-Intermission-

In secret, Sally had been twitchy and irritable since the first day. In public she hoped she was presenting a calm and diligent front. Like some stupid, uppity cop Sargent, who knew what his job was and knew it wasn't professional to be getting emotional.

She wasn't a cop, and she had damn good reason to be getting emotional, but she hadn't at all.

Only now, with Doc's voice on the other end of the phone, did emotion finally engulf her. And it was such a weird moment to suddenly feel emotional, too.

"Lightning's been found. As far as we know, he's alright,"

She cried and found Flo at her side comforting her.

She'd stayed at Radiator Springs through everything. It helped to be busy, running the Motel and not having to think about things.

Of course she always was, and she was always worried. The first day Mac had called and she'd known from his voice things were wrong.

"What do you mean, he's gone missing?"

"I checked up on him that night, just after his stint in the bar, and he was gone. I'm sorry, Sally. I don't know where he is."

"Well, maybe he's just got stage fright. This is the last race of the season."

She'd known she was grasping at straws already with that one. Lightning never got nervous about races. Especially not Piston Cup Races. He wouldn't have missed it for the world.

"Are you kiddin'. He wouldn't have missed it for the world." Mac confirmed what she already knew. "Nah. I'd rule that out, Sally,"

"Then what would you suggest?" Sally couldn't help the coldness which reached her tone. Mac wasn't being very helpful, and Lightning was missing...

"Well, I doubt he's took a ride with anybody else, but there is one interesting thing that's come out of this,"

"What?"

"Chick Hick's has gone missing too,"

"Oh," Sally said hollowly. She didn't know much about Chick Hicks. Only that he was boxy and green and a dirty cheat. And Lightning didn't like him very much at all. "Well. Do you think he has anything to do with it?"

Mac responded in a conspirative voice; "well, it's all kinda fishy, isn't it? Our Lightning goes missing the same time as his old rival? I'd say Chick might have plenty to do with it,"

Sally scowled. She'd known racing could be a stupidly competitive sport, and insanely immature with it, but this was just ridiculous.

"What? You mean he'd actually kidnap Lightning?"

"I wouldn't put it past Chick. Actually, I wouldn't put it past anyone. We all know Lightning is hot favourite to win this year, and-"

"-Mac, have you been in contact with Chick's crew?" Sally asked as patiently as she could manage.

"Nah, not yet. I can try, though. You want me to?"

"Please,"

Sally replaced the phone with a worried frown. Her thoughts were dotted and mixed, considering all the terrible things a dirty player like Chick Hick's might have done to Lightning. Who knew anyone could stoop so low.

"Argh. Racing can be so stupid," she wheeled round and met the enquiring faces of Flo and Ramone.

She told them what had happened over a few cups of Gasohol which mostly made her feel more worried and also a bit sick.

Maybe it was all just worry.

Whatever it was, she rolled around Radiator Springs in pointless circles before Doc turned up. Doc was comforting and kind faced, and Sally appreciated him more than anything when he gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure he's just gotten side-tracked. He's a young un'. He's got to make his mistakes."

"Mistakes?" Sally blinked. Doc's words didn't really match the comfort of his face.

"Well," Doc looked awkward, which was strange on his wise face, "Racers, young racers especially, they get a bit wild sometimes. Believe me, I had some crazy times back in my day. Always on the road, sometimes it was nice just to break lose and freewheel."

"Break lose? Freewheel?" Sally was more confused. She did notice Fillmore and Ramone nodding in a very enthusiastic way though.

"Sure," Doc said, " some nights, they were real blurs. And the next mornings were always brutal. Course, they taught me some good lessons," he chuckled gently, and looked like he might be recalling a fond memory.

Sally decided it was perfectly horrendous, and she glared;

"You're telling me...you're telling me Lightning is missing because he's gone off and gotten wasted?"

Doc coughed awkwardly, which still refused to suit him. "it's just an idea. Wouldn't you rather it that than anything else, Sally?"

"What else?"

Doc's face resolved into seriousness. "Well any number of things could have happened to him."

His voice was cool and quiet, and suddenly Sally was more afraid than she'd ever been.

"What do you think has happened to him?"

Doc didn't look at her, his eyes fixed the floor; "I can't say. But whatever it is it obviously can't be good. We know Lightning's favourite to win the cup, and-"

"It's just a cup!" Sally cried. "Didn't you say that? Didn't you tell Lightning that? Why would anyone do anything to him?"

"I don't pretend to be in touch with the younger generations, Sally," Doc said softly. "Heck, even in my youth we didn't risk half so much on the track as the cars do these days. They're wired different. They think different. That Chick Hicks, for example-"

"Hicks!" Sally glowered. "He's missing too,"

Doc raised a windshield; "yes. I heard about it,"

"Well?" Sally didn't mean to be rude, but her patience was being tested by panic as well as annoyance; "don't you think it's suspicious? Don't you think he might have something to do with it?"

Doc seemed to consider; "it's a possibility, Sally."

His tone was patronising and painfully unconvincing, and Sally felt like she was floundering in thick oil. Nobody, not even Doc, was going to tell her that Lightning was alright. And who was she to expect it? Nobody knew.

But she still had her doubts and fears about one Chick Hicks.

"Chick's a nasty piece of work, but I don't think even he'd go to such lengths."

Strip Weather's, otherwise "The King" to his many faithful fans, looked solemn and honest on the television screen the next morning.

The general media were good at rousing up a good story, and most were in on the idea that Chick might have kidnapped Lightning. It was shocking and disconcerting that the King didn't think that way.

After everything, especially.

"But Strip, he almost killed you last season. How can you defend a car who has caused you such trauma in the past?"

Strip snorted; "hardly trauma, son," he addressed the enthusiastic interviewer, "Chick's just a bit too spirited sometimes. Not always a bad thing on the track, you know." he hesitated and then; "Can't say I know him personally, but I'm pretty certain he ain't a murderer."

The statement was met with murmurs and not much else. Sally had watched it from the small comfort of her motel room.

Strip Weathers was respected and kind-hearted. He hadn't been competitive in his last days on the track, and he'd always been kind and courteous, Lightning had told her.

Staring at the television screen, Sally made up her mind to go visit him.

It was evening before she reached his home, which was large and grand looking. Only to be expected of an old Dinoco Sponsor, she guessed. Not that she'd pretend she knew anything at all about racing.

"Nice to meet you, Sally," Mrs Weathers had said sympathetically, and had talked a bit about how much she respected Lightning, and hoped he turned up soon.

Sally had nodded her thanks, and couldn't do very much else. She hated to think properly about it, never mind talk about it, right now.

Strip Weathers was handsome in an aged sort of way, Sally could see. And when he sat in a homely looking lounge infront of an old TV set, blaring out old videos of black and white races she couldn't help but be intrigued.

"That's you?" she addressed the car that lapped about a track, and it looked smooth and expert even with crackles of old tape marred over it.

"Oh, hello Miss Sally," Strip greeted with an easy smile. He nodded; "yep. Sure is. Showing my age a bit now, aren't I?"

He grinned, and Mrs Weathers rolled her eyes and smiled knowingly at Sally.

Sally barely noticed it; her attention fixed on the tv. Strip's smooth racing briefly jarred, and in a second he was sliding into another car and almost spinning out of the track.

Strip winced. "I was a bit reckless in my youth,"

Sally looked at him, and then back at the wild car on the black and white set. They were the same but different. Sally wasn't sure what she thought anymore. Racing was a confusing, frustrating business, it seemed.

She swallowed and gaze him a quizzical look; "excuse me?"

"In my youth, I wasn't especially careful on the track. Actually, I was a bit of a pain," Strip explained, and Mrs Weather's gave him a nudge in the side. He smiled at her and she smiled back at him, and it almost hurt Sally. It reminded her too much of Lightning.

"Yes, he was quite the wildcard back in his day," Mrs Weathers laughed. "Course, he got it out of his system in the end."

Sally nodded, and smiled thinly. She wasn't sure how this was supposed to help or comfort her.

Strip looked warm. "See, Miss Sally, what I'm saying is, if this'll put your mind at rest about any small thing at all, I don't think Chick Hick's has anything to do with it. Whatever's happened to Lightning McQueen, it's probably happened to Chick too."

Sally thought it was a bit extraordinary that Strip seemed to consider any sympathy for Chick as well as Lightning, after what had happened barely a year before.

She nodded gratefully, but it did very little to ease her mind. She knew nothing would, not until she saw Lightning safe and well again.

"Oh honey, please don't worry too much. Your Lightning will show up good and well real soon, I'm sure." Mrs Weathers said.

"Thanks," Sally nodded, but left the Weathers' home more confused than assured.

Not even Mater, who was always there at Radiator Springs, and always keen to encourage her to keep positive, could cheer her.

"Maybe they got kidnapped by them ah...um, UFO's? You know, I hear about them a little while ago. Think I mighta even saw one just last night, when I was out tractor tippin,"

"I don't think so, Mater,"

She knew he was only trying to help, as was everyone else. And now everyone had lumped Lightning and Chick Hicks together, and she didn't know what to think anymore. For all she had heard about Chick, she prayed he had not been behind Lightning's disappearance. She couldn't even begin to imagine what a nasty piece of work like that might have done to Lightning if it was true.

"Sally, you still there?"

"Oh, yes. I'm here, Doc." Sally spoke into the receiver. "Lightning...he...he's alright?"

"Yeah. And it's all flashing up on the news. Copter's everywhere. I don't know where the heck he's been, looks like some wasteland, pretty far from here."

Flo moved to switch on the Diner TV, and Sally waited with baited breath as an inexpert news camera panned over a vast gorge. She didn't breath until she saw the speck of red. The camera zoomed jerkily into it, and then Lightning was in full view, and he looked dirty and tired. His eyes were wide and shiny, and he was saying things nobody could hear. Whatever it was, he looked upset and desperate.

Near to him was the green car.

"Sally? You want me to come with you to pick him up? He might still make it for the Cup if we can get him fixed up in time,"

Sally kept staring at the screen. "You're sure, Doc? He looks...they look like they've been through something."

"Well, we'll see how he is when we get to him, then."

Sally nodded. "I'm just glad he's...he's alright," her voice quivered, and that was when she had cried.

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