A/N: Next day of dares! Sorry about making you wait for so long… I had a bit of a writers' block, and I was focusing more on IRII and AAP. Anyways, one car (or two… or three… or a lot depending on the chapter) will be eliminated in each section from now on, so just a warning for rooting for anyone… it'll be kind of like the Hunger Games, though I didn't like that book all so much. Oh, and this is before Undercover, I've concluded… just thought I'd point that out. I did miss out on putting characters into the game… if you have any suggestions for mid-game entries, I'll be happy to consider them :).
Reviews:
Christine317- Sorry, I kind of had to kill him off… I needed to demonstrate what happens when you break a dare, and I sort of wanted to put the "cake or death" thing in there :P.
DancingKitKat- Thank you :).
SnowyWolfGirl56- Hehehehe… so do I :P.
Transformers 0 (Guest)- Glad you're enthusiastic about it!
Thank you to everyone who gave me ideas… I do have an issue with the Finn/Holley pairing that's anything more than forced by the dares, and I'm going to make a rule that any male/male or female/female kissing will not appear in this story. I have nothing wrong with the idea, but I am not comfortable writing about it. Sorry about that. Any others will probably be used at some point, so thanks!
Hope you like this!
It was dawn, and Sarge and Fillmore awoke to a beautiful red-and-pink Arizona sunrise with music and bickering, as usual. The town and its forceful residents slowly awoke, gathering at Flo's for breakfast, only to find that the gas pumps were dry. This time, Ramone found the note inside of the door to the café.
Cars,
As you can see, there is no gas in this world as of yet. Your job is to find some oil and make it yourselves. The car that finds and refines the oil first will be spared from the game today.
Good luck,
The Writer
"Well, we all know who's going to end up doing that," Lightning said sarcastically, gesturing to Miles.
"I don't know Arizona like I do England!"
"I do," Holley said, starting up her computer, "I can just scan the area from above, if my calculations are correct."
"You don't need calculations to fly and scan the town, sweetheart," Flo said gently, "Just go!"
Holley rolled her eyes, smiling, and extended her wings to take off, starting her jet engines. "It would probably be a good idea if one of you followed me just in case anything happens,"
All of the regulars of Radiator Springs knew what she was referring to—soon after she had begun visiting on a regular basis, she had discovered the horrible plots cacti had for any and all newcomers; she had lost her footing on one of the dirt roads and took a turn too hard. It took almost a whole day to get all of the spines out of her after that. She was too scared to go into the wilderness without someone with her, even if she was flying.
"I'll go," Miles piped up.
"Not without me," Finn said, "You're still a criminal."
"An' me!" Mater joined in, "I know this place better than any o' you."
"I think we have our party now," Holley said, starting her jet engines and hovering just above the ground.
"Don't take off just yet, Miss Shiftwell," Finn said, "We should stick to the roads starting out, then if we get to an area where we can't drive, you can fly. We need to preserve our fuel."
Holley retracted her wings with disappointment and led the group into the desert landscape, scanning the ground every few feet or so, not paying attention to any of the others. After an hour or so, the full heat of the Arizona sun began to take effect. Holley's internal thermometer read 95 degrees, and was steadily climbing throughout the time the small party was exposed to the intense heat.
"Um, Mater," Holley asked, "You wouldn't happen to know of an oasis around here, would you?"
"The only water 'round here is back at the town," Mater said uncertainly, "Why?"
"Not all of us were built for Arizona," she said while quietly gesturing to Miles, who was straggling behind the rest of the group. After a couple of seconds, the intense heat was too much for his engine to handle, and he fainted, landing on his side.
"I recommend we leave him behind," Finn said with a smirk.
"That's not very nice," Holley scolded, "Someone needs to go back to town and find some water."
"I'll go," Mater volunteered, "Be back in a minute…" he looked around, "Maybe a little more than a minute…"
"We can't go anywhere until you get back, so hurry!" Holley encouraged.
"Who says we can't go anywhere?" Finn asked playfully, "We could just leave him there."
"I say we can't go anywhere!" Holley said, annoyed, "Criminal or not he's still a car."
"Fine."
The two spies waited for only about 15 minutes when Mater came back with a bucket of water on his tow hook. He quickly whipped his cable around front, successfully dumping the contents of the bucket on the green SUV.
*sputter, sputter, gasp, gasp*
"Oh, good, he's alive," Finn said sarcastically.
Miles glared at Finn, "Shut up." He somehow made his way upright, but was still unable to restart his engine, so he reluctantly agreed to have Mater tow him.
Suddenly, another bright white light lit up a distance away, and Holley was able to scan the source, but there wasn't a trace of anything that could get them back home. "I suppose I'm going to be the one to go check it out…" she said without waiting for a response. Reaching the area, she saw… another note.
Cars,
That was probably the funniest thing I've seen in a while, keep it up! The oil's right below this note, and I know you know how to refine it, or at least a couple of you do. Feel free to play the game sometime… it must be today sometime, but you may begin after you've had a chance to rest… not naming anyone in particular. Don't forget to have fun—this game isn't just for me, you know.
-The Writer
"Well, they helped us, at least," Holley said, "I'm guessing the Writer was talking about Mr. Axlerod…" she turned to look at him, as Mater had put him down for the time being.
"Of course it was talking about me," he said, annoyed, "I doubt you have the equipment unless it's really close to the surface," he analyzed, unsure of the terrain.
Finn took the slight cue and scraped the surface of the ground to test it to see if it was close enough to just dig. Sure enough, about an inch down, there were the telltale signs of oil. Within minutes, the rest of the town had been notified; with Miles instructing most of the mission, to everyone's annoyance, they were able to make enough gasoline for all of the cars stranded in the alternate universe.
Several looked around, wondering who would be taken out of the game for the day, when a bright white light appeared in the sky, swirling around several of the cars before settling on Finn, becoming brighter and brighter before disappearing, along with the metallic blue car. In his place was… another note.
You didn't think I would let an oil baron take an opportunity like this? Finn's the one to actually find the oil under the ground, so he's free for now. Don't worry, he'll be back tomorrow—he's not dead.
-The Writer
"Lovely," Miles said, annoyed, "It was too good to be true."
"Yep," Holley replied, driving in the direction of the town, "Come on, Mater."
Mater followed Holley, almost like a puppy, towing Miles as well. Being at the start of the group, he was forced to stare back at the rest of the cars, most of them chuckling or trying to suppress laughter. Icy glares soon fixed that.
The group finally got settled in Ramone's shop for the next round; however, several of the cars had a plan to eliminate one in particular as fast as possible.
"Anyone willing to start?" Lightning asked the group, causing a commotion among most of the group.
Francesco revved his engine as loud as he could, the whining high-pitched undertone causing the room to fall silent. "Francesco will-a go," he declared, "Sir Axlerod, truth or dare?"
"He's not a knight anymore…" Holley corrected.
"I was going to say the same thing," Lightning added, glaring at the now TARDIS-colored Range Rover.
"Me again? Fine." He thought for a minute, not sure which option to take. There was no way he'd tell the truth, but with a dare… there could be less possibility of losing some of his little remaining pride. Of course, it didn't matter either way. "Dare."
The group let out a collective sigh of relief. Their plague would be over soon. "Francesco dare-a you to-a start your engine," he said, narrowing his eyes.
Miles looked frantically around, wondering if he could get away with not participating in the dare. The white light reappeared, beginning to swirl around him, and he gave an attempt to start his overheated engine. With a small clank, it came to life, causing the light to disappear.
He smirked a little, glancing at the other three lemons, "Just one of the tricks you learn, I suppose."
"How long did it take you to figure that out?" Zundapp asked harshly, "It's obvious when you overheat often enough."
"Doesn't matter," he replied quickly, "It's my turn now. Mater, truth or dare?"
"Dare!" he said excitedly, still weary of the villain, but still happy he was included in the game. "Wha do ya want me ta do? Ah can drive backwards, tip tractors, and ah can even fly!" he said, demonstrating his backwards driving skills and running into Holley.
"Ow!" she said in shock, backing up a little, "Mater, not inside!"
Miles realized what to dare his enemy to do, "I dare you to be quiet for the rest of the game."
Mater fell silent and quietly went back to his spot in the circle. Someone pushed a piece of paper towards him, and he wrote out the car's name he chose to dare.
"DJ. TRUTH OR DARE?" he asked in somewhat sloppy writing.
"Dare!" he replied enthusiastically.
Mater thought for a moment, and then began writing.
"YOU HAVE TO WATCH A CD BE BROKEN. NO CLOSING YOUR EYES."
DJ muttered something under his breath, but ejected one of the discs he carried with him. "It's classical, anyways," he said.
"Why do you have classical music?" Boost snickered.
"I didn't choose truth," he replied defensively. There was a reason why he didn't… too many embarrassing facts about himself could damage his gangster reputation.
"Hm… I think I'll be the one to break this," Sheriff jumped in, rolling over and directly onto the CD on the floor, grinning.
DJ winced, not closing his eyes but trying his hardest to look away. "Tell me it's broken enough," he begged.
Sheriff harshly stomped on the CD once more. "Now it is."
He stared at the broken disc, horrified, but he managed to divert his eyes away from the carnage long enough to pick his target. "Yo, copper, truth or dare?"
Sheriff looked annoyed at the blue road hazard, unsure of what to choose. Surely he'd have something completely disgusting for a truth question, but if he chose dare he'd be risking the sanity of the town. Looking around, he noticed several differences in Ramone's shop alone. This wasn't the town he was supposed to protect. It didn't matter. "Dare."
"Yeah! Dare ya to let all of us graffiti your police station," he said smugly.
"Guess I don't have a choice," he said, accepting the dare.
"Awesome!" Boost said, leading the group out of the building. All was quiet for a minute; Sheriff was doing all he could to keep from chasing after them. If he did, he was sure to be eliminated. It's not my town, he repeated to himself, it's some crazy dream… must have been something in my oil. Wait… if I chase after them, I'll wake up!
"I can't take it anymore!" he said, speeding out of the building with his sirens on. There was a flash of bright light, and he was gone. However, there was another note in his place. Inquisitive, Holley drove over to read it.
Cars,
I'm leaving way too many of these notes for you. I just wanted to let you know that all four of the Delinquent Road Hazards have been eliminated. DJ's dare was to let them grafitti the police station, not when or if he had to watch. Please specify when you are to complete the dare and other specifications when you state it- it makes it a lot easier for me to determine the rules and if they have been broken. Also, enough of you have been eliminated today, so you can stop playing now.
-The Writer
"Oh, thank goodness," Holley breathed, "That's four villains less."
The cars orderly exited the building, rationing the gasoline for the night. They were all too confused and tired to care about anything but sleep, which seemed to be the only constant in this world, and most were in their dwellings before the brilliant pink and red sunset decorated the Arizona sky, the beacon that the day was over and they would be safe for another day.
"Where am I?" Finn demanded to know. The dark space around him seemed endless, and he was floating. It was almost like he was in space, but it didn't feel like it to him. After all, he had been there before.
"You got the pass," a female voice echoed in the darkness.
"For what?"
"Finding the oil in the desert. I couldn't make it too hard for you, after all, there's only so much time in a day."
"Why are you doing this to us?" he asked, wishing he could activate one of his guns, but they seemed immobile.
"It's a long story, actually."
"Well, I don't exactly have anything else to do."
"Alright, fine," she said sarcastically, "In my world, you're all fictional characters. I'm writing a story with all of you in it, hence my name. I liked the original story you were in, so I borrowed you for this story. Lots of others are going to read it when I'm done, too."
"You're insane!"
"Sorta, not as much as some other Writers I've come across. Just trust me, I can't even bear to kill off characters."
"Is that what happened to-?"
"Leland? Yes. Oh, I could tell you so much; this is getting really interesting, but of course I can tamper with your memory as well, so most of this never happened. I'll let you keep some of it, I guess, but it could interfere too much with the story. Let me think about it for a while. You still have a few hours here, or until whenever I write the next chapter, so we'll see."
Finn said nothing more, as he seemed fearful about this entity. She seemed to exercise so much control over the situation, yet none at all; he wondered how much she really did control.
A/N: So, what did you think? Hate to say it, but Leland shouldn't have died, in my opinion. Keep sending dares, and some truths, too, because I can't think of very many at the moment. Also, I guess I could tell you about a deleted scene I couldn't fit in. DJ's full name is Devon Montgomery Johnston III :P. Thanks for reading, and again I'm sorry for the long wait. I had writer's block on this one for the longest time.