"Mack!" Lightning shouted, running forward and surprising Sally.
Mack spotted his young charge on the side of the road and the brakes squealed as he hurriedly stopped the truck.
"Kid!" He shouted, clambering out just as Lightning came towards him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Lightning grinned. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here? I'm here to pick you up!"
Lightning was about to tell Mack to chill out and calm down but the driver was almost frantic.
"Where's the car? It's ok isn't it?"
"Yeah, sure, it's parked over there outside Ramone's…"
"We gotta load it up!" Mack glanced down the street and could just make out the stockcar.
"What, why?" Lightning grabbed Mack's arm as he turned back towards the truck. It was still running.
"Cause, kid, the paparazzi's hot on my tail!" Mack said frantically. "I told them you took a replica car out for a joy ride, you know, the type Hicks has."
Lightning caught on quickly. Of course! If word got out he'd actually taken the stock car on the road it would be all over the news like Flo's lemonade on a hot day. Sally got it as well.
"Go!" She said quickly. "We'll hold them off for as long as we can."
Mack got into the truck as Lightning ran ahead, leading the way towards where the car was parked.
The rest of the town quickly pulled their cars to the side of the road and got out as Sally called to them. She could make out several more vehicles coming their way, but she was pretty sure that they weren't customers.
"Look at all them pretty lights," Fillmore gazed dreamily in the horizon.
"Those aren't pretty lights!" Sarge shot the hippie an angry look. "Those are the paparazzi!" The veteran looked as if he were about to start assigning battle stations.
"Alright, Sarge, calm down," Sheriff tried to pacify him.
"Now remember," Sally turned to the small town. "Lightning's race car was never here. It was a replica."
"Um… did this replica have a door as well?" Mater asked, suddenly nervous. Who were all these people and why did they pose a danger to his friend?
Mack opened the hauler doors as Lightning got into the stock car. He'd filled it in earlier at Flo's.
"Kid, what did you do to it?" Mack asked, looking with shock at the new paint job and the Whitewall tires.
"I'll tell you later," Lightning said, hurriedly pulling it in and scrambling out. The two had just closed the door and fastened the latches when they heard the sound of helicopter blades above them. A searchlight flashed on them and they both raised their arms as the glare almost blinded them.
"It's the ghost light!" Mater screeched from further off.
"CNN Mack?" Lightning shouted, seeing the logo on the side of the helicopter.
"Yeah," Mack shouted back. "Everyone's been following your story, kid. Fox, MSNBC, and a bunch of others!"
Lightning saw a group of reporters and news vans pull up at the Cozy Cones. He hadn't realized just how popular he'd become during his disappearance.
"Come, on! We gotta go!" Mack turned towards the semi, still idling and waiting patiently for its owner.
"What, right now?" Lightning exclaimed. "I need to go say goodbye!"
"Well, go hurry it up!" Mack called. "I'll turn this thing around and meet you back there!"
Lightning ran back to the Cozy Cones as Mack started the semi, looking for somewhere in the small town where he could turn it around.
Sally had dealt with reporters before, but she was completely unprepared for the onslaught that was the paparazzi. As soon as the Fox news van pulled to a halt, a reporter stepped out with her cameraman. There was an onslaught of flashes as people stepped out of their cars, cameras raised. Sarge almost had a seizure and had to pulled away from the chaos by Fillmore and Sheriff.
The Fox news reporter turned to Sally.
"We're here, live at the scene where Lightning McQueen has been found. Do you know the racer in question?" She turned sharply to Sally.
"Yes… Well, we met when he rolled in," Sally managed to reply. Everyone was shouting questions at her.
"In what condition was LIghtning McQueen when he rolled in?"
"Has he been charged at all?"
Flash, snap!
"Had he been here before?"
"Look, one at a time," Sally tried to stutter. Mater tried coming to her rescue.
"Shoot, I met him when I towed him in."
The cameras turned towards him. Flash, snap!
"Why did you tow him in?" The Fox reporter demanded. "Was he hurt at all?"
"Just out of gas," Mater shrugged, not as affected as Sally was by all the attention. Several other people tried shouting questions at him but he couldn't distinguish one voice from another.
"Sally!"
Sally turned as she saw Lightning running towards her. She ducked around the reporters who were still barraging Mater with questions as he reached her.
"Look," he was out of breathe. "I need to head back. This isn't…" He ran his hand through his hair, suddenly overwhelmed. He wanted to tell her he really liked her and hoped he could see her again. This wasn't how the night was supposed to end.
"No, I get it," Sally squeezed his hand. "Get out of here, it's a freakshow."
The reporters caught sight of him and Lightning quickly let go of Sally. Any whiff of a relationship and the paparazzi would be all over her as well. She was pushed to the side as the media surrounded him.
"Mr. McQueen, have you been here before?"
"Why did you leave LA so promptly after the race?"
"Have you taken the offer with Dinoco?"
"Were you held here against you will?"
Lightning was completely stumped. He'd dealt with these guys before but somehow it felt different now. It was dark and he was disorientated. The reporters weren't surrounding him on the track, they were surrounding him in Radiator Springs. It felt so wrong! They weren't supposed to be here!
The Rusteze racer was saved from being completely trampled when an air horn managed to drown out the reporters' shouting. Mack was pushing towards them, seeing his racer being practically assaulted with camera flashes. He was having none of it. It was a huge testimony to Mack's skill that he had managed to turn around so quickly in the small town. The reporters scurried out of the way like the Red Sea under Moses' staff.
"Get in!" Mack called, pulling the air horn cord again to silence the reporters. Lightning rounded the semi and hauled himself into the passenger seat. Mack headed straight for the road, hoping to put as much distance between them and the media as possible.
Lightning glanced back, trying to see the neon lights of the Cozy Cabins. He couldn't make it out amidst the other lights and the flashes. A horrible feeling of despair settled over him. Before he knew it, Radiator Springs was out of his sight. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
The reporters left as quickly as they had come, eager to follow the truck and maybe catch a few more words with the young celebrity at a truck stop. Sally watched them in silence as they faded into the distance. The rest of the town edged closer, half of them still trying to comprehend what had happened.
"He's gone?" Mater asked after the last light had faded. Sheriff swallowed before answering as evenly as he could.
"Yes, Mater, he's gone," he said firmly. "No doubt a lot of people are worried about him. He'll have to convince them that he's alright."
"But… I didn't even get to say goodbye."
Red sniffed and unashamed wiped a tear away from his eye. Sheriff rested a heavy hand on Mater's shoulder. Sally crossed her arms, suddenly cold. Flo came to stand beside her, hugging her gently from the side. Luigi and Guido stood next to Lizzie. The old lady didn't say anything, but knew something wasn't sitting right. Something was missing.
"How did they even find him?" Ramone asked quietly, glancing around the group. "He's been around us the whole day. He didn't call nobody."
"I did."
The town turned around to see Doc standing there. His hands were stuffed in his pockets as he glanced at the now-empty road.
"You called them?" Sally couldn't keep the emotion out of her voice. It cracked under the betrayal. "How could you?"
Doc had been ready to defend his decision but felt a pang of guilt. He couldn't help it with the way Sally was looking at him.
"It was for the best, Sally," his tone of voice softened. The lawyer shook her head and hurried past him. Flo caught up with her and lead her towards the cafe, knowing that no one should be alone after an abrupt departure.
Doc watched as the rest of the town's people filed away, taking their cars back home.
"Where did he go?" Lizzie asked Red as he led her back towards her Ford Model T. The firefighter just shook his head and avoided eye contact with Doc.
Mater and Sheriff were the last to leave, Mater just staring off into the distance as his best friend was taken further and further away from him.
"I'll be at Flo's," Sheriff finally said quietly, leaving Mater to his thoughts. The officer shot Doc a cold look as he passed him. Doc was more than ready to recuperate with an ice cold stare of his own. The veteran racer stepped beside Mater and the two watched in silence for a few moments. The tow truck driver finally pulled himself together.
"Yer welcome to join us, Doc," he murmured quietly, shuffling towards Flo's.
Doc was left standing in the empty street. Slowly, the neon lights flickered off and the colourful town returned to its previous state. Red turned off the radio and the engines were shut down and the keys pulled out.
It was suddenly very quiet. Doc realized with dismay that the silence was even worse than the kid's temper tantrums. He hadn't expected that. Not in the least.
The reporters followed them for a few miles before finally giving up. Mack was going to push through all the way back to LA and they wouldn't have a chance to interview Lightning anymore. Slowly the helicopter flew ahead of Mack to its headquarters, and one by one the cars behind them dwindled away.
Mack had been driving in tense silence, but started relaxing after about an hour. It was just the open highway in front of them and a few lone cars driving past. He glanced at Lightning. The kid had been pretty tense as well but was relaxed now that the reporters were gone.
"So, kid," Mack asked. "You wanna get in the trailer?"
Lightning had never driven with him before. Apparently sitting in the cab was boring. The trailer had everything from a tv to a stereo and plenty of music to listen to. Lightning considered it but the thought of sitting in the trailer alone sounded cold and isolating. He didn't feel like it.
"Is it ok if I sit here with you instead?" He asked, casting a nervous glance in Mack's direction. The driver, although a little stunned by the racer's decision, nodded slowly.
"Um… sure… If you want."
He stopped looking for a place to pull off and focused ahead, casting small glances towards Lightning every now and again. The Rusteze trucker had always wondered what would be like to have the racer joining him in the cab. Gray and some of the other truckers always said it made the drive more enjoyable to have someone to talk to. Mack had given up on Lightning, figuring the kid would always opt for the more comfortable quarters in the trailer. Now that Lightning was actually here, Mack wasn't quite sure what to say.
The silence was kind of awkward. Lightning didn't notice as he propped his elbow against the window sill, staring listlessly outside.
"So…" Mack cleared his throat, bringing Lightning out of his brooding. "What happened to you, kid?"
Lightning sat back in the chair and glanced down, playing with the zipper on the Rusteze jacket.
He hesitated, but told his driver everything. It was pretty much what Mack expected. The kid had freaked out upon arriving back at his trailer and finding everything deserted. He'd hightailed it out of there and ran out of gas. A tow truck driver had found him and hauled him back to Radiator Springs, where he'd been dragged in front of a judge who'd dished out a good dose of community service.
It was at this point in Lightning's narrative that Mack realized something strange. The kid had changed. The trucker was fully expecting the young racer to moan about how horrible community service was and about how unfair his circumstances were. But Lightning started talking animatedly about all of the residents in the town.
Mack heard all about Mater and Lightning's cow tipping experience. He heard about Luigi and Guido and the amazing Leaning Tower of Tires. Lightning told him about Sarge and Fillmore and how no one in town needed an alarm clock because they'd always start the morning by arguing.
"And then there's Sally," Lightning sighed, leaning back and looking at the roof of the cab dreamily.
Mack smiled slightly. Seems like his racer had developed himself a little crush.
"She pretty?" He asked.
"She's amazing."
Lightning told him all about the Wheel Well and how Sally had taken him for a drive. He gave Mack an unbiased version about how he'd tried to help clean the Tower of Tires but ended up sprayed with water instead. He finished by telling Mack about how everyone had fixed their neon and how cool the town had looked.
Mack didn't interrupt but listened with a small amount of wonder. He'd never heard the kid sound so happy before. Sure, he got excited about his racing, but this was different. The kid had actually gone out and made friends. He couldn't be more pleased.
"Say," Lightning suddenly had a thought. "How did you know where I was? I never called you."
"Someone in town called me," Mack explained. "I don't know his name… But he was definitely older."
"It was probably Doc," Lightning leaned back, not really surprised. "He was the judge who sentenced me."
"Didn't sound too happy with you there," Mack commented.
"Yeah… Guess he wasn't," Lightning shrugged. "Don't really blame him though. I found out something that I shouldn't have."
There was something in Lightning's voice that made Mack glance at the rookie again. The kid was smiling, as if remembering something fantastic. The trucker expected him to tell him at any moment, but he stayed quiet. Huh, a secret. Interesting. Lightning was never very good at keeping secrets.
"Doc is… something else," Lightning opted to say instead, glancing out of the window again. Mack heard a certain degree of respect in his voice. Doc must have made quite an impression.
Within four hours, LA's city lights suddenly appeared in the distance. It stretched before them like a vast sea of yellow. Mack noticed Lightning glance up but his expression quickly fell as he realized what lay ahead.
"Hey… Are Rusty and Dusty still here?" Lightning asked. He didn't know if the Rusteze brothers had flown back home to Boston.
"Sure are," Mack nodded. "They didn't want to leave until we found you. They'll probably want to meet tomorrow night to discuss where to set up our headquarters… If you're still staying with them."
Mack's heart sank as he remembered that Lightning was probably still planning on taking the Dinoco sponsorship.
"Oh… right," Lightning had completely forgotten about the sponsorship. He fell back against the seat miserably, pondering the Dinoco offer. Dinoco's head office was in Dallas. It wasn't far… But he wouldn't be able to go back to Radiator Springs very often. Yeah, sure, there was a helicopter, but the little town really was in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, maybe Rusty and Dusty could set up a head office in Phoenix or something. That was closer.
But would Doc allow that? He'd already shown Lightning that he pretty much called the shots in the town.
Lightning was tired and all the thinking was far too hard. He glanced at the city lights instead. They were all rather boring and the same shade of yellow. Nothing like the neon lights back in Radiator Springs. Lightning glanced at the truck's radio to see the time. It had been 8 when they'd left Radiator Springs. It was 11 now.
"Where we heading?" He asked Mack as the trucker turned off the ramp.
"Back to the track," Mack replied. "We're gonna park the trailer there and take a rental to the hotel. Once we're there you're going to sleep."
He hadn't missed how tired Lightning looked. The young racer smiled slightly. It was always interesting when Mack tried to put his foot down.
"Sure thing," he agreed. Sleep sounded like an excellent idea. "Hey… Just one thing."
"What?" Mack asked, a little bit hesitant.
"Could you drop me off at the hospital?" Lightning asked. "I just want check on the King's process."
"Oh, sure," Mack shrugged, figuring the hospital was a quick stop. "You heard anything from him?"
Other than a quick text from Gray, Mack hadn't heard anything about the Dinoco racer. The sponsor hadn't released an official statement and the media hadn't cared enough to ask.
"Well, I called Tex a few days ago," Lightning admitted. "You know, when the landlines worked for like 2 minutes then broke again? He said the King should be alright… But I just, you know, wanna check."
Mack nodded and planned the route to take the kid past the hospital. It was quiet so he stopped the semi, letting it idle as Lightning clambered out.
"I'll be back out here in fifteen minutes," he told the kid and Lightning nodded.
Mack watched as the kid opened the hospital door and hurried in. He drove off, tired but relieved at the day's outcome. He was oblivious to what the next one would bring.