Chapter Four: Kidnapped Duchess!

Chapter Four: Kidnapped Duchess!

Finn growled as he looked over the Duchess’s form. The Hornet hood ornament was nowhere to be found! How could it be missing from her hood?! Perhaps it had been knocked off in that fight she had been in with her twin. Yes, that had to be it…

His eyes narrowed as he looked at her still body. Her form still had the dents and injuries from the fight she had been in with her brother, and she was missing a tooth as well. The rogue spy grunted once before he turned away from her again.

So much for this mission being easy, he mused with a sigh…

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Radiator Springs

Doc winced as Maria placed one last bandage on his side, covering up the last of his scratches that had been bleeding slightly. She moved her tire away from the bandage and backed away at last. “Well, that should do it.” She said as Doc looked himself over. As usual, Maria had done a decent job of patching him up.

Then, the female Dart moved alongside the midnight blue racer and he noticed at once. “What?” Doc asked as Maria looked at him.

“Did you really have to get into a physical fight with your sister? I mean, I know how it is to get into conflicts with siblings, but this was a bit much. I never fought with my older brother in a physical manner, so why did you?” Maria asked as Doc looked down at the floor.

“Maria…Amy wasn’t just being selfish. She was being controlling. She was trying to control Lightning’s life, and I couldn’t stand that. And she also insulted my family. It wasn’t just about pride when I fought her. I felt she was really a threat to you and Lightning. She was threatening the lives that you two had gained here, and I couldn’t stand back and let that happen.” Doc replied at last.

The red Dodge Dart sighed as she closed her eyes. “Doc…how was your sister a threat?” She asked as she looked back at the darker-colored Hornet.

Doc bit his lip at the question. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn’t actually see her as a threat. He just didn’t like the way she had been talking about his friends and family.

Maria frowned at the lack of a response. It was just as she thought. “She wasn’t, was she?” She prodded.

“No…” Doc murmured at last, his blue eyes closing as he did so.

“Why did you say she was then?” The red car pressed.

“I…I don’t know…I just…I just didn’t want you to know how mad she made me…” Doc replied nervously.

Maria knew Doc had been trying to play down the fight to keep her from worrying, but she knew him all too well to fall for that.

“Doc…It is okay to say she wasn’t a threat and that she really pissed you off.” Maria assured him as she nudged him once.

The midnight blue racer looked back at her before he sighed. “I know…” He replied softly. “I know…”

-----
It was two days later when Holley got the news of a Duchess being kidnapped. The spy was more than ready to head out with Mater and Siddeley, but she was told to wait by the director of CHROME until they knew who it was that had been kidnapped and by whom.

“I just know it has to be Finn behind this…” Spray murmured as Holley looked back at him. The sleek Jaguar frowned at his comment.

“You do?” She asked as Spray nodded.

“Yeah…I do…” Spray replied as he looked back out at the town outside. Dusty frowned, not liking where this was going. He could see the police plane’s ailerons twitching at the mere thought of Finn being responsible. That meant he was usually right on, and this time was no exception he knew.

Holley looked back at Mater, who was still miffed that his best friend had nearly taken his girlfriend. She knew the red racer hadn’t been behind any of it, but Mater didn’t know that. It was taking all of her willpower to not break down and tell the tow truck how sorry she was he had to go through that. So, instead, she sucked it up and moved on as best she could for the moment.

Then, Spray looked back at Holley. “Well, what are you going to do if the Duchess kidnapped was taken by Finn?” He asked as Holley looked down.

“I don’t know…” She murmured before she looked back up at him. “But I will do what I need to do to complete the mission.”

Spray smirked at the resolve in her eyes before he saw Mater look back at Holley. “Ah may not like it, but you may need me on dis mission as well.” He said as Holley smiled at seeing Mater willing to go on a mission with her anyway. “After all, Finn is mah enemy too.”

Holley looked back at Spray as just then, her com-line beeped. She answered it. “Hello?”

“Agent Shiftwell, we know who was kidnapped and by whom.” The male voice over the line said as Holley narrowed her eyes.

“And what is the news?” She asked, knowing it would not be good.

“The kidnapped car is Duchess Amy Cario, and the one behind it is Finn McMissile.” The voice replied as Spray’s smirk faded.

“Oh, crap…” He murmured. “I just knew it was Finn who did it…”

“I understand. Consider the rescue top priority.” Holley replied as the line went dead.

She looked back at Spray and spoke. “I will need your help on this mission as well as Doc’s.” She said, making Spray gape as at that point, Doc came up, curious as to what was going on.

“What do you need my help for?” He asked as Holley looked back at him.

“A mission. Finn has kidnapped the Duchess Amy Cario.” Holley replied as Doc’s eyes went wide at once.

“What?!” The midnight blue racer was shocked to say the least. But the news was even more shocking when he took into account the car that had been kidnapped was his twin sister.

Holley looked confused at his reaction, but she let it slide. “This is an image of the Duchess. She is well-liked because she supports charities for kids, even if she herself has no desire of having anymore.” The purple spy car explained as she showed an image of Amy.

Doc felt his throat tighten at the image as memories of his fight with Amy came back to him in full force. Mater stared before he looked back at Doc, noting the look in the older racer’s blue eyes. “Ya know her, Doc?” The tow truck asked as the racecar nodded ever so slightly.

“That’s my sister…” He whispered before Mater gaped at him.

“Shoot! You are royalty?!” Mater exclaimed as Doc looked back at the tow truck spy with a glare.

“No, I am not!” He snapped back. Mater just took that as a no and remained silent on the matter. Doc then took notice of the hood ornament on the image. “What’s with the hood ornament?” He asked as Holley took note of where he was looking.

“Oh, that is the most valuable heirloom to the royal family. It is worth an empire’s fortune.” The spy replied as Doc looked down at the ornament he held in his right front tire.

“You mean this small thing is worth that much?” He asked as Holley blinked in shock at the golden piece.

“Where did you get that?!” Holley exclaimed as she pointed at it with a tire.

Doc looked back at her. “I knocked it off of her during our fight. Why?”

Holley then faced the Hornet directly. “That, Doc, is a very valuable piece!” The spy exclaimed as Doc looked down at it again. “It is a royal heirloom that belongs to the royal family itself! Only those of the royal family are allowed to have it!”

The midnight blue Hornet looked back down at it and grunted once. “That’s surprising, because Amy isn’t royalty.”

“Maybe not by birth, but those who marry into the family can also be given it.” Holley explained as Doc eyed the piece curiously. Then, the female spy snatched away from his tire, making the male Hornet yelp in surprise at the sudden move.

“HEY!” He exclaimed as Holley looked back at him.

“You shouldn’t have had it in your possession anyway, as it is royal family property.” The Jaguar growled as Doc blinked before he backed up a bit.

“Okay. I’m sorry.” Doc said as Holley sighed.

She then handed it back to him. “It’s okay, since you didn’t know its importance. And I know you well enough to know you won’t try to sell it anyway.” Holley said as Doc took the ornament from her. “And if anything, it would be safer in your care rather than mine or Mater’s.”

Doc blinked again but nodded as he put it someplace safe on his body.

“So, we need you to come with us on this mission to rescue the Duchess.” The spy said as Doc narrowed his eyes at her.

“Why should I?” He asked. “I don’t want anything to do with her!”

“We need your skills as a sniper!” Holley shot back. “You are the only car I know of that can hit targets at over a mile away!”

“She and I had a fight, okay?!” Doc snapped back. “I don’t want anything to do with her because of that fight…” His voice trailed off.

Holley took note of Doc’s tone and frowned a bit. “Why? Were some…inappropriate…things said during that fight?” She asked as the Hornet bit his lower lip nervously.

“You could say that…” Doc replied at last.

“Well either way, we need your skills as a sniper…and you are coming with. If you don’t want to be credited on this mission, then I will keep your involvement only to a mention.” Holley said at last as Doc sighed. He wasn’t getting out of the mission it appeared.

Spray smirked before Holley looked back at him too. “And you are coming as well.” She said as Doc looked back at the younger plane. Spray gaped before he began to protest.

“Why am I coming along?! I can’t contribute anything!” He exclaimed as Doc’s eyes narrowed a bit. “I have no real weapons, I lack wing to wing combat training, I have only one small weapon, I have no armor, and I am just a police officer! What can I possibly contribute to such a vital mission?!”

“Look, kid! Sometimes contributions can be made in even the smallest of ways! Keep that in mind, or you will never be a good police officer!” Doc hissed as Spray gulped.

“Okay…”

Too bad things were going to go downhill from there…

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Unknown Fortress

“It’s WHAT?!” The shadowed spy car shouted as Finn’s image winced.

“I’m afraid it’s true. The ornament is missing. I cannot find it on her anywhere.” The rogue spy replied as the unseen car sighed.

“Find it! I don’t care how you get it. Just get it to me!” He hissed as the spy’s image nodded. The line went dead, leaving him in shadow fully.

“This heirloom I need in order to get my plans in action…” He growled, unaware of the fact the ornament in question was now in the grasp of one midnight blue Hudson Hornet…