Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Best Laid Plans
February 2012
Radiator Springs, Arizona
Anxiety was an emotion that had lived with Gregory for a long time and today was no different, because he was very anxious about the plan. Or rather, how the plan would proceed depended on Lightning’s qualifying results for the 2012 season of the Piston Cup. The actual race was a couple of days ago, so today all participating racecars would get the result if they have qualified for the Piston Cup or not.
He wasn’t worried about Lightning if he would, for some ungodly reason, fail (and that thought was already preposterous). But he was rather anxious about his father’s plan being set in motion, once Lightning got the green light. He trusted his father, he trusted his little brother and he trusted Harv, who had worked tirelessly to make this whole plan work out without causing some PR nightmare that’d require his legal services.
But there was something in the back of his mind that kept nagging at him, making him anxious. Wallace often joked that maybe he had developed his own “danger sense”, referencing one of his Spyder-Car comics.
Gregory knew that it was just his old experiences with the racing world that made him anxious and slightly paranoid, especially given what happened at the World Grand Prix scam. So he tried to focus on the book he was reading and realized he had been reading the same sentence at least five times without noticing. ‘Goodness…I’m really more anxious than what I thought.’ He thought to himself.
He sat parked in the living room, having a quiet day for himself. It happens once in a while or as he likes to call it, “once in a blue moon”. And yes, he absolutely borrowed that phrase from Mater.
“Just calm down, Gregory.” Maria said gently as she drove past to the kitchen. “You know your brother and father will be fine.”
“They should’ve been back an hour ago.” Gregory said. “Father is usually always on time while being late is pretty much par for the course when it comes to Lightning.”
The sound of a familiar truck engine hit the hearing of Maria and she turned. “Well, if that isn’t Mack coming into town, then I don’t know who it could possibly be.”
Gregory glanced to one of the tall windows of the living room and yes, there was the familiar truck pulling the trailer with his little brother’s picture plastered on the sides. “I hope it went well. Ah well, I know that it always goes well for Lightning, but it’s never a wise idea to assume.”
“You coming to greet them?” Maria asked.
“Might as well. I can’t get past the first chapter of the book, anyways.” Gregory said and left the book behind.
“Which one is it this time?” Maria asked as they drove down the entrance hall and exited through the front door, entering the winter cold of February.
“1984.” Gregory answered.
“Ugh, Gregory…why that book?” Maria winced. “It’s rather…depressive. And it will make you very paranoid.”
Wallace came down and grinned. “Gregory needs to stop readin’ such drab stuff anyway! It ain’t good for ya engine, bro. Remember when ya had that readin’ spree ‘bout Stephen King books?”
“Don’t remind me. I kept seeing imaginary shadows in windows, mirrors and basically, everywhere I went.” Gregory shuddered a little and he was sure it wasn’t because of the cold.
“See? That ain’t good for ya.” Wallace nodded importantly.
“C’mon. I’m sure everyone’s goin’ to be wonderin’ where we are if we don’t get movin’.” Maria grinned. “And they had better have a good reason for being so late.”
“It’s just the café next to the house, mama.” Wallace pointed out and zipped across the little road before his mother could come with a retort.
“Ugh, this kid…” Maria groaned. “Love him to death, but he exhausts me sometimes.”
Mack was pulling in and getting the trailer ready to disembark the two occupants.
“Gregory, let’s go!” Maria called out to her eldest. “If we don’t leave now, everyone else will block us off.”
“I’m coming-”
“HAHA!” They heard Wallace laugh at his own immature joke.
“...just let’s go.” Gregory muttered, slightly embarrassed now.
It took little to no time for them to approach the trailer.
The back door, with Lightning’s image on it, opened up and in no time at all, Lightning McQueen zipped out. “Finally! Home!” He exclaimed. “Those fans were like rabid tractors!”
From behind Lightning came a dark blue Hudson Hornet, with the famed number 51 on his side as well as his racing name, “Fabulous Hudson Hornet.” This was Maddock James Hudson, also known as “Doc” Hudson to his friends and family, Lightning crew chief, trainer, and birth father.
“Damn punks were swarmin’ like bugs to a carcass.” Doc grumbled. “But I guess that’s what I get when I return to the racin’ world after bein’ missin’ for two years.”
While Lightning looked more like his mother in body shape and design, as well as color, he had Doc’s blue eyes, engine, temper, and a midnight blue stripe that went down his front hood and rear end.
“Well, how did you do, lil’ bro?” Wallace asked, almost getting in Lightning’s face.
Lightning backed away to get some space. “Geez, Ace! Don’t you know about personal space?”
“Wallace, can you please not do that?” Gregory said in the background.
Doc sighed, but he was glad to be back at home in the small desert town. “Well, for the record, the rookie did rather well. He got the third best time.”
Lightning grinned. “Which means I’m in the Cup once more!”
“That’s great!” Maria grinned. “I’m so proud of you, Lightning Bug!”
Lightning blushed. “Mom!”
“Say, how did everyone else react to Dad’s reappearance?” Wallace grinned.
“The crowd went wild!” Harv’s voice suddenly cut on, on the trailer’s phone as usual. “Gregory, your plan went as smoothly! It’s brilliant! You can’t buy this kind of publicity!”
“I’m relieved that everything went according to the plan, then.” Gregory spoke up, being the one to handle Harv’s unique personality more since neither his father nor his brother had the patience to do so. “How is everything looking right now?”
“Well, we still got some kinks to sort out. Paparazzi and trashy tabloids with their crazy conspiracy theories and all. Some of them seem to think Mr. Fab is an alien who literally can’t die and others paint him up like some Jesus who just rose from his grave one day. Crazy, am I right?” Harv laughed at the end.
“I literally just told the press I needed a break for two years.” Doc grumbled.
“As long as we contain the risks for a PR nightmare, I believe they won’t matter. People aren’t completely off the rockers, especially not when he has explicitly given a public statement.” Gregory responded. “Anything I should be aware of?”
“Not a lot. I already got people handling the superstar’s PO box. Y’know, the one where all fan mail gets redirected to instead of his actual home address. Lemme tell you, we’ve got some really unhinged fangirls. Like totally cuckoo and delusional. A few have sent in half-filled and probably photoshopped marriage papers. We shredded them.”
“Oh, for the love of Ford.” Gregory sighed. “It’s been very established that Lightning is in a relationship with Sally for nearly six years. When will they ever take a hint?”
“Eh, probably never. Anyways, the stocks are up, social media is blowing up and merchandise is selling like crazy. So we don’t have one thing to worry about! Just make sure the champ stays quiet about the big reveal plan, got it?”
“Oh, trust me. We are really cracking down on that.” Gregory said with a glance at his father and little brother.
“Alright, gotta run. Hear from you soon. Ciao!” And just like that, Harv hung up.
Lightning grimaced. “Geez… the fangirls never cease to creep me out.”
Doc snorted. “Try bein’ compared to some religious figure, just because I left for two years. The story I gave was that I needed a break, no mention of the real cause.”
“Looks like the coverup plan is working so far.” Gregory said as he had brought up a tablet and used an antenna to tap on it. “Your “two year sabbatical to re-evaluate your medical profession” excuse is fool-proof and with Mother returning to her former position as nurse at the clinic, no one will ever figure out what really happened. And it works in the long run, because someone needs to run the clinic when you’re on your crew chief duties. The most ideal would be if we had a secondary doctor, though…” He trailed off and started to mutter non-understandable things under his breath.
“Would it hurt ‘im to not work for once? At this rate, he’s gonna marry his workload.” Wallace mumbled to Ramone, both of them snickering like hyenas on crack.
“Well, at least we have good cover stories.” Lightning admitted. “But we can’t get careless. I mean, it’s good the Commission accepted the cover story, but if they really poked into it…” He trailed off.
“Just follow the plan and they’ll get other things to think about in due time.” Gregory said without looking up from working on his tablet. “Besides, the new season should keep them busy enough as it is. How was it at the track? Anything out of the ordinary?”
“I sorta expected Chick to say something rude or snarky, but he hasn’t said a thing. Or even done anything.” Lightning remarked. “He was really odd. And that new manager of his looked to be the same kind and build like him, but he just gave me the creeps.”
“While we were on the way to the qualifiers, I looked into Chick’s new manager and crew chief, but there was almost nothing, save for he used to race in the regionals.” Doc added, also frowning.
“Actually, I managed to dig up something about him.” Gregory said and looked up from his tablet with a sneaky smirk. “Apparently, he had a brief stint in the Piston Cup in the late 70’s, but that is all I could find.” He added with a frown. “Whatever happened in 1977, it’s classified information, so not even I, as a famous and trustworthy lawyer, have access to it. All I can say is that almost all of the pages are censored by black lines.”
Doc frowned some more. “So it seems there is a cover up by the Commission?”
“If my suspicions are true, then it was likely a decision by the previous Head of the Commission back then. I’m not sure if the current one is aware of it, though, or has the clearance to check it out.” Gregory said. “The only page that wasn’t censored is a marriage certificate to another car in 1975.”
“Huh…” Lightning looked down in thought. “Then something happened and they don’t want it to get out. That’s not unusual per say, but given how long it’s been since then…”
“Let’s not worry about it right now, rookie.” Doc said. “We have a couple of days to plan our next move for the big reveal, so we need to make our next decisions count.”
“Right.” Gregory nodded. “The first race of the season is in a week, so I really hope you are prepared for it. We’ve always known or had at least an understanding of Chick’s tactics in the previous seasons, but considering the change of crew chief and manager…we have no idea what to expect, especially if he acts out of character, as you are telling me.”
Doc gave a nod. “With so little on this new crew chief of his, we’re going to have to play it smart, not safe. If we play it safe, it may be taken advantage of.”
“So we keep goin’ with the plan, but we’re gonna be smart ‘bout it.” Wallace said. “Who’s gonna be there at Lightnin’s first race? Mama? I know Greg’s not gonna be there until the third or fourth race, at least.”
“Oh, you bet I will be.” Maria grinned. “Besides, I think it would be good for me to see my baby’s races in person from time to time.”
Lightning blushed. “Just don’t go calling me “Lightning bug” while you’re there.” He pleaded.
“Mother wouldn’t do that in public.” Gregory said.
“I know, but still…” Lightning trailed off. “Some of the older racers can be relentless if they pick up on something like that.”
Doc chuckled. “Don’t worry, kiddo. Once our relationship gets out, then you won’t have to worry about somethin’ like that.”
“Okay, the first official race of the Piston Cup is going to be held in Daytona, Florida on February 23rd.”
“Wait, the 23rd?” Wallace suddenly said, snapping to full attention to his older brother.
“Yes…is it a problem?” Gregory asked.
“Ah…kinda? I’m s’pposed to meet with the bossman in New York, ‘bout that promotion.” Wallace said. “So I can’t be here and y’know, watchin’ ya.”
“I don’t need constant supervision as if I’m a helpless child at flight risk, I’m safe here in town.” Gregory said irritatedly. “It’s not as if Sheriff Mercury would let anything happen to me when our parents and both of my younger brothers are out of town.”
“We know.” Lightning said. “He’s just worried, like all big brothers tend to be.” He grinned cheekily.
“I am the eldest!” Gregory retorted indignantly.
“Yes, yes you are.” Lightning agreed with a laugh. “But that doesn’t mean Wallace isn’t older than me!”
“Okay, boys.” Doc laughed. “I think we get it.” He then looked at Gregory. “And I know Sheriff will keep an eye on you, son. So I ain’t worried.”
“Thanks.” Gregory said and felt a little miffed that no one was really trusting him with his own safety.
“Hey, be glad you aren’t gonna be there when the reveal goes down.” Lightning admitted. “I’m gonna get the worst of it. You don’t have to deal with that.”
“I know. That’s why the plan is that I will make my public appearance at the third or fourth race, depending on how your first few races go.” Gregory said. “And we have to think about the distance too. I can’t travel a long way on the road, since it affects my health and stamina.”
Lightning grinned. “Which is why, if you come to one of my races, you’re riding with me inside the trailer.” He revealed. “You get to travel in style!”
“Doesn’t it get cramped since you and Father will travel in that trailer too?”
“Harv ordered the XL-sized trailer for me.” Lightning grinned. “He said I gotta travel in style and nothing but the best trailer on the market!”
“Of course he did.” Gregory sighed. “I told him that you don’t need such extravagant things when you already have a perfectly functional trailer-”
“It has a massage option.” Lightning shot back.
Gregory stared at his younger brother. “Alright.” He sighed. He should’ve known that was what sold it instantly to his little brother; he always complained he gets stiff during long hours on the road. “I need a coffee.” He added and headed to the V8 café. “Mater, tell me another fun story, will you?”
“On it, like bread n’ butter, Gregory!” Mater cheered.
And much to Lightning’s chagrin, the tow truck started on another tall tale where he roped in his best friend.
—
Two weeks came and went fast, and before they knew it, it was time for Lightning and his little entourage to head to Daytona, Florida. They were heading out three days prior to the big race, because it would take Mack 32 hours to reach their destination and Gregory was very adamant on the truck taking breaks, so he had included those as well. And he figured that they would need some rest at the assigned hotel in Florida, so he had taken that into account as well.
“I could always fire Harv and make you my manager instead?” Lightning joked that evening, as they had their dinner at Flo’s for a change.
“Har har.” Gregory rolled his eyes. “I’m a lawyer, not a manager. Harv is…well, Harv. But he does a good job as your manager. We just cooperate as a team, since he takes care of the PR and logistics while I handle the legal matters.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it, kid.” Doc chuckled. “Greg’s got his job, Harv has his, and I have mine. It takes all of us workin’ together to make this successful.”
“So technically, everything we do is a team effort to run everything smoothly.” Gregory finished with an important nod.
Lightning pouted. “Fine…” He grumbled.
“We’d better finish up so we can get ready to leave.” Doc said as he finished his own dinner. “The sooner we hit the road, the better.”
Lightning grinned. “I can’t wait! It will be great to be racing again! I look forward to it each year!”
“Alright, you take care of yourself now. I know I will see you soon in a few days, but still.” Gregory said. “Race fast is good, but race smart is better. Listen to our father and you’re fine. Eat properly, no candy or caffeine before raceday, go to bed early and brush your teeth. I know you try to skip sometimes. And most of all, please be careful!”
Lightning resisted to roll his eyes and smiled instead. He knew his older brother was always like this. That was why he and Wallace often poked fun in that Gregory was sometimes more motherly than their own mom.
“And please mind your temper, because Ford knows you are so similar to Father that it’s uncanny, sometimes!” Gregory told him.
“And for gosh sake, watch your language!” Wallace said before he started to cackle like a hyena.
“Trust me, I don’t wanna get fined for swearing.” Lightning admitted before grinning. “It’s Dad who needs to watch his language! He swears more than me when someone does something he doesn’t like on the track.”
“Did you have to reveal that?” Doc grumbled back to Lightning, who just grinned cheekily.
“Please, you’re not subtle. I’ve heard you swear like a sailor before.” Maria scoffed and rolled her eyes. “And you have the audacity to preach to poor Sam about his language.”
Doc rolled his own eyes. “I know, I’m a hypocrite if I don’t follow my own advice.” He snarked.
“Hey, Doc!” It was Sky and she grinned ridiculously happy, which meant…mischief, again. “Here ya go!” She used a tire to put something on his fender.
“...what did you do now?”
“Got you a lucky fridge magnet! And would you know it, it’s a cactus!” Sky grinned.
“Sky, I don’t-” Doc began but Lightning cut him off.
“Thanks, Sky! Dad will appreciate it.” He said with a grin while Doc rolled his eyes, just deciding to go with it. This was one of Sky’s tamer ideas, but it was cute nonetheless. He could just take it off while on the way to the race anyway and place it in Lightning’s trailer instead.
“See ya soon!” Sky was beaming like a little sunshine, even when it was dark outside.
The threesome loaded up into the trailer, with Maria going first, followed by Doc, and then Lightning; being the racer, Lightning went in last and was out first.
“Okay, we’re off!” Mack said once the trailer was closed and locked.
Mack was soon driving down the road and out of town, with everyone waving goodbye and wishing the threesome luck.
—
It was finally race day. Lightning was almost vibrating with excitement. He was currently in his trailer, while Doc and Maria were down near the pits, getting things ready with the rest of the pit crew. Lightning squirmed in excitement. The first race of the season, and he was in the top three.
‘Okay…’ Lightning thought to himself. ‘No speaking to the press about my stripe, or even any questions about Dad yet. Same with questions about Mom. Just say I can’t speak about it at the current time… If any of the other racers notice, just play it cool and don’t give anything away…’
“Lightning!” Doc’s voice cut into his thoughts, making Lightning smirk. It was time…
Lightning opened the trailer door and slowly emerged, grinning his usual smirk all the while.
While yes, he was in his usual Rust-eze paintjob, there was one thing that wasn’t red, and that was his stripe, gleaming in the bright lights of the press cameras.
Lightning couldn’t help but pose as he did his usual ‘Ka-Chow!” phrase and showed off his lightning bolt stickers.
It didn’t take long for Lightning to head to the track. The press was following him, trying to get information on his new paintjob, but he kept well ahead of them and entered the track, along pit row.
Lightning got into his assigned pit row slot and shivered a little. “I hate the press… Good thing they aren’t allowed in the pit row.”
“Just get ready, kid.” Doc said as he looked around. “We’re about to start.
Lightning grinned and headed right for the race track, getting into the third place position. Luckily, Cal Weathers had claimed the best time, so he was in the starting position, also known as ‘pole position’. Chick was in fifth place.
The pace car came out, showing it was now the warm up laps. “Okay, kiddo. This is it.” Doc said over the headset. “Once the warmup laps are done, you know what to do. Hold your position, and keep it steady. And keep an eye on Chick Hicks. He’s lookin’ a bit agitated today.”
“Copy that.” Lightning replied.
Doc watched as the racers did their three warm up laps, and then, they were off.
Over 40 racers sped down the track, with Lightning holding his own at the front of the pack. Cal Weathers was pulling off his drafting technique to try and maintain his current position, a testament to how well Strip Weathers had been training him.
Chick was falling behind a bit, which made Doc frown. He had known Chick’s techniques before, but for the other car to be falling behind? That wasn’t normal. “Watch yourself, kiddo. Chick’s probably plannin’ somethin’. He’s fallin’ back.”
“Why would-” Lightning began before Doc barked something out, realizing what was going on next.
“Move it, kid!” Doc exclaimed, just as Chick accelerated, trying to ram Junior off the track, who was right behind Lightning. Junior’s spin sent him towards Lightning, but Lightning accelerated, just as Doc began to instruct him to.
“Whoa! Okay! Not even ten laps in and Chick’s already playing dirty!” Lightning exclaimed.
“Good job avoidin’ that, kiddo.” Doc said, trying to calm his racing heart.
“Whoo, whee!” Darrell exclaimed from the announcer’s box. “McQueen’s got some really fast reflexes to avoid a spin like that! I didn’t know he had reflexes like that!”
Doc chuckled to himself. So far, it seemed like things were going according to plan.
The race continued, but it seemed every ten to twenty laps, Chick would try to wreck another car, or target Lightning and Cal directly.
At one point, Chick was trying to knock Cal out of the race, but Lightning came up beside Chick and taunted him. That made Lightning the target of Chick’s next attempt to knock him out of the race, but Lightning, thanks to Doc’s advanced warning, was able to avoid the attempt by dropping back and then passing Chick as he tried to recover.
“See ya, Chick-en butt!!” Lightning taunted as he passed by Chick Hicks.
From his position on the Dinoco crew chief’s stand, Strip Weathers could see the Hudson Hornet was indeed back in action, guiding Lightning as usual. But Strip had caught something he hadn’t expected, something that only those like him and Cal could perceive. It was faint, but it was there; Lightning’s reflexes were faster, by milliseconds, but they were faster. The older Plymouth Superbird’s brown eyes widened ever so slightly as he watched Doc Hudson’s mouth’s movements. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the red racecar would react, either by accelerating, dropping back, or weaving between the other racers. Strip couldn’t believe it. He was sure it couldn’t be what he was thinking. More observation would be needed, but it seemed…
‘Huh… Kid’s certainly full of surprises.’ Strip thought to himself as he watched McQueen avoiding a three car pile up, caused by another racer’s tire blowing out. ‘Heh… Guess it shows why he’s so talented at racin’. It’s not just his engine, or talent. It’s also in his heritage.’
By lap 200, already six racers were out due to serious injury and crashes, with others trying to stay away from Chick Hicks, who had knocked out four of those racers himself.
Doc was watching things carefully, though he did glance over at Strip Weathers, who made eye contact with him. Both retired veteran racers immediately had a strange understanding passing through them. They both had the same bond with their racers. Strip Weathers remained impassive, but then he gave a slight smile and an imperceptible nod, which Doc returned.
As Lightning came into pit for fuel and tires, Doc looked down at him. “Not bad kiddo.” He said. “You’re doin’ good.”
“Does nothing impress you?” Lightning snarked with a laugh.
Doc smirked back. “Get back out there and do your thing.” He laughed as well.
Lightning nodded, once he was fueled up and all his tires changed thanks to Guido’s fast actions as usual.
Lightning got back out onto the track, following several other racers who had also pitted. But Chick Hicks had remained out, which was odd to Doc. It was like Chick wasn’t following any predictable racing strategy.
“Kid, keep an eye out. Chick’s not pittin’ with the rest of ya.”
“Why would he do that?” Lightning wondered.
“No idea, but be wary. He’s up to somethin’.” Doc said before the com-line went silent.
Maria frowned. “I’m getting a bit worried, Doc.” She said.
“I am too.” Doc admitted. “But the kid’s smart. He listens.”
Doc frowned as he looked back out. He could see Chick was often glancing at his crew chief, which wasn’t normal. And he had noticed Chick wasn’t even taunting Lightning, which was one thing he never failed to do.
“Chick ain’t himself.” Doc noted. “He hasn’t once taunted Lightnin’, not even when he had the chance three laps back.”
“That’s odd, even for Chick Hicks.” Maria mused with some concern. “But why?”
“We can’t worry about that now.” Doc said. “We have a race to focus on. Once it’s over, we can do that.”
It wasn’t easy for the next 100 laps, as Chick, and other racers, kept getting into conflict with each other, but Lightning kept his pace. He remained in the top 10, which was what Doc wanted to see. Junior was currently in 12th, not bad, but not great either.
Cal was in the top 10 as well, and barely holding onto the pole position, or first place. Chick himself was 8th place.
Doc kept an eye on Chick’s movements, watching as he moved and tried to cut other cars off. At one point, a couple of other racers barely avoided slamming into each other because Chick cut between them recklessly.
Cal Weathers kept up holding his first place spot, but then Chick Hicks managed to pass him by using drafting to pull a slingshot maneuver to pass by him.
Glancing at Strip, Doc could see he was no doubt telling the younger racer what to do. Looking back, Doc could see Cal was now drafting behind Chick Hicks, only to slingshot past the green racer to regain his first place position.
Lightning caught up, keeping pace with Cal and Chick Hicks.
It was the final ten laps of the race, and Lightning was about to make his move.
“Okay, kiddo. Once the last ten starts, you know what to do.” Doc said.
Lightning sent an eager pulsation, which made Doc chuckle.
Watching the racers closely, Doc saw where he could take advantage of the situation. “Pass on the inside. You should be able to pass Chick without any issues since he’s more focused on Cal.”
“Copy that!” Lightning exclaimed with an audible grin to his voice.
Lightning made his move, passing by Chick Hicks and accelerating past Cal as well. Lightning liked to hang by the front of the pack, and then do what was known as a sprint, accelerating and going at full speed until the end of the race. The only thing about the strategy was that it required holding back for until the last few laps in order to work.
Lightning easily took advantage of Chick’s fixation on Cal Weathers, and was able to claim the first win of the Piston Cup season.
“And McQueen wins the first race of the season!” Darrell announced with enthusiasm.
Lightning was very excited. “Yes! My first win of the season!” He exclaimed.
Chick finished in second place, but he didn’t appear to be too happy about it and that was when Lightning really noticed it; the green racecar said nothing. Chick was never a quiet car, he was extremely vocal, outspoken, brash and expressive. Instead, he seemed closed off and isolated, never keeping eye contact with anyone for longer than three seconds.
Without looking at Lightning or Cal, who finished in third place (barely, as he and Chick had been fender to fender about second place), the green racecar drove off without a word.
“He’s really acting weird.” Cal said as he drove up by Lightning’s side. “And he’s a bit more ruthless than what he usually is. Reckless, even.” The blue racecar added. “What do you think, Lightning?”
“Yeah, I agree.” Lightning noted. “He even had a prime chance to taunt me as I passed him, and yet not even a word escaped him. It’s kinda creepy that he is acting so weird lately. Even… Doc thinks it’s unusual.” Lightning hesitated before calling the dark blue Hornet by his nickname instead of calling him ‘Dad’ like had been since the Grand Prix.
“I think my d…uncle suspects something else as well.” Cal said. “He isn’t like this and I don’t like this change. I almost prefer his taunts than complete silence. Him being quiet is so…weird and his crew chief looks at me in a way that feels creepy.” He shuddered a little, as if he could feel someone staring at him.
Lightning gulped, getting a strange feeling too. He also hadn’t missed the slight correction Cal had said when talking about The King. Lightning looked at Cal, but couldn’t bring himself to ask the question. No, it wasn’t a good idea to ask, especially when Chick’s crew chief was around.
As the racers began to disperse to their trailers and whatnot, the press descended upon the three winners. Well, they tried to descend upon Chick Hicks, but the green racer was gone before they could get to him. That left Cal and Lightning at the tires of the vultures that served as the press.
It went just as expected or rather, just as Gregory had predicted and it was lucky that Lightning was prepared for it.
“McQueen, how does it feel to win the first race of the season?!”
“It feels great, thank you.” Lightning replied with a smile that reflected exactly on what he was feeling.
“McQueen, how does it feel to have your crew chief back after his sabbatical?”
“I’m, of course, happy and thankful that Doc Hudson decided to keep being my trainer and crew chief. I’m also very supportive of his decision to remain as a crew chief and a doctor.”
“McQueen, is it true you’re going to pose in Cargirl?!”
“No, that is not true.”
“McQueen, have you always had a dark blue stripe on your hood or is it a new fashion style?!”
Lightning actually seemed to freeze for a moment before he recovered and spoke easily. “What? Can’t I change up my paint job?” He teased. “Or maybe it’s just always been there. Gotta have a little mystery about myself, right?”
The reporters seemed to find that a little funny, so they chuckled along.
“McQueen, what are your thoughts on Chick Hicks suddenly changing demeanor and tactics?” Kori Turbowitz, a renowned reporter, asked him next.
Lightning frowned. “To be honest… the change kind of scares me.” He admitted. “I’ve dealt with Chick before, but this is wildly out of character, even for him. He didn’t even taunt me when I taunted him.”
“McQueen, you were recently in a perilous situation during the conclusion of the controversial World Grand Prix.” One reporter was next. “Rumors says you gave a statement and condemned Miles Axlerod, but not renowned lawyer Hudson. What is your reasoning behind your decision?”
Lightning’s eyes turned icy hard, the same glint that the Hudson Hornet would get when he got mad. “All I can say on that is that Sir Axlerod did some things that incriminated himself, one of which was threatening an innocent. Lawyer Hudson was just a victim, deceived by Axlerod and nearly killed by that car. I saw what happened, and you know I am not a car who is dishonest.”
The glint in the red racecar’s eyes was uncanny, just like Doc Hudson’s, despite being a clearly different car model and make.
“Next question, McQueen!” Another car piped up, a pink reporter for a different network. “Do you believe international racing competitions are riskable and dangerous, given the events of the controversial World Grand Prix?”
Lightning relaxed, the angry glint in his eyes vanishing. “I don’t believe international racing competitions are inherently dangerous and risky. Every race league has dangers and risks, but if done right, they can’t be more dangerous than Piston Cup races or regional races.” He said with a slight chuckle.
“Last question, do you have any predictions for this Piston Cup season?”
Lightning laughed. “Other than me winning it? No, I don’t.” He then calmed down. “No, seriously. I don’t have any predictions really. If I win, I win. If I don’t, at least I gave it my all.”
Cameras started to flash more frequently and more reporters tried to get in their questions, but the security blocked their paths as the questioning and answering session was now over. “No more questions!” They barked. “Hey, stop filming! Get lost!”
Lightning met with the dark blue Hornet, who got his fair of questions and he answered them with ease, as he was a more experienced racecar. “A’right, rookie?” Doc asked.
“Yeah.” Lightning said and then, he dropped his voice. “The nerve of that reporter to drag Gregory into that mess!” He whispered harshly. “He nearly died.” He mumbled.
“Take it easy, kid. That’s not worth gettin’ yourself worked up for. Even if that was taken too far.” Doc’s eyes were ice cold, nearly like freezing electricity. Hot and cold at the same time, furious that his eldest son’s name was nearly getting defiled because Axlerod’s actions.
“And you tell me to not get worked up?” Lightning retorted. “Your gaze is like ice and electricity at the same time!”
Just as Lightning was about to laugh at him…that was when he felt it.
Lightning flinched and nearly hit the brakes when he felt the piercing heat of someone staring at him. Not one to stand still and always being too curious for his own best, Lightning looked to his side and there was that ominous new crew chief for Chick. His eyes were grey and made him think of a dark blizzard. He regarded the red racecar with a condescending glare, as if he thought Lightning was something dirty, like vermin, and he wanted nothing else than to crush him under his tire.
Words suddenly disappeared from Lightning’s voice. That feeling that Cal had told him…it was just as he described to him; it felt so cold, menacing and creepy. He didn’t like that car, Lightning decided.
He didn’t like him at all!
And there was something in his feeling that just kept screaming “dangerdangerdanger” all the time.
“...kid… Kid! Lightnin’!” Doc’s voice cut through the fog and bad feelings Lightning was experiencing. “Kid! Lightning!” Doc said as he gently shoved the red racecar, trying to get his attention.
“H-Huh?” Lightning snapped out of his panic-induced anxiety. “D-Doc?” He said, making sure to correct himself so no one could hear yet.
“Yeah, it’s me, kid.” Doc said reassuringly. “What caused you to panic like that?”
“I don’t know…I really don’t know.” Lightning said, still trying to get his bearings, and he glanced at his side. The crew chief paid him no more attention and instead, conversed with Chick. Who, by the way, averted eye contact and looked uncomfortable.
This was so…weird.
“That crew chief…he just looked at me and it made me feel so…insignificant. As if I was vermin in his eyes or something.” Lightning finally said.
Doc frowned, his eyes glinting dangerously. “Well, no one is gonna look at you like that for long. If he does it again, let me know.”
“I will…” Lightning gulped. He shivered. “But that was creepy…”
Doc nudged Lightning reassuringly, sending a calming pulsation over their bond they shared.
“It’s okay, kiddo.” Doc said gently. “There’s lots of security. No one is goin’ to hurt you.”
Lightning gave a nod. “Right… Security is tight… I’m safe…”
He recovered from his emotional distress in a matter of minutes before he felt ready to reunite with his mother and after that, they were ready to depart to return to Radiator Springs. Apart from the weird feeling he had gotten from that strange car, it was technically a good day for Lightning. It just ended…well, weirdly.
—
Doc and Lightning were heading back towards the trailer, only to come across a mob of press cars who were trying to get an interview with the sleek red and white Dodge Dart that was Lightning’s mother.
“Oh for the love of…” Doc grumbled when he saw this. He approached quickly, hoping to separate the press from his wife. “Hey! What’s the big idea houndin’ ‘er like that?”
The press, upon hearing Doc’s voice, turned to face him, and Lightning was just barely visible from the rear.
Doc realized what was happening, as did Lightning.
“Uh oh…” Lightning gulped.
At once, camera flashes were seen as Lightning tried to hide behind Doc.
Doc growled. “Back off, now!” He snapped, revving his engine at the same time.
To his relief, the press did back off. “C’mon, Lightnin’. Let’s get out of here, and away from these snoops.” Doc said.
“Y-Yeah…” Lightning said, relieved he didn’t have to speak to the press after that incident. He then called to Maria. “C’mon, Mom!”
The press knew of Lightning’s past, it was online for Ford’s sake! The red Dodge Dart was of course his mother. But there had been nothing about his father, just that Lightning himself had two brothers, but that was it.
Doc entered the trailer first, followed by Maria, and then Lightning. The door to the trailer closed, and Mack, who was already hooked up to the trailer, gave a loud sounding of his horn before heading out, causing the press cars to part so he could get out without pushing any of them aside.
—
Meanwhile, Chick got swarmed by a small group of the press before he could head to his own trailer.
Of course, most of the questions were about his sudden change of tactics, what was his new strategy for the season, if he would get consequences for his reckless behavior on the track and if he had already gotten his yearly warning from the Racing Commission.
Then, one question stood out among the usual ones.
“Hicks, do you have any idea where McQueen has gotten that midnight blue stripe of his?”
Unlike all the previous years where he’s been a loud, over-confident and boisterous type of racecar who loved media attention, Chick seemed to want to be anywhere else than here and answering the press’ pesky questions.
“Not really, it’s not as if we’re suddenly buddies and tell each other secrets.” He scoffed. “There’s a lot of theories about that, but just a few will support that with facts. One popular theory is called the “Old Guard’s mark”, basically just means a certain style of paintjob is doing the job to cover up something shameful. It’s really controversial. But that’s just a theory.”
There, his job was done. All it takes to plant the seed of that controversial theory and the press, especially the attention-hungry paparazzi, would take it and run with it, letting it grow wild and out of control.
“One last question!” Another pesky reporter bothered him when he started to leave for his trailer. “What is your connection to your trainer? How did you get such a skilled, well-known ex-racecar to be your crew chief?”
“No comment.” Chick snapped and rolled into his trailer, letting the ramp door close firmly.
—
After two days on the road, along with resting at rest stops, the trailer finally reached Radiator Springs and to everyone surprise, the first thing Lightning did once he exited his trailer was to cling at Gregory’s side. The second he locked eyes with his older brother, the red racecar didn’t hesitate for a moment and zipped right at the young Hornet’s side.
“Hi, baby brother. Missed me much?” Gregory said, surprised with a smile. But when Lightning didn’t answer, that was when he grew worried. “Lightning?” He asked, concerned for his little brother’s sake.
“It was so creepy…” Lightning muttered. “Chick’s new crew chief… the way he was looking at me and Cal… It was like… I was nothing to him…”
“Come with me now, I’m taking you home to the house.” Gregory said, instantly channeling his more nurturing side or as Wallace called it, “being a motherhen”. “You’re going to need a warm dinner, a cup of tea and your favorite blanket. How about it?”
“...sounds nice.”
That was Gregory’s special home remedy to handle Lightning’s emotional state when he was upset. Through the years he’s been almost like a third parent for him, Gregory found that it has worked whenever Lightning was sick, scraped himself on a botched up race, stressed out or just sad. He’d bundle him up with his favorite blanket in the living room, give him a cup of tea and put on a comfort movie (or tune into a dinocar tv show, if he was lucky) while he made a warm stew for dinner.
That was mostly why their mother often joked that Gregory was more of a mother to Lightning than she.
Gregory glanced at his parents and gestured with his eyes to follow him back home, since Lightning was apparently upset enough that what happened on the racetrack two days ago was still bothering him. Also, it was a very cold February evening, so no one should stay out in the cold and Mack most likely needed some rest after that long trek.
Once inside the Hudson house, Gregory made sure Lightning was settled down in one of the seats in the living room with his favorite blanket. “I’ll fix up tea for you in a second. Do you want to watch a movie or do you want to see if there’s a dinocar documentary on the TV?”
“The documentary…” Lightning muttered, feeling quite a bit shaken up still. “Anything to get my mind off of that feeling.” He shivered, actually reversing somewhat so he was somewhat under the blanket, almost like a nest.
Gregory flipped the channels and found what he was looking for. Once again, he mentally thanked Wallace for getting them cable. “There we have something! A dinocar documentary on the nature science channel! Now, don’t you worry about a thing and I’ll make sure you’ll get a bowl of warm, delicious stew in no time.” He reassured his baby brother before heading into the kitchen to continue on the stew he had been cooking for the past hour.
“He’s a’right?” Wallace asked, who was lounging by the dining table.
“He’s going to be fine. He just needs to wind down and forget whatever that car was.” Gregory said, dropping his “nurturing” persona and looked righteously pissed off. “Nerve of such a car…how dare he look at my baby brother like he’s insignificant! If I wasn’t stuck with this defective engine, I’d show him one thing or two, racecar or not!” He ranted as he tended to the stew on the stove.
Wallace’s eyes turned glacial. “Oh, if only Idda been there! I’dda showed ‘im a thing or two as well! I can’t stand those kinda cars!”
The water kettle went off and Gregory let the stew simmer while he fixed a cup of tea for his little brother in the matter of seconds. “I’ll take this to him. Keep an eye on that stew, will you?”
“On it like Donkey Kong.” Wallace saluted him.
“I’m…going to forget you ever said that.” Gregory said awkwardly and went into the living room again. “Here you go, baby brother. A warm cup of tea for you. Black tea, flavored with summer berries. Just the way you like it.” He said and placed the cup on the coffee table.
“Thanks…” Lightning said, not taking his eyes off the TV screen as he was fully distracted and mesmerized by the new dinocar facts he was learning right now.
Lightning grabbed the tea and began to drink it, his mind focused on the documentary, which was a good sign. He looked more relaxed and not as tense anymore.
Gregory smiled fondly at his little brother, ever the responsible big brother who had always doted on the little red racecar he saw sometimes instead of a world-famous Piston Cup winning racecar, before he vanished into the kitchen again. His parents had now joined Wallace around the kitchen table, although his mother was taking over the cooking duty now.
“Mother, you just got home after days on the road. I can handle dinner by myself.” Gregory said with an exasperated smile.
“Oh no. I’ve been gone for five days, and I would rather cook again instead of having you do it.” Maria replied. “Besides, I think you need a break from it. I’m sure you’ve been cooking the whole time I was gone.”
“He sure has.” Wallace remarked. “If Greg wasn’t a lawyer, I’d say he fit the bill for bein’ a househusband or somethin’ like that.”
“I-I mean, I’m not opposed to it…if it means I can work from home.” Gregory said, trying to push away the hot flush that covered his face at the thought of being a husband (and his mind instantly wandered to Sky, he couldn’t imagine her putting her career on the shelf if she gets married).
Doc chuckled. “Greg could definitely fit that bill.” He agreed. “Nothin’ wrong with it though. Sheriff was basically that for Sky while workin’ before she got her own officer job.”
“One question about that. If Sheriff Mercury didn’t officially adopt her until you were…well, gone, how did that make sense?” Gregory asked. “Did he just agree on taking care of an orphan without any connections or ties to her, out of goodwill?”
“Apparently social services were pokin’ around, so Sheriff decided it was just time to adopt her to keep her with us.” Doc replied.
“So you’re telling me that social services didn’t find out about her or started to meddle until after you were gone, apparently?” Gregory said flatly. “That sounds like a crack in the system, which, by the way, shouldn’t have happened at all.”
“My guess is that social services were probably not that active in Carburetor County ‘til Lightnin’ made the town all famous and renowned.” Wallace added his two cents. “Also Dad was the town judge and he didn’t report anythin’ off, so they probably thought everythin’ was just fine and dandy here.”
“Sky didn’t exist in the system for a couple of years after she got here.” Doc pointed out. “If that got out, it would’ve only ended in complete disaster and she would’ve gotten her real identity leaked. Not that we knew who she was at the start, but forget that detail. The thing is that I knew she’d be put in custody and while she was a teenager at the time, she was still a traumatized child. The last thing I wanted to do was to get the government involved.”
“So ya pulled one over on the feddies!” Wallace laughed. “Clever, Dad! Clever!”
“I kept havin’ anxiety ‘bout that.” Doc said dryly. “Lyin’ to the press is one thing, but to the government? I was nearly half-sure the whole time that they’d be arrestin’ me for fraud or somethin’ like that at any time.”
“I hope that doesn’t become a habit.” Gregory replied.
“It shouldn’t.” Doc replied. “I have no intentions of repeatin’ that. I guess we’re just lucky that time went on and Sky grew up into a legal adult before anyone got the wiser ‘bout her identity.”
“Would ya say that Sheriff is a total girl dad?” Wallace smirked. “Can’t see ‘im bein’ the same if he had a son, the way he dotes on Sky.”
Doc laughed. “Oh, that’s Sam a’right!” He chuckled. “He never said it outright, but the implications durin’ our talks were clear!”
“Besides, I think poor Sam had enough with Mater’s antics to bother with a son.” Maria laughed. “From what Flo has told me, Mater’s been sort of a pseudo-son for Sam, so he’s gotten his share of headaches.”
“Yah, but Mater’s a good person!” Wallace laughed. “A bit on the crazy side, but tha’s the fun part!”
“Don’t worry.” Doc chuckled. “Mater’s more than a tireful, but that’s what we love about him.”
“Speaking of people we love, I want to know what set Lightning off.” Gregory said. “Lightning isn’t someone who lets anyone get under his metal, so…what happened? I know it couldn’t have been on the track, because I would’ve seen it since I have never missed any of his races on the TV.”
Doc frowned. “He had an encounter with Chick’s new crew chief.” The older Hornet revealed. “I saw the rookie make eye contact with him and then, Lightnin’ went into a panicked anxiety. I could feel it over our bond, sharp and intense.” He took a breath before continuing. “It wasn’t easy to snap him out of his panic.”
“...I see.” Gregory said with a grim expression. “Father, I’d recommend you keep your distance from him as well. Something about that car isn’t right…”
Doc nodded. “I will try. It won’t be easy, given how it is at the tracks, but I will do my best to avoid him.”
“I wonder if Cal Weathers is doing okay.” Maria wondered. “Lightning mentioned, when we got back, that Cal was also being observed by this car too. That poor racecar is such a sweetheart, I can’t imagine his uncle standing for any maltreatment to him.”
“Yeah.” Doc said, biting his lower lip. “At the race… I had noticed it.” He said. “The quick reflexes, the same movement that Lightnin’ gets when we use it… Cal isn’t just Strip’s family.” Doc let out a shaky breath. “Cal Weathers is his son, at least… I’m assumin’ anyway.”
Maria felt a sharp breath leave her. “Are you sure?” She asked, surprised.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” Doc confirmed. “Strip Weathers is an only child, and his wife has a brother who is single. Who else’s son could he be?”
“I’m surprised that no one has pieced it together. Then again, it’s not as if the press makes background controls and it’s most likely that Mr. Weathers made sure to keep his familial ties hidden from public view.”
Doc nodded. “Well, Cal looks more like his mother than his father, so I can see why they went with the ‘nephew’ story.”
“If it works, then it works.” Maria agreed.