Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.
Chapter 4 – Stress Relief
Richmond Raceway, Virginia – 17 April 2018
"I still don't understand why you need my black box," Cruz complained as Dr Ford poked around in her engine bay.
"Because I'm submitting a complaint against Jackson Storm," Lightning replied. "He's already tried to blackmail me, and now he's threatened you. This has to stop before it gets beyond just a verbal threat."
"Personally, I think you're making more out of this than you need to," Strip said to Lightning. "Considering you've both given and received threats from other racers yourself."
Lightning bristled slightly. "This is different! Jackson is personally threatening us!"
"And you never singled out Chick Hicks and threaten him?" Strip challenged. Lightning opened his mouth to respond, but he quickly closed it when he realised that Strip was right. He'd verbally threatened Chick many times throughout their careers together, but he'd never carried them out. He sighed heavily in defeat.
"You're right, Strip. I guess I have over-reacted. Sorry I've wasted everyone's time."
Dr Ford finished removing the SD card from Cruz's black box, and he inserted it into his laptop. "The least we can do is to listen to exactly what was said out there, and then we can decide on what to do." Dr Ford opened the black box record file and, after skipping forward to the last ten minutes, he started to play it. At first, all that could be heard was Cruz's engine, but after about a minute, Jackson's engine could be heard getting closer.
"Hey! Costume girl!" Jackson called as he pulled up alongside her. "If you don't pull out of the race on Sunday, I'm gonna make sure you don't finish in one piece!"
"You don't scare me, Jackson!" Cruz retorted. "Besides, everyone knows that you're not as good as you pretend to be."
"Says the costume girl who's pretending to be me!" Jackson laughed before he accelerated away.
Dr Ford stopped the recording. "I don't think we need to take this matter further, right Strip?"
"I agree. You'd better put that SD card back in Cruz's black box."
Feeling dejected, Lightning turned, and he drove away towards the Dinoco tent. He felt humiliated for making such a big deal out of nothing. He knew better than anyone that racing banter rarely went further than verbal threats. That's just how they toyed with each other's mindset.
Cal followed Lightning inside the tent. "Hey, Light?"
Lightning turned to face his friend. "Yeah?"
"I know you probably feel like you overreacted, but I know that you're just looking out for Cruz. She's still a rookie after all."
"Thanks for understanding, Cal. The truth is, ever since our discussion with Justin, I've felt conflicted. I know that you and Junior want to return to racing just as much as I do, but I have a family to think about now. And Cruz, and Tex, and…"
"Whoa! Stop it right there!" Cal held up a tyre for emphasis. "None of that stopped you when you decided to go and race in Australia."
"I wasn't married when I made that decision."
"So? You were still with Sally. And, she was happy to move to Australia with you."
"Yeah…" Lightning sighed despondently again. "But she won't want to travel around with me now."
"Have you asked her?"
"No, not yet."
"Then ask her before you start stressing about it so much that you can't even drive straight!"
Lightning stared at Cal, surprised. Cal had never raised his voice to him before, so he wasn't sure how he should react. Cal pointed a tyre directly at Lightning's trailer.
"NOW!"
Lightning drew in a deep breath before he drove slowly over to his trailer. Cal gave him a nudge from behind.
"Stop dawdling! We all know that you can move faster than that!"
Lightning chuckled as he sped up. He reversed inside his trailer and, with Cal watching on with satisfaction, he closed the ramp. Once Lightning was alone, he instructed his sat phone to dial Sally's number.
"Hello?" Sally answered.
"Hey, Sal. It's me."
Sally chuckled softly. "You don't have to tell me that! I know your voice. How are you?"
"Erm… Well, I've been a bit stressed…"
"Jackson been bothering you again?"
"No more than usual. Actually, I want to talk about us."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. You see, that's a chance that I could return to racing next year. But I don't know if I should…"
"Because of me?"
"Because of you and Blaze. I feel incredibly guilty whenever I have to leave you both behind."
"I understand, because I always feel the same way whenever you leave. However, I knew what I was getting myself into when I agreed to marry you. I knew that you'd be travelling away from home a lot, and that I'd often be alone with Blaze. That's why I agreed to have him built. He is so much like you that I feel that you're always here with me."
"But it's not the same," Lightning pointed out.
"I know, but it doesn't bother me. Gracie keeps me company, and I look forward to hearing your voice every day. I know how much you want to race again, and I won't stand in your way. This isn't just your passion – it's your career. I want you to keep racing for as long as you physically can."
Lightning smiled. "Thank you, Sal. I really needed to hear that from your own lips. You have no idea what that means to me."
"Oh, I think I do. If the opportunity arises for you to get back into racing, I want you to say yes. Don't even think about me. We can work around your racing, just like we've always done."
"Yeah. Thank you so much, Sal. I'm feeling much calmer now."
"Good. Because I know what you're like when you're stressed. Just try to relax and remember to breathe."
"I will. Love ya, Sal."
"I love you too, Stickers. Stay safe."
"You too. Bye."
"Bye."
Lightning breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he hung up the phone. He drew in a couple of deep breathes before he exited his trailer. Cal was still parked outside, waiting patiently for him.
"Well?" Cal asked as Lightning parked alongside him.
"They're usually about three-feet deep," Lightning teased.
For a moment, the joke went straight over Cal's roof. But then, it clicked, making him chuckle. "That's such a dad joke! The fact that you're joking around again must mean that things went well between you and Sally?"
"Yeah. She wants me to keep racing."
"I knew she would," Cal said. He thumped Lightning's side with his tyre. "You still seem a bit tense though."
"I know! I guess my problem is that whenever I used to get stressed out about decisions like this, I'd just go and spend some time out on the track."
"Technically, there's nothing stopping you from doing that," Cal pointed out. "All you need is Strip's written permission."
Lightning brightened slightly when he realised that Cal was right. There was no reason why he couldn't spin a few laps during practice sessions. "You know what? Sometimes, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Cal chuckled. "I think I might join you. I really enjoyed out little race the other night."
Together, Lightning and Cal drove out of the tent to find Strip. He was still talking to Dr Ford and Cruz.
"Hey, Uncle Strip?" Cal called as they re-joined the group.
"What do you want now, Cal?"
"Lightning and I need to de-stress, but we need your permission."
Strip frowned thoughtfully. "I think it's pretty obvious that Lightning is stressed, but I'm not sure if letting you two loose out on the track is suck a good idea…"
"Just let them do it, Strip," Dr Ford said. "Otherwise, Lightning won't be at his best, mentally, to mentor Cruz."
Strip sighed in defeat. "I guess you're right. I know exactly what Lightning's like when he's stressed out, and the team doesn't need to be dealing with that coming into a race."
"Uh, guys? I'm standing right here," Lightning interjected. Cal chuckled, and he gave Lightning a friendly nudge.
"Now you know how I feel!"
Strip drove over to his trailer. He returned a moment later with an official form. "Give this to the steward in the pits."
Cal snatched the form with his teeth. "Thanks, uncle!"
"Don't forget to put on racing tyres before you go out there!" Strip called after them as they drove away. Lightning waved a tyre in acknowledgement.
Minutes later, Lightning and Cal were parked at the entrance end of pit row, going through a few stretches to warm up. Cal had passed the form to the steward, who was currently conferring with the officials. While not all of the racers were out on the track for practice, the pits were very busy. Some reporters and passionate fans were also hanging around in the grandstands to watch.
"I can't believe we have to go through all this red tape just to run a few laps," Lightning complained.
"Considering this is an official practice session for the racers, they can't just let us go out there," Cal reminded him.
The steward returned to them then. "Okay, I've got some good news. Brian Corvette, the chief official, has cleared you both to go out on the track, on the condition that you don't impede any of the racers. You two still have racing computers installed, right?"
"Yes," Lightning and Cal replied in unison.
"Good. Even though you don't have crew chiefs, you must have your radios turned on so that we can talk to you if we need to."
"Which channel do you want us on?" Cal asked.
"Nineteen, please."
Lightning and Cal activated their radios.
"Radio check." The steward said.
"I've got you," Lightning replied.
"Copy," Cal added.
The steward nodded. "Right, well, I guess you're both good to go. If you need anything, or if there are any problems, just let me know."
"We will," Cal replied. He accelerated down pit row, followed closely by Lightning.
Lightning smiled as he followed Cal out onto the track. They stayed below the racing line while they focused on warming up.
"I hope we get some clean air so we can have a decent race!" Lightning said to Cal.
"Me too! And this time, I'm not going to let you win!"
"Oohh! We'll see about that!"
While Lightning and Cal were doing their warm-up laps, first the racers, fans and finally the media noticed that they were out on the track. Realising that something interesting was about to happen, photographers excitedly began snapping away.
What Lightning and Cal had failed to notice in their excitement was that Jackson was still out on the track, practicing. Upon seeing Lightning and Cal warming up, he smirked.
"Ready to have a bit of fun, Jackson?" Ray Reverham, Jackson's crew chief, asked him over the radio.
"Heck yeah! I think it's time for me to teach these has-beens that they no longer belong on the track." Jackson accelerated, and he shot past Lightning and Cal.
"Jerk!" Cal muttered. "Just ignore him, Light."
"I'm trying," Lightning replied through gritted teeth. "It's not easy, but I'm trying."
After they'd completed their warm-up laps, Lightning and Cal prepared to race each other. They found a clear gap between the practicing racers, and they swung up onto the racing line. As usual, Lightning took his favourite position on the high racing line, while Cal stayed on the low racing line. Realising that Lightning and Cal were about to race each other, nearly everyone at the track stopped what they were doing to watch. Up in the grandstand, Justin even paused a meeting so he could watch from his office window. However, Lightning and Cal didn't notice that everyone was now watching them.
"Ready?" Lightning asked.
"Set?" Cal replied.
"Go!" they shouted in unison as they crossed over the start/finish line side-by-side.
Since he was on the outside, Lightning had to push himself harder and faster to get ahead of Cal. They'd agreed to have a twenty-lap race, so Lightning knew that he needed to get ahead of Cal as soon as he could and then hold him off for the rest of the race. That was what he'd always done. He liked to set the racing pace early and let everyone else try to keep up with him. Cal, on the other hand, was a stalker. He was perfectly comfortable sitting in Lightning's slipstream to help save energy until the end. Then, he'd pounce and hopefully take Lightning by surprise. More often than not, Lightning had been able to block him with relative ease.
Although Lightning and Cal were racing each other, the Piston Cup racers were still practicing, which meant that Lightning and Cal had to skilfully duck and weave around them. On lap fifteen, they caught up with Jackson, who was putting in a slower lap. Since Jackson was hogging the centre racing line, Lightning instinctively swung up onto the high line to go around him, while Cal dropped down low.
"Have you come to tell me that you've changed your mind?" Jackson asked as Lightning drew up alongside him.
Lightning was confused. "About?"
"About what we discussed last night. I'm not surprised you forgot. It must be hard to function when you become senile."
Enraged by Jackson's comment, Lightning floored it, and he shot past Jackson. Cal accelerated past Jackson as well. However, Jackson wasn't prepared to let them get away. He knew how sensitive Lightning was about becoming older. He also knew that, even though Lightning wasn't competing against him, if he could mess with Lightning's mindset, he'd pass that onto Cruz, and then she'd perform badly. Jackson accelerated and he started catching up with Lightning and Cal.
"Jackson, what are you doing?" Ray demanded to know. "Just leave him! He isn't worth the bother!"
Jackson ignored him, and he drew up alongside Lightning again. This time, he floored it and he easily overtook Lightning and Cal. As Jackson pulled away from them, Lightning suffered a flashback to the moment before his big crash. In his mind's eye, he saw Jackson pulling away from him as he was doing now. He could also hear the commentator exclaiming, "Lightning McQueen is fading! He's fading fast!"
No, I'm not! Lightning thought with determination. Not this time! Forgetting that he was racing Cal, Lightning pushed his engine as hard as he could. He started to gain slightly on Jackson, but then he felt his engine tighten. That was a strong indication to him that he was completely maxed out. Lightning glanced down at his speedometer. The needle was sitting on 198mph.
"Lightning, yield!" Cal shouted desperately as he struggled to keep up with his friend. "Just leave him! You can't afford to crash again!"
Lightning hesitated, but then he stopped pushing and he slowed down. Panting heavily, Cal drew up alongside him.
"You're racing me, remember? We're not supposed to get in the way of the racers."
"I wasn't," Lightning protested. "I was…"
"Jackson is just trying to annoy you, so that you'll be in a bad mood for the race on Sunday," Cal pointed out. "How do you think Cruz will race if you pass on your annoyance to her?"
Lightning pouted, but he knew that Cal was right. "I'm sorry. You know how competitive I am."
"Right. So, chase me instead!" And with that, Cal floored it.
Lightning promptly raced after Cal. It didn't take him very long to catch up with Cal and overtake him. Lightning started to push himself again as he tried to gain some clear ground over Cal. He felt his engine tighten again when he reached 198mph.
I know I can go much faster than that! I've done it before…
Grimacing, Lightning narrowed his eyes as he focused on staying straight on the centre racing line. Every now and again, he glanced down at his speedometer, but despite the ongoing tightness in his engine, his speed did not increase. After about ten laps, he gave up and started to slow. Cal caught up, and he began drafting behind him.
"One more lap!" Cal called.
Just then, Jackson overtook them again. With renewed determination, Lightning accelerated again. Cal stayed right behind him, even when Lightning took to the high side of the track. When Lightning reached 198mph again, he felt the tension in his engine increase. As he continued pushing himself, the tension suddenly became painful. Lightning gasped as a sharp bolt of pain shot from his engine and radiated throughout his body. Seconds later, he heard a strange, but familiar whining sound coming from his engine. For a moment, Lightning was concerned, but then he backfired, causing flames to shoot out from all four of his exhausts. While backfiring was common amongst racers of Lightning's generation, this was the first time it had ever happened to him. Normally, the flames seen from his exhausts were caused by excess, unburned fuel leaving his system. After the backfire, the pain in Lightning's engine subsided, although the tightness remained.
For a moment, Lightning was unsure if he should continue racing, but since he only had half a lap to go, he decided to continue. As he came down out of the fourth turn, he started pushing his engine hard once more. To his amazement, the needle in his speedometer jumped to 200mph. It was the first time he'd seen it hit that reading in over two years.
That's strange. I wonder…
Lightning pushed his engine again. This time, it responded. It was as though he'd suddenly discovered his second wind. His speed continued to increase even as he flew across the start/finish line, ending his race with Cal. Realising that the side-effects of his Jaguar Syndrome must have re-emerged, Lightning continued to push himself.
As he came onto the back straight, he saw Jackson racing ahead of him. Lightning had no idea how fast he was going now, but he did know one thing for certain. He was gaining on Jackson at over 200mph!