Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.
Chapter 5 – Breakdown
Richmond Raceway, Virginia – 17 April 2018
The small crowd of spectators in the grandstands started to cheer when they saw Lightning beginning to gain on Jackson. In the infield, nearly everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. Those racers who were still practicing on the track quickly pitted when they realised what was going on. Cal wisely followed them into pit row. He parked alongside Cruz, who was watching Lightning with her mouth open.
"How is he doing that?" Cruz squealed excitedly. "When I was training him, he wasn't able to get over a hundred and ninety-eight miles per hour!"
"It's a long story," Cal replied simply.
As Lightning reached the start/finish line again, Strip subtlety started his stopwatch. He watched Lightning closely as the former racer continued to gain on Jackson.
"Hey, Jackson?" Ray called over the radio. "Erm… Don't look now, but McQueen is gaining on you."
"What!" Jackson exclaimed, shocked.
"I don't know how he's doing it, but he is."
Jackson glanced back over his fender. He could just see Lightning about three car lengths behind him. Stunned, Jackson tried to accelerate, but he'd reached his limit. And Lightning was still gaining!
Lightning couldn't contain his grin. He had no idea what speed he was going at now, because his speedometer only went up to two-hundred miles per hour, but he could see that Jackson was completely maxed out.
As Lightning finished the lap, Strip stopped the stopwatch. He then collected a headset before he drove over to the Dinoco pit. After Strip had put on the headset, he drove up onto the crew chief stand.
"McQueen's on channel sixteen," the pit row steward informed Strip. With a nod of thanks, Strip tuned in his headset.
"Lightning? It's Strip."
"Hey Strip," Lightning replied. "What's up?"
"Are you maxed out yet?"
"I don't think so. I thought I was, but after I backfired, my speed increased."
"Okay, I think it might be best if you ease off…"
Strip never got to finish that sentence. All of a sudden, Lightning heard a loud 'bang!' come from his engine. Flames and sparks immediately flew out from beneath Lightning's engine bay. Lightning winced as a sharp bolt of pain shot from the front of his engine to his brain.
"Ouch!" Lightning yelped involuntarily. "Strip, I think I've broken something."
"If you can, keep driving to the pits," Strip calmly instructed as Lightning dropped down into the emergency lane. "The emergency crew are already getting ready for you."
"Copy that," Lightning muttered. Strip frowned. He could tell from Lightning's heavy breathing that he was doing his best to stay conscious and keep driving. Although Lightning had done some serious damage to himself, he needed to keep driving to stop the flames from burning him.
"Yellow flag! Yellow flag!" Brian Corvette, the chief official, announced over the radio. "We have an oil spill on turn three! Repeat, there is an oil spill on turn three."
Lightning rolled safely to a stop directly behind the fire truck, who was parked near the entrance to pit row. He was immediately dowsed in foam, which extinguished the fire. Cal drove over to his friend.
"Are you okay?" Cal asked with concern.
Lightning spat some foam out of his mouth. "Well, I'm still alive, so I guess that counts as being okay."
"You're bleeding oil!" Cal exclaimed. He indicated to the pool of oil that was forming beneath Lightning's chin.
Lightning groaned as he blinked slowly. "I must've blown out the same oil line I busted at Bathurst a few years ago. I had it surgically repaired at the time, but…"
At that moment, Strip, two ambulances and a forklift paramedic arrived. "How are you feeling?" the first ambulance asked, while the other started placing monitoring sensors onto Lightning.
"I think I've blown one of my oil lines," Lightning replied weakly. "It's an old injury."
The paramedic lifted Lightning's hood. After the smoke had cleared, she whistled softly. "You've blown an oil line all right! I'm going to tie it off to stop the bleeding, and then we'll get some fluids into you. Once you're stabilised, we'll take you over to the medical centre."
Lightning nodded slowly. He could feel his damaged oil line pulsing as oil continued to be pumped through it. The pulsing eased when the paramedic folded his broken oil line in half. She secured a cable tie around the folded end, stopping the oil. Lightning focused on slowing his breathing while the ambulances and paramedic worked on him.
"His oil pressure is weak and slow," the second ambulance reported after the first one had connected Lightning to an I.V. line. "But the rest of his vitals are stable now."
"Thank goodness!" Strip muttered with relief.
The paramedic smiled sympathetically. "Let's get him over to the medical centre."
After the paramedic had closed Lightning's hood, she gently loaded him into one of the ambulances. Moments later, the ambulance drove away towards the racetrack's medical centre. When they arrived, Lightning was carefully unloaded and taken into an examination room. The Piston Cup's head doctor, Dr Carburettor, was already waiting for him. Lightning had known Dr Carburettor ever since he'd started his professional racing career, so he was relieved to have a familiar face there to look after him.
"We need to stop catching up like this," Dr Carburettor teased as he opened Lightning's hood. "Bloody hell! Are you sure this was just an oil leak?"
"No… It doesn't hurt much anymore, if that's what you're thinking."
Dr Carburettor frowned thoughtfully as he examined the damage to Lightning's engine bay. Aside from the firefighting foam and burnt grease, oil was splattered everywhere. Dr Carburettor knew that in order to see exactly what Lightning had done to his engine, he needed to give his engine bay a thorough clean.
"I'm just going to give you a mild sedative, Lightning," Dr Carburettor told him as he started to prepare an injection. "It has a painkiller in it too. I need to give your engine a thorough examination, and it'll be easier on you if you're asleep, so please don't fight it."
"I won't," Lightning muttered. He was still feeling dazed by what had happened.
Dr Carburettor gently inserted the needle into one of Lightning's healthy oil lines. It only took a couple of minutes to send Lightning into unconsciousness. After he'd gathered his tools, Dr Carburettor began to gently steam clean Lightning's engine bay. Once it was spotlessly clean, Dr Carburettor took a closer look at Lightning's broken oil line. He frowned when he saw just how badly worn it was, especially at the ends. The remainder of Lightning's oil lines weren't in much better condition.
"Oh, Lightning!" Dr Carburettor muttered to himself. "You've really banged yourself around over the years, haven't you?"
Leaving Lightning in the care of a nurse, Dr Carburettor went to his office to phone Dr Ford. A few minutes later, Dr Ford arrived at the medical centre.
"Strip told me what happened," Dr Ford said as he followed Dr Carburettor into the examination room where Lightning was. "I'm sorry I encouraged Strip to let him race Cal."
"It's not your fault. You didn't know that he'd blow an oil line. According to my records, the one that came off is the same one he damaged in the Bathurst 1000 a few years ago. It was surgically repaired at the time but take a look at this end here." Dr Carburettor pointed to the end of the disconnected oil line.
Dr Ford frowned. "That's completely worn out. I've only ever seen that on cars who don't look after themselves."
"Yeah, well, we both know how much Lightning hates getting medical treatment," Dr Carburettor pointed out. "It wouldn't surprise me if he's been neglecting to look after his engine ever since Doc passed away. I know I've cleared him to race many times since then, but it's not my job to re-tune engines."
"Personally, I haven't had to treat him for anything since he joined the Dinoco team as Cruz's Crew Chief," Dr Ford pointed out. "If I'd known how badly he'd been neglecting himself…"
"I told you, it's not your fault. Lightning should know better than to neglect his engine like this. I highly recommend that Lightning has a complete engine overhaul as soon as possible. If he keeps going around with worn parts like this, he could end up killing himself."
"I'll see that he undergoes one as soon as possible," Dr Ford promised. "Even if I have to drag him into the hospital myself."
"In the meantime, I'll reconnect this oil line with a temporary adhesive. I can't say how long it'll hold for, but it should be strong enough to last for a few weeks, as long as Lightning stays as immobile as possible."
Dr Ford rolled his eyes. "Now that's asking the impossible!"
"I know. Just do your best."
Dr Ford moved back as Dr Carburettor began the slow process of reattaching Lightning's damaged oil line.
…
About an hour later, Lightning started to show signs of waking up as the sedative wore off. Dr Ford was the only one with him in the examination room at the time. He remained quiet as he watched Lightning slowly regain consciousness.
Lightning yawned before he finally blinked open his eyes. Dr Ford smiled sympathetically at him.
"How are you feeling?"
"Um… Okay, I guess. What's going on?"
"Doctor Carburettor has been able to reconnect your broken oil line," Dr Ford explained. "However, it is only a temporary repair. You need to remain as still and as quiet as possible until…"
"Until when?" Lightning pressed.
Dr Ford exhaled heavily. "…Until you undergo a full engine overhaul."
Lightning gulped. "But isn't that kind of surgery very risky?"
"All surgery is risky, Lightning. And, you wouldn't need it if you'd looked after your engine properly. How long has it been since you've had your engine properly serviced and re-tuned?"
Ashamed, Lightning looked down at the floor. "Not since before Doc died. I…I don't know why I didn't have it done. I guess it just wasn't a priority."
"Well, it is now. I'm restricting you to the infield from now on, and tomorrow, Mack will take you home to Radiator Springs. You will not be allowed to re-join the team until I receive a medical report from your doctor saying that you've had the engine overhaul."
"But what about the race on Sunday?" Lightning protested. "Cruz needs me!"
"Tex has asked Cal to be Cruz's Crew Chief on Sunday. The experience will be good for both of them. You just need to focus on resting and recovering. If you don't have the engine overhaul done as soon as possible, you'll be lucky if you'll be able to keep driving, let alone racing." Dr Ford softened his tone when he saw how miserable Lightning looked. "I know the thought of an engine overhaul is scary, Lightning, but believe me, you'll feel much better afterwards."
Lightning just sighed sadly in response. Dr Ford left the examination room, and he drove over to Dr Carburettor's office. He knocked softly on the open door with his tyre. Dr Carburettor looked up from his computer.
"Lightning's awake," Dr Ford said. "And, I've told him that he has to go home and rest. He's not allowed to re-join the team until his had his engine overhaul."
Dr Carburettor nodded. "Thanks. I've just been on the phone with Lightning's Jaguar Syndrome specialist. He wants Lightning to come to New York to have the engine overhaul. Given Lightning's condition, it'll be safer for him to have his specialist with him throughout the procedure."
"That makes sense. I'll let Tex know."
"Thanks, Doctor Ford. I'll just go and check on Lightning, and if he's feeling better, I'll release him into your care."
Dr Ford nodded, and then he left. Dr Carburettor finished updating Lightning's file before he returned to the examination room. He found Lightning awake, and still looking miserable. Dr Carburettor looked over the monitoring machines that were still connected to Lightning.
"How do you feel now?"
"Fine," Lightning muttered without making eye contact.
"You know that we're only doing this because we care about you. And, if you ever want to get back into racing, you need to have your engine completely overhauled."
"Why couldn't I just have it replaced?" Lightning whined.
"I've just been talking to your specialist, Doctor Spark. Because you have Jaguar Syndrome, an engine replacement is pointless if you want to race. Your new engine would have to be smaller with less horsepower, like the one you were supposed to have been built with."
"I see," Lightning muttered despondently.
Dr Carburettor started disconnecting Lightning from the machines. "I know you don't like medical procedures, but trust me, you'll feel so much better afterwards. I also think that your oil was already damaged before today. Given how easily it came off today, I believe that it came loose during your wreck last year. The speeds you reached today must have been too much for it, which explains why it simply came off. The fire was caused by the oil being ignited by your engine."
"Oh. So, why did I backfire?"
"You did that because that's a clear sign that you need to have an engine overhaul. Your engine is misfiring, so it needs to be recalibrated."
Lightning made eye contact with Dr Carburettor. "I really don't have a choice then, do I?"
"No, I'm afraid not. Mack will take you to New York tomorrow, where you will meet with Doctor Spark. He'll explain everything to you, and he'll make all the arrangements."
"Thanks." Lightning smiled slightly. "Am I okay to leave now?"
Dr Carburettor removed the last sensor from Lightning's body. "Yes. But, try not to go faster than forty miles per hour. The less you move around, the longer the temporary fix to your oil line will last."
Lightning started his engine. "Got it. And, thank you for looking after me."
"No worries. Hopefully, the next time I see you, you'll be in better health."
Lightning nodded in agreement. As he drove out of the medical centre, he saw that the sun was just beginning to set. He'd just started driving towards the Dinoco / Rust-eze camp, when he saw Junior parked beside his trailer, chatting to a familiar car. Lightning smiled. It was their mutual friend, Bobby Swift.
Glancing around, Lightning saw that a bucket filled with ice and bottles of Nitroade had been left beside the Nitroade team's marquee. Grinning mischievously, Lightning quietly removed the Nitroade before he placed the bucket of ice on his hood. He then drove over to Junior and Bobby. Since neither Junior nor Bobby had any rear-view mirrors, they failed to see Lightning sneaking up behind them. All of a sudden, a shower of freezing cold water was dumped over them both!
"F***ing hell!" Bobby screamed.
"Son of a bitch!" Junior screeched at the same time.
"Hey! Don't insult my mother!" Lightning retorted cheekily as he tossed the empty bucket aside. Junior and Bobby spun around to face Lightning.
"What the bloody hell did you do that for?" Bobby demanded to know.
"Just breaking the ice," Lightning replied, grinning.
Unable to think of a decent comeback to Lightning's wit, Junior and Bobby immediately pounced on top of him, and they started mock-punching him up. Lightning collapsed onto his chassis beneath their weight.
"Oh! Hey! Go easy on me!" Lightning begged between laughs. "I've just come out of the medical centre." Junior and Bobby reluctantly got off him.
"You sure gave Jackson a run for his money out there today, Light," Bobby said as Lightning staggered back onto his tyres. "It's a shame you broke down."
"It was just an old racing injury," Lightning explained. "I'll get him next time."
"IF there's a next time," Junior added. "Jackson's not going to let you get away with what almost happened today."
"Yeah, the media is reporting that you'd have easily overtaken Jackson if you'd kept going for another lap."
Lightning stared at his friends, stunned. "Don't tell me that my race with Jackson was picked up by the media?"
"Some of them were in the grandstand," Junior confirmed. "And RSN were filming a segment in the infield when you and Cal went out onto the track. Everything was recorded."
"Everyone's wondering if you're planning to make a big comeback."
Lightning groaned in disbelief. "I'll deal with that later. Right now, let's go and have some dinner. I'm sure Tex won't mind if you join us."
Junior and Bobby followed Lightning over to the Dinoco /Rust-Eze camp, where they joined the team for dinner inside the large tent. As expected, Tex was happy to let Junior and Bobby enjoy some Dinoco hospitality, since they were best friends with Lightning and Cal. Cruz decided not to join them, preferring instead to eat her dinner with Strip and Linda.
"Uncle Strip clocked you today while you were racing Jackson," Cal told Lightning. "He said that you unofficially broke the lap record."
"Did he say anything else?" Lightning wondered.
"Only that he wouldn't mind being your Crew Chief if you ever got back into racing. He can't though, because he's an official now."
"Pity. He reminded me of Doc when he was talking to me over the radio earlier."
"I seriously hope they do go ahead with that new racing series," Bobby said, changing the subject. "That's why I came here today. Junior couldn't keep the news a secret for long."
Junior grinned. "I couldn't see the harm in telling Bobby."
"Well, I admit that I've told Sally and my step-father," Lightning admitted.
The three of them looked at Cal, silently asking him if he'd told anyone. Cal stared back at them, confused.
"What?"
Lightning, Junior and Bobby chuckled.
"Have you told anyone about getting back into racing?" Bobby asked him.
"No, of course not! I don't have anyone to tell, besides you three and Uncle Strip, and you all already know about it."
After dinner, Dr Ford reminded Lightning that he needed to go and rest in his trailer. And so, Lightning, Cal, Junior and Bobby made their way over to where the team's trailers were parked.
"I'm leaving the track tomorrow, guys," Lightning told them as they drove down the row of parked trailers. "Doctor's orders, I'm afraid."
"Figures," Junior said, rolling his eyes.
"Are you going to have your oil line repaired?" Bobby asked.
"That, and other things. I'm not sure when I'll re-join the team, but I expect that it'll at least be a month before I do."
"Just stay out of trouble, and look after yourself," Cal said. "You know Tex would…" Cal stopped talking as they arrived at Lightning's trailer.
There, placed directly behind Lightning's trailer, was a jumbo-sized adult drip pan. Stuck to the raised trailer ramp was a large sheet of paper, and written on it in large letters was, 'Use this instead of the racetrack, loser'.
As Lightning and his friends stared at the offensive material, they heard three engines drive away into the darkness. Lightning recognised one of the engines as Jackson's.
"Is that really the best he can come up with?" Junior asked rhetorically as Lightning tore down the paper. He crushed it into the asphalt with a tyre.
"Guys? This means war," Lightning declared.