This chapter is T for some action resulting in some serious injuries.
"Look, fellas... We haven't got anything you'd possibly want so why don't you just move on."
Junior, the biggest of the racers, stood in front of the group. His hands were held defensively in front of him.
"Your wallets are a pretty good start," one of the five thugs surrounding them growled. "Hand those over."
The boys were due to visit Bobby's brother right on the edge of a dangerous part of the city. He was actually moving having recently retired and Bobby had volunteered himself and his friends to help pack and move boxes. Unfortunately, their car broke down outside the city limits. The lady on the phone reported that the towing company would be there in 40 minutes. Having decided that sitting in the car for such a long time would be boring, the four went for a walk to stretch their legs.
"Why don't we just walk the rest of the way?" Cal had suggested.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Bobby replied. "Rod told me it's a pretty bad neighbourhood. We should go the long way around."
"When did he tell you that?" Lightning asked.
"15 years ago..." Bobby admitted.
"You were like seven then," Junior rolled his eyes. "We're all grown now, no one's gonna mess
with us."
"Yeah, you're right. No one's gonna mess with us."
Turns out, someone had. The sun had barely set but it felt like midnight around them. A dim street lamp shed light on their predicament. Two blocks away from their destination and completely surrounded.
"We're not going to give you anything," Lightning stepped forward bravely. The leader of the gang flicked out his knife and Junior took a step back.
"Maybe we should guys..." Bobby reached for his wallet in his back pocket, his common sense still functioning.
"No way," Cal muttered. "Tex just gave me a credit card... If I lose that I'm practically as good as dead."
Junior reached down and picked up an aluminum trash can lid.
"Then we'll just have to fight our way out," he determined, holding the piece of metal up as a shield.
"We can do this," Lightning breathed, doing the same.
"Yeah, we got this," Bobby nodded, rubbing his hands and making fists. Junior might be taller but he was stronger, he had no doubt about that.
"You want our wallets so bad, come and get them!" Cal jeered, stepping between Lightning and Junior.
The leader shrugged.
"Your funeral."
He lifted his hand with the knife and threw it, straight towards Cal. The Dinoco racer barely had time to blink but luckily Lightning intercepted it with the lid. The knife sliced through the aluminium, coming to a sharp halt when the handle reached the lid. Cal was left standing with a sharp point an inch above his nose. He went pale before falling back into Bobby's arms, all the feeling out of his legs.
"Cal!" Bobby called out, managing not to stumble back. Cal was no more than deadweight at this point, and knowing that they wouldn't be able to fight their way out without Bobby's help, Lightning and Junior decided their wallets weren't worth their lives.
"Alright... we'll give them to you," Junior inched back as a huge guy stepped towards him. "Just leave us alone."
"Oh, I'm afraid it's too late for that..." the leader smirked. "Get them." Lightning tried to duck as the man who'd just spoken made a grab for him but wasn't fast enough. He gave a yell as strong hands gripped his shoulders.
"Cal, snap out of it!" Bobby wanted dearly to join the fray and teach the hooligans a thing or two, but Cal was still in shock.
Junior was putting up a better fight than Lightning and managed to sock one of the men in the nose. The moment didn't last long as he doubled over in pain as the biggest of the thugs punched him in the gut. He fell to the ground, breath knocked out of him. Lighting watched in horror as the big man gave an ugly sneer before lifting his foot, clearing intending to slam it down on Junior's rib cage.
Before the heavy boot landed on it's mark Lightning heard a flick. It was followed by the sound of a knife flying through the air and penetrating something with a soft 'thud'. The thug stepped away from Junior with a howl and as he turned Lightning saw a knife in his shoulder.
A figure stepped out from behind a shabby fence and over Junior. He had dark features, and it took Lightning a minute to realize that he looked like Bobby.
"Roddy!" The racer in questioned called out, relief in his voice. 'Roddy', or Rod, barely spared his younger brother a glance, instead focusing on the four remaining thugs.
"You again," the leader snarled, his grip tightening even more on Lightning's shoulders.
"You wanna let the kids go?" Rod asked, his tone of voice clearly demanding the answer to be yes.
"Not a chance," the grip on Lightning's shoulders turned bruising and the racer hissed in pain. "Get him!"
The three remaining thugs rushed towards Rod and all attacked at once. But Rod Redline wasn't given the nickname Torque for nothing. He moved fast, grabbing the first goon and throwing him into the other. Both went crashing onto the ground. The remaining one pulled a knife but Rod caught him around the arm and waist. The thug only saw a flash of gray before he was on the concrete. Rod's grip shifted down to the man's wrist and the racers heard a snap followed by a yell. The knife clattered as it hit the ground and Rod deftly kicked it out of the way so that it skidded next to Junior. Hauling the man up with brute strength alone, Rod threw him into a bunch of trash cans.
He turned just in time to see the first man sloppily trying to stab at him. Rod grabbed his hand and repositioned his arm with a harsh jerk. The knife went into the other idiot who decided to attack from the left. There was a shluk sound and Rod watched in satisfaction as the knife lodged itself between two ribs. The third man fell down to floor, shouting in pain. Rod torqued the second man's arm hard and was satisfied to hear a crack come from the shoulder. Just enough to hurt, but not enough to break. The signature move still worked.
Rod dropped the man on the pavement and stepped back. Four down, one to go. He was about to retrieve his knife but froze when he heard a gun cock and a cold piece of metal against his head.
The last man threw Lightning down with a shove. He landed next to Bobby who had deposited Cal onto the ground. The two watched in horror as the almost execution-like scene took place in front of them.
"On your knees," the thug hissed out. Rod could feel the gun barrel shaking against his head.
"Do you really think..." Rod started, tone carrying a dangerous edge to it, "that I can't tell the difference," with incredible speed he turned on his heel and slammed the thug's elbow, forcing the gun to the side. "Between the real thing and a pellet gun?" The gun truly wasn't real, and as the thug pulled the trigger it only made a small ping sound. The projectile hit the aluminum garbage can. It pierced into the soft metal, but lodged useless about halfway. Rod grabbed the gun and torqued it out of the man's grip. The latter tried to kick out, but Rod grabbed his hair and slammed the man's head onto his knee.
The thug crumpled to the ground, out like a candle during a rainstorm. The racers were watching in shock and awe, even Cal, despite feeling little dizzy. Rod calmly took the chamber from the gun and emptied the pellets onto the ground so that they fell around the thug like little hailstones.
He'd dealt with these guys before, even taken their real guns from them. Some people would never learn.
"Roddy!" Bobby was the first to say anything. "You saved us."
"What did I tell you about walking through here?" Rod dropped the gun and the empty chamber on the leader's chest.
"Well... Yeah... But that was amazing!" Bobby looked at his older brother in complete admiration.
"How did you do that?" Junior asked, sitting up with an arm around his stomach.
"Are you a secret agent?" Lightning questioned excitedly.
Rod sighed a long-suffering sigh. He wouldn't get through to any of these idiots at the moment.
"I used to be," he admitted, reaching down and pulling the knife from the big thug's shoulder. He cleaned it on the man's shirt before flicking the switchblade closed. The man knew better than to say anything and shuffled away from Rod and the racers, holding onto his injured shoulder.
Cal sat up with a groan, rubbing his head.
"You missed all the action, Cal," Lighting said.
"I saw it," the Dinoco racer murmured. "It was like something out of a dream."
Lightning and Bobby hauled Cal up and the four looked shakily at the men around them.
"Are we just gonna leave them here?" Junior asked as Rod turned to walk off the way he had come.
"You can call the ambulance if you want," Rod replied, unbothered. Lightning sent a quick text to the non-emergency number, but then the group tagged along behind Rod. Cal was still shaking, his close call with death still fresh in his mind.
They reached the house. It was actually in relatively good shape, considering it had been empty for several years.
"Is someone else here?" Bobby dared to ask, seeing a red car parked outside the single garage. Rod
didn't answer but opened the door.
"Ah, Redline," an accented voice greeted them. "Finally found them, did you?"
The racers followed Rod into a sparsely furnished living room. Three chairs and a couch were all that remained amid the piles of boxes lining the wall. The boys saw a dark haired man sitting on the couch as the they entered.
"Leland," Rod greeted. "This is my stupid brother and his idiot friends. Leland Turbo." He nodded to the man by way of introduction and ducked into the kitchen, leaving the racers with the stranger.
The group glanced at the Turbo, wondering if his demeanour was as curt as Rod's.
"Leland Turbo," the man smiled warmly. "And I know who all of you are."
"Uh... how do you know Rod?" Bobby asked a little awkwardly.
"Work acquaintances," Leland explained. "We were introduced by someone you may know," he glanced at McQueen. "Finn McMissile."
Lightning's face immediately brightened.
"You know Finn?" he asked, taking a seat on the couch.
"Yes, actually," Leland's demeanour was far warmer than Rod's and the racers realized they were quite comfortable around him. "We met at the Academy. He met Redline during a little altercation overseas I believe, and he introduced us some time after the World Grand Prix. Quite the appropriate friendship as both of us were retiring at the time."
"So... both of you were spies?" Junior asked, sitting down on one of the chairs.
"Yes, those were our jobs. I can tell you that mine was MI6, although I'm afraid I can't disclose Rod's
organization... He likes to keep such things close to the vest."
While his three friends listened eagerly to Turbo, Bobby slipped into the kitchen. Rod had put the kettle on boil and four mugs were on the counter next to the hot chocolate tin. Bobby watched his older brother clean the knife properly in the sink before pocketing it.
"Aren't... you guys having some?" He asked, making his way over to the mugs.
"I'm not thirsty," Rod replied. "And Union Jack over there only drinks tea."
Bobby laughed lightly, which earned a smile from Rod.
"Hey... I'm really sorry, Rod," Bobby finally said, looking at his brother, apprehension twisting in his stomach. It wasn't always easy between the two of them. Rod was close to 20 years older than Bobby, and they were technically only half-brothers. Bobby didn't know what had happened to Rod's father, only that Rod hadn't stayed with them after Bobby's Mum remarried and they had moved to Lansing. Bobby was born afterwards. His parents were still together and while Rod respected Bobby's father as a good man, he wasn't close to the family. Besides, his job didn't encourage it.
"You're ok. That's all that matters," Rod finally looked towards Bobby, who allowed himself to beam just a little bit.
"Thanks again... You were great back there," some admiration slipped into Bobby's tone.
"Well, someone's gotta take care of you," Rod grinned. "Bunch of idiots."
"So... that means no horrible punishment, right?" Bobby asked, getting the milk from the fridge as Rod poured the hot water into the mugs.
"Oh, there'll be a punishment alright," the veteran agent said, putting the kettle back in place. "But you'll find out tomorrow."
"Roddy..." Bobby whined, hating it when his brother put him in suspense.
"Supper will be here soon," Rod replied. "So why don't you just enjoy the night while it lasts and listen to Turbo's ridiculous stories."
"They don't sound ridiculous," Bobby took two mugs, while Rod took the other two.
"You haven't heard them all yet," was the muttered reply. "And he over exaggerates."
Bobby gave one mug to Lightning and kept the other for himself while Rod gave the others to Junior and Cal. The colour had returned to the Weathers' kid's face, and Rod nodded, happy that he wouldn't have to take him to the hospital or something. He wasn't exactly scared of Dinoco, but didn't want to go toe to toe with the billionaire. It would be a hassle Rod didn't want to deal with. Same with the Hudson Hornet, come to think of it.
"So, you see, Finn's always been the smooth one at the job, but it takes a special kind of skill to go undercover, isn't that right, Rod?" Leland had the entire room's attention and Rod rolled his eyes.
"Right," he replied.
"Anyway, because of that I usually go in first, you know, to sort off check out the situation and make sure it's safe for the cavalry to arrive. It doesn't always work so smoothly and there's been a few times when our sources were quite wrong, let me tell you..."
Rod went back to the kitchen and leaned against the door frame, watching his brother and his friends drinking hot chocolate and looking totally mesmerized at Leland's story. He'd call the towing company later to find out what had happened with their rental, but for right now he was just to content to watch.
Tomorrow, they were going to clean the entire house from top to bottom. Every window would be shining and every corner polished. But for now... For now they could just relax. And so could he.