Chapter Eleven

"Housekeeping," a light British voice said from the other side of the door. Finn exhaled, hiding his weapons.

"Yeah?" Ice asked.

"I'll be back."

"That was strange," Finn said when he was certain the car had driven out of earshot.

"She did that yesterday, too," Ice replied.

"Does this seem unusual to you?"

"Does it seem unusual? Hell yeah, but I can't go stalking everybody just because only one car is out to kill me or whatever. Look, there's only so much a spy can legally do."

"Be careful what you say. Walls have ears."

"Yeah, I know, but this is some hotel. For all anyone here knows, we're gay lovers." Finn's eyes widened and he inadvertantly drifted back a couple feet. Ice chuckled. "Gotcha there, didn't I?"

"This isn't funny, Richard. This situation is extremely dangerous. Montgomery could find us here, or anywhere."

"Maybe, maybe we'll get lucky."

"I'm not taking any chances. I didn't live this long doing that, and you've spent too much time deep undercover. That in itself is a chance, and you think you've gotten lucky and have't been caught yet. Richard, the tuner world has done some strange things to you."

"You have your opinions, Finn, but I can't think of a better idea than to stay here and think of something. I'm not gonna charge off into danger like a rookie, and you know it."

Finn sighed. "The paranoia is getting to us," he whispered, "but something must be done. You're right; it would be foolish to rush in without a plan, but first, we need to assess our current situation. Tell me everything you know."

CARS

Axle stared at the semi-transparent blue muscle car, a million questions rushing around in his mind yet somehow managing to get lost on the way to his mouth. "Jesus Chrysler, I know I got blown up, but I didn't know I looked bad enough to gawk at," Torque said.

"Yep, I'm jet's-in-the-belfry, psycotic, lost-a-few-lugnuts insane," Axle managed.

"You need to shut your brain off, bro." Torque drove across the road, passing easily through a car that appeared to not have noticed him at all. "Hell, I'm amazed you're as surprised as you are."

"What are you...? The last time I saw you alive... Death by torture..."

"In order. What am I doing here? Watchin' out for you. The last time you saw me alive, we were arguing, and then I was called in, and yes, I was turtured and killed." He smirked dryly. "Funny thing about dyin'. Last thing you think aboutis the people you're never gonna see again, or think you're never gonna see again."

Torque turned to stare out into the plain, and Axle followed his gaze. "I'm sorry about what happened," Axle whispered.

"Axle, I'd have done the exact same thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I shouldn't have yelled at you, but I panicked. I thought you sold my secrets to Russia or something while I was hung over."

"I just wanted to know where you went all the time. Of course, now I realize what a mistake it was, but you know kids."

"Especially psycho ones like us."

After a short, shared chuckling fit, Axle asked, "So, if you're a ghost, what's your unfinished business?"

"Axlerod. What else?"

"What about him?"

"Ten bucks says he's working for someone, just based on the sheer complexity of the scheme, but I can't figure out who it would be."

"Maybe you should haunt Finn and Holley for a while. They've got htis theory that their chief is behind it, whatever it is."

"Montgomery?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

Axle shrugged. "The Manufacturer knows."

"Well, we just have to find out." Torque lowered his voice. "I'll be watchin', bro." Axle opened his mouth to ask his brother to stay with him, but Torque disappeared before the first syllable could cross Axle's bumper. He blinked a few times in confusion, idling on the side of the road and staring into space like the crazed car he most likely was.

CARS

"You seem more relaxed," Holley said, turning to look at Electro as he rolled into the safe house's kitchen.

"Well, this place is safe, right?" Electro replied.

"In theory. We could still be found, of course, but as far as I know, this place is reasonably secure."

"They'll find us?"

"Very possibly." Electro seemed on the edge of another panic attack, but he kept his cool. Holley turned to face him more fully. "Our theory is that perhaps deCarteran is working for Chief Montgomery. Does this sound right to you?"

He glanced to the corner and nodded curtly. "Are you gonna get him?"

"We're gonna try."

He nodded again. She looked toward the front door, biging her bumper softly. "What?" he asked.

"My radar says someone's coming," she replied. "Get to the guest room at the back."

He backed up slightly, and she pulled and cocked her guns before anyone was close enough to hear. She called up her mental radar screen, confirming her suspicions. "Get to the guest room," she said again, her tone sharpening. The soft hum of an engine could be heard outside the door, but Electro didn't budge. Holley began to cuss herself out for being naive, but as the sounds of the engine drew closer, she was filled with the sense that time was running out.

The door burst open, and smoke filled the safe house. The sound of one engine multiplied instantly into several engines, and Holley fired into the smoke almost randomly. "Run," she called, hoping Electro heard.

Finn had told her to make sure she and Electro got out alive. The sounds of the engines moved around her, and she repeated her order to Electro, who instead drifted closer to her. "Where are they?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter. We're leaving." They cut through the haze to the door and turned to the right. Twenty feet from the safe house, the haze cleared, and Holley glanced in her mirror at Electro. In the cloud behind him, she could see several sportscars in pursuit. "Go, get as far as you can, and whatever you do, don't stop." She turned toward the sportscars and opened fire. In her mirror, through her peripheral vision, she could see Electro speeding off.

The sportscars returned fire, and she drove backwards, relying on her mirrors fifty percent of the time and using the remainder of the time to focus on firing the sportscars. One of them fired a lucky shot, jamming one of her guns and almost forcing her to spin out of control. She used her momentum to turn herself around and sped off after Electro, but by then London had erupted into confusion and he had been lost.

"Holley," Siddeley said over the communication system. "I'm on approach. Get to an airstrip as fast as you can."

"Sid, what's going on?" Holley asked, struggling against the traffic. "Where's Finn?"

"Still in the hotel with Richard. We have to go, now."

"Shouldn't we wait for him?"

"It's pretty bad down there. We might not make it if we do."

"But how are he and Richard supposed to get out of London?"

"I have friends in this town."

Holley reached the commercial airport and gave her current address to Siddeley, who appeared in the sky overhead almost immediately, preparing to land, or at the very least drop his loading ramp. She set a course for him, simultaneously searching for Electro and Finn. Siddeley had been correct; Finn was in his hotel, but Electro was nowhere to be found.

Siddeley lowered the ramp and glided across the runway. Holley sped up, abandoned the pavement in favor of the ramp, and drove into the cabin. "Finn, Electro's been lost," she said over the communication system.

"Is that what all that ruckus is about?" Finn asked.

"Not sure, but he did get lost in it. He's out of range of my systems, or his signal's being scrambled somehow. If you can find him..."

"I'm going to have to. Everything's spiralling out of control."

"What about Richard?"

"I've alread been in contact with another plane, and I have his flight arranged."

"Good. I take it you're catching a separate flight?"

"I won't have much choice." A gunshot could be heard over the line. "I'll call you back, and Godspeed, Holley Shiftwell." He hung up before she could say anything in response.

"Where to?" Siddeley asked.

"Radiator Springs, if you would," Holley replied automatically.