Chapter 13
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And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines rolling on
But when you get to the porch, they're gone on the wind
~Bruce Springsteen, Thunder Road
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The journey between the gorge and the mechanic's garage didn't really seem to take place. Or if it did, it must have been some sort of timeslip which consisted of blurry images and noisy commotion. There were hectic flashes of photography and mikes flung in front of Lightning's face countless times, and savage helicopter blades accompanied by tinny voices in radio speakers that sounded familiar. But still too far away to be very important.
Lightning McQueen couldn't think about anything but the green stock car.
Eventually those tinny radio voices were fleshed out into forms that Lightning might have been glad to see at any other time in his life. Doc, Mater, Mac and of course Sally were flocked round him as he was whisked away to the nearest mechanics.
Lightning only managed to catch the slightest flash of green metal, before Chick was taken out of sight, leaving him to fret and worry a little bit more.
"Lightning, are you alright?"
Sally's voice was calm and warm, and Lightning felt like he should have been grateful for it. But the stupid green car was still bumping the front of his mind, as it was want to do on the track too.
"I-I'm okay,"
It wasn't an odd thing to experience as a rule. Lightning had felt concern and turmoil a few times before, mostly after he'd jarred with another car on the race track and worried he might have caused a bit of damage. But this was different, and Lightning's mind couldn't settle on anything other than Chick Hicks.
"Is he...is Chick alright?" he answered Sally's querying face. She still looked worried, and he loved her for it. Everyone else; Mac, the Doc and Mater, looked vaguely confused.
Sally shook her head shortly. "I don't know anything about it, Lightning. They took him in a little bit before you. I think he's still being seen to, in the other room."
Lightning glanced at the door and bit his lip. If Chick was just in the next room, he could go see him, and make sure he was alright...
"Whoa, whoa. Hang on there, son,"
Lightning felt a terrible grating on his axle, and then he realised he was one tire short. He rolled his eyes at the mechanic who was surveying his engine.
"I feel fine. Look, can you just let me see-"
"Lightning, you're not fine. You've just been down a gorge," Sally said.
"But I feel fine," Still he lowered to the ground and settled for frowning at the clinical white wall in front of him.
The mechanic probed about his rear and generally made him feel uncomfortable for a few minutes more before examining his front, under the hood. A little smoke exited it, which made Sally utter a small noise, but the mechanic just looked intrigued, and quirked a windshield.
"Is it serious?" Sally asked.
Despite feeling altogether okay, Lightning's gut clenched, and he awaited the mechanic's answer with baited breath.
"Quite the contrary, actually," the mechanic said.
"What do you mean?"
"This motor, it's in excellent condition. Looks like it's been newly fitted, actually."
Lightning snorted. The mechanic did look pretty young. Clearly inexperienced and had no idea what he was talking about. He looked to Doc for a better verdict.
"That's impossible. That motor was fitted a couple of seasons back." Doc said. "I should know, I was the one that did it."
The mechanic shook his head at Doc. "No. This is definitely a newly fitted motor. I'd say...no more than a few days old, actually. Look, you can even see all the new wiring."
Doc peered round to look under the hood, and Mac, Mater and Sally did the same, making Lightning feel like a naked spectacle at best. He was also betrayed by all four of their agreeable expressions.
"It does look pretty new, Stickers,"
"Well, I..." Lightning paused. He didn't mind accusing a strange mechanic of being stupid, but Sally was different. She knew her engines, and she knew her motors.
Shifting in his confusion, Lightning gave the mechanic a questioning look.
"I don't know how it happened, then. I guess, maybe-" his voice trailed off as possibilities suddenly flooded his mind.
Yes, he'd definitely never been aware of having a new motor fitted, but did that really count for anything after these past few demented days? If he thought about it, Lightning supposed he'd been unconscious for a good chunk of his car napping jape with Chick.
And Chick...Chick had been...there.
That was a dumb thought. Of course Chick had been there. The obnoxious green car had been there when Lightning hadn't wanted him to be there, and then when he definitely had.
When he definitely had.
Chick had been nasty, and rude and terrible, but he'd also been there. And he had helped Lightning.
Lightning blinked, feeling something faintly like an epiphany. And then something like a flashback in his mind; of looking hesitantly in Chick's hood, and finding a motor there. His motor.
"This isn't my motor," Lightning realised aloud.
"Excuse me?" The mechanic stared at him.
"This isn't my motor," Lightning repeated, more certainly.
"Of course it is, Lightning," Sally frowned. "It's inside of you. Whose else could it-"
"It's Chick's. Chick gave it to me,"
"What?"
It made sense, Lightning knew, and he wasn't put off by the incredulous looks he was getting from both mechanic and girlfriend.
"Chick swapped the motors. He replaced mine with his, cos he knew it was in better condition." he explained.
"That's impossible," the mechanic said. "cars, normal cars, they can't perform complex operations like that."
"I'm not saying that," Lightning glared. "We stopped off at a garage on the way back, and there were some road cars there who helped us. He must've...when we...he must've got them to swap the motors there..."
"What? Why would he do that?" Sally looked confused.
"I-" Lightning tried to remember. Anything, something, of what had happened, just before he'd found himself safe at the road cars abandoned garage.
But he knew and remembered only that he'd been unconscious. He remembered being completely immobile and the bikers looming toward them, and then Chick saying he was going ahead, to get help.
Then Lighting remembered incredible pain, none like he'd ever felt before in his motor. A sort of burning, and even surreal thoughts of death in his mind. He'd moved with what he thought and perhaps knew was the last of his engine power, and had burnt it out.
The next thing he'd known was awaking in the comforting dimness of a strange garage. And then there had been a bunch of friendly road cars surrounding him, looking pleased with themselves. And Chick was there too, and he'd explained that the road cars had fixed him up really good and he should thank them.
Lightning had, and that had been the end of it.
"Lightning?" Sally's voice brought him back to the present. Reminded him he was safe now.
"Oh," he mumbled, and was barely aware of her, moving to his side.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Mm. No, not really." Lightning shook his front.
"What is it?"
"I...it's just...I need to see Chick."
Sally looked at him with an understanding expression. "I know you're worried, Lightning, but you can't-"
"It's okay," Lightning more felt his voice than heard it, soft and weak at the back of his throat. He moved forwards a bit, but was once more reminded that he was short one tire. "Please, Doc. Can you fix me up? I only need to get to the next room."
"Lightning..." Sally started.
"Please," Lightning repeated, resolving to offer her a patient stare. She'd understand, she was Sally and she cared about him.
"I...I don't understand," she said. "You two can't stand each other. Why would you swap motors like that?"
"I..."
Lightning wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't possibly, even if he was sure. He couldn't exactly explain how he'd come to worry and think about Chick like he might do a friend.
Because Sally wouldn't understand, and nobody else would either; Mater and Mac included. They all knew Chick Hick's was a nasty piece of metal, and they all knew, they all thought that Lightning hated him. It was exactly as Chick had told him it would be...
They couldn't possibly know what had happened out on the wasteland, when Lightning and Chick had been scared and only in each others company. Lightning wasn't sure what had happened himself, yet he wasn't half so shocked that Chick had apparently given up his own metal hide to save him. Not near so shocked as he might have been before; before all this had happened.
Lighting blinked at Sally. "I- I don't know," he edged to her, and nudged her wing gently. "But..I just wanna make sure he's okay. Alright?"
Mater flanked his side. "Whatever you wanna do. It's alright with us, right?"
Mac nodded, but Doc was eyeing Lightning with a strange interest.
"Are you saying Chick willingly gave you that motor, kid? Chick Hicks?"
"Yeah. That's what I'm saying."
"Well," Doc seemed to consider. "If that's what he did, that's what he did." he peered at Lightning's bonnet again, and a strange sort of surprise crossed his face. He turned to the other mechanic; "is it safe for him to go out there and not get mobbed by the press?"
The mechanic hesitated in his answer, as he rolled to the doorway; "I'll make sure it's all clear,"
Doc nodded, and went about fixing Lightning a new tire. Sally, Mater and Mac watched on, nervous and awkward. Probably they didn't know what to say, but Lightning was too anxious to attempt polite conversation, and he could hear muffled commotion outside the Mechanics.
"Why is everyone here?" he sighed. "They all saw us. They know we're here, what's the point waiting around?"
"Lightning, you're a famous race car. Surely you knew this would happen." Sally said, a bit incredulous. "Don't you remember last time? With all the photographers, and how they whisked you away-"
"-this isn't like last time," Lightning didn't mean to snap, though he knew he had when he caught the expression on Sally's face. "Look, I'm sorry. But this is nothing like last time. Last time I was fine and everything was great. Last time I wasn't busy worrying about some stupid 86 who was too reckless for his own good."
Lighting wheeled out of the room before Doc had barely replaced the tire. It felt loose and shaky beneath him, but he hardly cared. The smallish corridor ahead of him was bathed in white, and there were doors slightly ajar which revealed varying casualties of all variety of Car.
Lightning had never been in a proper hospital until now, and the ominous sounds of electric drills and wielding made his innards turn. As inconspicuously as possible, he rolled down the corridor until he spotted a small collection of photographers, just outside a door. When they saw Lightning they rushed toward him, but he kept moving resolutely through them.
"Lightning McQueen!" one eager interviewer pressed forward. "How does it feel to have been car napped and taken for dead?"
"No comment," Lightning said absently, attention all for the door a little way ahead.
"How do you feel about the theories regarding your racing rival Chick Hicks and his involvement in the car napping?"
"No com...what? Chick?" Lightning flashed the interviewer a confused glance. "Involved? What are you talking about?"
"It can come as no surprise that your greatest rival might be behind some of these events, regarding his own absence, and of course his own track record as a race car in general-"
The interviewer's words rambled and meshed into nonsense, and Lightning saw nothing but angry red for a few short seconds.
"Chick had nothing to do with it! He didn't car nap me!" he struggled to part his way through the feverish photographers and keep focus on the door ahead. "Whatever you've heard is a lie! I should know...he...he saved me!"
It had sounded absurd in his mind, when he was trying to get his head round the obvious fact. But now, when he shouted it before shocked news reporters, it sounded more right and normal than he'd ever imagined in his mixed up mind.
Of course. Chick was his friend. And Chick had saved his life.
"Chick didn't do anything, he had nothing to do with it, so you can all just leave him alone!" he yelled at the flash of cameras. "...and I wouldn't be here without him!"
There were loud murmurs and small squeaks of excitement, and more mikes and cameras were directed on his face.
"Can you give us some details about how all of this unfolded? Anything at all?"
"I.."
"Can you tell us what happened? How did the 86 save you?"
"What...he-"
"Leave the kid alone, you crazy vultures!"
Lightning turned to see Doc, making his way through the press with an irritated face. They all peered at him with awe and immediately parted the way. Of course, he was Doc, the Hudson Hornet.
Lightning smiled weakly; "thanks, Doc."
"Don't mention it," Doc sided up to him appraisingly. "Well. I'm pretty sure I saw them taking Chick through that door," he gestured with knowing eyes.
"Doc..." Lightning started; "do you...you believe me? You believe Chick helped me?"
"Yeah,"
"But why? Nobody else would...Mater, Mac...even Sally. They probably all think I'm crazy. Maybe I am. Maybe I bumped my head on that gorge or something, and I got some bolts loose.."
"No," Doc shook his head solemnly. "None of us think you're crazy, McQueen. It's just a lot to take in, that's all. And Sally's been worried out of her mind for you. We all have. You just go missing one night, and so does Chick Hicks-"
"I guess it does seem pretty suspicious." Lightning admitted to the floor. Who was he even kidding? It had been suspicious. Lightning had thought the same not too long ago.
He blinked back up at Doc.
"Listen, I know it seems weird. But I know Chick's a good guy, really. And he did save me."
"I know." Doc nodded.
"Why're you so sure?"
"That engine in your bonnet belongs to the Buick Regal Model." Doc explained. "And the only race car sporting that model these days is Chick Hicks. Looks like it was fitted especially for the last race of the season, too."
"That's why it seems so new," Lightning realised, and his gut clenched. It must've meant a lot to Chick.
"And don't kid yourself, rookie," the Doc said, more gently. "Most race cars start off as cocky little bits of metal...and grow up a bit after a while, right?"
"Yeah, right," Lightning knew exactly what he meant.
A touch of urgency reached him when the door in front of them swung open. A blue mechanic rolled out with a serious face.
"Chick...is he-"
"Are you friend or family?"
"Ah, erm, friend. I'm his friend."
The blue car surveyed both Chick and Doc for a moment or two, then his severe front softened into a tired sigh;
"He isn't too well. We're doing all we can, son."
"Well, can't you let me go see him? He probably wants someone there, right?"
"Sure. Just be quiet. He's not woke up yet,"
Lightning trembled in his frustration, and reversed backwards. The mechanic moved out, and then Lightning took this chance to weave through the open doorway.
The room was small and solitary, and the first thing Lightning saw was cluttered innards and tangled wires, of which he knew nothing about, all laid out on the ground. Nearby, and making Lightning take a sharp gulp of air, was Chick, who for all appearances, looked like he might just be sleeping.
But his bonnet was missing, and Lightning's engine was there for him to see. Battered and unfunctional. There was lots of oil still dripping round his tires.
Lightning quickly lowered his gaze to the ground, feeling unspeakably rude, as though he might be intruding upon someone else's dignity.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, and wasn't sure why, only that he was.
There was the whine of metal moving.
"Hey, rookie,"
Lightning almost sprung back at the tired but familiar voice, and he stared as Chick opened his eyes, and his smile was clearer than it ever was before, since his bumper was still missing.
"Hey," Lightning didn't know what else to say. He wheeled over to Chick, his own smile quivering and unsure. "I thought you'd...I thought you were a goner, you jerk."
"What?" Chick's smile widened into a smirk. "You think somethin' like a little gorge can finish me off? I told you, McQueen. The old models are still the-"
"-Still the best, yeah, I get it." Lightning finished. He wanted to be annoyed. Instead, annoyingly, he was elated. He laughed, and it was relieved and shaky. "I dunno what you're talking about, Chick. You've been running on my engine," he rolled his eyes pointedly at Chick's exposed bonnet.
Chick blinked, and came out of his weak yet cocky stance a bit, and instead just looked awkward.
"Oh...you noticed that, huh?"
"C'mon, Chick," Lightning rolled his eyes. "when did you think I wouldn't notice?"
"Well," Chick eyed the ground sheepishly. "I was just doing you a little favour back there, that's all." he seemed to consider. "anyway you're pretty stupid, McQueen. I didn't think you'd figure,"
Lightning shook his head. "You're insane. And crazy and incredibly mental."
"Thanks,"
"That's why I like you," Lightning amended. "You're probably the worst friend I've ever made, and I'll regret it forever. But I like you."
"...friend?" Chick raised a windshield, his eyes widened a bit. He seemed to consider the word, then shook his front slowly. "Damn. My reps goin' straight out the window today." his glare was half-hearted, and interrupted by his own wince anyway. "Ah, damn..."
"Hey, don't worry." Lightning said, trying not to worry himself. "The mechanic will be back soon. He just went out to get something," he veered round so that he was at Chick's side. He felt the bare tremble of the green car as he scraped ever so shortly against his side. "You know, that mechanic reckoned you hadn't woken up yet. Pretty dumb, huh?"
"If that's the guy whose operating on me, you're not very comforting, McQueen." Chick said witheringly. His suspension whined as he lowered closer to the ground, and his eyes drooped.
"Operating?" Lightning asked meekly.
"Somethin' about needing to get some spare parts. Said that I'd need some refits as soon as possible. Can't say I really remember it. Man, my head hurts..." even as he spoke, Lightning noticed his voice fading, and he realised Chick really was in a bad way.
"Hey," he nudged the green cars's stickered side. "You can't just drop off like that. I've not finished telling you what a headcase you are,"
"Huh?" Chick cracked open an eye- since they'd already succumbed to shutting.
"You know. With the whole saving me thing. That was pretty stupid. And crazy,"
"Heh. I was just making a point," Chick said, closing his eyes again.
"Yeah, a point about how crazy you are," Lightning laughed, but felt more like he might cry.
Chick mumbled something Lightning did not catch. He sounded more asleep than awake now, and Lightning knew his next words would fall on mostly deaf ears;
"You can't leave now, okay?"
Lightning imagined some stupid, insulting response. Anything would have been better than nothing.
But that was what he got anyway.
He quickly nosed the other car. "Hurry up and get better, okay? You know I've gotta see your gutted face, when I pick up that cup."
Lightning was startled to feel tears pricking his eyes. But the shifting of a door pulled him out of growing upset, and he turned to see the blue mechanic standing there.
"You'd better get going, kid. Before those cameras catch on you're in here."
Lightning nodded, hoping his eyes weren't betraying him. He blinked at Chick. "We were just talking,"
The mechanic was surprised for a tiny moment, then muttered as he observed the green car. "I shouldn't be so surprised. Beasts to look at, but sure are durable."
Lightning was almost tempted to defend Chick, but then he had a feeling Chick might like that description of himself after all.
"Take care of him," he told the mechanic before he left.
8
"C'mon, kid. I think Mac and Mater's attempts to divert the press will be failing round about now,"
Outside Doc was waiting, and alongside him was Sally. She looked upset and happy all at once. It didn't really make sense, but Lightning could understand now.
He nuzzled her front and smiled assurance. "Sorry I worried you, Sally."
"Don't ever do it again,"
Ahead, Mater came reeling round the corner, his eyes dazed and diluted.
"They're comin'! The flashes's, they're a-comin'!"
The merciless cameras came into view, and Lightning took a deep breath, preparing for the probing questions and blinding photos.
In some respects, he still wished he was out on the deserted desert with just an aggravated Chick for company.
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