Guess who's baaaaack?
Not evil Finn, so we're safe :D (Sorry to those who were wanting him in this chapter. But don't fret; he will be back!)
I am back with a brand new chapter, brought to you by Gallon of Milk and Gallon of Orange Juice from the United Gallons! (Don't ask)
Good news: This new chapter! Bad news: School started... -_- At least I have my school laptop back and can work on TWTS at school!
Bitty, Thank you for the idea you gave me! I really did put it into this chapter, just like I added a sentence about the box just for you! And I thank you and love you for your continued support through this story, and staying by my side during the incident ^_^
TRikiD, So much thanks for all your reviews! I had already answered your questions, so all I can say now is there are answers to come! Oh, and I can't wait to read the story you're currently working on that you asked me to Beta :D
Britishlover123, He is, isn't he? I guess his "little" secret he's harboring makes him act so violent! Your hype is going to know what Finn is hiding soon... Maybe it will scare her, maybe it won't hahaha.
PASTAAAAA, Oh yes, she was super happy about that! She even left a review in response to you, if you haven't seen it :). I had to think about how she would feel if a close friend suddenly turned traitor, and since it's her partner, I figured it would feel worse for her :(. And chapter 10 is here as a result of your waiting!
kailaangel42, I text you all the time, so you kinda know what to expect in this chapter XD. But not completely since one part was written just for you! You'll probably want to kill me again, tho...
Thank you all for your reviews! I am always thinking about you reviewers and non-reviewers, and that helps me get my imagination going to write descriptive chapters! I love you all!
And speaking of more detail, I tried to make the talking parts more descriptive. Instead of using just 'said', I tried to use a variety of words. I'll try to do that from this chapter on :D.
This chapter had a kind of a huge fill-in-where-I-couldn't-come-up-with-anything in it, so if it seems to get a little off-topic, then you've found that huge part! But I suppose this whole chapter could be considered a fill-in, so eh. Enjoy, my dear readers~
Ten
Holley bit her lip as she held up her lock picker with her telescoping utility arm. She looked at it, then to the door. "Do I really want to go in?" she whispered to herself. Something was telling her that inside that room, she would find something that would give her a little insight into the problem at tire. But it was Finn's bedroom, a place she had never been in before. Holley had never been one to prowl around other vehicle's houses and only stayed in the living room when she was invited over. She had been in the kitchen a few times, and of course the bathroom, but never strayed into the bedroom. In fact, she had never been this far down the hallway before since the bedroom was the last door on the left down it. The bathroom was a few yards away on the right side, and that was as far as Holley had ever gone down this hall. Now she stood at the end, facing the last door on the left and feeling guilty about going in. But she had to. It was a bedroom and it was locked with no one on the other side! Everyone knows bedrooms can only be locked from the inside, so why would Finn have his locked and no one be in there? That can only mean there was something in there he didn't want anyone to see, something that was possibly tied to his snapping. That was the best motivation Holley could give herself to start snooping. Picking the lock until she heard a tiny click, the purple spy closed her eyes and pushed it open to find…
Nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary like the rest of the house, at least. Holley gave a sigh of relief that nothing popped out at her. She was also insanely glad that Finn wasn't crazy enough to have a gun attached to the door so that when it opens, the opener gets shot. Looking around for any potential traps, she rolled in slowly. Finn's room was clean and very organized. It was rather empty, actually, save for a large bed being the first thing she saw and a dresser with a mirror on a wall. There was a large window giving an excellent view of a big field Holley recognized as C.H.R.O.M.E.'s outdoor training grounds. There were a few vehicles out there, but they were so far away she could not tell who they were. She turned away from the blinds and stared at the wall across from her. Had she not been a spy living in her own house here, Holley would not have known that wall held weapons behind it. Her house in C.H.R.O.M.E.'s vicinity was slightly different from Finn's, but they both held the same secrets like the other houses. One of those secrets is that they all have weapons hidden in their walls. A spy would know a huge, empty wall with nothing in front of it, but maybe a picture hanging on it, will open to an arsenal of deadly weapons. A code is required to get in, a code consisting of a few numbers so it is remembered easily. Every spy is told to never give their codes away, even to fellow spies. Guess who broke that rule? Finn told Holley the code to get into his weapons closet one day, and for some reason she never forgot it. Just like she never understood why he told her. "He must have trusted me more than I thought…" Holley thought to herself. Although when he told her the code and she asked why, his answer was 'just in case'...
"Why did you tell me the code? Not that I'm gonna do anything bad of course. And not that you can't trust me, but still, why? Aren't we forbidden to tell anyone?" Holley had wondered. Finn just smiled warmly at her.
"Just in case. You are my partner now, and I feel it is my job to also look out for you." he had answered. Holley only laughed softly.
"Finn, I can take care of myself. You don't have to keep an eye on me at all times. I'm a spy like you. You don't have to protect me." was her response. After she said that, she noticed something new in Finn's eyes. It was a glint of something, a flash of uncertainty as if he knew he was right and she was wrong. But there was also something else behind that, something Holley almost recognized for a second. Finn hid it before it revealed too much. But, too much of what?
"Yes, you are a field agent spy like me. But you are very inexperienced and rely solely on lessons learned in training and school, not lessons learned from actual experience." Finn had said, reminding her she wasn't exactly like him. "I must keep an eye on you sometimes. You are my young, inexperienced partner whom I taught to be a field agent. So yes, I have to protect you, my dear." Holley only smiled at him, that time knowing he was right…
Holley found herself smiling at the memory. It wasn't too long ago, but it was just after Finn stopped acting weird. She sighed, realizing she would have to finally use the code, but not because of a life or death situation. Holley tapped in the code and a small portion of the wall slid out. There were shelves that used to hold guns, missiles, magnetic grenades, and bullets, but they were all empty. Finn had taken all his weapons. Great, he was fully armed and possibly extremely dangerous. No, he was extremely dangerous now that he had lost his mind. Putting her tire on the wall to close it, Holley noticed something. At the very bottom of the shelves was a small, gun-like weapon. It looked nothing like anything C.H.R.O.M.E. had to offer, and it didn't look like one of Finn's weapons Holley knew about, and she knew them all. Yet even in all its unfamiliar glory, it looked custom-built for her. The size of it was perfect for her tire rim, and Holley was shocked to see it actually resembled her rims. It was just like her taser and both her guns, except she didn't know what this weapon was or what it did. Upon closer examination, there was a note attached to it. The purple spy cautiously slid the weapon out with her tire, then picked up the note with her utility arm. Relieved the gun didn't blow up or something, Holley lifted the note to her eyes and read it. Her emerald gaze widened when she recognized the small tirewriting as Finn's. For a male, he had the neatest and fanciest cursive Holley had ever seen, but most often he wrote in the neatest print Holley had ever seen as well. Oddly, this note was in cursive:
It doesn't surprise me that you went into my house. And quite frankly, I don't care. But what I do care about is your safety. Take this and trust me. Even if you don't trust me now.
"What?" Holley was shocked. Finn knew that she would find her way to his house and snoop around? Never mind that, he still cared about her? "Finn, you insane maniac! What are you playing at?" Holley demanded to the note. It, of course, did not respond. She let go of it and looked down at the weapon. It looked dangerous, but then again, any weapon looks dangerous when one doesn't know what it does. Holley's eyes drifted over to the note, which had landed on its other side when it fluttered to the floor. There was something else written, once again in Finn's cursive tirewriting:
When life gives you Lemons and your weapons don't work out, just pull the trigger and ignore their shouts.
Holley stared at it, half wondering what that meant, and half wondering how Finn came up with that rhyme. She gently picked it up with her utility arm, examining it closely. Engraved on the barrel read 'Use on enemies only'. "What happens if I use it on myself?" Holley mumbled, joking about that. Although she wished this was all just a bad dream, she would never do a thing like that. "Or what if I shot someone at C.H.R.O.M.E.?" Once again, joking. She put the weapon away, turning to face the small dresser in front of the mirror. On it were framed photos, some of vehicles Holley didn't recognize. She saw one of Finn standing beside an old Rolls Royce, one she didn't know. There was another of Finn with a red car, Leland Turbo, Holley knew. Although she never met him, she knew that he was Finn's partner before her. Then there was a third, an old picture of Finn when he was much, much younger, possibly in his twenties. He was looking at the camera with a spark in his eyes Holley knew as determination. "That must have been when he just graduated out of the Academy and was determined to become the best…" she thought. She noticed a couple of ladies in the background behind Finn, looking at him and appearing to be whispering to each other excitedly. "Finn must have been a ladies' man back then… I must say he is quite handsome in this young picture of him…" Wait, what? Holley backed up a bit at the thought, looking surprised at herself in the mirror. Did she really just think her much-older-than-her spy partner was handsome? Looking down at the picture again, she had to admit he was. "In that picture only, and only because he's around my age in it…" Holley wasn't attracted to Finn, but had to awkwardly admit he was quite handsome in his younger years.
All three photos were in frames, positioned neatly in a row in the center of the short dresser. Holley looked up to see her reflection again, this time noticing Finn had more pictures. These were not in frames; some were taped while others had their corners or sides wedged into the frame of the mirror. They were of no importance, but Holley couldn't help but look at them all, wondering what silent stories they told. The photos captured happy moments, times of celebrations or pranks pulled for fun. There were a couple that she recognized, being there when the photo was taken. One in particular stood out the most. It was at the very top of the mirror, the only one up there to be exact. It was also one of the biggest, and it was a picture of Finn and Holley when the latter's training was over and she was a true field agent. Every new field agent gets their picture taken for a reason Holley could not recall. But she remembered standing next to Finn and feeling happy, and how proud he was of her. That picture showed a completely different side of Finn, one that Holley wondered was fake. The happiness in his aqua eyes, the proud smile he wore, how he was slightly leaning towards her… It just didn't seem possible that this picture was taken only months ago.
She reversed from the mirror, wondering if Finn kept those pictures there as some sort of motivation to keep him sane up until he snapped. Holley stole one last glance at herself, making sure the purple paint used to touch her up matched her own, and that she looked fully repaired. Except for the special dent she wished to keep, the spy looked flawless. The small smile she wore faded a bit. "I only look flawless on the outside…" she lamented quietly to herself. Holley could not even begin to count her new losses and her flaws on the inside. It was then that she realized Finn meant more to her than she ever knew, and because of him defecting, she now felt…different. Yet she had no idea what it was. Instead of wondering, Holley absent-mindedly turned around a little fast, not realizing how close her fender was to the edge of the bed.
Bonk.
"Oh-!" Holley startled, suddenly backing away. Her quick movement made her back into the dresser, causing a drawer to get rattled out some. The dull pain from hitting the short wooden frame of the bed faded away quickly, and Holley looked over at the drawer. "Why am I such a klutz all of a sudden?" she breathed as though she were annoyed with herself. First breaking the bathroom drawer, then making a spray can fall on her, followed by breaking the mirror with the can, and now hitting the bed and dresser? "Maybe it's best I get out of here before I break anything expensive…" Holley crawled with her tires to turn herself, not trusting herself with a rolling turn. She started for the door, only stopping to close the drawer she had knocked open. But when she went to push it, the spy found it would not go. It had come more than halfway out somehow, and it just would not go back in easily. It was almost as if something was blocking it. Holley pushed it harder and heard a crinkling sound that time. "That sounded like tape…" she thought and pulled the drawer out completely. Turning it over since it was empty, she found a small key taped to the underside. "Oh Finn…" she started. "What kinds of secrets do you have that need your bedroom locked and a key to hide them?"
Picking the key off the drawer with her utility arm, Holley looked around Finn's room for anything suspicious. Nothing stood out on the walls, nothing was behind the dresser, only more personal items were in the drawers, and there were only books and a box of Gask-its in the nightstand beside Finn's bed. Holley was surprised he liked those creme-filled cookies. Peering into the box revealed nothing but a few of the cookies made for vehicles. She closed box and the nightstand and reversed carefully, now facing the bed. She stared at it for a second, before noticing she had bumped it slightly out of alignment. Holley placed her left tire under it and pulled the end of the bed towards her, and used her right tire to push the front back into place. However, it was heavier at the head of the bed. Vehicles are naturally strong and powerful, so Holley moved it without trouble. But she did notice a difference in weight towards the front of the bed. "Now what?" Holley said exaggeratedly, not wanting to stay any longer than she already had. But her curiosity was stronger than her desire to leave, and she lifted the bed to see a metal box attached to the underside. A keyhole was visible. "Excellent place to hide things, Finn." Holley said sarcastically. She dropped the key, extended her utility arm, and pulled the box off the bed and towards her. However, when she tried the key, it would not work. So, she used her lock-picker. "It really helps to have this." Holley almost snickered, but didn't know how to feel about getting into Finn's stuff. But when she heard the click that signifies unlocking, a small part of her got excited to see what was inside. Holding her breath, she slowly opened the box to find…
Finn's old journal.
...
"Your engine is now fully repaired, Mr. Gorvette. It'll be a bit sore for a few days, and the rest of your frame will be as well, actually. But until you've healed completely, no driving over forty-five miles an hour." the doctor instructed.
"Okay, I won't. Thanks for everything, doc, and try to have a good day." Jeff bid, turning to find the others. With everything that had happened, the farewell 'have a good day' now began with the words 'try to'. "No going over forty-five? I can go up to 200 miles an hour! How long will this take?!" he thought with alarm. The Corvette winced slightly as he rolled along, feeling pain spiking in his front axle. He tried speeding up a little, but the sudden surge of power through his engine was too much, and he hissed through his teeth as the shock of the pain went through him. "Oooh, that did NOT feel good…" Jeff mumbled in a whisper. He lifted his gaze from his hood, searching the waiting area of the medical wing. His grey eyes met violet ones, and without showing he was in a lot of pain, the hurting Corvette made his way over to Silver. Francesco and Miguel were with her, the three being among the first released that day. "Hey guys…and gal." Jeff greeted.
"Hola, amigo." returned Miguel.
"Ciao, amico." Francesco did the same.
"Hello, friend." Silver just had to continue it. All four snickered a little.
"Are we done saying the same thing in different languages?" Jeff asked.
"Perhaps." Miguel looked Jeff from front to spoiler. "You look a lot better from when you first went in." he noted.
"I think we all do." Silver said.
"Aside from-a the paint jobs, at least." Francesco pointed out. "Francesco thinks we all feel better than-a how we look. Though you did not look too good coming over here, Jeff."
"Well, I tried going a little faster, but it hurt too much. The doctor said I can't go over forty-five miles an hour!" Jeff complained.
"Speak for yourself. I cannot go over forty!" Miguel said hastily, though he looked rather down.
"I can't go over forty, either." Silver added in. "All the Lemons' faults." Francesco snorted a tiny bit. "What's so funny?" pondered Silver.
"Oh, nothing." the Formula One racer said smugly. "Even-a injured, Francesco can probably still beat you all in a race." The other three looked at each other, amused.
"Oh really, Mr. I-Go-Over-300-Kilometers-An-Hour, what's your limit right now?" Jeff asked in a challenging tone. Francesco's confident demeanor disappeared in an instant.
"I cannot-a go over thirty-five…" he mumbled quietly.
"Because you're fragile." Silver poked. Francesco cut his rich brown eyes at her.
"Oh, now you are-a pushing it, dear!" he scolded, trying to sound mad, but didn't hide the smile on his lips. He still had an ego the size of Russia, but at the Radiator Springs Grand Prix, Francesco became a lot nicer and friendlier. But he is still arrogant and full of himself at times, and his own number one fan. "You are lucky I cannot go over thirty-five. Even though he is-a fragile, Francesco showed what he could do in the fight!"
"Are you threatening me?" Silver accused, sidestepping away while pretending to be scared.
"Maybe. Francesco will never tell."
Just then, there was a loud squeaking of wheels behind the doors that led to C.H.R.O.M.E.'s hospital. Through the window of the waiting room, everyone could see a bed go by. A white sheet covered a large vehicle-shaped mound, and the forklift pushing the bed looked solemn. A sad, unsettling feeling blanketed the waiting room, and everyone just stared at the floor.
"Do you think we'll ever have to do this again?" Jeff whispered, his grey eyes looking dull, sad, and worried. "I don't really want to, even if those Lemons deserved it."
"I hope not." Miguel breathed out slowly. "The simulations were fun, but I do not particularly enjoy taking the lives of other vehicles, either. And losing our own? I have met some agents, but I am glad I never got super close to anyone here other than Finn, Holley, and you, Silver. Even if we did lose Finn, at least he did not die."
"I'm glad none of you new recruits got killed. I'm not the greatest when it comes to losing friends, either, Miguel." Silver sighed out, at that moment not wanting to think about her first love…
"I am not fond of-a killing, either, but I know for a fact that I do not want to just sit here while those Lemons are out there, planning something." Francesco said with a hint of anger in his accent. Jeff and Miguel looked at each other, silently coming to terms that they both agreed with the statement. But before either of them could say anything, the door opened, revealing Max coming with his left eyelids shut. His right eye looked very watery, and he seemed to have trouble seeing with it. Behind him was Rip looking worriedly at a bandage wrapped around his front, in front of his eyes and behind his front tires. A red stain was on it, seeming to grow bigger the more he stared at it.
"Max, i-it's getting bigger!" Rip panicked.
"Then quit looking at it und vorrying about it!" Max instructed in a strained voice that didn't sound like his own. He coughed hard, tiny droplets of blood coming from his mouth as he did. The sedan cursed in German, going back and forth from coughing to breathing heavily every three seconds. "Verdammt! Vhy, vhy did this have to happen to me?!"
"I-I'm sorry, Max! I didn't mean to make you mad!" Rip said frantically, not wanting his friend to hurt himself.
"It is okay, Rip." Max paused to hack once more and clear his throat. "I am just mad at those Lemons und vhat they did to us." The German racer looked at the red oil stain on Rip's bandage. "Your oil pressure is very high because you keep stressing out. That is vhat is causing it to bleed more. Just calm down."
"How can I stay calm?" the New Rearendian fretted. "I'm starting to feel like Mater now! A lot has happened! I KILLED vehicles, for Dodge's sake! We lost our leader because he turned EVIL! This whole facility is badly DAMAGED!" Poor Rip was starting to panic. Max placed a tire on the shorter racer's fender.
"Whoa, Rip, calm down! Stop panicking over all that has happened! Take it easy!" he urged, applying pressure to the fender so Rip wouldn't just dart away or hurt himself more. "I do not like vhat happened as much as you do not. But it vas all for a reason, und be glad none of us died." Rip seemed to relax at the thought. He was still stressed, as his bandage was almost completely soaked, but he calmed down considerably.
"Thanks, Max. Um, I think I need a new bandage…" Rip looked at his once white cloth tied around his front.
"I think you do, too." Max gestured to the door, and Rip turned around to go back in. When he opened the door, he nearly ran into Sheriff.
"Good heavens, what happened to you?" the old Mercury queried in shock at the crimson bandage.
"Stress. At least, that's what Max told me." Rip answered. Sheriff rolled out from the doorframe and watched the once colorful racer (who had now lost most of his paint) disappear behind the doors.
"He didn't know stress causes wounds to bleed? I guess he's never experienced that before." Sheriff remarked. Max shrugged his tires.
"Rip is the youngest of us Vorld Grand Prix Racers. He told me he has never been in a wreck before, until his engine blew up during the race in Tokyo. Mine did too." he recalled.
"I remember hearing about that. Y'all are lucky to have survived those races." Sheriff said.
"Yes, und ve are all lucky to have survived vhat happened here." Max began making his way over to Silver, Francesco, Jeff, and Miguel, with Sheriff behind him. He began his fit of coughing again, close enough to the four that they could hear a sputtering sound along with the hacking.
"Dang, Max, are you alright?" Jeff asked worriedly when the two approached. "Your coughing sounds like it's gonna blow this place down!"
"I," Max paused to let out an especially long cough that sounded like it hurt. "Oh, excuse my hacking, please… I am okay, besides my eye und my voice." He cleared his throat extra hard, causing some red oil to seep from the left corner of his mouth. Nobody saw it until it dripped on the floor, of course.
"Yeesh, what even happened to you, Max? You're bleeding from the mouth!" Silver pointed out.
"I vas hit very hard on the left side of my vindshield, vhich cracked it right over my eye. Luckily, no glass got in my pupil or iris, but some got into my eye around it." Max's voice cracked, and he coughed some more. "Oh, all this coughing huuuuurts…" he mumbled. "Anyvay, I need a new vindshield, but the doctor took off the cracked half, vhich is vhy I am keeping my left eye closed." He opened it, revealing an extremely watery and red eye. The others cringed at the sight. "As for my voice, I vas thrown front-first up at von point, und my throat area vas hit hard enough to injure it und mess up my voice."
"I hope it goes back to normal soon." Francesco stated. "Francesco is-a not used to hearing you sound this way, Max."
"Trust me, I am not either…"
Just then, another bed rolled by the window on its way to C.H.R.O.M.E's morgue. The body shape did not look like anyone the six cars recognized
"How many was it this time?" Miguel asked quietly.
"I don't know." Silver shrugged. "Usually my dad tells me, like he did last time." The five vehicles looked at her, frames half raised.
"Your father works here?" questioned Jeff. He was surprised to see Silver's expression change to a 'wow' one.
"Oh, my Ford… I can't believe I forgot my father works here! Ohhhhhh he's gonna get me for not telling him I came to C.H.R.O.M.E. three months ago!" Silver admitted frantically. Her face fell when she saw the faces of her five friends turn to laughing ones. "What?"
"How do you forget, for three entire months, that your own father works as a spy here?" Miguel tried his best to keep from laughing but failed.
"I didn't have time to tell him. We were busy training." was Silver's answer.
"Right. I am-a sure that is why." Francesco doubted with a smirk.
"Well, who is he?" Sheriff asked.
"You all have probably met him." Silver shook her hood slightly, smiling. "No one can seem to believe he's my dad, though. Let's see if any of you can believe it." The Malibu looked past Sheriff and Max, noticing a shy TrailBlazer coming around the corner. His green eyes landed on the group.
"Silver?" he called.
"Yeah, I'm over here, dad!" Silver watched the five faces turn to shock. Blaze came driving to his daughter quickly.
"Oh my goodness! Silver are you okay?" he asked frantically. He hugged her and slid his tire over her dented fender. "No offense sweetheart, but you look terrible."
"I know, it was those stupid Lemons!" Silver complained. "But at least I'm alive, right?"
"Yeah, but you should have told me you were here!" Blaze backed up a bit to get a better look at his daughter. "What have I told you before, young lady?"
"To always tell you when I come here…" Silver said sheepishly.
"Uh-huh. And how long have you been here?"
"Three months…"
"Three months?!"
"Yeah… We were training." Silver reversed between Max and Miguel to avoid any parenting wrath from her father. "I'm in for it now… Save me…" she whispered to them. They were still too surprised to say anything, though, and just looked at her.
"Training or not, you have to tell me where you are at all times." Blaze lightly scolded.
"Dad, you don't have to worry about me twenty-four seven." Silver tried arguing. "You're never like this about Tauren!"
"That's because your brother is a very large vehicle who can take down almost anybody. He works at that insane asylum, and you know how dangerous those guys are. Tauren is there all the time, but you are all over the place. So perhaps I do have to worry about you more. You're a field agent everywhere in America, while I'm a desk agent in London, England. Of course I'm gonna worry about my daughter sometimes! Besides, it's a parental thing. You wouldn't understand." Blaze brushed off any more attempts he daughter might try. "It's only natural for a father to be concerned with where his spy-daughter is at." Silver rolled her eyes.
"Okay dad, I get it, I get it." she groaned. "I'll remember next time." She chuckled and looked at Max, then Miguel. "Parents, am I right? Always wanting to know where you're at." Miguel stared at her with his mouth open in a shocked state, Max and the other three the same way.
"Hold on a minute, now." Miguel began. "Señor Blaze, is your father?" Silver nodded.
"I thought you were much younger!" Sheriff admitted to the TrailBlazer.
"I always get that." Blaze laughed. "No one believes it at first, but yes, Silver is my kid. I also have a son named Tauren who's older than Sil, if you couldn't guess."
"I would have never guessed you had two kids. You just don't look, act, or sound like you're old enough to have a son and daughter who are adults." Jeff commented.
"Well, I do indeed. Got married at a young age, had Tauren manufactured that same year, then two years later went back to the factory and got her." Blaze pointed to Silver. "And if you're wondering how old I am, just keep guessing."
"You honestly look like you're thirty, but you can't be." Sheriff reiterated. Blaze smiled at him.
"Thanks, I will gladly take that compliment because I wish I still was thirty."
Across the room, Rip came back out through the doors with a new bandage. He looked a lot more relaxed, too. "Hey, guys." he said calmly when he went over to the group. "I feel great now."
"Vhat happened to you?" asked Max.
"Doctor gave me some tranquilizer thing. I can't remember what he called it, but the needle going in my engine didn't feel good." Rip settled himself on the floor, slightly leaning on Max. "I wonder if he gave me too much. I feel tired…"
"I think it vas just enough. Und please do not fall asleep on me… I vould like to move." Max moved to the side, Rip not noticing.
In another part of the hospital, Duchess was released from the doctor. She made her way out a side door to avoid as many vehicles in the waiting room as she could. She passed by Luigi and Guido, hearing them say something about the fight not being what they thought it would be.
"Hello, Duchess." the Elantra heard Luigi say.
"Oh, hi guys." she responded, slowing her pace.
"Ciao." Guido waved.
"Are you guys feeling okay today?" Duchess asked.
"Better than we were three days ago." Luigi looked down at his hood, which had a nasty-looking gash across it. "I know I will feel better once my hood gets replaced and my engine stops-a hurting."
"Maybe you'll get a new hood soon." Duchess started backing away slowly, not wanting to be rude and just abandon them without a care. But she had to avoid somebody she hadn't seen in three days. Actually, she had just seen him, but ignored him and only gave him a worried look as she purposely ran from him. "I would love to stay and chat with you two, but I have something, um, important to do."
"Piace che cosa?" Guido asked.
"Um, stuff. Just a call to someone who I'm sure would like to know what has happened." Duchess began driving away. "I'll see you guys later!" she added cheerfully, although she didn't feel the same as how her voice sounded. She continued making her way towards a hall, stopping only once to let a group of vehicles pass. "Okay… I need a room with a phone… Now where would that be?" Duchess gazed around the large hallway, seeing many rooms, but not one with a sign for a telephone. Feeling quite exposed out in the open, she darted into a random room where she discovered a map of the facility. "Perfect!" Duchess raised up on her front axles and searched for the map's key. Quickly spotting it and finding the 'telephone' symbol, she found a room close by to where she was that had one. "Okay, it looks like it's all the way… What? I have to go all the way to the other side of this place into the other building, just for the privacy phones?!" Unfortunately, the secured-line telephones were in C.H.R.O.M.E.'s main building, not the medical wing. Also unfortunately, Duchess needed one of those, but she had to get there while avoiding someone.
As soon as the Elantra opened the door to the main area of the hospital, she heard quiet talk here and there as C.H.R.O.M.E. agents bustled around, still trying to take care of things from the incident three days before. Duchess saw vehicles she recognized, but no one she knew. It seemed like all her new friends had gotten the most injured, so they were either still in the hospital here, or camping out in the waiting room because they weren't allowed to leave yet. Either way, Duchess was glad; it meant she could avoid them better if they were all in one spot, especially one in particular. So ignoring the pain in her suspension and the weakness in her wheels, she took off as best she could in the direction of the main building. She reached her speed limit too quickly, she thought, as getting up to forty and not speeding past that was like a young vehicle's nightmare. But she managed to make it to the waiting room area without being called aside or stopped. However, Duchess just had to stop to see where this was going to go: Shu and Carla coming out of the doors, followed by Chick wearing a bloody bandage over his right eye. Carla must have been hurt real bad since she wasn't driving upright; she was leaning on Shu for support. Unsurprisingly, Chick felt he needed to make a comment about everything.
"Aw, would ya look at the love-cars?" the green racer taunted loud enough for everyone else to hear.
"What?" Carla asked, already sounding annoyed with the mustached bully. "Love-cars? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, just a couple of cars who must be together." Chick casually assumed. "I mean, he's helping you drive and all. Don't deny it."
"We are not a couple!" Shu declared. "I am only being kind to a friend in need of help." He directed Carla over towards their group of friends on the other side of the waiting area.
"Oh yeah, sure. You're just 'being kind', huh? I bet you two are together but are too embarrassed to tell anyone! Hm, but if you're not together, then that means Carla is just weak because she's a woman and needs help from a man!" Chick burst out, clearly not any different from when he first arrived at the Academy. It surprised everyone, for surely he would have had a small attitude adjustment, especially after the attack. Obviously, nothing had any effect on him.
"One, why would we announce that we are together, if we are not together?" Shu asked, irritated. "And two, why are you being so disrespectful to Carla suddenly?" Even slightly strained, his voice had clear bitterness in it towards the retired Piston Cup racer.
"But you could be, and you could be embarrassed is what I'm saying." Chick threw back at Shu, ignoring the question. "You don't have much of a sense of humor, do you?"
"And you do not know how to make funny jokes, do you?" Carla snapped. She wasn't having it today with him. "Nor do you know what kindness is, from what I have heard. And what is wrong with me needing help from a friend?"
Chick was actually taken aback by her two statements. But he continued being himself. "Maybe I do know how to make funny jokes, but you don't know how to laugh!" he snapped back, not used to hearing cars speak to him that way. Especially not ladies. "And nothing is wrong with needing help from a friend. Unless you call yourself 'independent'!" That comment sparked a small rage inside everyone in the room.
"Oh, would you be quiet? Have you no other thing to do than act this way?" Shu hardly bit back the anger in his voice. "Perhaps this is why Lightning-san told us to stay away from you, since you are a…well, I refuse to repeat the vocabulary he used to describe you. And he told us of how you cheat to win, and the horrendous act you committed to obtain the only Piston Cup you possess." It seemed Shu wasn't having it with Hicks today, either. "Forget my earlier inquire. I can tell you have no other thing to do than act this way. It is shameful, really!"
"And you are very lucky I am injured and cannot beat your-"
"Whoa, now, you three!" Blaze called out, cutting Carla off from whatever she was about to say. "No need to get hateful!" The shy TrailBlazer went quiet under Chick's harsh gaze.
"You can stay outta this!" the racer spat coldly. "What, too afraid to say anything back?" he added when Blaze said nothing.
"Can you not cut the attitude? He is right. There is no need to get hateful!" Shu cut his eyes towards Chick, earning the same look back.
"Also, that's my father you're talking to, Hicks." Silver warned with a dangerous look in her violet eyes. "I suggest you stop right now."
"Oh, and what are you going to do, huh? What's HE going to do? I know he's just a desk agent, nothing special at all! And you, well, women don't scare me!" Chick lurched forward, saying all that in a challenging tone.
"Chick, what is wrong with you?" Jeff demanded. "I know you've always been a jerk, but today you're so much worse!"
"Nothing is wrong with me, Gorvette!" Chick barked. "I'm perfectly fine! Yes, perfectly fine! What are you looking at, Bernoulli?" Francesco backed up a couple of inches.
"Why are you attacking me?" he asked, a bit surprised.
"You keep staring at me, and it's pissing me off!" Chick growled.
"Maybe it is because-a the way you are acting. Highly immature!" Francesco bit back a snarl. That only prompted Chick to nearly blow up in anger.
"Why is everybody telling me I'm acting differently?! I'm just in pain is all!" Chick nearly yelled. His oil pressure had gone through the roof as every gash on his metal body was leaking red oil.
"Ve are all in pain, but you do not see anyvon else acting the vay you are!" Max had turned around and was glaring at Chick with his right eye.
"Oh, don't pull that bulldozer crap on me, Schnell!" Chick spat. "Unless you're trying to challenge me, in which you could get-"
"ENOUGH!" Max bellowed, his voice as loud and powerful as a fog horn and a train horn. It echoed throughout the whole entire building and vibrated the chassis of every vehicle in the waiting area. Everyone around jumped, even backing away from the German in slight fear and total unbelieving that such a yell could come from Max. However, such a cry came with consequences, and Max was thrown into a horrible fit of coughing so terrible and painful-sounding, that even Chick did nothing but shrink back a bit. Silver stroked her tire along Max's side.
"Easy there, Maximum. Don't strain yourself. Look, you're coughing out blood again!" she said, looking at the slowly growing tiny puddle. "We'll handle Chick."
"I-I can n-not help it, Silver… Und leave him to me…" Max said in a near-whisper. He glared up at Chick with both eyes open. "Ve do not kn-know vhat your problem is, und I c-certainly have no idea either." The racecar began rolling towards Chick, making the green car back into the wall when he got too close. "But vhat I am certain of, i-is I svear if you hurt anyvon of these cars here, I vill be coming for you, just so you know…" Max's voice was low and extremely threatening, and he was raised up on his axles, just adding to his dominant demeanor.
Chick shrunk back, feeling over-intimidated by the much larger sedan towering over him. He gazed into Max's harsh blue stare, unable to find it in himself to say a rebuttal. He could only say one thing. "H-have you lost your vision, too?" Chick's voice was unheard by almost everyone except for Max, Shu, and Carla.
"No. My eye vill h-heal over time." Max's eyes landed on the bandage keeping Chick's right eye shut. He cleared his throat to stop stuttering. "Did you lose your vision in your right eye? Is that vhy you are so aggressive?"
"I don't know. Maybe. What would that have to do with anything?" Chick's voice sparked again with slight anger.
"Because some vehicles vill become aggressive vhen they lose something vital." Max brought himself closer to Chick, keeping the green racer at bay. "But it is no excuse to take anger out on everyvon or threaten us."
"But-" Chick started with a mad expression.
"Aht! I do not vant to hear it from you anymore, Hicks!" Max lowered himself back to his normal height and stance, but he was still bigger than Chick. "Now go back in there und get yourself cleaned up. Und maybe ask if you can have vhatever vas given to Rip to calm down."
Chick only stared as if he wanted to kill Max but was far too afraid to touch him.
"Gehen!"
Number 86 obeyed, muttering something under his breath about 'if I were bigger…'.
Back over just outside the waiting area, Duchess was just as shocked as everyone else. "Now that was worth the wait." she said in a soft voice, though it was heard by all. "You sure are scary, Max."
"Oh, hallo. I did not even know you vere here, Duchess." Max started coughing again, making his way back over to where he originally was. "I vould not consider myself 'scary', but it seems that is vhat most vehicles call me. I suppose-" he paused to cough again. "ahem, suppose you could say I am protective of my friends."
"Obviously. Though now I definitely feel safer with you around." Duchess smiled.
"Oh, Duchess? I think you might like to know that Raoul is looking for you." Carla informed. The Elantra's expression turned to 'oh dear'.
"Um, he is? Where is he?" she asked in a slightly nervous tone.
"He is in the other part of the hospital." Carla was a bit confused by Duchess's tone. "He looks pretty bad, but the doctor is making him drive around to strengthen his axles. You do not seem like you want to see him."
"It's not that I don't, I just… Need to do something important is all. See ya!" With that, Duchess took off. Not very fast, of course. They all watched her go, just in time too, as Raoul poked his front through the door.
"Is she avoiding me?" he asked quietly, startling Shu and Carla who still hadn't made their way to the other side of the room yet. Raoul had been behind that door, too afraid to come out during the argument. Max and Chick really must have been scary; not even seeing Duchess, the love of his life, could bring Raoul out.
"From what I can observe, yes." Shu said plainly. "Chase her down, find out what is wrong."
"I shall do just zat."
Across from those three…
"Wonder why she's always so secretive." Sheriff remarked, watching Duchess go. "I mean, she's a very kind vehicle and has a great personality, but she seems to keep a lot of things to herself."
"Perhaps there is a reason. I asked her about it, and all she told me was her past is rough." Miguel explained. "I stopped asking after that." Sheriff nodded.
"Makes sense."
...
Making the journey to C.H.R.O.M.E.'s main building felt like it took miles upon miles. Add the sense of feeling bad about ignoring someone and neglecting to tell them it's for a good reason, and that just makes it even longer. Going at only forty was the most frustrating thing to Duchess, especially when she was in a hurry. She also wanted to repeatedly yell 'ow' every full turn her wheels did, since that was what hurt the most. Actually, she did say 'ow' about ninety times in one minute, but the sparse number of vehicles scattered around heard her and just gave her a weird look. Instead she just smiled painfully and greeted everyone she passed. Finally, she made it to the grand hallway that led to the main building. Duchess wasted no time going through the doors and straight down the first hall she came upon, but one problem stood: She forgot where the secured-line telephones were. The whole scene Chick made back there made her recent memory slip. "Oh, that's just swell…" Duchess mumbled.
"Are you in need of assistance, ma'am?"
"Whoa, huh? Oh, hello, you startled me." Duchess breathed out in an airy laugh, turning to face a vehicle behind her.
"I'm terribly sorry, miss." the stranger apologized. He was a dark blue older car with a deepish, thick British accent that Duchess immediately loved. "I just saw you limping around, looking quite lost. May I help you?"
Duchess exhaled a sigh of relief. "Yes. Can you direct me to the secured-line phones? I kinda need to make an important call to someone important to me."
"Certainly." The older gentlecar nodded towards the end of the hall. "Right this way, miss." He led her down the long hallway and down another, shorter one. They passed through a few rooms until coming to an elevator. "Take this to the fourth floor, and the telephones are the last room on the left."
"Okay, thanks." Duchess quickly got on the elevator and found herself on a different floor in seconds.
The fourth floor was barren and not a soul was to be seen. The Elantra felt tiny and out-of-place in the hall that seemed far too tall and wide for the building. It was quiet, too. So quiet in fact, that up until now, Duchess had no idea a rattling sound emitted from her every time she drove, or that her brakes let out a high-pitched squeal every time she applied them. Turning to the left, she made her way to the end where she found the exact rooms she needed. But before she could make her way in there…
"Ahem."
Duchess froze. Glancing in her right mirror, she saw a familiar face staring back at her, closer than he appeared, unfortunately. She turned and met his gaze. "Oh, hey Raoul. Didn't see you there. Actually, didn't know you were behind me this whole time."
"Hello to you as well." Raoul looked at Duchess, expressionless. "I must ask, why were you avoiding me back zhere?" he asked, almost hurt-sounding.
"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to ignore you, but I have important business to take care of…" Duchess trailed off when Raoul came right up to her.
"Zat is okay. You can take care of whatever it is you must. I just wanted to see you and make sure you were alright." Raoul smiled and nodded, beginning to turn to leave.
"No, wait."
"Yes?"
"I do want to talk to you as well…"
"Oh? Well, whatever it is, it can wait. Zis zhing you must do sounds important."
"No, no, it's fine." Duchess drove into a conference room rather than the phone room. Raoul followed, closing the door. The two just stood in uncomfortable silence, looking nervously at each other.
"Um, well, a-about zat incident zhree days ago…" Raoul started awkwardly. "So, you actually meant everyzhing?"
"Yes." Even though she had already admitted it before, it was still hard to say for Duchess. "And, and I was really going to kiss you!" she blurted out without thinking. Duchess decided to keep going. "Because I'm actually coming to love you! I wish I could undo every time I ignored you, I want to be with you, and I don't know what to do!" she told him. Raoul stared at her, elated about how she felt, but slightly confused by her last remark.
"What do you mean you are unsure of what to do, love?" he wondered.
To hear him say that, the Elantra felt more at ease. She smiled and blushed, though Raoul did not see the second. "I'm just…as you said, unsure of what to do. Never mind all of it. It's just stuff I have never told anyone." Duchess admitted. "I just don't like talking about it." Raoul came closer to her.
"Zen we shall not talk about it." He brushed his lips against her cheek, sending a sudden shiver through the Elantra's frame. "But zhere is one zhing we can resume, before we were rudely interrupted." Raoul pulled away, but it was like a gravitational force was pulling Duchess to him; she found herself rolling towards him as he reversed.
"It's been a very stressful time for us all." she said in a quiet voice. "And with all the seriousness going on around… A-and not knowing what to do… And I uh…" Duchess found herself in Raoul's eyes; her tiny, clear reflection staring back within the black void of his pupils. "…I need to relieve some stress…" she added slowly. Her mind reminded her that she and Raoul were not dating, but her metaphorical heart told her to 'go for it'. Once again, they closed eyes and their lips just barely brushed when…
"HOW ARE YOU TWO SO DADGUM CALM?!" As fate would have it, out of nowhere a familiar rusty tow truck came bursting through the door, nearly scaring the two hatchbacks to death. "How is ANYBODY calm?!" Mater left as soon as he had appeared. Voices down the hall could be heard telling him to 'come back here!' or 'you haven't gotten your meds at all yet!' and 'three days later and we still haven't caught this guy…'.
Both Raoul and Duchess just about leaked themselves, being in absolute silence and all. They just stared at each other, saying nothing and waiting until their engines stopped pulsing so fast.
"What…is with that guy?" Duchess breathed out quickly.
"I have not zee slightest idea." Raoul uttered.
"I'm really sorry, Raoul, but I have to go! This phone call is actually really important!" Duchess nervously said. She had been thrown back into reality by Mater's sudden arrival, and really didn't want to wait any longer. Raoul's face fell at the announcement. "I am so sorry, Rally…" Duchess felt a tiny wave of embarrassment hit her, but it disappeared when Raoul smiled at the nickname.
"It is okay. Do what you must, my Duchess." He backed up to let her pass, but she didn't go by without doing absolutely nothing. It was a small one, but Duchess pressed her lips to the corner of Raoul's mouth, giving him a tiny kiss. She sped away before he could react.
The room with the secured-line telephones had five smaller, enclosed rooms with a secure phone in each. Duchess went into one of them, finding it was lined with thick, soundproof padding. "Whoa… These spies mean ultimate secretive business when it comes to making calls…" she thought. Pressing a button that made the phone pop out of the wall and unfold, Duchess began to dial her sister's number. A screen popped up that said the number was in Oklahoma, USA and that it was secure and nobody could track it. A couple rings later, and a familiar voice came over the phone.
"Hello?"
"Lady, it's Duchess."
All the way in America, a red 2012 Hyundai Accent was on the phone in her dorm at college, unaware of everything. "Duchess? I haven't heard from you in so long! Where have you been? Where are you right now?"
"Well, to answer your questions, I've been to several countries within a week, and have been staying in England these past three months." Duchess told her. "But I'm still in London right now."
"Several countries? What exactly are you doing, spy-sis?" Lady questioned.
"Heh heh, a lot." Duchess stopped. "Is anyone else with you?"
"I'm alone."
"Perfect. I have a crapload to tell you."
And so Duchess told Lady everything. She told her of how and why she arrived at C.H.R.O.M.E. in utter chaos, and how she was asked to go around the world gathering these champion racers. She told about the first surprise attack and the second that just happened. She even told of meeting a handsome French car by the name of Raoul ÇaRoule and immediately regretted it. Apparently, Lady knew exactly who that was and is a big fan of his; she also thinks he's gorgeous, too. Duchess just told her sister about everything, leaving nothing out. Lady was all-too worried when she heard everything.
"You arrived at a spy HQ being destroyed by evil cars and saved it by yourself, went around the world meeting super famous racecars and recruiting them as agents, and you were in a fight that killed a lot of spies and ended with your leader turning traitor, and you expect me NOT to worry? Are you insane like that what's-his-name?!" Lady panicked into the phone.
"His name is Finn, and no I'm not." Duchess bit her lip, hoping her younger sister wouldn't alert anyone around the dorm. She knew Lady had a loud mouth, and those college dorms weren't soundproofed. "I'm not insane, I just don't want you to make a huge commotion and get unwanted attention."
"Well, I can't help but worry about you all the time." Lady confessed in a quieter tone. "Watching you become a spy and going solo on dangerous missions has always been stressful. Add in college, and that makes stress ten times worse." There was a pause. "I'm coming to London."
"Lady, you can't. You have college." Duchess reminded. "I can take care of myself here."
"You told me Raoul saved you from a piece of exploded wall because you didn't move in time. Are you totally sure?"
"Yes. He's still here and can save me from more walls." Duchess added comically. "No one knows that I have a sister because I haven't told anyone about you yet. Not that I can remember, at least…" Duchess trailed off, scared that she couldn't remember, then became serious. "Now, I'm going to have to go since my whole body is killing me and I'm nowhere near the hospital in this place. So before I go, you have got to stay safe. This call is secured, meaning no one can track, record, or hack into it. Don't call me because you don't have that on your phone, so only I can call you. I will try to call at least once a week, depending on what happens. Remember everything I taught you, and at this point and because of Mystery, don't trust anyone."
There was a pause as Lady took everything in. "Okay, I won't call you and I will be safe. Don't trust anybody? But no one knows who I am, and neither are they after me."
"That's what they want you to think, dear sister of mine." Duchess said with a slight accent. "Trust me, as a spy, I have been taught that and I have experience in the field. You never know who could be out there looking for you."
"But no one is, is what I'm saying."
"Like I said, that's only what they want you to think. With everything happening the way it is, you never know what will happen in the future…"
Outside the room with the telephones, Raoul just about died from the tiny kiss he received. But after relishing the moment of almost-dream-come-true, he had been waiting by the window and watching Duchess's expressions as she talked on the phone. The Elantra had not noticed the small window that allowed outsiders to peek in, nor did she see the window on the door of her tiny call room. "Who could she be talking with?" Raoul wondered quietly out loud. He sat there pondering over a few things in his mind until the door opened and Duchess came out.
"Oh, I see you waited for me." she discovered with a hint of happiness in her voice.
"Of course. Was I not supposed to?" Raoul questioned. Duchess laughed.
"Yes, you were." They stood in silence again for a moment.
"So, who was zat you were talking with?" Raoul finally asked.
"Umm…" Duchess hesitated for a second. "Can I trust him to know about Lady?" she wondered. "I haven't told anyone about her, but I was on the phone with my sister." Duchess had rolled forward and spoke quietly so only Raoul would hear.
"I was unaware you had a sister." he said equally as quiet.
"Yeah, her name is Lady and she is a pain in the bumper sometimes, but I love her." Duchess and Raoul both laughed softly. "But aren't all siblings that way?"
"I suppose."
"She is a huge fan of yours, by the way."
"What? Zen she is no pain in zee bumper at all! No fans of mine are!" Raoul proclaimed proudly.
"Oh, trust me if you lived with her your whole life, you'd feel the same way. She's always been the 'princess' since she was little." Duchess smiled. "But I think I did good looking out for her during it all…" she whispered to herself.
"What did you say?"
"Uh, nothing. Old, stupid stuff." Duchess quickly lied. She winced at a slight pain spike in her front axle. "I think we should get back to the hospital area. I hurt all over."
"I do as well." Raoul turned with Duchess siding next to him. "Sheriff was right… You are secretive, my sweet…" he thought. "But someday I will find out everyzhing about you, Duchess…"
...
Finding the thing that contained Finn McMissile's personal thoughts was both gold and scary. Gold because maybe this would provide insight into the situation, and scary because Holley was terrified of finding something she wouldn't like. But she climbed onto Finn's bed with the journal and opened it anyway. There was nothing on the front pages, except some yellowing spots where the book showed its age. It had to have been over twenty years old, maybe older, but there was not a date to be seen. Holley flipped through some pages and found some writing finally. It was in Finn's neat print, but there was no date to be seen.
I got this journal just to write down important events that occur. Leland has one too, but he keeps our missions written down in that one. I most likely will not fill this book completely, but no one else is going to see this but me.
Finn M.
"And me." Holley monotoned, wondering if her ex-partner would kill her for nosing around. "Kill me in a joking way, or would he actually do away with me?" she wondered. She turned the page.
Nothing too important happened today, except new field agents graduating from the Academy. There was one that went with Leland and me on an assignment to help and observe to gain experience of being an agent. It went well and he did great.
Holley turned more pages, finding a few more little things jotted down about random, everyday things. It wasn't that interesting to read since Finn didn't write much, nor did he describe any adventurous missions. According to Finn, those were found in Leland's journal, and Dodge knows where that was. She sighed when she got to several blank pages, indicating when the owner had stopped writing. "Really, Finn? Why have this locked up if there's nothing important in here?" Holley whispered to it. She was about to roll off his bed when she noticed something peculiar about the pages towards the end. The edges looked a bit crinkled as opposed to the completely straight pages in the front. A small hint of excitement filled her as soon as she thought she had found something. Holley carefully opened the book to the strange-looking page and stared at it. It looked like it had been attacked, with a tire tread impression barely visible, like the book had a tire slammed down on it long ago. The page and the ones behind it appeared to have been stabbed with the pen used to write an angrily written message among the mess:
I CANNOT believe what happened to me!
Messy slashes made with the pen were below the message.
'Those sick scientists got ahold of me and USED ME for something HORRIBLE!'
Was scribbled quickly across, like the writer didn't have a care in the world of how it looked. And written as hastily as one could write, slashed around the rest of the page were the three words:
IT CHANGED ME!
Holley could do nothing but stare, chills running through her body. Nobody but Finn had written in this book, she could tell by the tire writing. Turning the page only revealed more strange things, including a few red oil drops and possible tear stains. Finn had written more things.
I was used…
I feel different…
I hurt all over… Why do I hurt so much?
What happened to me?
What did they do to me?!
WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!
I… have… a…
I still can't believe I have a…
What will Harold say? I could lose my job because of those scientists!
Would it be better to die?
I almost WANT to die!
But I can't…
I am…
…no longer me…
Finn McMissile is…
…dead.
That was the scariest thing Holley had ever read. Now, she was terrified of knowing the truth about Finn. She sunk down into his bed and searched the rest of the page. All around the page were more writings on top of each other, but Holley could decipher only those sixteen. The whole page looked like a vehicle from an insane asylum had a mental attack and just wrote down their feelings on a small page. A small page not big enough for everything, rather than a large wall. Holley almost wished Finn wrote on a wall like a real insane vehicle, just so she could read what else he wrote. He most definitely was angry at whatever these scientists did to him, since he bore down so hard with the pen that it ripped through some parts of the page. "Wait, they CHANGED him?" Holley thought, rereading over some of the slew of curse words and anger Finn wrote all over the page. "What on EARTH did they do to him?!" She quickly turned the page, suddenly feeling sick as if Finn's old anger and negativity was physically overwhelming her.
The next page was blank, save for everything that bled through from the previous one. She turned the page again, still finding more ink from two pages back. It was when Holley went to the third when she found something. This time, it was neater, but still held anger.
I do not know what I am going to do. I feel awful, just AWFUL and really feel the need to go back… Oh, those scientists will PAY for what they did… Especially Sylavere…
I got what I need, and now I haven't the slightest idea of what to do.
The rest was blank, so Holley turned the page. Her engine stopped for a moment when she read the second sentence:
I never knew how hard it was to keep secrets until now. I cannot believe Holley Shiftwell is my new spy partner…
"Whoa, what?" Holley perplexed in shock, flipping through the last pages. All that was written was the Allinol mission, and nothing else. Except for the very last page.
No one can know. Especially not her. Not yet, and possibly not ever…
Holley almost threw the book at the wall. Nothing, absolutely nothing made sense! Finn didn't describe what happened to him, he wrote a bunch of random things that went together, but made no sense to her, and why could he not believe she was his partner? Holley looked down at the back of the last page again. Especially not her. She knew 'her' referred to herself, so what was Finn keeping secret from her?
"GAH!" the purple spy growled in frustration. She almost uncovered what was wrong with her ex-partner, as he wrote how he felt, but he failed to write what actually happened! And now he was keeping secrets from her? "Oh, my Dodge… Finn, when I find you I am going to ! beat all this information out of you!" Holley yelled the last seven words, including one not-so-nice word before 'beat'. She looked down at the book with anger, but pushed it away and collapsed on the bed. All the heartbreak, the stress, the physical and emotional pain, the worry, the false calmness she was putting on, everything caught up to her all at once and released itself in an angry sentence. She realized she just couldn't hurt Finn, no matter what happened. Holley willed herself not to cry again but failed. Her tears of frustrating confusion welled up and slid down her hood, creating a dark circle on Finn's pillow. She gazed at it for a second, watching more of her watery confusing frustration fall into the expanding dot. It started to take a different shape, looking more like a heart than a circle. Part of Holley took that as a sign. She did love Finn enough to where she would never, ever intentionally hurt him. There was no way she was going to try and hurt her ex-partner, one of her best friends. Even if there was a great age difference between them, Holley still considered him a best friend and trusted him with her life. Although now she didn't trust him that much anymore, there was one thing on her mind.
Get Finn back, no matter what.
Looking once more at the book whose pages had fallen back to the Allinol ones, she saw Miles Axlerod's name. That was her first target to question. "Time to get my partner back." Holley said determinedly. She got off the bed and took the book with her along with the key and weapon she found. Pulling up to the dresser, she gazed at the picture of her and Finn. "I will find you, Finn. And I will get you back."
Okay... Pretty sure this chapter was about 9,980 words long, and 23 pages long! At least, that's what Google Docs told me. Not sure how FFN does word counts, but it was up over 10,000 on this site when I copy-and-pasted it, for some reason.
Whatever; you made it through another long chapter! Next one will be started whenever I can think of something good. And the other vehicles' opinions will be revealed in chapter 11 because I wrote too much in this one XD.
Anyone else think I made Chick too mean in this chapter? I felt like I did, which is why I made Jeff point it out hahaha. I feel like there might have been a few "weird" parts in this chapter, but that's just coming from the author. I hope you enjoyed it anyway :D And sorry for any grammatical mistakes!
Oh, and it was lolbit's idea with Raoul and Duchess alone in the room about to kiss, only to be interrupted by Mater XD. Thank you for that again, Bitty! And will Raoul and Duchess ever kiss for real? I don't know. Maybe hehehe.
I hope everyone who is reading this is having a wonderful day/night! See you all in the next chapter!