Chapter Five: Tokyo Troubles
The night of the World Grand Prix inaugural running finally arrived.
Harley wouldn't admit it out loud, but she felt a mix of nervousness and ecstasy. She had never seen so many racers from around the world. The course itself was certainly unlike any of the circular tracks she saw Lightning race in the past: technical turns, round-the-house racetrack layout, and even sections of dirt track all in one setting. Most of the racers' pit crews had a mix of vehicles and humans, and some of the racers themselves had psyche human racing partners who rode on the cars' roofs, gripping a metal bar while being hooked on with safety straps. As the racers took their positions onto the track, Harley climbed up to her perch on the crew chief platform in the pits like the rest of the crew chiefs. She readjusted her glasses and fastened her headset firmly on her skull.
"Can you hear me, Speed Racer?" Harley called into the mic.
"Loud and clear, Chief." Lightning confirmed.
"Then let's do this." Harley said, smirking.
The starting lights began flashing red before switching to green, and the racers took off!
The crews in the pits kept close watch on their racers, the chiefs calling out to them now and then. Soon, they couldn't even see the racers and had to stare at a TV screen to mark their progress.
"Your suspension sets look good." Sarge noted.
"Tire pressure is excellent!" Luigi added.
"He's got plenty of fuel." Fillmore said.
"And he's awesome." Mater finished.
Lightning smirked. That's my team.
"All right, Speed Racer, let's show 'em how it's done Radiator Springs' style." Harley said. "Weave your way through nice and easy. Take a chance only when you get it and don't try anything rash."
"Got it." Lightning said, confirming he understood her instructions.
Meanwhile, up in a hotel room next to the track, a trio of spies paid close attention to their supposed comrade in arms.
"Why is he in the pits?" Holley wondered aloud. "He's so exposed."
"It's his cover." Finn reasoned. "One of the best I've seen, too. Look at the detail on that rust. It must have cost him a fortune."
"A rusted tow truck working in the race itself." Emily mused, staring at said tow truck through a small telescope. "Completely unorthodox in my book. But it is a rather brilliant cover if I've ever seen one. Nobody would suspect a thing."
"But why hasn't he contacted us yet?" Holley asked, activating her holographic computer.
"There's probably heat on him." Finn explained. "Be patient."
"Right, of course." Holley nodded. "He'll signal us when he can." Ugh, I feel like such a fool. Then again, never done much field work before.
Emily scoffed, staring at Holley with a small glare. "Rookie." Holley flinched a bit, obviously hurt.
"Come now, Miss Largo." Finn said, trying to keep the calm amongst them. "Surely you weren't perfect on your first field assignment. Let's all keep our heads. And then we can find out who's behind all this."
Back on the track, Mater and Harley watched the race from the monitors inside the pits. Though Francesco built up an early lead, the racers were coming up on the dirt track.
"McQueen, it's time ta make yer move!" Mater spoke into the headset. "Git on the outside and show 'em what Doc done taught ya."
"Ten-four, Mater." Lightning replied. Harley and Mater watched with twin smiles while Lightning executed a perfect drift, shooting past Francesco as the Formula One struggled on the slippery dirt. Lightning shot around the turns with ease, not losing a bit of speed as he raced down the track. "Nice call, Mater. Keep it up!" Lightning said, sounding proud and thankful.
Harley kept her eyes on the screen as the racers came to the 360-degree loop on the Rainbow Bridge. "That's it, Speed Racer. Start on the outside but stick to the inside. Don't let 'em pass ya. There ya go!" She jogged back to her perch at the front of the pits just as the racers sped past to finish the first lap. "All right, listen up. You've gotten a good view of the track and how it's laid out. Find the groove that works for ya and stick to it. Focus on the track, not the racers, and we'll have this in the bag!"
"Copy that, Chief!" Lightning responded.
Harley smiled proudly. "Atta boy."
Finn, Holley, and Emily focused fully on the tow truck, waiting for him to signal them, when Holley found something bleeping on her screen. "I think I've got something."
"What is it?" Finn asked.
"It's the Pacer from the party last night." Holley reported, her cameras trained on the green Pacer as he moved through the crowd. "I'm cross-referencing with the photos from the oil derricks. His VIN numbers match."
"Anyone with him?" Finn asked.
"Conducting analysis on the target." Holley reported, her computer scanning the crowd. Her eyes widened a bit. "He's not the only one here."
"How many?" Emily asked, pulling out one of her pistols.
"Three…..five…" Holley blinked in surprise. "They're everywhere. And they're all closing in on…" On their tow truck friend. "Oh no!"
"We've got to get him out of there. What's the plan, Finn?" Emily demanded. No answer came.
"Finn?" Holley asked as the girls turned to the Aston Martin. But he was nowhere in sight and the window was wide open. "Finn, where are you?"
"Get him out of the pits. Now!" Finn ordered over the radio.
"McMissile, you're crazy if you think you're going in there without backup." Emily snapped into her radio mic. "Where are you?"
"I'll be fine." Finn's voice snapped in her earpiece. "Just keep an eye on him and get him out of there. I'll take care of the rest."
Emily growled in frustration. "Stupid Brit."
"I heard that."
Harley excused herself sometime during the race to run to the bathroom, setting her headset on her perch. As she washed her hands, she thought back to the oil she slipped in at the party last night. Lightning's checkup before the race came back as a clean bill of health, meaning he couldn't have been the one leaking oil. He was still pretty confident Mater had done it, but Harley knew better. Mater's claim that he never leaked aside, Harley worked on Mater before in an operation that required her to get a feel for his oil. The oil she slipped in was nothing like Mater's. In fact, she tested it herself and discovered it was a type of oil used only in British machines. Except the only British machine up on the stage was Miles Axlerod, and he was an electric car. Harley finally decided the test she did was wrong and left it at that. Maybe Mater really did leak, just not on purpose. The brunette sighed, moving to the door of the bathroom while making a mental note to give Mater a thorough checkup when they got to Italy.
Harley opened the door to the bathroom and gasped in surprise to see a silvery-blue Aston Martin in the garage, holding a fire extinguisher in one of his tires. "Hey! What're you doing in here?"
"Get back, now!" The Aston Martin hissed.
"Oh I don't think so, buddy." Harley said with a glare, placing a hand on the car's back fender. "You're not supposed to be in—" She gasped again when the door to the garage opened, revealing a blue and a green Pacer just outside. The Aston Martin turned his attention to the lemon cars, aiming the fire extinguisher he held towards them.
"Finn McMissile?" the green Pacer gasped. "But you're dead!"
"Then this shouldn't hurt at all." The Aston Martin, apparently Finn McMissile, said right before he shot both of the cars in their windshields with the fire extinguisher. Harley suddenly felt something wrap around her arm and she noticed a sort of grappling hook come from the Aston Martin and grab onto her. She yelped when he suddenly drove off, dragging the girl behind him.
Boy am I glad I always wear skates! Harley thought as she held onto the line.
"Sorry about this!" Finn called.
"About what?" Harley asked a split-second before the grappling hook line jerked her forward and she tumbled into Finn's open trunk. He slammed it shut again and sped off, ignoring the girl's shouts and pounding.
Once Finn realized the cars weren't chasing him through the alleyways, he paused. "Miss Shiftwell?"
"I've got him in the back alleys east of the garages." Holley informed. "Multiple assailants are closing in quickly."
"Keep him moving! I'm on my way." Finn launched his grappling hooks upwards and pulled himself to the rooftops. He opened his trunk and allowed the girl he accidentally kidnapped to tumble out.
"Why you little—" Harley growled.
"Listen to me." Finn said quickly, silencing the girl. "I need you to stay down and stay quiet. Don't go down there until the danger has passed." He spoke so quickly Harley barely had time to react before the Aston Martin shot another grappling hook and line, using it to pass over to the building across the alleyway. Harley watched him move, noticing he was staring intently at something down on the street below. Harley carefully moved to the edge of the building and stared down, blinking in surprise at a familiar face.
"Mater?" Harley breathed, wondering what the tow truck could be doing out of the pits. Then she saw a car sneaking after Mater, and just by looking she could tell he wasn't very friendly. But when the car tried to follow Mater, Finn snagged one of his grappling hooks around a refrigerator outside a flower shop and pulled it down. The resounding crash not only stopped the car, it woke up the Japanese shop owners who began advancing on the poor car. Harley blinked in surprise, impressed despite her confusion. He's keeping them away from Mater. But why?
Finn smirked at his handiwork, using his hooks to lower himself down before moving to find the tow truck. But he paused and suddenly reversed at the sight of another Pacer shooting towards him. He couldn't reverse fast enough and the smaller car rammed into him, forcing him back even farther. Harley winced in sympathy, traveling along the rooftop to an intersection where Finn skidded to a halt. Two more cars were already there waiting for him, blocking his escape routes. He swung himself around and clipped one of the cars before two of them slammed into his sides, the third one pushing him from behind. Despite Finn's best efforts to stop himself, the three cars began forcefully shoving him down an alleyway and towards Acer, armed with a powerful flamethrower.
"This time, I'm gonna make sure you stay dead!" Acer growled, firing up the flamethrower.
Harley watched the scene with wide eyes. She didn't have the slightest clue who this Finn McMissile could be, but she still felt concern for his safety. He did seem to be helping Mater. Even if he wasn't, Harley was raised to help others when they're in trouble. But what could she do? She patted herself and her pockets frantically, but only found her hand wrench in her back pocket. Oh of all the times to not have my paintball gun on me. She glanced down at the cars below, the flames getting closer and closer to Finn. If she didn't move now, he could die.
"Oh I must be out of my mind." Harley groaned. But, gathering her courage, she suddenly launched herself over the edge of the building and began falling down towards the cars. She gave a mighty shout of effort as she landed on a yellow Pacer to Finn's left, bending her legs to reduce the shock of the impact and smacking her wrench against the smaller car's hood. The Pacer shouted in pain, loosening his grip on Finn and allowing the Aston Martin to suddenly jump up and land on the cars that once held him. The car that used to be behind him shot forward by mistake, unable to brake in time before he crashed into Acer and the flamethrower. In the resulting explosion, both cars were thrown high into the air and crashed in another alleyway. Finn and Harley jumped off the remaining two cars, Finn taking a strong stance and preparing to fight while Harley spun a bit before stopping. She held her wrench ready, glaring hard at the two cars.
Finn activated the magnets on one of his tires, grabbing the Pacer and throwing him across the alley and into an elevator. Drawing his gun, Finn shot the cables powering the elevator and sent the metal platform shooting up, crushing the Pacer between the elevator floor and the ceiling. Finn spun around as the second car shot towards him, but he jumped up to avoid the car and ricocheted off the wall. Harley, still in the smaller car's path, threw her wrench like a discus, causing the tool to bounce off the car's windshield and fly up into the air. The car swerved, allowing Harley to maneuver out of his way and hook one of her feet under the car's front axle. She lifted her foot, the momentum and her strength from the adrenaline forcing the small car to end up in the air for a moment. That one moment was all Harley needed to jump, spin around, and land a powerful kick to the car's undercarriage. She landed perfectly on her skates, catching her wrench as it fell back to her hand. The car slammed into the wall, and Finn shot the cables of the elevator again to make it fall back down on top of his final attacker.
Once the danger finally passed, Harley allowed herself to relax out of her battle stance. She felt her muscles shake a little and her knees were sore, but ignored it for now; her psyche human healing abilities would take care of it soon enough. Finn was panting beside her, winding down from the adrenaline rush. Harley stared at the Aston Martin, recognizing those aqua eyes and realizing he was the same car from the party last night. She eyed the gun at his side suspiciously as he put it away.
"Kin I git yer autograph?"
Harley and Finn jumped a bit, spinning around to see Mater just at the entrance of the alley. "Mater." Harley sighed in relief, thankful her friend was unharmed.
"Hey Harley! That was awesome!" Mater said excitedly. Cars began streaming from the buildings around them, a large group investigating the elevator and two damaged cars. Harley smiled softly at Mater's compliment, but when she turned to ask Finn if he was okay she blinked in surprise. The silvery-blue Aston Martin had disappeared. Harley looked around, but couldn't find the car anywhere in the crowd. Her thoughts ran a mile a minute, unable to fully process what the heck just happened seeing how it all went by so fast. Did she really just do that? In all seriousness, did that really just happen? No denying it; her knees were still a bit sore and her heart still pounded. All of that really did just happen. Harley helped a mysterious car beat up his attackers. She began to skate forward, only for her skates to hit something on the ground and force her to stop. The brunette teen looked down and knelt to the ground, lifting up a bullet casing from the asphalt that clearly came from the gun Finn was using. Harley stared at the bullet casing, twisting it around in her fingers a bit, when she noticed a silvery-blue blur in the reflection of the casing. Her crystal blue eyes traveled upwards to the roof of the building nearby, locking them onto the aqua eyes of Finn. He stared down at her for a moment before disappearing over the edge of the roof. Harley narrowed her eyes, suspicion returning as she pocketed the bullet casing.
"Come on, Harley!" Mater called. "Let's git back ta the race!"
Harley cast one last look at the spot where Finn rested before following Mater out of the alleyways and back towards the pits.
Both Mater and Harley were surprised to find the pits empty and the track mostly dark. "Ah man. Don't tell me we missed the race." Harley groaned.
"Well that can't be right." Mater murmured.
"Mater!"
The tow truck and human teen turned to see a familiar red stock car. "Hey, McQueen!" Mater greeted warmly. "What happened? Is the race over? You won, right?"
"Mater, why were you yelling things at me while I was racing?" Lightning demanded.
"You were yelling at him?" Harley asked Mater.
"You didn't see or hear it?" Lightning asked the girl.
"I ran into some trouble." Harley said simply. "Couldn't get to my headset." No way am I telling him what happened.
"Yellin'?" Mater repeated. "Oh, you thought…..that's funny right dere. No, see that's 'cause I seen these two fellers doin' some sort of karate street performance. It was nutso. One of 'em even had a flamethrower….."
"A flamethrower?" Lightning repeated, confused. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. Where were you?"
"Goin' ta meet my date." Mater replied simply.
"Your date?" Lightning asked.
"Uh, Mater…." Harley tried to warn the tow truck. She knew after what she just witnessed, Mater's story was not going to sound very convincing. Unfortunately, the tow truck didn't catch on.
"She started talkin' to me as a voice in my head, tellin' me where to go." Mater said casually.
"What?" Harley asked. Even to her, that sounded absolutely bonkers.
"Harley, where were you during all this?" Lightning demanded.
"Some guy was in the pits and I had to get him out." Harley finally admitted. "I ended up getting dragged down the street a ways before I could find my way back."
"Well, are you okay?" Lightning asked, sounding worried now.
"I'm fine. Freaked out and irritated, but fine." Harley assured. "But Mater, what are you talking about?"
"My date was talkin' ta me in mah head." Mater shrugged. "I ended up missin' the date but I think she's still up for it."
"What?!" Lightning and Harley asked at once, sounding completely baffled.
Mater blinked. "Wait a minute. I didn't screw ya up, did I?"
Lightning glared. "I lost the race because of you!"
Mater's cheerful expression dropped. "Oh…..I'm sorry…I didn't mean to."
"Imaginary girlfriend? Flamethrowers?" Lightning scoffed, stammering a bit. "This is exactly why I don't bring you along to these things."
"Hey, take it easy." Harley said, trying to keep Lightning calm but failing.
"Maybe if I….I don't know…talk to somebody and explained what happened, I could help." Mater offered.
"I don't need your help!" Lightning snapped. "I don't want your help."
Mater stared at Lightning, crushing hurt written all over his expression. Harley glared at the stock car. "Lightning." But the racer drove around past Mater and out to the track. "Hey! McQueen!" Harley snapped, only for the stock car to ignore her. She and Mater peered out to see a group of reporters gather around Lightning, asking about what happened during the race.
"I made a mistake." Lightning told the reporters. "But I can assure you, it won't happen again." More chatter from the reporters. "Look, guys, we know what the problem is and we've taken care of it."
Harley glared at Lightning for a moment before looking to Mater. But the tow truck was already heading out the door by the time she caught sight of him. Harley sighed heavily, stuffing her hands into her pockets. She blinked in surprise when she felt the bullet casing, and she wrapped her fingers around it.
I will get to the bottom of this. Harley promised herself as she skated off.
Finn returned to Holley and Emily still plenty sore, but he dismissed it as another day on the job. What he wasn't prepared for was Emily stomping up to him and smacking his fender.
"Of all the boneheaded moves you had to pull, you had to pull that one!" Emily shouted.
"Do keep your voice down, Miss Largo." Finn requested kindly, rolling off to find Holley.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Emily snapped. "Do you realize you could've gotten killed out there? The only reason I didn't come running after you is because I wasn't willing to go on a wild goose chase trying to find you."
Finn paused, spinning around to glare at Emily. "Oh, but you will risk getting caught for the sake of ensuring my escape off that oil platform."
"Maybe I shouldn't have." Emily growled. "Then I wouldn't have to deal with such a selfish car like yourself."
Finn gaped a bit. "Selfish?"
"Yes, selfish!" Emily snapped. "Did you even consider what Holley and I thought about you running off like that, or what we were supposed to do if you got killed?"
"Since when did you care?" Finn demanded. "You don't exactly seem like the 'team player' type."
"I know more about working with teams than you do." Emily huffed, crossing her arms. "Which is why I know for a fact that teamwork is overrated."
"Oh really?" Finn scoffed. "Just what would you know about that?"
Emily tensed, and suddenly Finn got the feeling he touched a sore subject. The blonde spy stared at the ground, a mix of anger and sorrow in her features. "I'm an assassin, all right?" Emily sighed. "I don't usually work with others. But the reason I'm like that is because of what I learned about teamwork."
Finn stared at her for a moment. "How did you learn?"
Emily stared off into space. "I used to work in a team. Five of us there were. Best of the best. One day, we went into a mission and…I was the only one to escape alive." She sighed. "But that's just another day's work for a spy, isn't it? We do what we have to, even if some of us get killed. That's why teamwork is overrated; it's pointless to make friends and grow attached to people when you flirt with danger every day."
"I wouldn't say that." Finn said. "Friendships can be dangerous, but I feel that's why all my friends are agents themselves; they understand the danger."
Emily huffed. "How could you possibly understand friendship?"
Finn looked down, then began to drive off. He paused. "Why do you think Leland asked you to get me off that rig alive?"
Emily opened her mouth to answer, but she realized what she was about to say answered her first question. She stared at Finn, who stared back with a very neutral expression before he drove off to his room. Emily stared after him, sighing softly.
You are something else, McMissile.