Lightning McQueen was parked outside his new racing stadium, lost in admiration.
"Hey buddy! Wanna go tractor tippin'?" Mater rolled up beside him, his expression looking hopeful.
"Ah, Mater? It's the middle of the day." Lightning reasoned, gesturing with a front tyre.
"Um…Stickers!" Sally pulled up in a rush. "There are some new cars down at Flo's looking for you. Maybe fans of yours wanting a race?"
"Fans? I'd better go check it out! Sorry Mater, maybe some other time!" without waiting for a comment, the race car sped off down Main Street.
XXX
"Over here good lad!" a pale green race car called out from the café. Lightning drove up proudly.
"Ah, you're the esteemed American racer Lightning McQueen, correct?"
"Um…okay."
"Splendid! My name's Fletcher and my colleague Gerald and I were hoping to engage your attention in a little competitive excursion."
Lightning looked downright confused and slightly ruffled. "Was that English?"
"British my dear boy!" Fletcher exclaimed in a slightly offended way. "We hopped across the pond to give you yanks one for eh?"
Lightning still didn't understand but decided to turn his attention to the other competitors. "What about you guys?"
"We have also come for a challenge." A green car with a heavy Spanish accent replied.
"Alright then welcome! The more the merrier!"
Without further inquiries, the cars lined up along the main road and the race was on! Lightning had to admit, Fletcher was a pretty good racer and surprisingly fast and he certainly didn't make it easy for him at the start. However, once he found his groove, Lightning left them all in the dust!
"Kachow! It's great being me…" lost in his own world, Lightning never expected what took place next. He never saw the sleek black form or heard the shrill wail of the siren until it was too late.
Without warning, something big and heavy slammed into him with such force, that it sent him clear off the road.
"Ow! What in the world…?" out of the corner of his eye, Lightning managed to make out the distinctive shape of a police car, even though what he saw was only the silhouette as his attacker had immediately retreated to the cover of some nearby bushes after the hit and run.
When the race car had finally found his voice, he uttered, "Sheriff…is that you…?"
The police car stared coldly at him for what felt like an eternity, then growled deeply and sped off into the vast desert, leaving Lightning staring at the cloud of dust in disbelief.
XXX
Lightning sped as fast as he dared back into town. He had to find Doc Hudson and tell him about his terrifying encounter.
Suddenly, a shrill siren pierced his thoughts, followed by a casual, "Where do you think you're going son?"
The race car slammed on his brakes and screeched to a stop. Oh no…
"Do realise what speed you were doing boy?" Sheriff drove around in front of the stunned race car, glaring at him threateningly.
"Um…please don't hurt me!"
"What are you talking about son? You got sand in your tank or what?"
"Ah…"
Suddenly there was a screech of tyres and the squeal of a powerful engine as a huge cloud of dust came barrelling towards them. Lightning thought he could make out a vibrant black paintjob but the identity of the vehicle remained hidden and unknown.
"Hey stop you delinquent road hazard!" as the black cloud shot past them at a ridiculous speed, Sheriff instinctively gave chase and seemed to forget about Lightning altogether.
"Okay…see ya."
XXX
Later at night, the resident cars of Radiator Springs were parked outside Flo's V8 diner, discussing each other's day.
"Ahhh!" a sharp scream drew all their attentions to the main road.
"Mater?" Lightning ventured.
"Help! It's the Ghost Light! It's gonna get me!" the tow truck wailed, driving at an astounding speed towards his junkyard. In fact, he missed the entrance altogether and ended up ploughing into the wire fence, taking it with him like a bulldozer.
The other cars just exchanged glances with one another before cracking up with laughter.
During this commotion, Doc slowly rolled up to them, looking rather concerned. Everything went silent.
"Has anyone seen Sheriff?" the old car inquired.
"Hey that's right man. Sheriff's always here by now…" Ramone stated blankly.
Suddenly there was a terrifying wail coming from the mountains above the town.
"What in Chrysler is that?" Sarge demanded frightfully.
The siren sounded again, closer and more mournful than the first one.
"Hey, maybe that's what freaked out Mater." Lightning guessed and trembled on his suspension violently as he recounted his own encounter earlier in the day.
"I think we should look into this tomorrow." Doc whispered more to himself than to the others.
XXX
The next day, Radiator Springs was unusually quiet and still. Lightning was with Doc, discussing the bizarre events of the previous day.
"Who or what could have been making those terrible cries last night?" Lightning asked in hushed tones. "They sounded almost…evil."
"What makes you come to that conclusion?" Doc countered suspiciously.
The race car realised that he still hadn't told anyone about his frightening ordeal in the desert. He hesitated, then tried his best to explain. "Well…I kind of ran into someone, or rather he ran into me in the desert yesterday. At first I thought it was Sheriff…but I'm not so sure now."
Doc was staring at him in interest. "Did you get a good look at this car?"
"Well, it all happened so fast…I…I just caught a glimpse of the silhouette. But it was unmistakeably a police car…only he seemed bigger and darker than Sheriff."
Doc remained silent the whole time. Lightning's description was disturbing and made his motor go cold. "It can't be…" he uttered quietly to himself.
XXX
Later that day, the cars were assembled outside Flo's café again.
"Mater, what happened to you last night?" Lightning asked out of curiosity.
"Someone was chasing me through Ornament Valley! I thought it might have been the Ghost Light, but Ghost Light don't go wheeoo…wheeoo…"
"He tried to get you too?" Lightning gasped, unaware that everyone else was staring at him with strange expressions. Almost on que, a big black police car casually drove up to the group.
"Who's that?" Luigi asked in a hushed voice. No one had ever seen a car like this before; he was a monster of a police car but more slender in build than Sheriff. Also he was completely black, unlike Sheriff who was black and white and he had a long scar down the side of his hood, which bore signs of a hard life and possibly torture.
The newcomer gave a sly glance towards the stunned audience around him as he rumbled to a stop.
"And who exactly are you?" Sally asked unnervingly.
The police car gave her a motor-chilling stare before he snarled, "I am known as Ravage. I bring some grim news of your resident law enforcement officer…" he trailed off, letting the pause linger just for the sake of seeing the others in suspense.
"Yes, what happened to Sheriff?" Doc inquired anxiously.
A wicked smile spread across Ravage's grill as he continued, "It appears he doesn't have the audacity to label himself as a police car. In other words, he's a wimp because when the going gets tough he decides that the only solution is to leave town for a while until things just 'fix themselves'.
The nasty 'cop' smiled evilly as a chorus of gasps went around the shocked group. It can't be true! Sheriff always took his job very seriously and dealt with trouble effectively. He would never dessert us like that, not without telling someone first. It just didn't make any sense.
Finally, it was Flo who dared to break the awkward silence, "Wait a honk. How do you know about this and why did you come here apart from informing us about this rumour?"
Ravage beamed at this and coolly replied, "Word gets around fast when you're a police car, and I've heard cops from all over the county gossiping about your 'Sheriff'. So when I got the chance, I came out here to see whether the rumours are true and I witnessed him in the act with my own eyes. Luckily, I'm here to resume the task of keeping this town safe and to ensure that you folk get what you rightfully deserve. I promise I will not mislead you all like your cowardly Sheriff has."
Silence hung over the cars, everyone completely awe stricken and upset.
Ravage wasn't intimidated and seemed to enjoy the grief and distress he had caused. Then he added in his raspy and strained voice, "I will leave you all to your own devices now and take a drive around this town so as I can become familiar with the local surroundings."
No one dared to object as the strange police car pulled out of the gas station and slowly headed towards the northern district. But halfway down the road, he suddenly stopped and called back, "I hope you're all aware that I work solely at night as my paintjob blends perfectly into the darkness and therefore my victims never see what hit them…"
The other cars didn't make a sound and exchanged nervous glances with each other. Only Doc and Lightning seemed to know something about Ravage that the others did not and it troubled them deeply.
There's something about him that isn't right…the race car mused. For some disturbing reason, he couldn't help feeling as though he was staring at the face of pure evil…
XXX
Lightning had agreed to meet with Doc in his garage early next morning to discuss a major issue; Ravage. Now as the race car drove in sluggishly, he found Doc waiting eagerly.
"You alright? You seem to have something on your mind." Doc asked with concern.
Lightning looked up sharply as if the question had startled him and hesitated before he answered, "I know this is going to sound crazy Doc, but Ravage is evil. I just know."
"He wasn't always that way kid." Doc replied sadly as he turned his gaze to the ground.
Lightning certainly hadn't expected that response! "What do you mean? You know him?"
"Well, sort of. I've never seen him personally for myself until now, but I have heard about him. A long time ago, even before I became the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, it was said that there was a police car like no other. He was unbelievably kind and loyal, and his entire life was about always giving and never asking back. He also had the privilege of working in one of the most beautiful places in the world; the Rocky Mountains…" Doc trailed off as he was struck by a wave of sadness.
"What happened to him?" Lightning asked eagerly.
"It was said that one day the unknown ones came, not cars like you and me, but giant metallic creatures whom towered above us and caused destruction and terror wherever they went. Anyway they captured that police car when he tried to make a bold stand against them, and they took him away to where no one knows for months perhaps years. Somehow, he came back but he wasn't the same anymore, he has no memory of his past life; the unknown ones had corrupted and twisted him into a monster who strikes terror and pain wherever he goes. His fellow cars have put a label on his hood and since then on, he has become known as Ravage the deceptive police car."
Lightning had been listening attentively the whole time and now he knew the truth. "I hate to say this Doc, but Ravage was the one who attacked me that day in the desert. He wanted me to wreck or something."
"Yes, Ravage chooses his victims carefully and appears to take a pick on some cars for no apparent reason. I fear that he has singled you out and if the rest of the legend is true, he will not stop until he witnesses your downfall."
"That's just great! You mean he'll keep shadowing me until he manages to kill me! Why Doc? Why doesn't Sheriff try to stop him like he would stop someone else if they posed a threat to us?"
Doc slowly turned and rolled to the back of the garage, then he replied with his bumper to Lightning, "Kid let me tell you another story. Before he was taken away, Ravage had a deputy named Secka. She was the complete opposite of what Ravage has become. She was almost purely white apart from some black along her sides and hood and some say that she couldn't hurt a bug. Anyway as time went on, Ravage and Secka's relationship grew stronger and stronger, and eventually the result of their love was…Sheriff."
This last sentence caused Lightning's grill to drop open in disbelief. "You're saying that Ravage is Sheriff's father?!"
Doc turned back to face him and nodded solemnly. "Yes, but Lightning you must promise that you won't tell a soul. Only you and I know the truth about Sheriff's dark past and it's a painful fact that he has to live with."
Lightning nodded respectfully and vowed, "I promise Doc. But what exactly happened to Sheriff and his mother once Ravage returned as evil?"
"It was a painful and difficult decision but Secka made the only choice she could to save herself and her son. When she found out about Ravage's ambitions, she and Sheriff drove as far away from Colorado as they could. No one knows what happened to Secka afterwards, some say that she broke down somewhere in the wilderness whereas others claim that Ravage caught her and brought about her end, but Sheriff wound up in Radiator Springs where no one questioned him about his past or how he ended up so far from home."
"That's so sad." Lightning commented and that's when a serious problem surfaced. "Doc, what are we going to do about Ravage? As long as he's around no one will be safe."
"I've been thinking about that and I do have an idea, but it's quite dangerous. Are you willing to play a part in my plan?"
Lightning gulped as images of his first encounter with the deadly vehicle flashed back into his mind. But he realised that he had no choice, Ravage had to go. Nodding he whispered, "Okay, what's the plan?"
XXX
Ravage froze in his stealthy driving and listened. He thought he'd heard a rattling engine somewhere behind him, but seeing no one turned his attention back to his duty. He was currently stalking his prey from high atop Willies Bute and was unaware that he was being watched himself.
Below, Lightning was petrified but pretended that he was unaware of Ravage's presence and held his ground. It was all part of Doc's plan but it was extremely dangerous as he knew what a determined police car was capable of. Suddenly a large rock fell from above and Lightning had to tighten his brake cables to the point of almost snapping them to keep himself from bolting away.
Up above, Ravage growled triumphantly and choosing his moment carefully, launched himself off the Bute. Lightning barely managed to move out of the way before the police car came down on top of him. Then he put the pedal to the metal and raced off as fast as he could, Ravage in hot pursuit.
Because it was around midnight at this time, Lightning found it increasingly difficult to find his way around as he didn't have any headlights like his pursuer. On top of this, Ravage had superb night vision, as most police cars are active at night and could see perfectly even without headlights.
The chase was short but more intense than any race against Chick Hicks had ever been, and the young race car soon found himself cornered in a one-way canyon. Ravage screeched to a stop in front of him and prepared to deliver the killer blow. "This is where it really ends hot rodder, there's no escape from me now!"
"No! This isn't how the plan was meant to go!" Lightning stammered, his suspension shaking violently.
"Plan? What plan?" Ravage snarled savagely. Suddenly a whip-like sound penetrated the scene and before the cop car could react, a very sharp hook snagged him under the bumper bar and lifted his rear section high into the air, leaving him balanced awkwardly on his two front tyres and dumping his grill into the ground.
Mater looked in his rear-view mirrors and proudly admired his tow hook and cable. "Hey buddy! Look at what I done caught!"
"Great fishing Mater! I knew I could count on you!" Lightning drove up to Ravage until they were almost grill to grill and added, "Well, well. Looks like the hunter has become the hunted!"
Ravage hissed and snapped his jaws threateningly, "This was a trap! You tricked me! Wait till I get my teeth on you, I'll be sure to throw you and your delinquent tow truck friend into jail until it rots on top of you both then I'll move you to a new jail and let that rot on you as well!"
"Promises, promises…" Lightning teased and gave the 'bad cop' an undignified smack on the hood with his tyre as he drove past. "Say Mater, are you up for some tractor tipping? It sure looks like a perfect night for it."
"Yeah why not. I gotta feeling Frank and bad Sheriff will get along just fine…"
"Frank? Who's Frank?" Ravage demanded suspiciously.
"You'll see and I guarantee that you'll like him because he's really nice and loves visitors." Lightning informed and winked at Mater, who was unsuccessfully trying to stifle his laughter.
Then without further inquiries the two friends set off towards Ornament Valley, Ravage being painfully dragged along on two wheels.
XXX
"Okay, okay my turn!" Lightning sneaked up in front of a sleeping tractor and revved his engine loudly. The tractor let out a startled "Moo!" and capsized, emitting a fart-sound followed by a cloud of smog. The tow truck and race car went into a laughing fit and seemed to forget about Ravage. Ravage reminded them.
Still snagged on Mater's tow hook, he let loose a sharp wail of irritation and leered, "You are going to have to let me go sooner or later and then we'll see who's laughing!"
Mater appeared offended by this and countered, "Now hold on there. I ain't done yanked anyone's bumper off in a long time…I think."
This statement successfully silenced the evil police car. Meanwhile, Lightning had managed to tip five more tractors. Suddenly their fun was interrupted by an enraged "Mooooo!" and snort, signalling Frank's arrival.
"That's Frank." Mater informed and the two friends sped off in a rush, dumping Ravage in the process.
"You'd better run you hooligans!" the cop car snapped before turning around and coming hood to plough bar with the massive Combine Harvester, who was steaming with rage and making threatening gestures with his formidable plougher. The police car had obviously never encountered a Combine Harvester before, so naturally he wasn't intimidated…at least not at first.
"What are you looking at tractor face? You don't scare me! I'll take you on after I deal with those two delinquent road hazards, so I dare you to hit me with your best shot…"
Frank couldn't believe how much this car could babble and ramble on! Snorting in irritation, he retracted the spikes on his plough bar and gave the annoying one a mighty blunt barred smack, which resulted in a yelp of surprise from Ravage and succeeded in sending him flying clear across the field!
Safely outside the gate, Lightning and Mater watched in amusement as the poor cop car sailed through the air like a football and landed at the far end of the field with a 'THUMP! BANG! CLATTER!'
"Dad gun! That's gotta hurt!" Mater exclaimed.
Ravage got back onto his tyres in a daze. He sure wasn't expecting that! A loud and angry "Moooo!" cut into his thoughts and he looked up in time to see Frank charging at him from across the field again!
Snapped back into reality and fully alert once more, the police car's siren emitted a pathetic shriek of alarm and he bolted through the gate, Lightning and Mater having barely enough time to move out of his way before the terrified cop rammed full speed into them. Then, making a sharp turn onto the main track, Ravage headed towards the interstate, shouting manically, "This town is insane! You're all a bunch of hooligans!"
The two friends merely burst out laughing as they watched Ravage grow smaller and smaller until he was only a black speck in the distance. It was probably no wonder they received such a shock when a shrill siren went off behind them. Bravely, they both whirled around and to their relief, saw Sheriff (their Sheriff) slowly approach them; his expression was a blend of impressment and shame.
"Sheriff there you are! Where were you all this time?"
"I've been hiding out here in Ornament Valley…" he paused and lowered his gaze to the ground. "I'm sure Doc told you all about my connection with Ravage. I was so certain that he'd never find me here but I guess I underestimated him. Anyway, when I saw that he had come, I had no choice but to leave."
Unlike Lightning, Mater had no clue as to what was going on. "Say what's going on around here?"
Sheriff flatly stated without looking up, "I'd rather not talk about it." Then he added in a concerned voice, "You didn't hurt him too badly did you?"
The question slightly surprised Lightning but he understood the reason behind Sheriff's concern and replied truthfully. "I don't believe so. Frank gave him a blunt smack…it was more of a mock charge rather than out of any desire to do real damage."
Sheriff nodded and said, "Well that's good to hear. I doubt that he'll be giving us anymore trouble."
Mater still appeared confused but didn't say anything. Lightning smiled with relief and pride. After all, no one else had ever so much as fazed Ravage and they had succeeded in catching him, sending him into orbit and chasing him off. Then the three drove back into town together.
XXX
A few days later, the cars of Radiator Springs were parked outside Lightning's new racing headquarters, eagerly awaiting the grand opening.
"Wow this is gonna be great! I can't wait till they open our new clubhouse!" Mater exclaimed in joy.
"Um…Mater, it's not exactly a clubhouse." Lightning corrected gently.
The tow truck's expression went sad and he whimpered like a dog that's been scolded for misbehaving.
Sighing, the race car quickly responded, "Okay then, it's a clubhouse." This cheered his friend right up again.
As head of the town, it was decided that Doc Hudson would make the announcement and give consent. Now all eyes were on him as he parked himself in front of the entrance.
"I, the Hudson Hornet, now declare this stadium officially opened!" there was a chorus of cheers and honks as everyone lined up to go inside and check out the new stadium. Suddenly the celebration was interrupted by a distinctive siren piercing the air. Everyone froze and instantly turned to look at Sheriff.
"What? It wasn't me." He quoted innocently. The siren sounded again, seemingly from the distant mountains and was long and haunting like the howl of a lone wolf.
"Yep. Everything's back to normal in Radiator Springs." Lightning uttered with a sigh.