Hey everyone, I'm back with a new Cars story! I know I'm not the first person by a long shot to write a story about bringing Rod back but I've been wanting to try my tyre at it for quite awhile XD Anyway, being a bit of a Bruce Campbell fangirl and having a major fascination with Rod "Torque" Redline, I was obviously quite distraught by his death scene in Cars 2 and honestly, the whole thing didn't sit well with me at all. So naturally I theorised ways he could have survived and read some other similar fanfics. Some time ago, my best friend BlueSakura007/FlashyPebble and I were discussing theories, and she not only gave me some great ideas, but has even allowed me to use her character, Yuliana "Yula" Adamovich, in it! So I just want to give her a huge shout-out and a thank-you for letting me use her character, whom I'm also very happy to announce is officially part of my canon lore! And just in case anyone is wondering, yes, I've got a Leland one in the works too, so I'll get around to him, no worries! But for now, let's focus on saving Agent Redline!
Oh yeah and just in case you didn't notice in the description, this is canon x OC. This is also canon to both Cars 2/The WOC world and my Cars lore. And with that out of the way, let's get into it!
The abandoned warehouse stood dark and decrepit against the dense grey fog. The lights from the surrounding area of Tokyo were distant, ghostly glows. The waters surrounding the warehouse were nearly empty, save for a few intimidating ships, their steely grey eyes scanning the area like hungry sharks, keeping their watch for anyone who tried to get in-or out.
Inside, a group of old cars, some of them rusty and battered, and others worn-down and deemed "ugly" by society, were tormenting a beaten-up cobalt blue Deringer DXR, who was helplessly strewn in mid-air with two parking boots on his front tyres, while his Gremlin disguise lay strewn out on the ground underneath him.
"I gotta admit, you tricked us real good," an orange Gremlin snarled at the blue Deringer hanging from the magnet.
"And we don't like being tricked," a sickly yellow-green Pacer added.
The American car, Rod Redline, only laughed, taking pleasure in the annoyed looks on their faces.
"Hey! What's so funny?" The Pacer, Acer growled.
"Oh, you know. I was just wearing a disguise. You guys are stuck looking like that," Rod sassed.
The Gremlin, Grem, shot him a hateful glare as he slammed a button, causing the agent to land roughly on the treadmill below him. A red Gremlin approached his side, pushing a fuel tanker and shoving the pump into the blue agent's tank.
"Allinol? Thanks fellas! I hear this stuff is good for yah," Rod said, putting on the most confident air he could muster. In the back of his mind he knew something was up, but he hoped he could at least get some further information from them by fooling them with his confident, snarky facade.
"So you think!" came a German voice from behind him.
Rod's eyes glanced behind him to see a small, sickly green Zundapp Janus approach his side, giving him a disdainful look.
"Allinol by itself is good for you," the Professor remarked, switching the treadmill on. Rod couldn't stop his tyres from rolling as the digital speedometer below his eyes started to rise steadily and quickly.
"But, after microscopic examination I have found that it has one small weakness. When hit with an electromagnetic pulse, it becomes extremely dangerous." the Professor emphasised the last two words.
"Smile for the camera," Grem oozed slyly, pushing a TV camera in front of the agent. Rod tensed; he recognised that camera!
"Is that all you want? I got a whole act!" Rod snapped as he glared into the lens. Privately he was trying not to show any fear-he knew these Lemons would not let him leave alive, nor was there any hope of him getting away. But he wasn't going to go down without a fight, nor would he let these cars get any information out of him.
"You were very interested in this camera on the oil platform. Now, you will witness what it really does," the Professor remarked darkly, rolling towards the group and pulling up next to Grem.
"Whatever you say, Professor," Rod replied dryly, clenching his teeth as the treadmill continued to run. His entire body ached from the fight in the bathroom at the World Grand Prix party earlier and the speed of the treadmill made him throttle.
"You talked up a lot of cars last night. Which one is your associate?" Acer demanded as another pacer pushed a TV in front of Rod, showing a picture of him in his Gremlin disguise next to a pink SUV.
"Your mother!" sassed Rod. "Oh no, I'm sorry, it was your sister. You know, I can't tell them apart these days."
Grem glared at him. "Can I start it now, Professor Z?" he whined to his superior.
"Hmm...fifty percent power," the Professor replied. Grem pushed the lever next to the camera from green to yellow. The camera's lens glowed a bright light, and Rod grimaced into the camera in cocky fashion. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his tank, and a slow burning sensation began to spread throughout his body. He fought back painful groans, determined not to let his confident facade slip. He clenched his teeth as he struggled to breathe. What had those Lemons put in the fuel?
"This camera is actually an electromagnetic pulse emitter," the Professor explained slowly, a dark look shadowing his pale grey eyes as he watched his nemesis tremble before him.
"What about her?" Acer snapped, the TV now showing a photo of Rod talking to one of the geishas at the party. "Did ya give it to her?"
Rod could barely hear the green Pacer's words as the burning pain surged through his body and he resisted the urge to cough.
"Ah, the Allinol is now heating to a boil, dramatically expanding, causing the engine block to crank and compress, forcing oil into the combustion chamber," the Professor lectured, and Rod could hear a sickening crack come from within his bonnet.
"What about him?" snapped Acer, switching to a picture of Rod talking to a red car. "Did ya talk to him?"
By now smoke and flames were protruding from Rod's tailpipes as the treadmill seemed to increase speed beneath him. The blue Gremlin in the crowd bit back a gasp at the horrid sight.
"What do I care? I can replace an engine block!" Rod spat through gritted teeth and forced breaths as he glared daggers into the professor.
"You may be able to, but after full impact of the pulse.…" his voice trailed off as he glanced at Grem, who now pushed the lever to orange. "Unfortunately, there will be nothing to replace."
The blue Gremlin swallowed hard, seeing the pain and fear lining Rod's eyes.
"How about him?" pressed Acer, the image flipping to a photo of Rod in the bathroom with the rusty tow truck. "Does he have it?"
Rod's eyes widened involuntarily. They knew!
The Professor glanced at the camera, then back at Rod, but not without catching sight of the look in his eyes.
"That's him! He's the one!" the Professor confirmed, driving near the back.
"Imagine that, he's the one, Professor Z," Grem smirked.
"NO!" Rod shouted, causing the blue Gremlin near the end to jump slightly.
"Yes Sir, we believe the infiltrationator has passed along sensitive information," the Professor told someone over the miniature device, "I will take care of it before any damage can be done." He shut the lid as he spoke the last few words.
"The project is still on schedule," the Professor addressed his fellow Lemons as he rolled up to the camera. "You will find the second agent.…"
Rod gasped violently for breath as the Professor placed his tyre on the lever. He could no longer hide his fear. He was going to die here, alone. And an innocent tow truck civilian was likely going to meet his same fate, if not worse.
And there was nothing he could do about it.
"...and kill him." The Professor switched the lever up to the red mark.
The camera glowed brightly. Rod didn't have enough time to react as a massive surge of heat shot through his body as he felt himself bursting inside out, the picture of himself and the tow truck flashing before his eyes as his body burst into flames with a loud bang that seemed to shake the entire warehouse to its core.
"NO!" the blue Gremlin gasped, barely able to maintain a whisper.
The Lemons' mouths gasped as they watched the horrid sight before them. They all stood silent, their mouths gaping at the destruction before their eyes. The air was filled to the brim with the scent of burning metal and scorched oil. Sure, they had heard that Allinol was dangerous, but this was the first time any of them had seen it in action.
The small green German car grinned. "Wunderbar," he purred. He then turned to his minions, who all had wicked smiles on their faces as they watched the muscle car's engine burning before them.
"We have done it. What you just saw was the death of the world's greatest American agent. This is only the beginning, my friends. Soon, the entire world will look upon us with fear, showing them we are stronger than anyone could have possibly guessed. This is what happens to anyone who dares to get in our way."
The Lemons roared their approval, some of them laughing, others trying to keep from throwing up as they watched the sickening scene that had just unfolded in front of their eyes.
"Now, let's get to the tracks," said Zundapp as he turned to leave, "We've got some unfinished business to take care of."
"Um, boss?" asked Grem, "What, uh, what do you want us to do with the dead agent?"
"Throw him in the back of the warehouse," Zundapp replied without giving one glance back. "We'll be gone long before anyone finds him, which I doubt is very likely. We'll have no use for this place any longer."
Grem nodded and motioned to the others to help him. It took a few tries, but they were soon able to drag the corpse into the back of the warehouse, which was littered with boxes and smashed car corpses of previous victims who had once been living and breathing beings, just like Rod had been only a few minutes ago.
"Rest in pieces, you son of a bitch," Grem spat at the dead agent as he turned to leave.
In the dim light of the warehouse, a small shadowy figure of a car emerged. It was the pale blue Gremlin with brown eyes. The car glanced around, making sure no one was in sight. Suddenly, its body came apart to reveal a silver 1993 Eagle Talon, who emerged from behind the rubble and approached the dented blue Deringer. She placed a tyre against his side, tears coming to her caramel-coloured eyes as she looked at his lifeless corpse. His body was completely charred black and the glass on his windows and headlamps were cracked with parts blown out. Blood and oil seeped everywhere from his body, staining the ground. Tears pooled around her eyes as she realised he wasn't breathing. She knew it was a long shot, but without wasting any time, she quickly pressed her mouth against his and began to resuscitate him, forcing air into his lungs with all her might, her chassis shaking as she did so. She pulled back, panting heavily for air, her body shivering from exhaustion coupled with the cold night air. She kept her eyes on him, watching for any signs of life.
But the agent didn't move once.
The Talon no longer tried holding her tears back, felt her throat closing as the terrible realisation struck her. I'm too late, she thought. Lowering her front, she reversed slightly, her front tyres rotating as she prepared to turn to leave. Then she froze. She thought she had seen a slight twitch coming from his body. She blinked, figuring it had only been her imagination. She turned back to face the agent, rolling slightly closer to him. She lightly placed her tyre on his side again, and she could have sworn that she had seen his mirrors twitch just the slightest bit. She tensed in surprise as she saw his side rise and fall very slightly, signifying that he was just barely breathing. The Talon felt her heart stop-he was still alive! Her plan had worked! But she couldn't rejoice too soon. The Allinol and camera pulse might not have killed him, but exposure to the elements would, and she had to act fast.
Knowing his communication systems were completely fried, she quickly lifted her aerial and immediately requested for backup, her Russian accent echoing throughout the warehouse as she asked for a medevac, giving them the coordinates to their location. The voice on the other end reassured her that help was on the way and she disconnected. She glanced back at the badly burnt Deringer, tears forming behind her eyes.
"Rod….I am so sorry," she whispered to him, her voice wavering as a tear fell from her eye and onto her bonnet. "There was nothing more I could do, and now you're hurt because of me. But don't worry, we're gonna get you out of here." Her bottom lip quivered slightly as her eyes remained fixed on Rod's severely injured, burnt black body. "Rod...please….please forgive me…."
The sound of helicopter blades slicing through the air met the Talon's eardrums along with the loud BANG of a heavy metal door being knocked off its hinges. The area around her became swarmed with medics and military vehicles. A large white Jeep Cherokee approached her, his sharp brown eyes piercing into her silver frame as he rolled to a halt in front of her. "Yuliana Adamovich?" he asked.
The silver Talon shrunk slightly upon seeing his intimidating gaze, but forced herself to look into his eyes. The Cherokee remained fixed on her for a moment, before he made a slight motion with his front for her to follow him. She slowly rolled after him, taking one quick glance back to see Rod being tended to before following her superior out of the warehouse and towards another helicopter that was waiting. He boarded first, the helicopter bouncing slightly on the water as he entered, with Yuliana following. She tensed slightly as his door closed, and she could feel him taking off as the chopping sound of his blades grew louder.
The Cherokee let out a sigh, before glaring at her again. "Agent Adamovich, what have you found?" he demanded, his clipped voice echoing off the sides of the helicopter.
"Not much, I'm afraid," the Talon replied, her Slavic accented voice bouncing off the sides of the helicopter, "I followed the Lemons to the Tokyo party while Agent Redline went to the bathroom to meet up with Agent McMissile. However, I wasn't able to pick up any information at the party."
"And I take it Agent McMissile never made it?" the Cherokee demanded, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"No, sir, not that I am aware of," the Talon replied, "Agent Redline was ambushed in the restroom, as I saw two Lemons taking him out of there and I followed them to the warehouse, in my Gremlin disguise of course."
"I see," the Jeep nodded, "And what about the information?"
"That was passed along to a civilian. A tow truck, I believe. I saw his picture," the silver car confirmed.
"And how do you know this? What was this picture?" the Jeep pressed.
The Talon swallowed, feeling her throat close as the memories of what had just happened flashed before her eyes. "I know because I arrived at the warehouse where they took Agent Redline. I watched as they….they interrogated him….put Allinol in his system and ran him on a treadmill while pointing the camera ray at him….they showed him those pictures….and he….reacted to the one….with the tow truck. They must have taken it while they were in the restroom." She fought hard to keep her voice from breaking as that choking feeling came rushing back, the scene replaying before her eyes like a nightmare that wouldn't fade away.
"Did he reveal any information while he was being tortured?" demanded the Jeep.
"No, Mr Sherman. He didn't say a word about anything he knew. But it still confirmed who had the information. I saw the Professor making a call to someone, and then he came back, announced they were going to find and kill the tow truck, and then he….he…." her voice trailed off, the Talon fighting not to cry as the scene of Rod exploding before her eyes replayed again.
"He what, Agent Adamovich?" Sherman pressed again.
"He put the camera on full power….and then Rod….he….exploded!" She suddenly ducked her front, clenching her teeth as sobs threatened to spill out of her as the thought remained emblazoned in her mind.
Sherman's eyes widened for a second, and then returned to their normal, cold glare. "I see. So they were trying to get information out of him." He sighed. "It is a good thing nothing was revealed. Unfortunately, this puts us in a very….undesirable predicament. The information is out of the enemy's tyres, but now it's in the ones of a citizen without his knowledge, he's a prime target and there is no way to know if it will reach McMissile." He shook his front slightly. "I will be keeping in touch with Mason at C.H.R.O.M.E. on this matter. In the meantime, Agent Adamovich, were you able to collect any more data?"
"I managed to get a small sample of the Allinol," she replied, "I brought it with me. I want the lab boys to run some tests on it."
"Excellent. Now, what about the call the Professor made? Were you able to trace that?" pressed Sherman.
"No sir. I'm afraid I was unable to access the call nor trace it," Agent Adamovich replied. "We do not know who the head behind the organisation is, but I think it's safe to say the Professor isn't the lead like we originally thought. We'll have to keep in touch with our British counterparts and see what they have to say about it."
"I see," Sherman nodded. He sighed again. "Adamovich, I want you to stay in Tokyo and dig up as much information on this matter as you can. We'll let the British agents handle the World Grand Prix race itself. I've sent a message to C.H.R.O.M.E.'s base in Tokyo and they will arrange for your stay here. I will be counting on you to stay in touch with both C.H.R.O.M.E. and the C.I.A. until further notice. Think you can manage that?"
"Yes Sir," Yuliana nodded, "And what about Agent Redline, Sir?"
"Torque will be taken to C.H.R.O.M.E.'s Tokyo station hospital," Sherman replied, "I'll be back in the states later this week. I expect you to keep me up to date on everything."
"I can do that, Sir," promised the Talon.
"Very well then. Well, good luck, Agent Adamovich." Sherman's words bounced off the helicopter just as he came in for a landing at the helipad of the Tokyo station. The doors opened, and Yuliana gave the white Jeep a nod before exiting the helicopter and making her way inside the building, her stomach churning as she thought of Rod and his condition. She didn't want to lose hope, but deep down inside she knew him surviving the blast was very unlikely.
"Rod….please be okay…."
A/N: I actually did rewatch Rod's torture/death scene to make sure the opening of this chapter was as film-accurate as possible. It was not fun at all, but it was worth it for this chapter! So, if you want to show your appreciation for me going through that kind of torture so you don't have to, please consider leaving a follow, fave, and/or review! I'll do my best to get the next chapter up soon!