Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.
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Chapter 3 – Raising the Stakes
Richmond Raceway, Virginia – 16 April 2018
By dusk, the Dinoco / Rest-Eze team had made camp in the Richmond Raceway's infield. The trailers had been neatly parked in their designated places, and the tent had been erected nearby. The entire team was now settled and having dinner. Everyone that is, except for Lightning. While they ate their dinner, Tex and Strip watched from the tent as Lightning paced up and down behind the line of trailers.
"Has he told you why he's so restless all of a sudden?" Tex finally asked Strip.
"No." Strip frowned thoughtfully. "Then again, Lightning doesn't tend to confide in me."
"I'm not sure if he confides in anyone, really," Tex agreed. "It's funny, 'cause he says a lot, an' yet somehow he manages to keep his private thoughts an' feelin's very much to himself."
"I think I'll let you handle him this time," Strip said before he moved back inside the tent.
Tex watched Lightning for another moment before he drove over to him. Lightning stopped pacing abruptly when he saw Tex approaching.
"You haven't eaten," Tex stated.
"I'm not hungry," Lightning replied.
Tex frowned with concern. "Are you sure you're not coming down with something? You overslept this morning, and now you're not hungry."
"I've just got a lot on my mind right now," Lightning confessed.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"They're worth more than that, sorry."
Tex gave an exaggerated sigh. "Look, Lightnin'. I know I'm not your step-dad like Doc was, but I do care about you and your well-being. I can tell that somethin' is seriously botherin' you right now, so please, talk to me. Even if I can't help or offer advice, sometimes it really helps to just tell someone how you're feelin'."
Lightning shook his front and he reversed into the shadow of Cruz's trailer. "I can't, Tex. I made a promise not to say anything. I'm sorry."
Tex nodded in understanding. "Okay. I understand. I just need you to be at your best so that you can help Cruz."
"I know, Tex. I won't let you guys down. I'm just waiting to talk to my parents, that's all."
Tex didn't look convinced, but he knew just how far he could push Lightning before he snapped. "Okay then. Just make sure you get somethin' to eat before you go to bed." And with that, Tex drove back to the tent.
Lightning drove over to his trailer. He was about to lower the ramp, when he saw a dark shadow approaching. As soon as he saw the car's neon blue lights, Lightning knew exactly who it was.
"Go back to your own team, Storm," Lightning told him sternly. "You know you're not allowed in other team's camps without permission."
"Oh, I just thought I'd come and see if the rumours are true," Jackson Storm said casually.
Lightning frowned. "What rumours?"
"That you were out racing after curfew last night."
Lightning managed to keep his face straight. He shrugged innocently. "I heard someone out on the track last night. I thought it was just a couple of fans who got missed by security."
Jackson smirked. "Yeah, I thought you'd deny it. You see, I just happened to be awake last night when you and your friends had your little race. It was a pretty pathetic affair if you ask me."
"Well, I didn't ask you!" Lightning snapped. "And even if what you're saying is true, the matter has already been dealt with."
Jackson scoffed. "Perhaps. But you see, I managed to record most of the race on my phone. Now, I have a little proposition to put to you. Either you let me win on Sunday, or I'll release the video to the media. It's your choice."
Lightning laughed despite himself. "Oh, you are so young and naïve! If you think you can frighten me with a threat like that, you're still dripping behind your fenders (*AN: wet behind the ears). Now it's my turn to threaten you. If I ever catch you race-fixing again, I will make sure that your name is dragged through the mud until it's six feet under. Do your worst! See if I care! Now, get back to your own team before I call security!"
Jackson wisely left the area. Lightning seethed crossly for a moment before he reversed inside his trailer and closed the ramp. He knew that he was morally obligated to report Jackson's race-fixing threat to the officials, but he wasn't sure if he should. He had no proof that the incident occurred. It would just be his word against Jackson's.
After Lightning had taken a few minutes to calm down, he pressed a button to activate his sat-phone. "Call 'mum'," he said into the phone.
"Phoning 'mum'," an electronic voice from the phone repeated. The phone rang several times before Lightning's mother, Elinor Louds, answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi mum."
Elinor immediately brightened. "Lightning! It's about time you phoned me. I've missed hearing your voice."
"I miss all of you. You are my mum after all."
"Aww! You don't need to butter me up. Sorry I sound tired. Craig and I have your step-siblings around for the school holidays. They stayed up late last night watching a movie."
Lightning smiled. "How does it feel to be a mother again?"
"I've never stopped being a mother," Elinor wisely replied. "Would you like to talk to Craig? He was talking about phoning you last night."
"Sure! I have a lot of things that I need to ask him about too."
"Lightning, you know that you can always come to me for advice."
"This is about racing."
"I'll get Craig," Elinor replied, making Lightning chuckle. "Craig! Phone!"
A moment later, Lightning heard his step-dad drive over to the phone. "Hey, Lightning! How are you?"
"Er… Do you want the stock-standard response, or the truth?"
"I hope you'll always tell me the truth. What's up?"
Lightning sighed despondently. "Before we get to me, mum said that you were going to phone me yesterday. What did you want to talk about?"
"In a nutshell, I wanted to discuss with you my intention to retire from racing."
Lightning gasped, just loud enough for Craig to hear.
"What? I can't keep on racing forever. Let's face it, I'm forty-three. There aren't many racers who continue racing past forty, you know."
"Yeah, I know…"
Craig picked up on the sadness in Lightning's voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in. I know you weren't ready to be pushed out of the Piston Cup."
When Lightning didn't respond, Craig decided to continue.
"Anyway, I've been discussing the plans for my retirement with Leyland. We've decided to announce it to the media in July, so that will give everyone time to give me a fitting farewell. I'm not going to retire from racing completely though. I think I'd go mad if I just stopped racing suddenly. I'm planning to return to the European Touring Car circuit where I first started my professional racing career. I'm also going to do the Bathurst twelve-hour early next year with Jamie and Shane, and I've already agreed to be Jamie's co-racer in the Enduro Cup next year. So, I won't be cutting myself off from racing entirely. I just won't be racing full-time in the V8 Supercars anymore."
"I see," Lightning whispered in reply. He cleared his throat. "I know I can trust you to keep a secret. I found out this morning that there's a possibility that I could return to racing next year."
"Are you planning to return to the V8 Supercars?" Craig asked hopefully.
"No. I enjoyed it, but I'm more at home here."
"I understand. So, what are you planning to do?"
"I can't tell you any details yet, because there aren't any, but if it goes ahead, I'll return to racing in a Piston Cup support series."
"That's a shame. You're too good to be dumped in a lower ranking."
"I'm not looking at it like that. I hope that if this series goes ahead, it'll be just as good as the mainstream Piston Cup series. I guess the closest I can compare it with is the Development Series, but instead of being for rookies, this series will be for the Piston Cup veterans who were pushed out too soon. My only concern is that it'll mean spending even more time away from Sally and Blaze. I've already missed seeing Blaze cut his first tooth and take his first drive. He's growing up so quickly, and I feel guilty because I'm missing out on everything."
"Unfortunately, racing, or being part of a racing team, is your job," Craig reminded him. "You're being paid to do this. Besides, you're not the only one who's missing out on seeing their kids grow up."
"You're speaking from experience now, aren't you?"
"Yeah." Craig was silent for a moment while he thought about what Lightning had just said. Then, he sighed heavily. "Look, Lightning, if Sally and Blaze didn't come into it, what would you do?"
"I'd return to racing in a flash," Lightning replied with a small smile.
"Then that's your answer. Stop being so hard on yourself and feeling guilty. Just talk to Sally. I know she'll understand. She just wants you to be happy, even if that means spending weeks, or even months apart. She's a strong, intelligent and highly independent young lady. I know that she can cope without having you by her side twenty-four seven."
"Yeah…" Lightning mused.
"On a different note, I know that Leyland wants to avoid racing three cars next year. He's just going to stick with Jamie and Shane. However, we do need a fourth racer for the Bathurst twelve-hour. Would you like me to put your name forward to Leyland?"
"When is it?"
"January next year. You, Sally and Blaze are welcome to spend Christmas with us, if you like."
"Sure! I'll have to discuss it with Tex and Sally, of course, but you can tell Leyland that I'm definitely keen."
"Great! I hope you can make it. The whole team really misses you."
"I miss them too. Please, tell everyone that I said 'hi'."
"Will do. I'll let you know when I'll announce my retirement, so you can watch it live."
"Thanks. I appreciate that."
"Do you want to talk to your mum again?"
"Nah. I don't think we have anything else we need to discuss, thanks. Talk to you again soon."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye." After Lightning had hung up his phone, he took out his pillow and he settled down on it to sleep. Once he was somewhat comfortable, he turned off the lights.
…
About an hour later, Tex and Dr Ford left the Dinoco tent, and they headed towards the trailer they shared. Tex frowned when he saw that the lights inside Lightning's trailer were off.
"Lightnin' didn't have any dinner," Tex commented. "Should I wake him an' make him go an' have somethin'?"
"No. Skipping one meal won't hurt him if he really isn't hungry," Dr Ford replied. "He obviously needs more sleep than food. Stress is a common cause of appetite loss. I can keep an eye on him though, if you're really worried about him."
"I'd appreciate that, thanks. I know that he's been a bit stressed today."
"In that case, I think he'll be perfectly fine for now. I'm sure he'll be back to normal by morning."
Tex nodded slightly. Then, the two of them resumed driving over to their trailer.
…
At six a.m. the following morning, Lightning's alarm clock went off. Groaning sleepily, he shut it off with his tyre. Although he wanted to keep on sleeping, he knew that he needed to get up so that he could train Cruz.
Lightning exited his trailer to find Cruz already up. He yawned as she drove over to him.
"Good morning, crew chief!" Cruz said cheerfully.
"Morning, Cruz," Lightning muttered, still half-asleep. "I think I need a coffee. I didn't sleep very well last night."
"Again?"
Lightning smiled reassuringly at her. "That's a lot going on in my life right now, that's all. It is possible to be mentally exhausted, you know. Now, I want you to go and do a few laps to warm up, while I grab a cup of coffee. I'll tell you what I want you to do after that."
"Okay," Cruz agreed. She turned and drove towards pit row. Lightning headed over to the Dinoco tent. Luckily, the chef was already up preparing breakfast, so Lightning was easily able to grab a cup of strong coffee. He then collected his training notes from his trailer before he drove towards pit row.
A few minutes later, Lightning drove onto his crew chief's stand and he put on his headset. Cruz was already out on the track, warming up, along with most of the other Piston Cup racers. Lightning frowned thoughtfully and sipped on his coffee while he kept an eye on Cruz.
I really, really want to race again more than anything. But I also want to be with my family. Craig is right though. This is the career path I chose. I knew that it would mean constant travelling and being away from my family. Of course, that didn't matter so much before I married Sally. If I do get back into racing, Cruz will need a new crew chief, and so will I. I know I'm not the best crew chief for Cruz. This just feels so unnatural for me. I wish Doc was still alive so he could give me advice on what to do. No. I need to stop wishing for things that can't happen. Craig has given me good advice. I need to stop overthinking this. What was it that Smokey said? That's right. 'Funny what a racer can do when he's not overthinking things.' He's right. I'm completely overthinking this! I just need to have patience and what to see what happens. If I'm destined to return to racing, the doors will open. If not, they'll stay closed. Who knows? Maybe I'll look back on this time in the future and realise that this break is the best thing for me right now.
A movement in Lightning's peripheral vision caught his attention. Turning slightly to his right, he saw that it was Strip and Cal. They were having a quiet chat together. Lightning couldn't make out what they were saying, but judging from Cal's smile, he guessed that they were having an uncle and nephew discussion.
I really miss being able to do that with Doc…
"Uh, Lightning?" Cruz called over the radio, snapping Lightning out of his thoughts. "I've finished my warm-up. What do you want me to do now?"
"Erm…" Lightning glanced down at his notes. "For the next fifteen laps, I want you to practice sprinting down the straights, and then ease off around the turns. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah."
"Good. This will help you improve your acceleration, so focus on that. Off you go."
Lightning watched Cruz going through the exercise for a moment. Then, after he'd finished off his coffee, he motioned for Cal to come over to him. Cal did so.
"S'up, Light?"
"Can you take over Cruz's training, please? I need to talk to Strip about something important."
"Sure," Cal agreed.
"Just refer to my notes once Cruz finishes her current exercise." Lightning removed his headset, and they traded places. Once Cal had put on the headset and made radio contact with Cruz, Lightning drove over to Strip.
"Morning, Strip."
"Morning, Lightning. How are you?"
"Not too bad, I guess. I didn't sleep well last night, because of an incident that occurred shortly before I went to bed. I've spent most of the night debating whether or not I should tell you about it, since you're an official. However, I feel that I'm morally obligated to report it."
"I'm listening," Strip replied.
"Okay," Lightning drew in a deep breath before he continued. "Last night, Jackson Storm approached me, and he threatened to send video footage he'd taken the other night of myself, Cal and Junior racing on the track to the media, unless I ensured that he'd win on Sunday. I told him that I had no interest in taking part in race fixing, and that I didn't care if he releases the video."
Strip nodded slowly. "That's a very serious allegation, Lightning."
"I know, and I don't have any proof. It's his word against mine. I just don't know what to do about it."
"I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. In my professional opinion, I think you'd better file an official report, just in case evidence of race fixing comes up later. That way, we'll at least be able to say when it started. Don't worry. Jackson doesn't need to know about this yet. By filing a report, you're just covering yourself in case it escalates."
"Okay, I can do that," Lightning agreed. "Where can I get the paperwork?"
"From the admin office. You'll need to get the off-track misconduct form. You can give it to me once you've filled it out."
"Thanks, Strip. I'll get it as soon as the office opens."
Strip nodded and Lightning returned to the crew chief stand.
"Do you want me to take over, Cal, or are you happy to finish off Cruz's training today?" Lightning asked.
"I'm happy to finish," Cal replied. "I've done most of it anyway."
Lightning chuckled. He settled down to watch Cruz. From what he could see, she was still a bit stiff from the race on Sunday, but he knew that this light workout would help ease that. He frowned when he saw Jackson Storm race up behind Cruz. He dropped down to her inside and slowed so that the two of them were driving side-by-side around the track. Lightning knew that Jackson was saying something to her, because a few seconds later, Jackson took off again.
"What did he say to her?" Lightning demanded to know.
Cal looked worried as he glanced down at Lightning. "He said that if she doesn't pull out of Sunday's race, he's going to make sure she doesn't finish it in one piece."
Lightning revved his engine angrily. "What is his problem?"
"Maybe his inflated male ego can't accept the fact that he's being beaten by a girl?" Cal suggested.
"I think you've got something there," Lightning agreed. "First, he couldn't deal with being beaten by a seven-time Piston Cup veteran, and now he can't deal with being beaten by a female rookie. It makes a lot of sense. Tell Cruz to do a couple of cool down laps and come in. I'm going to get Doctor Ford and Strip. My complaint to the officials just escalated."