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Chapter Thirteen: Reunions

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Chapter Thirteen: Reunions

Lightning stared in shock at the midnight blue Hudson Hornet passed out in front of them. His breathing was shallow and rapid as the red racer watched Finn trying to keep him stable. But Lightning’s mind was not on the spy car’s actions. Rather, it was on the car he was trying to help. How was it that Doc was still alive? And why hadn’t he told anyone?! Why hadn’t he been there to help him in the races?! And why hadn’t he been there when he won his fourth Piston Cup?!

The red racecar wanted to know the answers badly, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but be worried for his mentor. Lightning just hoped that he would be alright. Guido and Sarge managed to get Doc’s injuries bandaged up a few minutes later, but he was still unconscious.

He was about to head over and see if the older racer was alright, but Sheriff grabbed his spoiler, making him look back at the older cruiser. The cop shook his front, as if saying to stay back.

A growl escaped Lightning, but he held back. Sheriff was right. Getting in there would only mean he was getting in the way of treating Doc. But at the same time, he wanted to know that he would be alright. It was so frustrating!

For once, Lightning had his mentor back in his life, and yet he was worried he would truly lose him this time. During the time he had known Doc, he had never seen the older racer look so bad. He always seemed to be full of energy, full of life. But now, now he looked so bad. His sides were moving rapidly but shallowly, indicating he was having trouble breathing. Those blue eyes were now closed, and he just looked awful. His dark blue paint was still reflective, but on one side, it lacked that reflectiveness. Lightning was almost afraid to approach the Hornet, fearing he would fall apart if he touched him.

But at the same time, the red racer knew Doc was not one to give up. He hadn’t quit on life after his crash of ’54, he had pushed through and became a doctor. So who was to say that wouldn’t happen again? He was certain Doc would make it.

Finn sighed as he backed up, sagging down on his shocks a bit. “He’s stable.”

Those words made Lightning’s heart leap with happiness and relief. “So, he’ll be okay?” The racer asked.

The light blue spy looked back at him. “I just said he was stable. I didn’t say he would be alright.” Finn replied as Lightning felt his heart become filled with dread. He couldn’t lose him now, not after Doc had just re-entered his life!

Lightning winced at the thought. How could he be so worried about Doc’s survival when the older racer hadn’t mentioned he was still alive to anyone in Radiator Springs?!

He wasn’t sure if he should be mad at the older racer, or if he should be happy Doc was back in his life.

Sheriff noticed the red racecar’s conflicted look and drove over to him. “You okay, kid?” he asked as he nudged the younger car.

“No…I’m not…” Lightning admitted. “I don’t know if I should be mad at Doc for just leaving us and making us think he was dead or if I should be happy he is back in my life.”

Sheriff frowned at the kid’s response. “Look…I may not like what he did either, but Doc never did anything without reason. If there was a reason he left and didn’t tell us he was still alive, then it had to be a good one.” The old cruiser replied as Lightning looked at him.

“I just don’t know how I should be reacting right now.” The racer explained as the cop nudged him again.

“I know. But don’t worry…he will be fine.” The older car replied softly as Lightning looked down at the ground.

Finn looked back out of the corner of his eye at the two before he looked back at the unconscious Hornet. His breathing was still rapid and shallow, and it was getting worse by the minute.

“We need to get him to a medical facility.” Finn said, making everyone look at him abruptly.

“Is it that bad?” Sally asked as Finn looked back at her.

“Unfortunately, yes. But we should be able to save him if we can get him someplace to get treated.” The Aston Martin replied as Lightning looked back at the spy.

“Then do it.” He said as Finn looked back at him. “I don’t think I could stand losing him again…”

The spy smiled softly. “We will. Don’t worry…”

Lightning nodded before he turned away, tears running down his front. Sally moved up beside him, as did Sheriff.

Then Finn looked back at Siddeley. “Prepare to move out. We are headed to CHROME HQ so we can get this car treatment.” Finn replied as Siddeley looked at him in shock.

“Why not an ambulance to a local hospital?” The jet asked as Finn pursed his lips. As much as he hated to admit it, CHROME HQ had facilities to access a car’s black box if they had one. He wanted to know more about this car, and the only way he could get that info was through the black box. At the same time though, his partner had raised a good point. The local hospitals were more than equipped to handle the Hornet’s injuries. But at the same time, he would have to wait to get the info he wanted from the injured car.

“Fine…we’ll get him to a local hospital if we can.”

Sarge then spoke up. “It will take too long. We need to get him treatment now!”

Finn realized the jeep was right. He sighed, trying to figure out what to do. Holley came up alongside him. “Finn…”

The elder spy finally opened his eyes as he made up his mind. “We’re taking him to CHROME. It is faster and we can have a medical team ready by the time we arrive.”

The jet nodded as the residents of Radiator Springs all looked at one another. “Are you sure?” Flo asked.

“Yes.” Finn replied as he looked at her. “He will be able to be treated immediately once we land if we have a medical team set up while we are en route.”

Flo seemed to accept that decision, as did several others.

“Just don’t let anything happen to him…” She murmured as Holley looked at the former show car.

“Don’t worry. We won’t.” The female spy assured her. Flo smiled weakly at the response.

With those words, Finn faced them. “Alright, let’s get him onto Siddeley.” He ordered as the jeep and forklift both moved into action.

-----
USS Flysenhower

The planes all watched with anxious expressions as the screen showed the Lemon leaders being loaded into ambulances while the rest of the racers were all gathering around.

“Unfortunately, we do not know the motives of Sir Miles Axlerod at this time. We hope to learn more when he wakes up and starts talking. Until then though, everything is nothing but speculation.” The officer in charge reported as the Jolly Wrenches all watched the breaking news story.

“What do you have to say about the incident between the two spies from CHROME and the Lemon families?” A reporter asked as the police car narrowed his eyes.

“We owe the CHROME agents a big debt of gratitude for helping to bring the Lemons to justice at last. However, we also owe the pit-crew of one Lightning McQueen and said racer a debt of gratitude as well, because they got involved in the fighting as well.” The police chief replied with sincerity.

“There have been rumors going around about a car that saved the life of one of the spies. Would you care to explain a bit about that?” The reporter asked.

“We cannot say for certain that a car did save the life of one of the CHROME agents. But if there is, then we owe that car a big debt of gratitude as well.” The chief replied as the planes all looked at one another. They had seen that car in action, and so they knew that it was in fact true, and not just a rumor.

But what awaited them was unsure…

-----
London, England

Finn looked back at the still unconscious Hornet. His breathing had stabilized for the moment, but he wasn’t sure if it would last. Only time would tell.

He just knew they had to get him medical help before time ran out for him…

-----
The first thing he heard when he came to was the sound of a heart-rate monitor and an engine-rate monitor. His blue eyes opened before looking around at his surroundings. White walls filled his blurry vision as he tried to clear it. A few blinks later, his vision was cleared enough to see that he was in a hospital room of some kind. Looking again, he saw that the walls were in fact a medium grey color instead of white. He looked around in confusion before his side suddenly flared up in pain and he hissed at the feeling. Why did his side hurt like hell?!

His eyes then caught sight of the bandages on his form. He could also see a burn pad on his side underneath the bandages. His eyes narrowed a bit before they widened as memories started to come back to him. He immediately tried to move, but his side flared up in pain once more, preventing him from doing so. The battle, fighting the Lemons, his son getting hurt, Mater, the bomb on him, Professor Zundapp and Sir Axlerod, it all came back in a rush.

He stopped moving and tried to put things in perspective. He knew that he had sniped down two Lemons, but after that, things became a blur. He vaguely remembered hitting at least one of the Lemon leaders, but not much else.

Just then, the door hissed open, making him turn to face the car who had entered. He grew a bit tense when he saw it was the light-blue Aston Martin, Finn. The spy drove over upon seeing that he was staring at him.

“Ah, glad to see you’re awake. I was getting worried.” Finn said in that proper British tone of his as he looked into his blue eyes. “I would like to thank you for your efforts in that mission, and for saving my life. I am Finn McMissile, an agent for CHROME, and the one you saved.”

He narrowed his eyes a bit before realization hit him. This was the spy who had gotten Mater involved in that mission! He was about to yell at the spy when he stopped himself. It was best to play dumb and act like he didn’t know Finn, he realized. If the spy found out he knew his name, then things would get bad for him.

“I just acted.” He replied as Finn drove over to his side and looked it over.

“I must admit, you’re doing much better than when we first got you here. The fact that you are awake as well is a good sign too. I was worried you might not wake up.” The spy mused as he reversed and turned to face him.

“Why would a spy be worried about someone like me?” He asked as Finn just chuckled a bit.

“You saved my life. Why wouldn’t I be worried about the one who did that?” The spy replied.

He just grunted before he winced at the pain in his side.

“Anyway, I want to personally thank you for saving me back there. If you hadn’t, I would be dead for sure.” Finn said as he managed to regain some awareness.

“Really.” He commented. “I just saw you being cornered by those two cars and reacted. I wasn’t about to let someone die if it could be prevented.”

Finn nodded. “That is very noble of you to do such a thing.”

Noble?! Him?! Hardly! “I wouldn’t say that. I just acted. That’s all.” He replied, trying to steer the subject away from himself. “But that aside, who were those two cars, and what happened to them?” He had decided to act like he didn’t know about the Lemons either. Finn didn’t need to know the story behind it anyway.

“Those two cars were Professor Zundapp and Sir Miles Axlerod, one of whom is my sworn enemy.” Finn replied. “As for what happened to them, well, let’s just say that their injuries were bad. Much worse than yours. Professor Zundapp wound up flipping three times, which resulted in a partially crushed engine, a crumpled roof, a snapped front axle, a cracked rear axle, a crushed suspension, and three flat tires as well as a concussion and internal bleeding. While he will live, he will be unable to drive very far or long. And Sir Axlerod got a snapped rear axle, a concussion, several teeth knocked out, two flat tires, and nasty pavement burns on his side.”

He then remembered Mater and the bomb on him. “What about Mater?! And that bomb?!” He asked, making Finn remember that this car had been the sniper.

“Oh, don’t worry. Mater is fine, and the bomb has been removed successfully.” Finn assured him as he felt relief flood him. Then his tone turned teasing. “But I will admit, I wasn’t expecting my savior to be such a skilled sniper either.”

He tensed at once when he realized his weapons were missing. Finn noticed this and laughed a bit. “Don’t worry. Your weapons are safe. We made sure to avoid messing with them.”

He felt the tension leave his frame before Finn took on a serious look. “But that aside, I am curious, how is it that you knew where to go to keep the Lemons in check, Doc James Hudson?” he asked.

At once, Doc tensed. “How did you know who I was?!” he asked in a low growl.

Finn just smirked. “We found you have a black box. Given that we are at CHROME HQ, it was easy to tap into it and read the info that had accumulated over the years. But what is odd is that the records on it show you have had it for only a few months.”

Doc’s eyes grew wide at the mention of where he was. He was at CHROME?! Oh shit, this was not good! “And don’t worry. We couldn’t read all of the info that was on it, considering there wasn’t that much to begin with.” Finn replied.

The Hornet felt uncomfortable though, which made Finn sigh. “Look, we had to take you here, because if we didn’t, then you would have been long dead. A normal hospital was an option, but CHROME HQ was closer.”

“I see…” Doc murmured as he looked around again, a wary look in his eyes.

“And if you must know, yes, your friends are in fact allowed to see you. CHROME wouldn’t shut itself off from everyone, now would they?” Finn teased.

At this, the Hornet was shocked. “What?”

“You heard me. Your friends are in fact allowed to see you.” The spy repeated. “In fact, I think they are here right now.”

Sure enough, when Finn looked at the door, it hissed open, revealing Mater, Lightning, Sheriff, and Sally. Well, only four of them anyway.

At once, Mater sped forward to the injured Hornet, just as Finn left. “Doc!” he exclaimed as he came to a stop in front of him. “You’re alive!”

“Yes, Mater…I am alive…” he muttered as the tow truck bounced on his tires happily.

“But…how?” Sally asked as she came up beside him as well.

Doc looked at her before he sighed. “I’d rather not talk about it, but you all deserve to know why I left, and why I never said anything or let you know I was still alive…”

Sally looked at him, as did Sheriff and Lightning. Doc could feel the younger racer’s eyes on him, and he shifted a bit before he began to speak.

“The reason I left was because of something that came up. You see, a few months before Lightning’s final race of the season, a car was reported harming others near Radiator Springs. The FBI did a background check on the car, and he was found to be a registered Lemon family head. That was what scared me. I was worried that the rest of you guys might be hurt if that car ever came around town again. So I left…to become a trained sniper.”

Sally, Sheriff, Mater, and Lightning were shocked at his response. “But, isn’t that a bit much?” Lightning asked. “I mean, becoming a sniper to protect us? Why?”

Doc looked at Lightning, taking in that now revealed midnight blue patch of paint. “There’s more to it than just that.” He replied before continuing. “The car that was lurking around Radiator Springs was more than just a threat to you guys. He was also a threat…to…” He gulped before continuing. “…to me and…Lightning…”

Sally, Mater, and Sheriff looked at Lightning before looking back at Doc in confusion. “How could that car be a threat to the two of you?” Sheriff asked.

Doc was shaking now, because it was now or never. He knew he couldn’t hide it from them for much longer, not now that Lightning’s hidden legacy had been revealed.

“It’s because of an incident that occurred at least twenty years ago…” He murmured softly.

Sheriff was confused, as were the other two. “What incident?” The old cruiser asked suspiciously. His friend was nervous as he shifted on his tires a bit.

“I never revealed this because…” He trailed off as he tried to get his nerves under control. “…because I didn’t want you to think I was some kind of…” Doc trailed off again. Sheriff knew at once what his friend was talking about.

“What happened?” Sheriff asked.

Doc looked back at Lightning again before he sighed once more. “It became known as the Lemon Massacre…because of all the Lemons killed that day. There were fifty-one killed…all because of…” He went silent before he managed to get his shaking under control. He was afraid of admitting this, but he had to, or they would never understand why he had become a sniper. “…because of me.”

Sheriff’s eyes went wide, as did Sally’s, Mater’s, and Lightning’s. “YOU?!” Sheriff exclaimed as Doc winced. He was sure his friend hated him now.

“Why didn’t you say so?!” Sheriff demanded as Doc looked at him with a bit of fear in his eyes. Upon seeing that fear, the cruiser then understood. “Oh…”

“But…why? Why did you do it?” Sally asked, her voice almost a whisper.

“That’s what I’m getting to. You see…after my crash, I went and became a doctor, as you all know. However, during that time, I also had a family. I was married at one point, and I had three young boys. Of course, my youngest was a pure-bred racer, and as such, that made him very prized by the Lemons, who wanted him for their own sick business ideas. They planned to capture him and sell him off to the highest bidder as well as use him for…’breeding’…purposes. They attacked his day-care, which was at my oldest son’s school at the time. It was a few days before his second birthday when they attacked. And I had been heading to my children’s school for a conference when the attack happened. When I got there, the FBI, police, and SWAT teams were all around the school, which was blocked off. I tried to find out what happened, and one of the officers explained that terrorists had taken over the school and were looking for pure-bred racers. I knew my youngest was one such car, and after I managed to sneak inside, I saw what every father feared worst. I saw my son kidnapped. But what really made me lose it and commit the Lemon Massacre was the way the cars responsible referred to him. They called him a ‘product’, as though he was nothing more than mere merchandise. I lost it, and the rest you already know.” Doc explained.

By now, they were beginning to piece it together, save for one. Sheriff was beginning to understand why his friend had hidden such a big secret from them. “I see…so if the Lemons found out you were the one who committed such an act, they would have targeted you and your family. Am I right?”

“Partially.” Doc admitted as he glanced at Lightning. The red racer cocked his front to the right a bit in confusion. Why did Doc keep looking at him like that?

“So, was your son rescued?” Sally asked.

“Yes, he was.” Doc replied as Sally smiled in relief at that. “But I left my wife after that, because I didn’t want the Lemons to figure out that I was the father of one of their targets. And I didn’t want them to link my son to the incident, which would in turn have led to me.”

“Now I get it. You left to protect your family.” Sheriff exclaimed at last as Doc nodded. The cruiser then became serious. “But what does that have to do with Lightning being threatened by the Lemons?”

Doc bit his lip nervously. “It’s because…” Doc trailed off, trying to find the best way to say it.

“It’s because what?” Sheriff prodded. Doc was clearly looking nervous about something, and the cruiser had a feeling it had to do with the red racecar.

Finally, Doc sighed before he decided to outright admit it. “It’s because…” he trailed off again before he finally seemed to just give in. “He’s my son.”

Sheriff backed up as his eyes went wide. The cruiser just shook his front as if trying to deny the information. Sally blinked as her mouth dropped open at the news. Mater looked at Lightning before he looked back at Doc, then between the two again before he saw that midnight blue color revealed underneath the red paint. “Does that explain why Lightnin’ has a midnight blue color under his red paint?”

Lightning looked down, and sure enough, there was a small scratch revealing a midnight blue color. Then it became clear to the red racer. Everything made sense! Why his older brothers were so different from his stepfather, why Doc seemed to act like him, why the two of them seemed to be so similar in personalities, and most of all, why they had that connection! That explained why he had felt like something was missing most of his life!

At the same time though, he felt anger rising. Why hadn’t Doc told him?! And why hadn’t his mother told him?!

He looked back at Doc, a hurt look on his face. Doc seemed to notice, because a similar look appeared on his own face.

“Why?” Lightning asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?” The question was little more than a whisper, but Doc understood it clearly.

“I didn’t want the Lemons to find out. If the racing world found out, then the Lemons would have found out as a result.” Doc admitted at last before he looked at the red racer. “It was to protect you.”

“But you still could have told me!” Lightning snapped back, tears beginning to fall down his front.

“I wanted to! I really did!” Doc replied at once. “But I couldn’t…I just couldn’t bring myself to risk it…”

Lightning, while hurt at the revelation, couldn’t deny that Doc had had very good reasons for doing such things. “But why didn’t mom tell me?! I asked her over and over again why my older brothers were so different from my stepfather, but she refused to tell me!”

“That was because I asked her not to.” Doc replied. “She understood the danger, and so she agreed to never tell you anything. She even covered up your midnight blue stripe under red paint so that the Lemons wouldn’t recognize you.” As much as he hated to admit it, he had hurt his son in many ways, but at the same time, it had been for his own protection. Better to have his son alive and free to do what he wanted with his life than captured, forced to be a slave for the rest of his life and then killed. “It was either I leave and keep you safe, alive, and free from Lemons hunting you down, or I stay and risk having you captured, hunted down, and killed. You can probably guess which one I chose.”

Lightning’s expression became softer at those words. He had at first been angry at Doc for hiding such a big secret from him, but as he thought things over, he realized that it was actually better this way rather than the other way.

Doc looked back at Lightning, unsure of what the kid would say. He was nervous about whether his son would accept the truth or not. “Lightning…I’m sorry…” the Hornet choked. His voice cracked with those words. Tears began to stream down his front, and he tried to keep his emotions in check but failed. “Do…do you…forgive me?”

Lightning stared for a moment. He could tell the older racer was genuinely upset. Then, he came to a realization. He couldn’t be mad at Doc. Not after what he did. He had just been acting in his best interest. Tears began to form in the red racer’s eyes before he moved up to his father’s side and began to cry. He just couldn’t stay mad. “…I forgive you…” he rasped.

Finally, the older racer let out the emotions he had been holding back for so long. He began to shake visibly as his frame shook with subtle cries. Both father and son hugged each other before Doc finally stopped shaking. Lightning pulled back as he looked into his father’s blue eyes, eyes that were just like his in so many ways.

Doc gazed back into his son’s eyes before he finally relaxed. Lightning was the first to speak. “I can’t believe the Lemons are responsible for this. They ruined not just my life, but yours as well. How many lives have they ruined because of their actions? Not only that, but they had the gall to nearly kill Mater!” His voice came out as a growl as he spoke.

The Hornet knew his son have every right to be mad at the Lemons, and to be honest, he was also mad at them. Not only for preventing him from being in his son’s life, but for also nearly killing Mater.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s not just our lives they ruined.” Doc growled back, just as Finn re-entered the room.

“You’re right. The Lemons have ruined countless lives, whether it’s through extortion or murder, bribery or kidnapping. They have harmed countless innocents, but that should end now. The majority of the Lemons are in custody, and we are hunting down the remainder right now.” The spy said as the others all looked back at his voice.

“How much did you overhear?” Sheriff asked as Finn looked down.

“Enough to know that the Lemons ruined your lives.” Finn replied as he looked at Doc and Lightning.

Doc pursed his lips as Lightning looked a bit nervous.

Finn then looked back at Doc. “Your injuries shouldn’t prevent you from leaving. The head medical officer has cleared you to leave any time.”

Doc felt relieved he wouldn’t have to be remaining at CHROME HQ for much longer. “Just what kind of injuries did he sustain?” Sheriff asked as the spy looked back at the cruiser.

“Aside from a grade-three burn on his side, the only other injuries he has are some scratches on his left rear side, a dent on his hood, and a few busted internal struts. I’m surprised he wasn’t worse.” Finn replied as the old cop nodded.

“I see.”

“You will need to make sure those bandages are changed every six hours for the next few weeks, but other than that, he should be free to go any time.” Finn added as the rest of them nodded.

-----
USS Flysenhower

The Wrenches looked on as the head of the Racing Commission came on the air at that point.

“In light of recent events, including the revelation that Sir Axlerod was using Allinoil to turn the world against alternative fuels, it has been decided that the World Grand Prix will no longer be sponsored by anyone in the field. The Wings Around the Globe Rally will instead remain as the start of the racing season.” The Director reported as the Wrenches all cheered, for their fellow Wrench was a racer as well.

“Sir Axlerod will no longer be allowed to be a sponsor for the racing circuit, in part because he nearly got half the racers killed.” The director continued. “Also, the creation of Allinoil is hereby banned from the racing circuit.”

“It’s about time!” The police plane quipped as the rest of the planes laughed.

Things seemed rosy indeed…

-----
London, England

Doc was soon released from CHROME HQ’s medical center and allowed to leave. As he, Lightning, who now had his midnight blue stripe revealed, Sally, Mater, and Sheriff left, Finn watched them leave with a small smile.

But it would not be the last time he saw them. Oh no. He had a mission to complete, and it involved Mater. But he would allow them to have some rest first before he asked Mater the big question…
Here is chapter thirteen of my fic! And the big secret comes out! Only one more chapter to go! Enjoy~! :la:
© 2014 - 2024 ZAFTPrime
Comments3
RMS-OLYMPIC's avatar
:happycry: That was such a sweet chapter...I really wish they had done something like this in the movie! Dangit!!! I about cried. You were right, I did love this-A LOT!!!
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