Chapter Ten: Solving the Mission
When we saw Holley she was scanning the bomb on Mater to analyse it. "Mater, we've got to get that bomb off you."
"Bomb?" Lightning asked, staring in shock and confusion. He finally caught sight of the explosive attached to his best friend.
"Yeah, they strapped it to me to kill you as a backup plan." Mater explained.
"Backup plan?" Lightning asked, even more confused. "Mater, who put a bomb on you?"
"I bet you anything he did!"
Everyone glanced up to see Finn finally managed to shove a now-tied up Zündapp forward.
Zündapp saw Lightning and glared. "You!" Why didn't my death ray kill you?!"
"Death ray?!" Lightning repeated, looking us for an explanation.
"Turn off the bomb, Zündapp!" Finn ordered.
"Are you all so dense?" Zündapp droned. "Its voice activated. Everything is voice activated these days."
"Deactivate! Deactivate!" Mater cried hurriedly.
The remote on the bomb buzzed. "Voice denied." A timer suddenly appeared, giving Mater only five minutes before the bomb went off.
"Oops." Zündapp said with fake sheepishness. "Did I forget to mention that it can only be disarmed by the one who activated it?"
Holley rolled up, taser armed. "Say it."
"Deactivate." Zündapp replied without hesitation but the remote said "Voice denied" and lopped a full minute off the timer. "I'm not the one who activated it." Zündapp sneered. "Would anyone else like to try?" He convulsed into spasms as Holley tazed him, sending him collapsing to the ground.
"You read my mind." Finn smirked.
"He was getting on my nerves." Holley groaned as she put the taser away.
"What do we do?" Lightning asked worriedly.
Before anyone could suggest anything, a voice said. "It's very simple. You blow up." Spinning around, the we found every roadway blocked by the Pacer, Hugo, Trunkov, and Gremlin family heads along with their henchmen. Even Ivan the tow truck along with several human guards.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here. These are the guys that want me dead, correct?" Lightning asked as we backed up.
"It's nothing personal." Trunkov said, as though it would make Lightning feel better about getting killed.
"Fellers, listen." Mater called suddenly. "I know what yer goin' through. Everybody's been laughin' at me my whole life too. But becomin' powerful and rich beyond your wildest dreams ain't gonna make you feel better."
The lemons seemed to seriously consider Mater's words for a brief moment before Gremlin smirked. "Yeah, but it's worth a shot." He unloaded his gun.
Suddenly, a powerful stream of water washed away several of the Gremlin cars, sending their boss into the bushes.
We caught sight of Red and Sally. Four of the lemons tried to surround Finn, but he launched his grappling hooks and pulled them all together in a collision. Holley reversed from two of the lemons coming towards her, activating her jet mode and smashing two more cars into her attackers. I formed ice blades and swiped at some humans. A couple lemons lunged for us but suddenly found their wheels falling off.
"Peet stop." Guido huffed triumphantly.
Flo approached the Trunkov and flashed her headlights, blinding him long enough for Sheriff to slap a parking boot on him like he did with many of the other lemons. Ivan lunged for Lightning, but Mater shot forward and knocked the blue tow truck aside. He swung around and smacked two lemon henchmen away as they approached. Mater gave a mighty yell and hooked his tow cable under the lead Pacer's jaw, throwing him aside and towards Ramone. The Impala slashed his paint can across the Pacer, leaving a trail of purple paint across the smaller car's windshield and hood. The remaining lemons stared in shock at their opponents: the spies, a police sheriff, and pretty much the entire town of Radiator Springs all ready to pound them into a pulp.
"Retreat!" Pacer shouted, encouraging the remaining lemons to speed away down the road. But they skidded to a halt when they rounded the corner and discovered a small army of British military vehicles in their path, complete with helicopters and all of them training their weapons on the evil cars.
"Thanks for the help, Corporal." Sarge told one of the vehicles beside him.
"Anything for one of Pop's mates." The British military vehicle replied.
Everyone watched anxiously as the clock continued to tick down on the bomb. The timer read 2:39 already. Mater stood in the middle of the intersection with Luigi, Guido, Lightning, and me while everyone else stayed behind risers a safe distance away. Guido had been working on that for a while, but when he tried to unscrew the bolts his drill made a strange grinding sound. He glared at the tool for a moment before shouting in Italian and throwing it down, kicking it aside as he drove off with crossed forks.
"What's he saying?" Lightning asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"None of his wrenches fit the bolts." Luigi replied sadly. If wecouldn't get that bomb off, Mater was going to die.
"I get it." Mater said. "I get it! I know what needs ta be done."
"Then do it!" Lightning urged.
"What? No, I can't do it. Look, nobody takes me seriously." Mater protested. "I know that now. This ain't Radiator Springs."
"Yes, it is." Lightning said firmly, with a warm smile on his face. "Look, you're yourself in Radiator Springs. Be yourself here. And if people aren't taking you seriously, then they need to change, not you. I know that because I was wrong before. Now, you can do this. You're the bomb."
"Thanks, buddy." Mater said with a smile.
"No, no, no, you're the actual bomb!" Lightning reminded him. "Now let's go!"
"Oh, right!" Mater swung his tow cable around, hooking under Lightning's front axle. "Hang on! Andrew let's go!"
I nodded and jumped into Mater's flatbed. Mater drove off, dragging McQueen behind him as he smashed his way through the risers.
Finn blinked in surprise. "Where's he going?"
Mater stared straight ahead with a determined glare. "Computer!"
"Yes, Agent Mater?"
"I need that thing you done before to git me away from McQueen!" Mater said.
"Request acknowledged."
Mater's rockets activated again, propelling him along much faster than before. Lightning looked ahead to see they were shooting right towards a building. "Mater?" Lightning called worriedly.
"Now I need you to do the chute!" Mater told the computer. "The second kind, not the first!"
"Deploying chute."
A bright orange parachute shot up, carrying Mater, Lightning, and I high into the air. Mater managed to steer himself through the air, flying over buildings and avoiding towers.
Mater finally touched down at the platform before the Queen of England herself and the rest of the audience before the race course. His rockets and chute disappeared just as the guards rolled forward and began barking at us to stay back.
"It's Lightning McQueen!" the Queen said excitedly. The guards continued shouting.
"No, no, no, it's okay!" Lightning assured as he rolled in front of his friend. "Tell 'em, guys. Explain."
"Okay." Mater nodded. "Somebody's been sabotagin' the racers and hurtin' the cars, and I know who. Oh, wait. Yer Majesty." He gave a gracious bow, only to reveal the bomb still strapped to him.
"Bomb!" one of the guards shouted, the rest of the black Range Rovers unloaded their pistols. Their shouts caused instant mass panic as most of the spectators near the track suddenly took off. The Radiator Springs' residents, finally catching up, stood on the race track and watched in shock and concern.
"Hold your fire!" Finn suddenly shouted as he screeched to a halt on the stage. "He can't disarm it! Mater, I don't know what you're doing, but stand down now!" Holley approached, standing behind the police cars and staring at the scene with wide eyes.
"This ain't nothin' at all like Radiator Springs." Mater told Lightning as the police surrounded them.
"Mater, just cut to the chase." Lightning urged.
"Okay." Mater nodded. "It's him." He pointed to Miles Axlerod, still on the stage.
"Good" I grinned. "Let's me have five minutes with 'im."
"What? Me?" Miles chuckled. "You've got to be crazy."
"I figured it out when I realized y'all attached this ticking time bomb with Whitworth bolts – the same bolts that hold together that old British engine from the photograph." Mater explained. "Holley! Show that picture!"
"Okay." Though confused, Holley rolled forward and pulled up the engine picture on her computer.
"And then I remembered what they say about old British engines: if there ain't no oil under 'em, there ain't no oil in 'em." Mater said.
"What is he talking about?" Miles demanded.
"It was you leaking oil at the party in Japan." Mater declared, him and me beginning to roll closer to Miles. "You just blamed it on me."
"Electric cars don't use oil, you twit." Miles snapped.
"Then yer fakin' it." Mater reasoned. "You didn't convert to no electric. If we pop that hood, we gonna see that engine from that picture right there."
"Can I pound him now?" I asked
"This lorry's crazy!" Miles shouted to the police. "He's gonna kill us all!" He stopped when one of his back tires hit open air, and he realized with a start he had backed up to the edge of the platform. "Stay away!" He growled at us.
"But Sir Miles created the race, Mater." Holley protested. "Why would he want to hurt anyone?"
"To make allinol look bad so everybody'd go back to usin' oil." Mater said. "I mean he said it himself with that dee-sguised voice."
"'Dee-sguised voice'?" Miles scoffed. What are you talking about?" You're nuts, you are!"
"This is going nowhere fast." Prince Wheeliam said to the Queen. "We really should go, Grandmother."
"One moment." The monarch replied. "I'd like to see where this is going."
The timer only had thirty seconds left.
"Mater, he created allinol." Finn protested.
"And what if he found that huge oil field just as the world was tryin' ta find somethin' else?" Mater added, glaring at Miles. "What if he came up with allinol just to make alternative fuel look bad?"
18 seconds.
"'What if?'" Miles growled, his escape route blocked by the tow truck. "You're basing this on a 'what if'?"
"Okay, that's it!" One of the guards began ordering everyone out, escorting the rest of the civilians and the royalty to safety. Only Lightning, Holley, Finn and me stayed in our spots, staring at the confrontation between Miles and Mater.
"Wait, somebody save me!" Miles shouted. "The lorry's crazy! Keep away, you idiots!"
"Mater!" Finn called warningly.
8 seconds.
"Mater!" Holley cried worriedly. Lightning stared with wide eyes.
"Someone do something!" Miles shouted in desperation.
5 seconds.
4 seconds.
"You're insane, you are!" Miles shouted at Mater.
3
Everyone else braced for the explosion.
2
"Deactivate!" Miles screamed.
Just as the timer hit 1, the remote beeped. "Bomb deactivated. Have a nice day, Sir Miles Axlerod :)."
Mater smirked proudly, seeming to enjoy Miles hyperventilating as two police cars pulled up on either side of him. Mater swung his tow hook around and caught the edge of Miles' hood, pulling it up to reveal an old engine underneath.
"The engine from the photo." Finn confirmed.
"It's a perfect match." Holley agreed.
"How did the tow truck figure it out?" Miles scoffed.
"Because he's smarter then you think." I said. "Can I pound him now?"
"It's official." Lighting smiled as he approached Mater. "You're coming to all my races from now on."
"Now yer talkin'!" Mater smiled broadly the two of them bumping tires.