Chapter 6
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Talk about a dream
try to make it real
You wake up in the night
with a fear so real
~Bruce Springsteen, Badlands
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He thought he might be hallucinating.
Everything else that had happened to Lightning McQueen these last couple of days seemed like they might be an hallucination at least. Strange trappings in a truck, being chased by possibly psychotic bikers, almost taking fatalistic jumps over a gorge. And learning that your most hated race car competitor, and a well known jerk to boot; was actually sticking to his word.
But through dazed eyes, this was apparently what Lightning was seeing.
It was dark outside, although Lightning couldn't recall when nighttime had actually occurred. And peering out into the dark, through the still‑broken garage door, he could see Chick moving toward him, at a steady pace. Like maybe he wasn't in a rush, but also wasn't keen on being too slow about whatever he was planning on doing, either.
As the car neared, Lightning vaguely realised that Chick was, quite simply, exhausted.
Lightning tried to move forwards, but remembered dully that he was unable to. It was about all he could remember. At least up to the point where he had been knocked out. Everything after that was hazy; though there was a distinct unrest about his bonnet. Like something inside of him had gone wrong.
He thought he should be concerned, but instead he felt far too sleepy.
Even as Chick finally reached him, he could feel his eyes drooping. He wanted to sleep. Sleep was needed. It was nice...
"Hey, rook! Rookie,"
Chick's sharp voice dragged some reluctant response from Lightning;
"Uh...what? What is it? Chick?" of course, he knew it was Chick. But he needed some proof that this wasn't just some elaborate hallucination, after all. As far as he knew, hallucinations didn't actually have the intelligence, nor even the ability to answer back to you.
Not that Lightning thought himself an expert on hallucinations, or anything.
"Chick? Is that you?" he mumbled again.
"Of course it's me, stupid," there was a nervous laugh in Chick's shockingly tired voice, but Lightning couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to bode the green car's expression.
He muttered; "Oh...you came back,"
"Sure I did," Chick sounded like he might be scowling, "Jeez, what did they do to you, McQueen?"
Lightning felt a careful nudge against his side, but was still too sleepy to be bothered by it. And besides, he was still trying to comprehend the fact that Chick was actually here. And...and he'd come back.
"You came back," he repeated, feeling a bit feverish.
"Uh, yeah, you already said that." Chick said, sounding much more concerned than he did annoyed. "Listen, McQueen. Wake up. Look at me."
It was trying, but McQueen managed to open his eyes. He found himself nose to nose with Chick. Chick was looking at him through wide eyes. They seemed larger and darker against the moonlight. His mouth was set in apprehension.
Lightning, despite his dazed and confused state, knew that the sight of a concerned Chick was actually a very shocking one. And it snapped him out of some of his daze.
He blinked, trying to focus.
"Chick...I...I'm sorry. I don't feel so good..."
"What did he do to you?" Chick asked.
"I...I don't know." Lightning squinted his eyes, trying to think properly. But still, his mind felt foggy and disorientated. "He...the truck. He knocked me out...I don't remember anything after that..."
"That's okay, you can tell me later, kid," Chick was speaking quickly, and Lightning watched through half closed eyes as the green car quickly backed around to his rear.
"Where‑ where have you been?" Lightning asked, through his dim consciousness, feeling he owed Chick something in the way of a question. Anything to contend the groggy feeling that had encumbered him.
"I've been driving." Chick replied at once, "and I've found a gas station. It's pretty far off, I've not really checked it out, but I'm sure we can get there before daylight."
"Was nobody there, to get us help?"
"Not that I could see, but I think there's some fuel. So we'll be good for that." Chick said. He seemed anxious.
Lightning nodded, but didn't think Chick had seen it. He closed his eyes, then felt a sharp shove against his rear. It rolled him forwards and he blinked his eyes open.
"I‑I'm moving." he stammered, looking at the ground in disbelief.
"Yeah, you are," Chick sounded breathless yet amused. "You're some super car, McQueen."
Lightning knew it was sarcastic, but he also knew, in the back of his annoyingly disjointed mind, that Chick was offering a strange kind of comfort.
He thought he should probably be grateful for that.
"Are...are you pushing me the whole way?"
"Of course." Chick said, "how the hell else are we gonna get outta here?"
As they moved out of the garage onto the rough ground, Chick was able to pick up speed, and Lightning was slightly more alerted by the gentle wind falling against his windshield. He opened his eyes fully and felt his senses slowly, but surely beginning to return to him.
"Chick...where...where were you all that time?"
"Keep it down, McQueen," Chick said, and then added; "I told you. Trying to find us a stop‑off. And I did."
"Oh." Lightning felt foolish, unsure of what to say. He also felt hideously embarrassed of his current situation. Now that his sleepiness was beginning to subside, the full mortification of what was happening to him was put into perspective.
Chick was pushing him along.
And though they might be travelling to safety, Lightning wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to cry.
"This must be pretty funny for you," he mumbled at last, knowing, and not caring, that he sounded childish.
"What?"
"You know, doing this for me. When I'm all helpless and engine‑less."
Chick snorted; "You think I'm enjoying hauling your rear end along, McQueen? I can't say it's the highlight of my life."
Lightning scoffed. "When we get back, you'll be spreading this around like anything. I know you, Chick. You'll milk it for all it's worth."
"Well, your constant whining isn't doing much to convince me otherwise, rookie. And what else am I supposed to do? Did you want me to leave you?"
"Well, it's what I expected!" Lightning snapped, and then felt all movement cease around him. It took him a few seconds to realise Chick had stopped pushing him.
"Why are you so cut up about this, McQueen?" Chick was half sneering as he rounded to face Lightning. "I'm doing you a favour, here."
"A...a favour? You..." Lightning could feel his anger deflating. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he blinked up to Chick, who looked unguarded and exposed against the moonlight. He suddenly recalled the brief shock of seeing Chick look anxious, concerned for him, back at the garage.
As the realisation dawned on him, Lightning voiced it, full of confusion; "You...why did you come back for me, anyway?"
Chick looked at Lightning, eyes flashed wide for a second before he composed his face into irritation. "Why not? I said I would, didn't I?"
"Yeah. You did."
There was a short silence, in which neither car did anything but stare at each other; their expressions quite unfathomable. Lightning was determined not to look too awkward about it.
"Anyway, I couldn't bear to go win the Piston Cup without seeing you lose," Chick said at last.
"That figures," Lightning said heavily. And then wondered if it was the reason after all. Suddenly he felt very tired. "I guess I'm just...just a little shaken up about things."
Chick raised a windshield. "Shaken up about what? What did that truck do with you?"
"I don't know," Lightning said, suddenly remembering the odd sensation puttering about his innards, under his bonnet. He felt a little sick. "Did it really take so long to find a station?"
Chick's eyes widened momentarily, then narrowed; "I figured it'd be safer to travel in darkness," he said coldly. "Sorry if that upsets any other brilliant rescue plans you had in mind."
"I‑"
"Forget it, McQueen." Chick said, and then eyed Lightning more critically. "Seems to me they tampered with your engine. You had all the symptoms earlier. Drowsy, little stupid. Course, that's pretty much the norm with you, isn't it?"
"Funny." Lightning wasn't in the mood. He scowled; "And yeah, of course they tampered with my engine, genius. Otherwise I wouldn't be getting a tow‑ride with you, would I?"
Lightning regretted the words when he caught the insulted look on Chick's face. "Hey, listen. I didn't mean that."
Chick didn't look convinced. He seemed to roll his eyes, but instead of turning full circle back to Lightning, they lingered up; at the dark sky.
Lightning took a deep breath‑ "look, I'm sorry. I'm just...really tired right now." he hesitated, then continued; " and... I'm sorry I doubted you. You said you'd come back. And you did. So...thanks. For that." he felt awkward, but dared to keep his glance on Chick anyway.
Chick was frowning. "You don't have to apologise, McQueen."
Lightning felt a little foolish. Chick seemed to be great at turning a vaguely meaningful moment into something very meaningless. He sighed as Chick manoeuvred forwards;
"We'd better get moving again. The sun'll be coming up soon, and we're not even half way there yet."
Lightning looked ahead of him bleakly; "just how far did you drive?"
"I don't know. But hauling you along slows it down a bit, y' know."
Lightning could not detect any malice in Chick's voice, only weariness, so he decided not to respond. Instead he watched with the remains of humiliation welling up inside of him as Chick turned to his rear, and pushed him once again.
The pace was very slow, Lightning realised. Now that he was completely back to his senses, things seemed harsh and brutal once more. It was all very well that Chick had come back for him, but they were not out of the woods, or the wilderness, so to speak, just yet.
Chick had been very vague about this stop‑off station, having not even investigated it properly. Lightning wondered why he felt apprehensive about it, but was not so apprehensive as he was about being pushed along by Chick Hicks.
This certainly did rank as his most embarrassing moment ever. All past embarrassments forgotten.
Lightning closed his eyes tight for a brief moment, gritting his teeth.
"Hey, McQueen," Chick spoke up, sounding considerably brighter than Lightning felt. "How're you holding up?"
"Okay," Lightning said dismally.
Chick laughed, and Lightning gritted his teeth together harder.
"That's the spirit, McQueen."
"You're never gonna let me live this down, are you?"
"Ah, it's not so bad as all that," Chick sounded dismissive. "I'm sure they'll be much more interested in the whole car‑napping than the whole being‑pushed‑along‑by‑me thing."
"Oh," Lightning groaned. "So you are going to gloat." and he wondered why he seemed to build up such tiny hopes on Chick Hick's with a bitter grimace.
"Only a little," Chick said as if this might be a great comfort. "Until I get bored."
"Great,"
Chick laughed again; this time more openly and with no spite that Lightning could recognise. Despite himself, Lightning grinned.
"Well, at least we're shot of those freaks," he said, suddenly more grateful that he was in Chick's company after all.
"Yep." Chick conceded, "and hopefully at the Piston Cup by this time tomorrow."
Lightning rolled his eyes, but laughed anyway; "that's all you ever think about, isn't it? Even in near death situations."
Chick snorted, sounding somewhere between amused and defensive, but didn't say anything to argue it.
"It's just a cup, you know." Lightning said, recalling the Docs‑the Hudson Hornets' words with vivid recollection.
"Yeah, but it's the Piston cup." Chick's voice was full of enthusiasm, and Lightning was amused by it.
"Take away Piston, and it's just a cup."
"To you, maybe." Chick was not wavering. Which was what Lightning had expected; he knew that tone well enough. Hell, he could relate to it.
"Well what is it to you?" Lightning asked, not just for the sake of boredom. He actually really was intrigued.
Chick didn't reply for a short moment; Lightning guessed he was thinking about it. When he eventually did answer, he sounded quite serious, and for some reason Lightning longed to see his expression;
"The Piston Cup's the thing...you know...you get that, you know you're somethin' special."
Lightning didn't need to say anything.
He knew exactly what Chick meant.
"That's what my old man always said, anyway. He was a race nut. Just the same." there was a distance in his voice, like maybe he was daydreaming, dwelling on a childhood Lightning had no business to know anything about.
As odd as it was, Lightning suddenly felt like he might be intruding on something. But maybe that was just because he'd never heard Chick talk like that before. And it sounded alien and weird to him.
"Um. So you were close with your dad, huh?" he had intruded before he could help himself.
Chick's reaction, although Lightning had half‑expected it, still did not soften his disappointment.
"Wh-Does it matter? This ain't a getting to know you situation, you know."
"Fine." Lightning pursed his mouth. Chick could be so uncompromisingly defensive, it was a wonder anyone had ever gotten to know him. Properly.
Lighting found himself wondering if anyone really had.
Lightning saw himself mirrored in that moment. Because, even though it was frightening to admit, he knew that Chick wasn't too far separated from himself. He supposed he'd always known it really, and all for the desire of a silly cup.
Difference was, Lightning wasn't really like that anymore. True, he could see where Chick was coming from, but it wasn't enough to go back. Time spent in "hillbilly hell" did things to a car.
Lightning chuckled to himself; imagining Chick being trapped in Radiator Springs, with Mater.
"What's the gag?" Chick sounded prickly, and maybe a bit tired.
"Nothing. Um, nothing." Lightning coughed back the rest of his giggles.
There was more silence between them, save the low, unmistakable rumble of Chick's Buick engine as he pushed Lightning along. Funny how Lightning was getting so familiar with with that thing now. And how easy it was to find himself wanting to hear it.
It was weird and uncomfortable, but Lightning was finding it all a little easier the longer they traveled.
"Did your folks want you to get into racing, huh?" Chick asked. He sounded genuinely interested.
Lightning considered. He always had a well worn answer to this; it'd come up plenty of times in interviews.
"Oh yeah. Well my dad did, anyway. My mom's always been a bit of a nervous wreck about it. Worried that I'll end up in some big crash," he smiled softly as he recalled her anxious face in his mind. "I'm always telling her not to worry though. I mean, I'm Lightning McQueen, right?" it was rhetorical. Lightning didn't expect Chick to agree after all.
"Right." Chick was definitely smirking. "I wish she could see you now, McQueen."
"She can't stand you, you know."
"Really?"Chick sounded quite pleased.
"Yeah. She says you're a dirty cheat. And your tactics are lowdown," Lightning hoped that Chick was getting the idea that everyone else thought that too.
Even if he was getting it, he was still sounding amazingly pleased with himself about it;
"Well. Everyone knows my reputation, rookie. It's great your mom knows me and all,"
Lightning knew Chick was winding him up; "You think it's great that everyone thinks of you as the dirty cheat?"
"Hey, all publicity is good publicity, McQueen."
There was a smugness in Chick's tone, and Lightning knew he was being baited. He wasn't going to fall for it though. For one thing, he wasn't going to stoop to such lows, but for another much more important thing; he was still feeling unwell, and simply did not have the energy for argument.
For all Chick's ignorance when it came to sensitivity, he seemed to catch this.
"You wanna call it quits for the night, McQueen?"
"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Okay." but there wasn't much of the night left, Lightning realised as he gazed up at a purplish pink sky. Dawn would be here soon, and the two of them would be horribly exposed with it.
He thought of the garage, the truck and the bikers they'd left behind with a shudder, and then saw that they'd stopped moving. Chick had veered round to face him, and although it was dim, Lightning was quite shocked at just how tired the other race car looked.
Chick descended low to the ground, his suspension creaked tellingly. The only part of him which seemed to hold any sort of focus were his dark eyes, and he was looking at Lightning with intent.
"You better get some kip, rookie. Those bikers'll be looking for us."
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Lightning didn't bother to backtrack on the concern which etched his voice. "You look exhausted."
Chick shifted a little, his mouth curving up a bit; "What do you expect? I've been hauling your rear end around all night, haven't I?"
Lightning snorted, but felt compelled to return Chick's smirk. "I'll never forgive you if you spread that around, Chick. Seriously."
If he could visibly shrug, Chick probably would have; "what's to lose? We're already enemies, McQueen. And I think it's sweet revenge,"
"For what?"
"For that bashing you gave me the other day,"
"You bashed me up too!"
Chick grinned lazily. "yeah, okay, I know. Sorry about that,"
Lightning blinked, shocked by such a random apology from his racing rival. He might have questioned it, but the thumping ache in his bonnet sidetracked him, and he winced.
"You alright, McQueen?" Chick said at once.
"Not really. I'm still all achey."
Chick rose on his axles, and looked like he might press forward, toward Lightning for a second, but then he slumped back down again, and just settled for looking awkward.
Lightning raised a windshield. "What? What is it?"
"Huh? Uh...nothing. Nothing." Chick said hurriedly, his eyes widened. If he didn't know better, Lightning would have thought he was embarrassed. "I was just thinking I might be able to see what's wrong. In your bonnet, I mean. But it's probably best leavin' it to the professionals."
Lightning wasn't sure what to say, but he was pretty sure Chick was referring back to the garage, when he'd suggested checking Lightning's bonnet then.
But still, it was alarming and sort of nice that Chick was being so considerate. Perhaps more alarming than nice, actually, and Lightning wasn't sure what to make of it.
He was still weary of Chick, because acts in the recent past were just that. Recent. And Lightning couldn't honestly fathom why Chick had bothered coming back for him anyway.
He chanced a quick look at the green car. Chick had turned a little to the side and was looking in the direction they'd come; probably keeping an eye out for the truck and his biker cronies. He seemed guarded and spiky, and Lightning knew that Chick wouldn't take pressing questions very nicely when he was so anxious and tired.
He supposed he could save it for another time. It wasn't like they'd be parting ways anytime soon.
Instead he said;
"So, you never told me about your dad."
"Huh?" Chick's eyes fell back on Lightning, quizzical. "What?"
"Your dad. You never told me about it. Did he want you to get into racing?"
Chick looked like he might argue, but in the end, even he seemed to realise it was pointless. He spoke with resignation;
"Yeah. My old man was a real go‑getter. He was always tellin' me to be the best. That's how he got me into it," he paused, as thought observing a memory, "He'd get me practisin' everyday. On the dirt tracks."
Lightning nodded. A small part of his mind was realising that this was why Chick seemed to have an edge when it came to driving on the dirt, but the much bigger part could recognise a strange flicker of emotion on Chick's features. Lightning was surprised to understand that maybe racing hadn't all been Chick's idea in the first place.
"So...your dad was the one who got you into it?"
"Uh‑huh. I guess." Chick's nod was slight, petulant even. Whatever, he didn't seem interested in pursuing the subject. He gave Lightning a short glare; "and yours? I bet it was all your idea, right?" a vaguely knowing grin crossed his grill.
"Yeah. As far as I could remember, I always wanted to be a race car."
Chick's grin quickly disappeared into a hardened frown. "Yeah. Well you were lucky, rookie. I mean, when you're built like that." he raised a tire in way of gesturing to Lightning. "What else could you have been, really? A milk truck?"
The bitterness in Chick's voice was enough to pull Lightning out of his own feelings of vague comfort around his rival. Well. He knew it was too good to last. This almost nice‑car act just didn't suit Chick Hicks at all.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked with exasperation.
"Nothing. Forget it." Chick said quickly, and then turned away. "Go to sleep, McQueen. We're gonna set off again in an hour or so."
"Right," Lighting didn't bother to hide his frustration. Some small part of it was due to the fact that he was still pretty helpless, and was having to rely on Chick and whatever vague plan he might have in mind to get out of this mess.
But mostly he was just so tired.
He closed his eyes, but found himself not falling into instantaneous sleep. Instead he found himself wondering about fragments of conversation. Stuff which shouldn't really detract from direly needed sleep, but did anyway.
Why was Chick being so unpredictable? Unpredictably nasty, unpredictably nice. Lightning thought he could handle the nasty; that was what he generally thought of Chick, after all. But he was completely stumped when it came to the nice.
Because despite being an enigmatically terrible car, Chick had still rescued him from the garage, and pushed him all this way. He'd still saved him.
It was so confusing.
Eventually, Lightning was granted his sleep.
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Chick's tires hurt the most. They had acquired this almost constant burning sensation, which sadly did not want to disappear even when he settled for just sitting there, doing nothing at all. Besides that, his engine felt odd and tender inside of him. He pushed it to the back of his mind, though. Like he'd been doing with most things just recently.
He hadn't thought too much on the garage, and whether or not the bikers might be after them right now. He hadn't thought much on his demented escape from the garage, or his mad race across the wasteland, until he'd reached a small, closed off station.
But now, in the quiet of very early morning, Chick was given all the time he didn't want to think about these things. And now he was having doubts.
The station he'd found; it'd been small and abandoned. Thinking about it now, he wasn't even sure there would be any fuel available for them, never mind a handy mechanic.
And if that was the case...
Chick didn't like to think of the consequences.
Not too far from him came a low murmur, and Chick turned his attention to the red car. Lightning was sleeping; but his face was fixed into anxiety.
Chick didn't blame him for that.
He'd been shocked at his own apparent concern for Lightning McQueen. And he knew he'd never felt such concern before. Not for anyone, and certainly not for a stupid, naive rookie.
But now he had, and with it he could recall vivid images of McQueen looking ill and hopeless in the garage, and Chick had been frightened for him. He still was, and maybe he was just trying to make himself feel better. Trying to amend for when he abandoned Lightning before and left him to the bikers.
Well, that had been a stupid plan, and heartless to boot. Chick would admit that now. Certainly not to Lightning. To hell with that. But he'd admit it begrudgingly to himself.
Because he'd never realised how unbearable guilt might be.
He let go a shuddering sigh, and sank low to the ground, taking care not to fall into complete sleep. He kept an eye on the distant horizon.
As the sun began to rise, the burning sensation in his tires became a little more tolerable.
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