule. "Gonna act tough, but then run away when someone confronts you about it." He laughed, inching closer. "Too bad I don't run away, even if you claim you weren't talking to me."
"You better back away from me…" Finn growled.
"Or what? You're a spy! You're not even supposed to be in here!" The Gremlin lurched forward, hitting Finn's already damaged fender.
"Don't touch me, you piece of sh-!"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" the Gremlin roared angrily, cutting Finn off and knowing what he was going to say next. He hit Finn again, sending him backwards a bit.
Finn cursed again under his breath. The impact sent a shockwave of pain though him, and it really hurt. The Gremlin came in for another hit, but Finn jumped out of the way. He didn't give the Lemon time to back up. The Faultless rammed as hard as he could into the junk heap's back end, then punched his fender. The Gremlin was dazed but tried to go at Finn again. The ex-spy raised his right tire and slammed it down as hard as he could on the Lemon's hood, just above the grille. The Gremlin's rear tires went up into the air and his grille went into the floor. The momentum was enough to cause him to flip over, and he found the world upside down before he could scream. Finn was directly in front of him.
"What?! How did you-"
"Don't you EVER touch me, or try me AGAIN… You will not live…" Finn's words were full of venom, and the red in his eyes shined a darker shade. Every vehicle backed away from the dangerous newcomer, staring. Finn noticed. "What the bloody HELL are you all looking at?!" he spat. They all turned or drove away, and Finn liked this new intimidation he had. He could feel his insanity taking over, really turning him evil. He didn't try to stop it.
"Goodness, Finn!" exclaimed a voice belonging to the only other vehicle that scared everyone. "Haven't had you here ten minutes and you've already shown your dominance and nearly killed Tyler." Mystery rolled up to the upside-down Gremlin. "Lesson learned, Tyler. Don't set off this vehicle because I won't stop him." he said without a care. With a shove, Mystery flipped Tyler back over and watched him glare at Finn before driving away, pride hurt.
"These guys are jokes." Finn insulted. "Pieces of rubbish that deserve better being in a junkyard."
"Well, they're Lemons. Unfortunately, we can't change that." Mystery reminded him. He pulled up beside Finn, taking him to the front. "And before anyone else makes a mistake like that, perhaps you should introduce yourself to your new family, huh?"
Finn nearly halted. "New family?" he thought. His family had only consisted of his parents who were both deceased now, a tirefull of C.H.R.O.M.E. agents, some close friends, and one other vehicle nobody knew about. Would he trade in all that for this other family? "My new family?" he repeated slowly.
"Why sure. We're all a family here because we're all alike. Vehicle type, evil, insane, snapped, hatred. We're all here for the same intentions, but maybe different reasons." Mystery explained. He and Finn pulled onto the ramp that led to the walkway, that was maybe four feet off the ground. "ATTENTION EVERYBODY!" Mystery's voice nearly shook the building with such power. Every vehicle had their eyes on their leader. "The attack we pulled on C.H.R.O.M.E. was successful and I am proud of all of you for going in and killing more agents. We might have lost a few of our own, but we did manage to steal one of their best." Mystery backed up and Finn pulled forward. Anyone who recognized him gasped. "This here is Finn McMissile, the best agent that was at the agency. You all will now answer to Finn as well as Zündapp, Grem, Acer, and me. If you shall refuse orders, you will simply be done away with. Are we clear on that?" Mystery demanded to the crowd.
"Yes, sir!" was the loud response.
"Good. Finn is officially with us now, and thanks to my weapon you all so graciously built parts for, we have other additions, too." There were a few C.H.R.O.M.E. agents at the back of the crowd and Finn recognized them, though he didn't know them personally. Just knew them as a passing-by at the agency.
"What did you do? Why are they here?" Finn asked.
"I have a machine that can tempt vehicles and make them snap." Mystery laughed darkly. "It's pretty much against their will, too. But at the same time, I suppose you can say it's willing."
"Is that what you did to me?" guessed Finn.
"Did you turn evil against your own will?"
"I, uh…" Finn had to think. He remembered what Mystery said, how deeply those words penetrated him. How true they were. And he remembered that little moment, those few seconds that completely stopped time, when Finn made a decision. When the consideration to turn evil was brought out, and he chose to snap. Mystery had said the right words. "I snapped by myself." Finn finally acknowledged. "And I feel you played some part of it."
"Well, I can't say I wanted to lose any chance of getting you to join us." Mystery truthfully said. "Tell me, Finn, has anything gone missing from C.H.R.O.M.E. lately? Anything important?" Finn looked at the inky-black shadow of a vehicle next to him.
"Only a book." he said, sighing with a knowing smile. "Do you happen to know its whereabouts?"
"You think I could have made you consider snapping without the help of Control?" Mystery held out his tire, revealing the old book. Finn smiled more sinisterly.
"I wouldn't have turned evil any other way." he grinned, his eyes glittering with insanity from the red clashing with the green. He raised up and looked down upon his new family. "Ladies and gentlecars, I am a part of this family now. And you may not quite know who I am," Finn quickly deployed both his AKs and with some very skilled aim, shot his emblem - the letter M in a circle on a badge - into the concrete floor. "But you're about to find out." The vehicles below looked at it, impressed and with admiration. They now looked at Finn with sudden respect, the same respect they looked at Mystery with. Finn looked at Mystery with his mirror, pleased to see a proud look in those red eyes.
"I take it you like your new authority." he decided.
"Oh yes I do. At C.H.R.O.M.E., I was just a spy labeled as the best. I felt I should have been more." Finn stood tall and proud, looking intimidatingly down at everyone who seemed like small pests now, rather than the threats they were earlier that day. "Now I have no label. I am no longer a spy working for good. I am not Agent Finn McMissile, British Intelligence anymore. I am the real Finn McMissile, helping lead evil cars just like me. I am the Finn I have always been since the incident that changed me." he paused, closing his eyes and taking a moment to remember what happened all those years ago. "And I am liking the change." He opened his eyes, smiling and looking sinisterly down at everybody. He could feel the insanity taking over him fully, completely turning him evil and corrupting his mind beyond what made him a sentient being.
He liked it.
So how is everyone liking evil Finn so far? I'm trying to make him mean now lol.
I don't know about you all, but the way I wrote those parts about Finn and Holley, it almost sounded like I'm trying to ship them hahahahaha. I know some people do, but eh. It'd be okay if they were closer in age. But anyone can do as they please, I guess lol.
And the part where Holley goes to Finn's house was not my idea. It was kailaangel42's idea because I could not come up with what to put next to save my life!
And speaking of which, I am gonna need some help for the next chapter. I've got the first part and some of the ending done in my head (not on the document yet), but I'm gonna need some fill-in parts so the next chapter can be over 4,000 words. I wanna write about how everyone feels about what happened, and what everyone is gonna be doing until they are instructed further. I don't know if you've counted, but that's about 28 characters! I won't write them individually; maybe in groups so it won't be too much. I'll just write how they're handling the situation based on their personalities. If you all could help with that, I would really appreciate it! If you choose to review, you can put your suggestion/idea in with it, or you can PM me if you prefer that. It doesn't matter if you do or don't want to, that is perfectly okay! I have at least one person helping me, but if you'd like to suggest ideas, let me know!
Stay tuned for chapter 10! Whenever that'll be up, lol. Probably next month or so, since I'm making pretty okay progress hahahaha.