Sparks Fly – Part Two
It wasn't very often Radiator Springs became empty like it did when the Interstate first opened. But to celebrate Harley's graduation, the townsfolk shut down the entire town and everyone drove up to the Wheel Well for the party. Tomber, still in the hospital, gave his best wishes. Nobody knew he was terrified to reveal his conversation with Emily and decided to keep silent in case she came after him.
At the Wheel Well, Sally and Flo presented Harley with a large cake that read "Congratulations, our little desert dweller!" Everyone congratulated Harley, who accepted the praise modestly. But everyone knew she deserved the attention; she got her high school degree a year early and with honors. The townsfolk each took turns giving a small speech about Harley, who either did her best to not cry or rolled her eyes. Sheriff, her legal guardian since Doc's death, insisted on a sort of father/daughter dance to honor the event.
As the party continued, Harley finally found a moment to sit down and relax from all the craziness. Holley and Emily came over to join her. "Congratulations again, Harley." Holley said.
"Thanks." Harley sighed. "It's been a little hectic, but Finn was a great help finishing my school stuff."
"Do you have any plans for college?" Holley asked. "Or any post-graduation plans at all?"
"No, not really." Harley admitted. "I still work around Radiator Springs for the most part, and I'm still Lightning's crew chief. That's not too bad for someone with just a high school degree. I'm not sure I want to go to college, at least not yet. Whatever I decide to do, I want to be able to use my psyche human powers. I seem to have quite a knack for healing abilities. It was almost expected. Look at my psyche human birthmark." She pulled off one of her skates to show her birthmark resting on her ankle. It looked like the symbol for medicine, but instead of a winged rod with intertwined snakes the mark depicted a sword with wings on the hilt and snakes intertwined around the blade.
"How interesting." Holley mused. "You know, perhaps a few years in the C.H.R.O.M.E. Academy would be good for you."
Harley thought about it for a moment. A spy academy? That sounded much more interesting than a regular college. Maybe she could learn to be a field medic or something. "Yeah. Yeah, that could be interesting."
"You must be careful, Harley." Emily warned. "To be a spy would be very dangerous."
Harley nodded. "I know. I'm not sure if I would want to be a spy, but like I said, I don't have any specific plans." Emily bobbed her head a bit, staring off into a seemingly random direction. Mater hurriedly pulled Holley away for a dance, the two of them laughing happily. Harley watched Emily for a moment before following the older woman's gaze to settle on Finn across the dance floor. Harley thought back to Emily's behavior throughout the past couple days. For some reason, Emily seemed to act strangely hostile, especially when Harley or Holley hung around Finn. Harley tried to push her unease aside; Emily was their friend, and she wouldn't do anything to hurt them. So why couldn't Harley shake that bad feeling she got in the pit of her stomach?
Time to test a theory. Harley stood and skated off, weaving her way through her family to approach Finn. "Hey Finn!"
Finn had been reading a book he brought with him, but looked up at Harley's call. He smiled warmly. "Hello, Harley. Congratulations."
"If I had a dollar for every time I heard that tonight." Harley giggled. "I do want to thank you, Finn. You were a great help when I was finishing my projects and papers."
"It was my pleasure." Finn assured. "I'm happy I could be of help."
"You really are a great friend. Leland was really lucky." Harley said. Finn's smile faltered a bit, and his eyes took on a faraway glance. Harley mentally kicked herself. "S-sorry. I keep forgetting about that."
"No, no, it's fine." Finn assured. "Leland was a good chap. I don't always like to think about him, though."
Harley nodded in understanding, tugging on the sleeve of her jacket. She rubbed "T" on the "Twin Horsepower" sticker. "I don't always like to talk about my dad, either. I guess it just hurts too much if I think about him a lot."
"Hey Harley!"
Harley nearly jumped out of her skin when Emily suddenly appeared next to Finn. Harley looked back to the table she and Emily once sat at, but Emily truly stood in front of her. When the heck did she move?
"Hey, that little Italian forklift is looking for you." Emily said.
"Oh, okay." Harley nodded, bidding Finn and Emily goodbye before skating off. She looked back and noticed Emily cast a look to Finn and walked away. Harley shook her head, continuing her skating to find Guido. Emily wouldn't do anything to hurt us, right?
Due to their vacation time, Finn, Holley, Siddeley, and Emily would be staying in Radiator Springs for another week after the party. Finn and Holley considered going back early, but Harley and Mater insisted they stay as long as they could. Clearly the two residents missed their spy friends when they were off on their missions or doing their jobs. The last time they came to visit, they were abruptly called away for a mission. Mater and Harley joined them once or twice for missions, mostly doing the non-threatening jobs like looking up information or sneaking into places and planting cameras. Siddeley encouraged Finn to take advantage of their break, although secretly the jet plane also wanted to relax a little longer. He also formed a bond with Harley, and spent just as much time with her as she did with the other spies.
Most of all, Mater just wanted to spend some quality time with Holley. The two gave a whole new meaning to "odd couple," but everyone could see they were happy. While they went on a few picnics and dinner dates, their partners-in-crime spent their own time together. Finn found great comfort in Harley's company seeing how the girl often reminded him of Leland. She always knew how to make him smile or laugh, and the energetic nature of the girl almost mirrored Leland's own excitable personality. Harley also felt her bond with Finn growing stronger with every hour they spent in each other's company. In some ways, Finn reminded Harley of Doc. He was kind, caring, brave, and always looked out for the people he cared about. The times Finn and Harley spent alone together they spent chatting away about various subjects from "what do you do in London for fun?" to "how do your psyche human healing abilities work?"
Harley paid more attention to Emily's behavior as the days passed. She seemed stressed about something. She never really talked to anyone anymore and she constantly seemed to be on her phone. Harley would've assumed it only work-related stress if she didn't notice the looks Emily cast towards Finn. They seemed to be of longing, like all Emily wanted was to be near him. When Harley was with Finn, she could see clear hostility in Emily's eyes. Harley felt brief moments of panic when she saw those subtle glares, and for a split-second she prepared to fight back in case Emily attacked. It seemed she needed to remind herself, again, that Emily could never hurt them. She was their friend.
But Doc always told her to trust her gut instinct. So Harley decided it would be best to tread lightly.
One night, a couple days after the party, Mater hurriedly drove up to Finn, Holley, Harley, and Sheriff as they sat at Flo's Café. "Hey Finn! Holley! Kin we go fer a drive?"
"Whatever for?" Holley giggled at her boyfriend's enthusiasm.
"It'll be fun!" Mater said. "I kin show ya da countryside when it's dark!"
"I think that's a splendid idea." Finn nodded.
"Let's go!" Mater yipped, beginning to drive off with Finn and Holley beside him.
"Have fun!" Harley waved after the departing cars. "It's nice they're getting some time to hang out together."
"Yeah, but it is Mater we're talkin' about." Sheriff reminded her. "Who knows what might happen?"
"They'll be fine." Harley assured. "I know it."
"Mater, have you lost your mind?" Finn hissed, sounding almost panicked.
"Oh come on, you'll love it!" Mater giggled quietly. He stared in excited anticipation at the field of tractors just down the hill. Holley seemed confused yet curious while Finn just looked weirded out. It turned out that Mater's suggestion of a drive was just an excuse to keep Sheriff of his bumper, and in reality the tow truck led his spy friends to the tractor field to introduce them to tractor tipping.
"You're sure this won't hurt the poor things?" Holley asked as they drove towards the fence lining the pasture.
"Course not!" Mater whispered. "I do this all the time!"
"Mater, something about this seems rather…" Finn struggled to find the right word. "…..illegal."
"Don' worry 'bout it!" Mater assured, encouraging the two of them into the pasture. "It'll be fun!" Finn and Holley shared a look, but realized they couldn't say "no" to Mater's puppy-dog-pouting eyes. So they followed Mater deeper into the field, staying a short distance away while Mater demonstrated how to tractor tip. The two British spies jumped at the sound of Mater's flat horn piercing the quiet night air, and they tilted to one side in confusion when the tractor reared up and fell back. Mater just laughed like he heard the best joke in the world.
"Mater, I'm not sure we can do this." Holley said.
"Ya got horns, don'tcha?" Mater said.
"Well, yes, but—" Finn said uncertainly.
"C'mon, please?" Mater pouted a bit. Holley and Finn shared another look, and they found out why they couldn't say "no" to that look Mater gave them. He was just trying to show something special to him and share it with his friends. It was strange albeit dumb, but it was important to him. Holley sighed a bit, quietly driving up to another tractor. She cast a look to Finn and Mater. Mater nodded excitedly while Finn gave a little shrug. Holley exhaled, and then glared in determination. She blared her horn, the sound crisp and loud. The tractor's eyes flew open, and Holley quickly returned to Mater's side. They watched the tractor tip over and backfire. Mater burst out laughing, and Holley giggled a bit.
"That is rather fun." Holley admitted. "Go on, Finn! You must try it!"
"I'm not so sure about this." Finn said, a little nervously.
"Please?" Mater practically begged.
"Do at least try it, Finn." Holley encouraged. "If I did, so do you."
Finn sighed. "All right." He drove towards a tractor nearby, staring at the animal for a moment. He cast a look to Mater and Holley, who only nodded encouragingly. Finn looked back to the animal. Oh I can't believe I'm doing this. But, not wanting to disappoint Mater or Holley, he tensed up on his axles a bit and let out a blast from his horn. The tractor reared up and backfired, per the usual. Mater burst out laughing and Holley erupted into quiet giggles. Finn only stared back and forth between the fallen tractor and his friends. How on earth is this supposed to be fun? Finn wondered. If anything, this just felt awkward.
Mater's and Holley's laughter dwindled down to nothing, but not just because of the look on Finn's face. Finn perked up a bit at a low yet loud bellow. The three of them glanced to the bushes, where light shone from the other side.
"Mater?" Holley intoned, a little fearfully. "What is that?"
Mater gulped. "Frank."
Before Finn or Holley could ask, a section of the bushes became torn to shreds and a large threshing machine bull appeared, bellowing at them. Holley let out a shocked scream, and Finn suddenly unloaded his gun out of instinct. Mater slammed into Finn's fender, knocking him to one side so the bullet he fired hit the ground instead of Frank.
"Don' shoot 'im!" Mater yelled as Frank charged towards them. "RUN!" He sped off, Holley and Finn hurrying after him. A section of the fence had only a plank of wood in the middle, just enough for the tractors to not get out and still low enough for the three of them to leap over it and continue driving. Once they couldn't see the pasture anymore, they slowed to a halt and panted a bit.
"Well….." Holley sighed with a weak smile. "That was…..exciting….."
Mater laughed hard. "You bet!"
"That was not exciting!" Finn suddenly snapped. "That was dangerous!"
"Oh relax!" Mater rolled his eyes. "I do dat almost ev'ry night!"
"What?" Finn gaped a bit. "Are you insane? We could've been killed in there!"
"Aren't you the one who always says 'You never feel more alive than when you're almost dead'?" Holley pointed out.
"Yeah, how is dis any different from bein' a spy?" Mater asked nonchalantly.
"Our line of work requires us to deal with dangerous situations when they occur." Finn said, his eyes settling into a glare he focused on Mater. "Purposefully putting your life in danger is not part of the job!"
"Ye weren't in danger." Mater shrugged. "Ye were with me!"
"Exactly!" Finn snapped. "Did it occur to you that if someone had gotten hurt, it would've been your fault?"
"Nobody was gonna git hurt!" Mater snapped back, beginning to grow irritated.
"Mater…Finn…" Holley said warningly, trying to keep them calm. But the two men faced each other fully, seeming to not notice her.
"You don't know what could've happened, Mater." Finn sounded like he scolded Mater. "Did you ever think about what we were supposed to do if one of us became injured?"
"Ye didn't have to worry 'bout it!" Mater snapped, the angry tone so foreign when it came from the normally cheery tow truck. "Yer my friends, an' I woulda made sure ya got back safe."
"A good friend would've avoided the dangerous situation in the first place." Finn countered.
"Dis comin' from the one who says 'friendships are dangerous.'" Mater scoffed. "Ye don' have many friends, do ya?"
It became silent. Even the crickets didn't chirp. Holley stared as Finn's glare deepened. But she could see some sorrow mixed into that angry glare. Mater didn't let his glare down, but he got a feeling he said something he probably shouldn't have.
"I don't need friends in my line of work." Finn finally said. "Least of all friends like you." He turned and began driving off back to town.
Mater felt a flash of shock and pain from that statement, but he stubbornly kept his glare. "Fine." He began following Finn, keeping a good amount of distance between them.
Holley kept beside Mater, casting worried glances between him and Finn and wondering how a simple night out could've gone so wrong.
Harley waited by the entrance of town for Mater, Finn, and Holley to return. Most everyone else went to bed already or lounged in their homes. Harley just wanted to make sure her friends got home all right. She liked to look out for her family and friends, assuring that everyone was well taken care of. If someone needed help, darn it all, Harley would help them.
That seemed to be the case tonight as Finn suddenly appeared sans Mater and Holley. "Hey Finn." Harley greeted cheerily. Her smile fell when she noticed Finn's irritated glare. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." Finn said in a crisp, bitter tone. He drove right past her, not even sparing a glance as he made his way to the Cozy Cone.
Harley felt a quick sting of hurt, but she turned to see Mater and Holley finally arriving in town. Mater murmured a "goodnight" to Holley and disappeared into his junkyard home. Holley paused as she approached Harley, who stared at her in shock. "What the heck happened?" Harley finally asked.
"There was…..a complication." Holley said.
"I picked up on that much." Harley muttered, staring after Finn worriedly. "Care to explain?"
Meanwhile, Finn finally made it to the Cozy Cone and started making his way to his room. All he wanted was to go to bed and forget tonight ever happened. Somehow, he knew when he woke up the next morning he would just be irritated again.
"Hey McMissile. What are you doing out so late?"
Finn paused and turned to see Emily leaning against the pole of the Cozy Cone sign. She seemed to have positioned herself in a way that accented her curves, which were already so defined they didn't really need to be shown off. She smiled softly, her eyes alluring to any man except the one currently in front of her.
"I'm actually just going to bed now." Finn said, a little confused by Emily's behavior.
"May I join you?" Emily asked, standing up straight and beginning to walk towards him.
Finn jolted a bit. "I beg your pardon?"
Emily giggled softly, only furthering the awkwardness of the situation for Finn. "I'm sorry, did that not come out right? I would've thought you'd appreciate an up-front woman."
Confusion engulfed Finn for all of two seconds before he realized what was happening. Emily was…flirting with him? "Miss Largo, I am really not in the mood right now."
"Well, maybe I can help put you in a better mood." Emily suggested, tracing a finger over Finn's fender.
Finn quickly reversed from her, and he noticed her smile falter. "I'm flattered, really." Finn said, thankful he still had some skills in lying. Truthfully, he kind of wanted to throw up. "But you can't truly believe that this—" He pointed to himself and to Emily with one tire. "—would make any sense in any situation."
"I don't see why not." Emily shrugged, stepping towards him again. Finn backed up a few inches, and she stopped. "Come on, Finn, you're not that cold-hearted."
Finn glared. First Mater dismissing his attempts to look out for their safety, and now Emily is calling him cold-hearted? This just wasn't his night. "Miss Largo, I'm only going to ask once that you abandon this frivolous matter."
"Frivolous?" Emily repeated, appalled.
"Friendships are dangerous in the line of work for a spy." Finn reminded her. "Romantic affairs are the equivalent of committing suicide."
"Not if that 'affair' is between two spies, who know what they're doing." Emily protested, putting air quotes around "affair."
"I don't think you really know what you're doing." Finn countered. "And I recommend you really take the time to think before you do something you'll regret later." He began driving off, passing a shocked Emily on the way.
"Don't drive away from me, Finn McMissile!" Emily snapped, turning and staring after the Aston Martin.
"Just leave me alone!" Finn snapped.
"Don't turn away from me, Finn!" Emily growled. "Or else things are going to get very bad for you."
Finn ignored her, driving right into his Cozy Cone room and shutting the door behind him. Emily glared hard, her nostrils flaring a bit as she panted angrily. Almost snarling to herself, she turned on her heel and marched off into the desert.
He rejected me. Emily growled to herself, seeking solace in a long walk through the darkness of the desert. He rejected me. What is he thinking? He would be lucky to have me. She stopped growling, but her glare didn't lessen. "You'll change your mind, Finn. I know you will."
Over the next couple days, everyone noticed the new tension between Mater and Finn. The two cars refused to speak to each other, much less make eye contact. Harley was at a loss. When Holley told her what happened, Harley knew she had to do something to bring the two back together again. She didn't want to take sides in fear of losing a friend or a brother. But what could she do in such a delicate situation? Harley and Holley spent an afternoon talking, figuring out a plan to get Mater and Finn to see eye-to-eye.
It took the entire afternoon, but they finally found a way.
Holley, Finn, Emily, and Siddeley were scheduled to leave and go back to work in just three more days. Holley approached Mater and invited him to a dinner date up at the Wheel Well.
"Just one more night out before I have to leave." Holley said. "You never know when we'll see each other face-to-face again."
Mater happily agreed, the two of them driving up that night. Sally scored them the perfect table where they could talk (seeing how Harley recruited the Porsche in the plan). Holley and Mater spent most of their date talking and laughing, enjoying their time together before Holley had to leave again. Mater knew he couldn't keep Holley from her job, but he hated the time they spent away from each other. Holley felt the same; she loved Mater so much, but sometimes it felt like her job got in the way of their relationship. They did their best to make it work, and so far everything was going all right.
Soon, Holley found her opportunity to bring up her real reason for taking Mater up here. "So, about Finn….."
Mater smiled until he heard the Aston Martin's name, and he suddenly frowned. "I don' wanna talk 'bout him."
"Well, too bad, we're going to anyway." Holley said, smiling warmly.
Mater sighed. "It ain't mah fault he's so tense. He's the one who chose ta be a spy."
"That's right, he did." Holley nodded. "And being a spy is nothing to sneeze at. It can be dangerous."
"So why was he so upset 'bout tractor tippin'?" Mater asked, both frustrated and confused.
"He was upset because he thought one of us would be hurt." Holley explained gently. "He was only worried about our safety." She looked down a bit. "It's easy to understand when you learn what's happened to him."
Mater perked up, suddenly interested in this new information about Finn. "Whaddya mean? What happened to Finn?"
"Well, I actually asked Siddeley about Finn's behavior, and he told me about this." Holley said, beginning her story. "When Finn was in the academy, he had a very good friend named Leland Turbo. According to Siddeley, who also went to the academy with Finn and Leland, the two of them were inseparable. It was like they were brothers."
"Like me an' Lightnin'?" Mater asked, smiling.
Holley giggled. "Yes, Mater. Very much like your bond with McQueen. Finn and Leland used to get in and out of trouble all the time, although usually it seemed that Finn was the one getting them out of the trouble they got into. Finn took it upon himself to make sure Leland always made it out of tough spots all right, and it only made their bond grow stronger."
Mater tried to imagine Finn with a best friend like Leland, and the smile Finn must've worn when they spent time together. He couldn't deny that as he thought of this, he thought of the smile Lightning gave to him in their time together. Mater would always be thankful to have Lightning McQueen as his best friend. Maybe Finn felt the same way about this Leland.
"You think I could meet dis Leland Turbo feller?" Mater asked.
Holley's happy expression steadily morphed to a sorrowful one. "I'm afraid not, Mater. You see, before the World Grand Prix even started, Leland discovered the secret oil field Axlerod owned. Siddeley told me Leland tried to call Finn for backup because his cover had been compromised. But when Finn arrived, he was too late; Leland had been killed."
The oil in Mater's lines suddenly ran cold. "Killed?" Mater breathed.
Holley nodded solemnly. "Finn may say that friendships are dangerous, but he truly values friendship and familial bonds more than anything else. He and Leland were so close, and they spent so much time getting each other out of tough spots. That's why Leland's death hit him so hard: the one time Finn couldn't get Leland out of trouble, and his best friend was killed." Holley looked to Mater, and she noticed the tow truck looking everywhere except towards her. But she continued to stare, hoping her and Harley's plan worked. "Do you understand now, Mater? Why Finn was so upset before?"
Mater didn't answer at first. He thought back to when he, Finn, and Holley were trapped in Big Bentley during the World Grand Prix, waiting for Grem and Acer to kill Lightning with the camera. That moment haunted his nightmares for almost a month after the incident, and it still made him fearful today. Then Mater thought about when Grem and Acer told them Harley died; that she, his innocent, sixteen-year-old sister, had been shot dead. He could never forget how crushed he felt when he heard, and how hard it was to believe that his sister could be dead. What about the way Finn spoke when he shouted at Grem and Acer? The fond tone in his voice when he promised Mater he wouldn't let anything happen to Harley. Finn cared about her. Harley turned out to be alive after all, but that didn't change the validity of Mater's and Finn's reactions when they heard she was "dead."
"Yeah." Mater finally nodded, his voice soft. "Yeah, I understand." Holley smiled, happy the plan worked and proud Mater finally understood.
Unbeknownst to Mater but assumed by Holley, Finn parked in the shadows near the Wheel Well, listening in on their conversation. Harley had told him Holley wanted to meet with him at Wheel Well, but when Finn arrived he saw Holley already with Mater. Finn thought about turning around, but decided to stay when he heard Holley and Mater talking about him. As he listened to what Holley told Mater, Finn suddenly felt grief wrap around his metaphorical heart. He could never forget Leland; his warm lilac eyes that always seemed to sparkle with youthful energy, the way he laughed at dangerous situations like death wasn't on the line, and more importantly the way he would look to Finn after every completed mission and say "Thanks, ol' chap. I owe you one."
But you never owed me anything, Leland. Finn thought. I was proud to call you my friend, and I would've beaten up anyone who said otherwise. Finn felt tears building up, but he blinked a few times and they disappeared. Finally deciding the memories were simply too painful, Finn turned and drove off to return to the motel.
When he returned to town, he saw Harley waiting at Stanley's statue seemingly rearranging Red's flowers. But she apparently heard Finn coming, and she looked up to smile at him. "Hey Finn. How'd it go?"
Finn cleared his throat a bit, making sure his voice came out steady. "Holley was, uh, in the middle of something. I'll talk to her tomorrow."
Harley nodded, watching Finn begin to drive off. But she hurriedly skated after him and rolled alongside the veteran spy car. "Finn, please don't be too harsh on Mater. You know he meant no harm when he took you and Holley tractor tippin'."
"Of course not." Finn said hurriedly. "I just….that is, I…."
Harley giggled softly. "You know, if Mater and Holley don't take 'opposites attract' to a whole new level, then your relationship with him certainly does."
"What do you mean?" Finn asked.
"Well, think about it." Harley shrugged. "You're a pristine, proper British car who works in espionage. He's a rusted, country tow truck who works in towin' and salvage. But do you ever think about what you have in common? You both are loyal and brave, and devoted to your jobs." She turned to skate backwards so she could fully face Finn, placing a comforting hand on his hood. She smiled warmly at Finn and locked her crystal blue eyes to his aqua green ones. "Most of all, you two are both very dedicated to the people you hold close to your hearts…..er, engines."
Finn chuckled softly. "To be honest, Harley, I am very thankful to have Mater as a friend." He sighed solemnly. "I suppose it's just hard."
"Why's that?" Harley asked, turning to skate forwards again.
"It's been hard letting go of Leland." Finn said. "I keep thinking about him at the worst times. I still get nightmares now and then." Finn sighed again. "I wish I could just forget about him."
"You can't." Harley said. "No more than I can forget about Doc. But you don't have to let go of Leland. You think I'm just going to block out every memory I have of my dad?" She shook her head. "I've come to terms with Doc's death, and I did that by only remembering the good things about him. Our most precious of memories and the times we spent together. I can even remember his voice, and how I loved the way he told me 'goodnight' and 'I love you' before I went to sleep each night." Harley felt tears coming, but she sighed happily. "That's all you gotta do, Finn. Don't let go of Leland; just remember everything good about him, and he'll always be with you."
Finn stared at Harley for a moment, amazed by her wisdom. That didn't come from finishing high school a year early. That came from years of teaching from someone even wiser, and from the experiences of a fulfilling life. Finn smiled softly, absent-mindedly thinking to his younger years when he, Leland, and Siddeley became locked in a prank war. "I think that sounds much better than forgetting about him." Finn agreed.
Harley smiled warmly, hugging Finn. "I'm glad."
Finn nuzzled Harley, sighing. He still felt some remnants of sorrow, but they were slowly disappearing. "I suppose I'll be off to bed now. Goodnight, Harley."
"Goodnight." Harley skated off towards the café, Finn driving towards the motel just up the street.
"And Harley?" Finn called, causing the brunette to turn to him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Harley said, watching Finn disappear around the corner to the motel. She skated into the café area, greeting Flo warmly. Flo returned the greeting, coming out with Harley's dinner and inviting her to stick around to chat. Harley agreed, talking with Flo while trying to figure out her new cell phone Lightning gave her as a graduation present. She still wasn't used to such hi-tech.
Several minutes later, Mater suddenly skidded to a halt before them. "Harley! Flo! You see Finn anywhere?"
"He was going towards the Cozy Cone some time ago." Harley said.
"Good! I gotta talk ta 'im!" Mater turned to hurry over, but Harley quickly skated between him and his path of driving.
"Whoa, easy there, Mater!" Harley laughed. "I'm sure Finn's tired and he may even be asleep by now. Best not to bother him."
"No, no, I gotta go say I'm sorry!" Mater insisted. "I don' want 'im ta be mad at me anymore. What if he don' wanna be my friend?"
"Mater, it can wait until tomorrow." Harley assured. "Let Finn have his rest."
"Please? Please let me go?" Mater pouted pleadingly. "I don' want 'im ta still be angry at me tomorrah."
Harley looked towards the Cozy Cone. "Oh all right. But if he's already asleep, you leave him alone until tomorrow, okay?" Mater nodded happily, swerving around Harley and hurrying to the Cozy Cone. Harley laughed, beginning to skate back to the café. She jumped when her phone practically screamed the song "Remember the Name," and she hurriedly answered it. "Dang it, Lightning! You changed my ringtone for your number again, didn't you?"
Mater slowed as he came to Finn's room, wondering how he could go about this. Ultimately, he just hoped Finn wasn't too angry with him anymore. But as he came within a few feet of the door, Mater saw the lights of the cone go out.
"Uh, Finn?" Mater called, hoping to catch the spy car before he fell asleep. "I wanna talk ta you. Kin ya come out?" Finn didn't answer. The door remained shut. So Mater took a breath and continued talking. "Look, I'm sorry 'bout what happened. I guess I shoulda warned ya 'bout Frank. But I thought you'd have fun. Guess I was wrong." He rubbed the asphalt below with one tire. "I'm really sorry, Finn. I never meant fer anyone ta git hurt. You and Holley are my friends, and I wouldn't let anythin' happen to ya. You know that, right?" Still, Finn didn't answer. Mater sighed. "Finn, I only want ya ta forgive me. Please? I promise, I won' do anythin' like that ta you or Holley ever again."
By now, Mater began to feel that Finn really didn't want to see him again, much less talk to him. But he wouldn't give up; he would earn Finn's friendship again no matter what it took. Mater rolled just a few inches closer to the door.
"Finn? Are ya listenin'?" Mater asked, his hopes starting to crumble. "If ya are, will ya answer me?"
Nothing.
Mater sighed, backing up a bit to return home. That was it. He lost a very good friend forever. All because of his stupidity and because of those idiotic things he said.
Then, Mater heard the creaking of the garage door opening. He perked up, staring hopefully as the cone's door opened fully. It was still dark inside the room, but Mater could make out Finn's shadowy form resting inside.
"Finn?" Mater asked hopefully.
The lights in the room flicked on, and Mater's hopeful smile snapped into a horrified stare. Finn stared back with wide eyes, trying to warn Mater to run. But the duct tape over his mouth only allowed muffled sounds to come out. Ropes around his middle prevented him from unloading his guns and he had parking boots clamped on both front tires. A black Gremlin and a familiar teal microcar appeared on either side of the trapped spy.
"We meet again, tow truck." Zündapp greeted.
Mater heard tires on dirt and asphalt, and he turned to see himself surrounded by black Gremlins and Pacers. Mater glared hard, staring at Finn as his mind raced with a plan to get them out of there.
"Don't even think about escaping, tow truck." Zündapp warned. "You either come with us or McMissile dies." The black Gremlin on the other side of Finn suddenly unloaded a gun from his side, pressing the barrel to the Aston Martin's fender.
Finn stared at Mater, shaking his hood. Don't do it, Mater. Just don't do it. Get out of here while you can!
But Finn should've known Mater would be too noble for that. Mater relaxed on his axles, allowing several Pacers and Gremlins to press against him and roughly herd him to the clearing behind the Cozy Cone. The other evil cars grabbed Finn and pulled him along, Zündapp leading the way. Mater mentally cursed when he realized Sally wasn't in the office to witness any of this; she was off on a date with Lightning. In fact, there was nobody around to witness Mater and Finn being herded towards a large, black helicopter ready to take them all away. But Mater remembered Harley and Flo, sitting just over at the café. If he could just alert them…
"Ye know, I jus' remembered somethin'." Mater piped up.
"And what's that?" Zündapp droned.
"Ya said I had ta come with ya." Mater glared. "Ya never said 'quietly.'"
"What?" Zündapp asked. Mater suddenly blared his horn, making Zündapp, his henchmen, and even Finn flinch. Mater kept it up, blaring his horn several times and so loudly the sound carried over to Flo's café.
"Mater?" Harley called, skating quickly towards the Cozy Cone.
"Somebody shut him up!" Zündapp ordered. One of the Pacers quickly knocked Mater out, silencing him, but they heard Harley shouting just down the road. "Get them inside! We're leaving!"
Harley rounded the corner into the Cozy Cone lot and noticed Finn's room door wide open and void of spy car. She skated about the area, looking for any sign of rusted or silvery-blue metal. Finally, she noticed the form of a black helicopter in the light of the moon, and she saw the black Gremlins and Pacers shoving Finn inside. "Finn! Mater!" Harley screamed, skating towards the helicopter as the aircraft's rotors began spinning. Zündapp's henchmen finally managed to get Finn in the helicopter, which lifted off the ground and started flying off. Harley thought quickly, wracking her brain for a plan. Realizing she still held her phone in one hand, she gave the piece of technology a mighty throw. It slipped into the door of the helicopter just before it shut, and the helicopter flew off to leave Harley in the swirling dust. Harley stared after the helicopter, shocked by what happened. But she couldn't be shocked for long.
"Gotta get Holley, Siddeley, and Emily." Harley breathed, turning and skating away as fast as she could. "They'll know what to do."
In the helicopter, Finn noticed the phone flying through the door and skidding to a halt right underneath him. Desperate to not let Harley's attempt to help go to waste, he activated a claw-like mechanism from his undercarriage and picked up the phone, tucking away and hiding it. None of the henchmen nor Zündapp seemed to care; apparently they saw the action as Harley's pathetic attempt at an attack.
"Set a course for the rigs." Zündapp ordered, sneering at Finn and the still-unconscious Mater. "We've got a job to do."
A/N: I would apologize for the strain on Mater and Finn's relationship, but I'm not sorry for torturing my protagonists. I'm also not sorry for leaving you all on a cliffhanger. :D Until the next part!