Previously
Following a set of horrific events in Japan, Dash's friends have now found themselves in the clutches of Nettes and his goons. Yet one wildcard remains: Dash. He wasn't found during the raiding of his house, leading one to believe he'd escaped and fled. Yet Nettes doesn't know this.
How will Nettes take the news?
Will Dash thwart his plan?
Or will Nettes finally get his victory?
Read on to find out
Days later...
The sound of wheels subtly entered her hearing. She slowly opened her eyes to a scene similar to a near-death experience, rectangular light after light with grey metal walls on all sides. It almost resembled a hospital, her husband's favourite thing in the world. She was moving at a fairly quick pace, though she wasn't in control of it...
SLAM!
She jumped in her spot at the sudden slamming sound of automatic doors opening, yet she still moved. She looked all sides and noticed four lemons each carrying a tire of hers like she was a queen. She most certainly was not in that situation.
"What in the-" she muttered.
"Ah! No talking. Eyes forward." a lemon warned in a haggard voice.
She jumped in surprise, not at the threat, but at the harsh tone of their voice. She almost felt sorry for the poor lemon, perhaps a slave to a bigger threat looming over hood. All would be answered in a few moments as she was carried into a small room to her right.
BAM!
A large door opened, and the four lemons angrily threw her off into the room, causing her to spin around and scowl at them. All too quickly, she was electrocuted by restraint on her rim. The lemons laughed a broken laugh, departing the room single file. She raced back up to the door, smashing her tire on it.
"Hey! Get back here, rust buckets! ...AGH!" she exclaimed, receiving another shock.
She fell to the ground and panted, slowly turning back around to look at the rest of the room. She had no idea what she just stumbled into...
"Oh. My. Manufacturer..." she mumbled.
Like a cast reunion, the entire gang was present in the fairly large metal den of a prison room. She looked around, her eyes quickly fixating on two extremely gaunt vehicles sitting in the middle of the group.
"Lightning, Sally... you're here." she whimpered.
She couldn't help but admire their presence even in the bleakness of it all. Sally got up onto her hind tires shakily, rolling over to Demetria like a long-lost mother. Demetria shed a few tears of joy in finally finding her and Lightning. Sally put a tire on Demetria's bumper softly, causing her to cry.
"Demetria... I've missed you." Sally responded quietly.
ZAP!
In an act of cruelty, the beautiful moment was ruined by an utter sadist as the two were shocked remotely.
"Ha! Hahaha! Oh, perfect timing! Hahahaha!" a familiar voice taunted.
Demetria looked around with a snarl like a rabid dog abroad her bumper.
"You." she scowled.
"Indeed! 'Tis I, your carnapper; exactly who you think it is." Nettes exclaimed.
"Nettes." she scowled in her signature spiteful rage toward him.
"I don't need to hide it anymore. I'm basically one move away from checkmate. Just look around the room you're in." Nettes taunted.
She regrettably took the hint and sighed, looking around the room at who was present. Nettes wasn't playing around; it was just about everyone she knew. Lightning, Sally, Finn, Del, El, Jim, Rush, Cal, Jacobs, Flo, Ramone... nearly everybody.
"Oh, my manufacturer..." she whimpered despairingly.
"Oh, this puts a big, stupid smile on my face! Seeing the stars align, my path of destiny laid out in front of me... everything has gone my way." Nettes taunted.
"Not everything," Demetria noted.
She looked over at the only other thing in the room besides metal; the blacked-out side of a one-way window.
"Of course. I actually have to fight to get that one to budge. But, considering the way things have been going, that won't take long." Nettes quipped eagerly.
Demetria went up to the window, smacking her tire on it spitefully and holding it there. She stared into it, knowing that someone was on the other side.
"I will do what it takes to make sure you never set a tire out of this hellhole." Demetria threatened.
Nettes quickly triggered the remote shock to Demetria, causing her to yelp and crumble to the floor. He cackled like an overeager toddler, slamming a tire on the ground.
"Oh, I will savour this moment for the rest of my life, and if I'm being honest Demetria, you're pretty much bang on about this being a 'hellhole'! Say hello to my new HQ!" Nettes announced.
Demetria and a majority of the folks audibly gasped aloud, her maintaining the best composure of all.
"I was hoping to hold the grand unveiling until your devil husband is in the room, considering that he is a spawn of Carmageddon and all... so he'll fit right in!" Nettes quipped.
"Tired," Demetria interjected randomly.
"Well, you don't get the luxury of a nice mat." Nettes quipped.
"No-no, I was just describing your jokes." Demetria retorted.
"Anyway... I've decided to be kind and reveal it all to you now! You're looking at the most expensive HQ in the entire world, located in-" Nettes began.
"Mount Etna," Cal answered.
"Ding-ding-ding! You're right on the money, Callum! Next time, press the buzzer." Nettes quipped, electrocuting Cal.
"What's your game, old timer?" Demetria barked.
"My game? Oh, I just want to watch you lot suffer... no big deal." Nettes quipped evilly, laughing hysterically.
Demetria shook her hood at the thought of Nettes being even more insane than she thought.
"Mustn't be much of a game without the star of the show." Demetria threatened.
"Quite, but think of this as a side game! Oh, I know! Let's play 'name your flaws!' I'll start." Nettes exclaimed.
"Oh, this'll be fun!" Demetria thought, grinning sarcastically.
Nettes proceeded to electrocute her a bit more harshly, sending her to the back of the wall behind her and conveniently enough, right next to Cal. The two exchanged an awkward glance at each other. The sound of a few more henchmen entered the room Nettes was in.
"Now that everyone's seated, let's begin. Eeny meany miny mo... Jim! You're the most boring one, so this should be quick!" Nettes exclaimed.
Jim looked down, hurt. To add insult to injury, Nettes proceeded to shock him, making him jump in his spot.
"YEOW!" he exclaimed.
"Alright...
Jim...
You are so nameless that you sold your soul to the devil – i.e. my former pupil – to make yourself popular. Spoiler; you're still not!" Nettes quipped, cackling with his guests.
"Dump truck." Demetria thought.
"Next up... cue horns... Flo and Ramone! Aka 'who?' and 'what?'-" Nettes began.
Ramone wore a stank face as Flo looked over at him, unamused.
"Your personalities are your jobs, from what I've gathered.
'Oh Ramone! Make me look good tonight!'
'Oh Flo, gimme some of your oil!'" Nettes mocked, cackling once more with his guests.
"Not cool, Nettes." Lightning added.
Unsurprisingly, he too was shocked, slumping to the floor in an already weakened state. Sally quickly jumped to his aid, holding him.
"Oh, you next! What do you think, fellas?" Nettes asked his guests. They all seemingly nodded their hoods, but Demetria nor the rest of the folk could tell.
"Lightning McQueen...
Lightning has been...
After your big crash, your catchphrase went from 'kachow!' to 'kapow!'...
...because your career tanked! Ha!" Nettes roasted.
"What is this, roast of the week?" Lightning answered, shocked again. Demetria grimaced in her spot, staring the one-way window down angrily.
"This is roast of the year, kapow." Nettes addressed.
"Lay off of him." Sally retorted weakly.
"I'm sorry, who were you again?" Nettes roasted once more, bumping tires with his guests and laughing like children.
She pulled Lightning close and whimpered, him staring angrily at the window. Of course, the two were shocked...
ZAP!
"Oh, this is too much fun! Who's next?" Nettes exclaimed.
"Have some humility, you dump truck." Demetria scowled.
"Nah, I'm saving you for later." Nettes retorted.
"This isn't some game show! These are real cars you're on about!" Rush exclaimed.
"For once, he has a point." Finn quipped.
"Oh! I didn't even have to do that one! Burn!" Nettes yelled, laughing.
Rush looked over at Finn angrily, the both of them receiving an electric shock.
"I will anyway though!
. . .
Rush! My... umm... what was he again? Oh, right!
Dash's number two! ...n-no, not that kind of number two!" Nettes joked.
"What's he on about?" Cal asked Demetria.
She could only shrug back at him.
"What was your catchphrase again? Go for Silver?" Nettes quipped.
"IT'S GO FOR GOLD!" Rush screamed overzealously, being zapped.
Nettes and his guests just laughed like children, smacking their tires on the ground.
"You kill me, silver! You really do." Nettes chuckled, using his wipers to clear the tears of laughter off his windscreen.
"Leave him alone!" Del exclaimed.
"Yeah!" El added.
"Ah, if it isn't the girls...
or 'exhibit A & B of potential protagonist love interests'!
Your defining characteristics are 'crush girl' and 'side character'." Nettes roasted.
Even Rush had to giggle at that one at the completely wrong time. Demetria ground her teeth in the background, maintaining her stare at the window.
"What?! I will crush you in a minute!" El exclaimed.
"I'm not a side character," Del questioned herself.
"Leave them alone, Helmut," Finn warned.
"Oh look, it's a bird... or a plane... no, it's a spy!
...I think ...
Anyway, what the hell are you doing in a racer's story? Don't you have some ludicrous fuel crisis to solve? Oh, wait, nearly 2 decades too late, buddy!" Nettes roasted.
Finn grumbled like an angry old timer, grinding his teeth.
"None of your business." Cal bravely defended.
"Oh, Callum! And here I was starting to think you were a bit more than your father's offspring. His shadow must be a cold, dark place." Nettes taunted in a dumbed-down tone.
A few more cars in the room laughed than expected, causing Cal to look around angrily and shake his hood.
"Agh... I need a challenge." Nettes roasted, laughing again.
"ENOUGH!" Demetria screamed, rolling forward again. Nettes went to hit the stun button again but gracefully hesitated, smirking.
"Alright... I think I can take that challenge now." Nettes quipped, stretching himself out.
Demetria looked at the window in spiteful rage, keeping her mouth shut and herself calm.
"Where do I even begin with you?
. . .
The stories I've heard and could tell.
Demetria Boltarius, Dawson... McMissile... Hudson... whatever. The coveted golden apple of Andrew's eye. The white geisha he so obsesses over..." Nettes exclaimed, sending a shock her way. She quickly bounced off of the shock, refocusing on him.
"Or were you the obsessor?
. . .
No, that's right! Because he never cared to stick around long enough, did he?" he questioned.
She lost a bit of composure, shedding a light tear as she looked on angrily.
"Not to worry, Demetria. I know exactly what it feels like to have Andrew trick you into thinking he's on your side. When in actual fact, he's prepared to use you to get what he wants; complete freedom." Nettes taunted.
"That's not true..." she said shakily.
"Oh? Then why does he keep leaving?!" Nettes questioned aggressively.
She shut her eyes tightly, beginning to cry audibly.
"That's exactly what he just did to you, wasn't it? I'm not surprised that little Viper of a car slithered away in the madness. That's what he does!" Nettes scowled.
"I... don't need to fall to your level again." she scowled.
"My level? Oh, my level is a horrible place because of him! He says to you he's going on some 'soul finding' adventure. But that's what he tells you. That's what he tells you when in actual fact, he uses it to stop you clinging onto him so freaking tight!" Nettes exclaimed.
She stopped in her spot as his sharp words began to pierce her tough exterior. Horrible, scattered memories came trickling back.
"Ahh! Not too hard, baby!
. . .
Let me go, Deme. I have a score to settle.
. . .
Ugh... even all the way out here; you're still clinging onto me too tight."
. . .
Demetria recalled some of Dash's quotes, wearing a hurt and confused expression.
"No... Hes not... you're not telling me the truth," she mumbled.
"The reason – well, half – of his and your downfalls is right in front of me as we speak. None, and I refrain none of this would have happened had he not met you... and your plague... and perhaps you both would have been better off." Nettes retorted.
The room fell silent as Nettes' words began to eat away at Demetria's emotional interior. She visibly broke at the seams, crying an ugly cry. Yet she hadn't lost all hope. She hadn't given in to Nettes' evil words. She picked herself up onto her tires, grinding her teeth and staring into the glass with eyes like fire.
"My turn." she scowled angrily.
One of Nettes' guests went to trigger the electrocution, but Nettes put their tire aside in interest.
"No... let her speak. I want to hear it," he said out of interest.
"You...
You think you're so safe behind that sheet of glass. I know for a fact that you've been avoiding us at every possible turn because you're scared." Demetria began, driving up closer to the glass.
Again, one of Nettes' guests went for the button, causing him to shove their tire aside again in interest.
"You avoid my husband at any chance you get because you know full well that he knows every move you make. He knows it before you even do it. That's why you got rid of Jarred. Not because he was an insider, but because he acted like my hot rod; cunning and deceitful, when he needs to be." Demetria spoke.
In a panic, Nettes' guest went to hit the electrocution trigger a third time before being thrown aside by Nettes. He stared intently at a very hostile Demetria on the other side of the glass. She knew that he had to be right in front of her, so she slammed a tire on the window and held it there, staring.
"He's coming for you... and your little army. You all better be ready, because if you thought I get psychotic... well... there's a reason he and I are made for each other. So, give up now while you have the chance." she finished.
Nettes stared at her in his spot for a brief moment, grinning and beginning to cackle like a mad car. Even his guests were made uncomfortable by just how psychotic his laugh sounded.
"Wow, you never cease to amaze me. Just one question for you-" he said, slamming a tire on the glass, scaring her off of it.
"How do you know what I have in store for you?" he growled.
She looked around at her friends, scared but staring at her like their saviour. She turned back around to face the window.
"I don't," she answered confidently.
"Well..." Nettes answered in admiration.
He turned back around to add his signature suspense, grinning as he faced the opposite wall.
"We shall see." he scowled.