Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.
Chapter 7 – The Hearing
At eight-forty a.m. the following morning, Lightning, Tex, Doc, Terry and Tony made their way to the Speedway for Lightning's hearing with the Piston Cup officials.
"Just remember not to say anything, Rookie," Doc reminded Lightning as they approached the main entrance to the stadium. "Just let me and Tex do the talking."
"Yeah, I know, Doc. That's like the tenth time you've told me since breakfast. Are you still upset about losing to me yesterday?"
Doc just growled in response.
"I'll take that as a 'yes' then," Lightning smirked. "You should've seen your face when… Oh, shit! We've got company…"
Lightning paused when he saw an enormous group of media personnel parked in front of and inside the lobby. There had to be at least fifty reporters and camera cars waiting for them to arrive.
"Stay close to me, Lightning," Doc ordered in his fatherly tone.
Lightning didn't need to be asked twice. He placed himself between Doc and Tex, leaving Terry in front of them to push through the mob, and Tony bringing up the rear.
"Okay, everyone!" Terry shouted. "Move! Come on, get out of the way!"
While most of the reporters reluctantly cleared a path into the lobby, many of the camera cars pressed forwards, eagerly trying to take pictures and footage of Lightning. The reporters started shouting questions over each other.
"McQueen, why do you have bodyguards?"
"Is it because of the threats against some of the Piston Cup racers?"
"Did you really prank Jackson?"
"Are you going to pay Jackson compensation for his trailer?"
"Do you think you can win on Sunday?"
"Are you one of the racers who's been threatened?"
Lightning bit down hard on his tongue as the group struggled to push their way through the mob. Doc and Tex simply responded to the questions with "No comment".
"LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!"
Lightning froze when he heard Jackson Storm's icy voice coming from the hallway off to the left of the lobby. Silence descended on the lobby as the media finally parted, giving Lightning and Jackson a clear view of each other. Frowning, Lightning drove past Terry to face Jackson.
"You owe me a public apology!" Jackson spat.
Lightning was confused. "What for?"
"For ruining my trailer, and for blocking me in the Daytona, causing me to wreck! I would've won if you hadn't got in my way!"
"If you'd bothered to check the replay, you'll see that I didn't block you at all coming out of turn four. In fact, I was behind you by then."
"You still ruined my trailer!"
Lightning started to turn away dismissively. "I have no idea what you're talking abou-"
Before Lightning could finish, Jackson accelerated, slamming hard into Lightning's lefthand side. The force of the impact sent Lightning skidding across the tiled floor, almost colliding into some of the reporters, who instinctively reversed out of the way. Enraged, Lightning reacted quickly. He accelerated, slamming himself into Jackson's front left fender. Since Lightning was smaller and lighter than Jackson, the impact didn't do much, except to make Jackson even angrier. He threw a punch at Lightning with his tyre, missing as Lightning nimbly ducked.
Seeing the fight evolving, the camera cars pressed forwards again to try and get as much footage as they could. The media cheered and shouted, egging the two racing rivals on. Terry jumped into the fight to try and separate the two racers, earning himself a solid punch in the jaw from Jackson's tyre for his trouble.
A whistle sounded as numerous Piston Cup officials pushed their way through the crowd. One of them forced himself between Jackson and Lightning, resulting in Lightning inadvertently punching him in the side instead of Jackson.
"Hey, break it up!" one of the officials shouted above the melee. "Break it up!"
Lightning felt two of the officials pushing him away from Jackson, who was now being held back by an official and his crew chief. Lightning was huffing and puffing with rage and exertion.
"You're such a prick, Jackson!" Lightning shouted as he struggled to free himself from the bigger and stronger officials. "I'd like to know what drugs the doctors at the hospital gave you, because you're even more insane now!"
"Put a sock in it, McQueen!" the official on Lightning's right ordered, before slamming his tyre over Lightning's mouth. "And calm down!"
"Let's get him outta here," the official on Lightning's left suggested.
Lightning gave a muffled cry of protest as the officials forced him backwards down the hallway opposite the one Jackson had emerged from. Tex, Doc, Tony, and Terry followed after them. More officials quickly moved in to prevent the media from following them.
"Are you okay, Terry?" Tex asked as they drove down the hallway.
"Yeah. Bit my tongue though," Terry replied. "I'll probably end up with a swollen lip too."
"Might teach you not to try and separate fighting racers," Tony said. "That's why I didn't get involved. You almost always end up becoming their punching bag. Sometimes it's better to just sit back and let them get it outta their system."
"You might have warned me before I jumped in," Terry grumbled.
The officials pushed Lightning into the room used for drivers' meetings. By then, Lightning's adrenalin had subsided somewhat, but he was still angry.
"How dare he make false accusations against me like that!" Lightning spat, once the officials had released him. "He should be parked for the rest of the season!"
"Cool it, Hotrod," Doc ordered. "You didn't have to retaliate."
Lightning opened his mouth to start arguing, but a stern glare from Doc made him think better of it.
"Well, that'll give the media somethin' new ta talk about, if nothin' else," Tex mused. "I hope he didn't hurt you, Lightnin'?"
"Nah, he just winded me a bit."
Doc drove around Lightning, examining him carefully from all sides. "I'm afraid he did more than just wind you, Rookie. You've got a nasty dent on your side that'll require some attention."
Using his claw arm, Doc gently touched the dent. Lightning hissed in protest.
"Might pay to get it x-rayed too," Doc said. "He might have cracked some of your roll cage."
"He bloody better not have!" Lightning exclaimed. "I'm not gonna go through all that again."
"At least it might teach you not to try and fight someone who's almost twice your size," Tony scolded.
"That's a bit of exaggeration," Lightning retorted. "Jackson isn't that much bigger than me."
"Okay, that's enough!" Doc growled. He turned towards one of the officials. "Can you go to the Medical Centre and ask them for an ice pack? That should help prevent any internal bruising if nothing else."
The official nodded and he left the room. Shortly after the official had gone, Strip drove into the room.
"Well, that just added some excitement to my day! Hey, Tex. Glad you could make it."
"I'm startin' to wish I hadn't…" Tex grumbled. "I hate seein' one of my biggest investments getting' himself injured just before a race."
Lightning rolled his eyes. Whether he liked it or not, despite their friendship, Tex was a businessman, and the Dinoco / Rust-eze Racing Team was a commodity first and foremost. Friendships didn't matter in the business world. There was nothing Lightning could do if Tex suddenly decided to fire him.
Strip whistled when he saw the dent in Lightning's side. "Storm really banged you up, I see! Well, the officials are ready for you now. We'll get you guys settled before we bring the IGNTR guys in."
"We're just waiting on some ice for Lightning," Doc explained.
Just as Doc had finished speaking, the official returned with a magnetic ice pack. He passed it over to Doc, who snapped it in a few places to activate the chemicals. Doc them placed the icepack against Lightning's injury.
"Argh!" Lightning yelped. He jumped and tried to move away from the ice. "That's freezing, Doc!"
"It's supposed to be," Doc growled. "Now, keep still before I slam it over your mouth!"
Lightning managed to stay still long enough for Doc to securely attach the icepack. Strip then escorted the group upstairs to the Steward's Inquiry Room. It was set up like a board room, with a 180-degree view of the racetrack. Numerous screens lined the walls, for displaying evidence in such a way that everyone would be able to see it, no matter where they were positioned in the room.
Richard Handle, the Chief Racing Standards Official, was parked at the far end of the long table. He was looking through the papers in front of him when Lightning followed Strip into the room. Without looking up, Richard used his claw arm to point to the place next to him on his right.
"I want you right here, Mr McQueen," he ordered. "I want you as far away from Mr Storm as possible."
Lightning knew better than to argue with the officials, so he parked when he'd been ordered to go. Doc parked next to Lightning, while Tex drove around to Richard's lefthand side. Terry and Tony parked themselves behind Lightning, but against the wall so that they'd be out of the way.
A few minutes later, the rest of the officials entered the room, parking around both sides of the table. The official who Lightning had accidentally punched during the scuffle frowned sternly at Lightning, making him gulp. Finally, Strip returned with Jackson, Ray and the IGNTR team owner. Strip instructed them to park at the far end of the table before parking at the table himself.
Once everyone was assembled, Richard finally looked up. "Thank you all for coming here this morning. First of all, Mr Storm, and Mr McQueen, I'm very disappointed in what happened in the lobby just now. You two know better than that. It was disgusting behaviour, and, having watched some of the footage taken by the media, I've determined that you'll both be punished."
Lightning started to object, but a sharp kick in the fender under the table from Doc silenced him.
"Mr Storm," Richard continued. "Since you were the instigator of that fight, I'm fining you five thousand dollars and you'll be deducted ten racing points after you earn some following your return to the track."
"That's not fair!" Jackson exclaimed. "Lightning charged straight at me! Didn't you see that?"
"What I saw is you charge at Mr McQueen for no reason, injuring him, and then him retaliating in self-defence," Richard replied firmly. "You're lucky I'm not making you pay for his medical expenses as well for what appears to be a somewhat painful injury." He glanced at Lightning's injured side.
"It doesn't hurt…" Lightning mumbled.
"Be that as it may, I know that panel repairs aren't cheap." Richard looked back at Jackson. "Mr Storm? Do you agree with and accept this punishment?"
Jackson hesitated until Ray nudged him.
"Yes, sir," Jackson answered. He at least had the decency to sound remorseful.
Richard turned to look at Lightning again. "Mr McQueen. For retaliating against Mr Storm's attack, I'm going to issue you with a formal warning. If you get involved in anymore fights this season, you'll be brought back before this committee, and I can assure you that we'll double your punishment, whatever it may be. Do you agree with and accept this punishment?"
"Yes, I do, sir," Lightning replied.
"Good. Now that that's out of the way, it's time to get down to the real reason why we're here. On Monday, the seventeenth of February twenty-twenty, Mr Ray Reverham, Crew Chief for Team IGNTR, filed a complaint against Dinoco / Rust-eze racer number ninety-five, Mr Montgomery 'Lightning' McQueen. The complaint was for breaching rule sixteen, section one-point-five, which states that teams must not tamper with or cause wilful damage to another team's property and/or equipment. Mr Reverham filed the complaint on behalf of his team's racer, number two-point-oh, Mr Jackson Storm, who has accused Mr McQueen of causing damage to his trailer by means of encasing it in cling wrap and duct tape. The incident took place at Daytona International Speedway. The damages Team IGNTR are seeking amounts to three thousand dollars; two thousand to cover the costs of repairs to the trailer, plus an extra one thousand dollars in compensation. Mr Reverham, do you have any evidence to back up your accusation?"
"Yes, Mr Handle, we do," Ray confirmed. "After the incident, I managed to obtain CCTV footage of the moment Mr McQueen carried out the damage."
Richard nodded towards Strip. "Play the tape, Mr Weathers."
Lightning held his breath as the CCTV footage came up on all the screens. The footage was taken in night mode, so it was grainy and in black and white. The footage showed Jackson's trailer in the top left-hand corner of the screen, off in the distance. Four whitish-coloured blobs moved across the screen towards the trailer. Strip paused the video.
"See!" Ray said, pointing to one of the blobs. "That's McQueen, right there!"
The officials squinted at the screen, before glancing at Lightning. They were trying to make out any distinguishing features that could positively identify the obscure blob as Lightning.
"It could be anyone, really," one of the officials finally said. "Are you sure it's even a racer? Looks more like an SUV to me."
Strip zoomed in on the blob, but that just made the image worse.
"There!" Ray pressed. "See? You can see McQueen's spoiler."
"All racers have spoilers, Mr Reverham," another official pointed out. "That's not a feature unique to Mr McQueen."
"Do we have a colour version of the footage?" Richard asked.
Strip shook his front. "I'm afraid not, sir. And that was the only camera within range of Mr Storm's trailer."
"What makes you think that that specific car is Mr McQueen?" a third official challenged. "What about the others? Who do you think they are?"
Ray shrugged. "His friends, I guess."
"So, why haven't you filed claims against them as well?" the official asked sternly. "Why did you only file a claim against Mr McQueen when it's clearly obvious that at least four cars were involved?"
That put Ray on the spot. "Erm…"
"Do you have any other evidence to present?" Richard asked Ray. "Any witnesses? Did Mr Storm actually see Mr McQueen committing the offence?"
"Erm… No, sir. He was… um…busy at the time…"
"F**k it!" Jackson snapped. "I was pleasuring myself at the time, okay? I had the blinds down."
Surprised by Jackson's blunt admission, some of the officials coughed, while others tried hard not to snigger. Lightning smirked.
"Given how tiny your dick is, I'm surprised you even bother."
If looks could kill, Jackson would've fried Lightning on the spot. Doc gave Lightning another sharp nudge.
"One more word outta you, and you'll be getting an oil change followed by a radiator flush!" Doc hissed quietly enough so that only Lightning and Richard could hear him.
Richard glared at Ray and Jackson. "Do I take that as a 'no' to my question?"
"We have no further evidence to present, sir," Ray muttered in defeat.
"I see," Richard said. "In that case, in the absence of any solid evidence, I'm throwing out the case. Does anyone have any objections to my decision?"
All of the officials shook their fronts, silently agreeing with Richard's decision.
"In that case, my decision stands," Richard declared.
"What?" Jackson wailed. "You mean, Lightning gets off scot-free?"
"You haven't provided any conclusive evidence to prove that he damaged your trailer, so as far as this committee is concerned, that's the end of the matter," Richard told him firmly. "You're welcome to file a civil lawsuit against Mr McQueen in the Florida State Court, since that's where the incident took place, but I warn you, it'll be an expensive venture and hardly worth the effort, especially for just three thousand dollars. Strip? Get them out of here, and then come back for Mr Dinoco and his team."
Strip nodded, and he escorted Jackson, Ray, and their team owner out of the room. The rest of the officials followed soon after, leaving Lightning, Doc, Tex, Terry, and Tony alone with Richard.
"Just between us, Lightning, did you honestly play that prank on Jackson?" Richard asked once he was sure they were alone.
"Um…" Lightning hesitated, unsure of what to say.
Richard winked knowingly at him. "It's okay. I had a feeling it was one of your pranks when I saw the media footage of it. It gave me a good laugh, so I would've let you off anyway, even if Mr Reverham had been able to provide solid evidence."
Lightning was too stunned for a moment to say anything. Before he could, Strip returned.
"Again, thank you for coming," Richard said as the group started to leave the room. "I'm sorry it was a complete waste of time for us."
"Don't mention it," Tex replied.
Once they were in the hallway, Lightning finally let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.
"Whew! I really thought that video would be my undoing."
"You got lucky," Strip told him sternly. "And I know you've never heeded my advice before, Lightning, but please do so this time. Stay away from Jackson."
"Okay, I'll try," Lightning promised.
"Come on, Rookie," Doc said kindly. "Let's go and get that dent attended to."
"I'm gonna head on back to the hotel," Tex told them. "I've got an online meetin' scheduled for ten-thirty. I'll see you all back there for lunch. Oh, and um…you might want to hang around the hotel this afternoon. I may have an announcement to make regardin' the future of the team."
"In what way?" Lightning asked worriedly.
"I'll let you know once I have everythin' confirmed," Tex replied. "Now, go and get that dent sorted out. I'll see ya all later."