Cars 2 (4 page)

M
ater strolled back to the party and finally met up with his team.

“There you are,” Lightning said to him. “Where have you been?”

Mater seemed to be in a daze. “What's a ‘rendezvous'?” he asked Luigi.

“It'sa like a date,” Luigi answered.

“A date!” Mater said, thrilled.

“Non ci credo!”
Guido answered.

Luigi translated. “Guido don't believe you.”

“Well, believe it,” Mater said to them proudly. “There she is right there.” Mater nodded in the direction of the beautiful British sports car across the room. “Hey, hey, lady!” he shouted.

Holley glanced at Mater and quickly drove off. She did not want their cover to be blown!

“See you tomorrow,” Mater called after her.

“Non ci credo,”
Guido said again. The little forklift kept shaking his head.

Luigi translated. “Guido still don't believe you.”

Somewhere on an industrial dock in the city of Tokyo, Grem and Acer had Rod suspended from an electromagnet.

“I gotta admit: you tricked us real good,” Grem said to Rod.

“And we don't like to be tricked,” Acer snapped.

Rod simply smiled.

“Hey, what's so funny?” Acer demanded.

“Well,” Rod said, embracing the fact that he was in serious trouble. “You know,
I
was just wearing a disguise. You guys are
stuck
looking like that.” He knew he was about to be roughed up by these two thugs. He figured he could at least insult them first.

Rod steeled himself as he was lowered onto a treadmill. He guessed they would start by making him run until he stalled out. He could handle that, but he wasn't sure what other means they would use to get his secrets. A gas tank filled with Allinol stood next to him.

“Allinol?” Rod said. “Thanks, fellas. I hear this stuff is good for you.”

“So you think!” The mood changed dramatically as Professor Z emerged from the darkness and addressed Rod. “Allinol by itself is good for you. But what poor Miles Axlerod doesn't know is that we've secretly sabotaged his wonder fuel. When hit with a blast of radiation, it becomes extremely dangerous.”

Rod looked up and spotted the mysterious camera with WGP printed on its side—the same one Finn had seen earlier on the oil derrick. But this was no camera. A piercing beam of light suddenly shot from the lens.

“You were very interested in this camera on the oil platform,” Professor Z said as he turned up the intensity of the beam. “Well, now you will witness what it really does.”

“Whatever you say, Professor.” Rod's engine, now filled with Allinol, began to heat up. He couldn't figure out why, but he could endure the pain. It was part of his training.

Grem and Acer turned on a video monitor in front of Rod. Footage of the prerace party flashed into view.

“You talked up a lot of cars last night. Which one is your ‘associate'?” Acer demanded.

But Rod refused to answer.

Grem was beginning to get ticked off. “Should I start it, Professor?”

“Do fifty-percent power,” Professor Z replied mildly. He turned to stare right into Rod's eyes. “This camera is actually an electromagnetic radiation emitter. The Allinol is now heating to a boil, dramatically expanding, causing the engine block to crack under stress, forcing oil into the combustion chamber.”

“What do I care?” Rod grimaced. He could feel his engine beginning to give way. “I can replace an engine block.”

“You may be able to,” Professor Z said smugly. “But after full exposure to the radiation, unfortunately, there will be nothing to replace.”

“How about him?” Acer asked, flashing some footage of Mater rolling out of the men's room. Professor Z noticed that it caught Rod's attention—he saw a split second of recognition in Rod's eyes.

“That's him. He's the one,” Professor Z said as he stared at Mater's image on the TV monitor.

“No!” Rod protested.

But the Professor rolled away and radioed his mysterious leader, the Big Boss himself.

“Yes, sir,” Professor Z said. “We believe the infiltrator has passed along sensitive information.”

An angry voice replied over the radio: “Well, then, get it! You'd better make sure this doesn't get any further!”

“I will take care of it before any damage can be done,” Professor Z quickly replied. There was a sharp click over the radio. The “leader” had turned off his radio. He—or she—had nothing more to say.

Professor Z turned toward Grem and Acer. “The project is still on schedule,” he said. Then he ordered them to find Mater, the so-called second agent. Mater didn't know it, but his life was in danger!

Professor Z turned the camera beam to its highest setting. In seconds, there was a fiery explosion and Rod Redline was no more.

T
he first race of the World Grand Prix was held in nighttime Tokyo. The excitement and glitter were almost overwhelming. The announcer, Brent Mustangburger, was calling the action, along with David Hobbscapp and Darrell Cartrip in the studio.

“Welcome to the inaugural running of the World Grand Prix!” Brent said into his microphone. “David, how exactly does this competition work?”

“Brent, all three courses start with classic straightaways. Look for Francesco Bernoulli in particular to lead early.”

“Whoa now, hold your horsepower! You're forgetting the most important factor here: that early dirt-track section of the course!” Darrell interrupted his fellow announcer. “Don't forget Lightning McQueen! His mentor, the Hudson Hornet, was one of the greatest dirt-track racers of all time! In my opinion, Lightning's the best all-round racer in this competition.”

“Well, it's time to find out,” Brent Mustangburger said, putting an end to the friendly banter. “The racers are locking into the grid!”

Down at the starting line, Lightning was in position, engine revving. His eyes shut tight as he focused mentally on the race.

“Speed. I. Am. Speed,” Lightning whispered.

“You are speed?” Francesco interrupted. “Then Francesco must be triple speed.”

Lightning opened his eyes at the irritating sound of Francesco's cocky voice. The flashy racer was lined up right next to Lightning.

“Francesco likes this, Lightning,” Francesco continued. “It's really getting him in the zone.”

“He is so getting beat today,” Lightning muttered to himself, determined to win.

The starting lights clicked down from red to yellow to green. The race was on! Francesco sped out for a quick start, taking the lead.

“Hang on, boys!” Brent Mustangburger exclaimed.

Team Lightning McQueen was glued to the pit monitors—but no one more than Mater.

“Lightning!” Mater shouted into his headset as he saw the racers approach the dirt track. “Time to make your move. Get on the outside and show them what Doc done taught you.”

“Ten-four, Mater,” Lightning answered over his radio. He was glad to have his friend helping out.

Francesco, who was the first to hit the dirt section, suddenly skidded out of control and slammed to a stop. Lightning sped past him.

“Yeah! Nice call, Mater! Keep it up!” Lightning cried out, delighted to be in the lead.

Lightning picked up traction as he moved from the dirt section onto the city streets. The other racers passed Francesco as the pack made the final turns through the brightly lit downtown roads. They were quickly gaining on Lightning.

“As we head back through the city,” Brent Mustangburger observed, “there's a whole lot of knockin' at Lightning McQueen's door.” Brent took a breath. “As they finish lap one, the racers are practically even again!”

The racers shot past a tower under the eyes of Agents Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. They were looking for the American agent with the information on Professor Z. It was Holley who spotted him first—in the Team Lightning McQueen pit.

Holley watched Mater carefully through her high-tech telescopic display.

“Why is he in the pits?” she asked Finn in dismay. “He's so exposed.”

“It's his cover,” Finn answered. “One of the best I've ever seen, too. Look at the detail on his rust. Must have cost a fortune.”

Holley nodded. “Okay, then why hasn't he contacted us yet?”

“There's probably heat on him,” Finn answered calmly. “He's clearly a seasoned veteran. He'll reach out when he's ready.”

Finn scanned the World Grand Prix cameras, still looking for the fake one he had spotted with Professor Z and his thugs on the oil derrick. Finn had no idea what Professor Z had just done to the real agent, Rod, by using that fake WGP camera. But Finn McMissile did have good instincts.

In the shadows on another rooftop, Grem and Acer were placing Professor Z's camera in position.

“It is time,” the Professor told them over a radio. “Start small, please.”

“Roger that,” Grem said as he angled the camera toward Miguel Camino. As soon as the radiation beam hit him, Miguel's engine began smoking.

“Oh!” Darrell Cartrip said into his microphone. “Miguel Camino has blown an engine.”

“That's very unusual, Darrell,” one of the announcers said. “He's been so consistent all year.”

Grem watched the burned-out car roll into the pits. Then something caught his eye. “You gotta be kidding me,” Grem said.

“What? What is it?” Acer asked him.

“It's that tow truck from the bathroom,” Grem said, spotting Mater. “The one the American agent passed the device to. He's in the pits!”

“Not for long,” Acer replied as the two took off in Mater's direction.

Holley picked up the movement right away. “I think I've got something,” she said to Finn.

“The camera?” he asked anxiously.

“No,” Holly replied.

H
olly swiftly ran a computer check. Finally, she found the information she wanted: “The Pacer from the party last evening,” she said to Finn. “I'm cross-referencing with the photos from the oil derrick. His VIN numbers match!”

Holley ran a search for known associates.

“Hang on,” she said to Finn as the computer pulled up a long list—too long. “He's not the only one. Three…five…Gremlins and Pacers. They're everywhere! And they're all closing in on—Oh, no!” Holley gasped as Mater's smiling face filled her screen. She turned to tell Finn, but he was already gone.

The next time Holley heard Finn's voice, it was over her radio. He was dashing to intercept Professor Z's cars before they could get to Mater.

“Get him out of the pits!” Finn radioed Holley. “Now!” The situation was urgent.

Within minutes, Mater heard a voice coming through the radio crackle. “Can you hear me? Over?”

“Huh? What?” Mater answered.

“Get out of the pits now! Do you hear me?” Holley urged Mater, desperately trying to move him away from danger.

Mater grinned. It was the pretty car from last night's party! He had no idea who she really was!

Just then, another car suddenly began burning black smoke. It skidded off the track.

“Another blown engine!” the announcer said. “This is the second one tonight!”

Meanwhile, Mater had not budged from the Team Lightning McQueen pit.

“Get out now!” Holley repeated to him.

“All right, then,” Mater replied, and turned to drive into the pit's access tunnel. “You know, I usually like to have a proper detailing done before I meet a lady friend.”

As Mater moved through the tunnel, Finn intercepted Acer with another Pacer from the oil derrick. Acer recognized the British agent.

“Finn McMissile!” Acer cried. He and the other Pacers and Gremlins had thought the secret agent had disappeared forever after leaping off Professor Z's oil derrick.

Finn used the element of surprise to spray them with a fire extinguisher before speeding away. Blinded for only a second, the two Pacers zoomed after him.

Finn dashed to a side street. He needed to get a fix on Mater's location.

“Miss Shiftwell?” he called over his radio.

“I've got him in the back alleys east of the garages,” she said as she stared at her computer monitor. “Multiple assailants are closing in quickly!”

“Keep him moving,” Finn replied to Holley. “I'm on my way.”

Mater bumbled around the backstreets of Tokyo, looking for his date. He was still wearing his headset for the racetrack.

“Hey, new lady friend?” he said into his radio. He had spotted a flower shop. “You like flowers?”

From the track, Lightning responded with a startled “What?” He had no idea that Holley had tapped into Mater's headset. He could not hear Holley. He only heard Mater!

“No!” Holley said to Mater. “Don't go
in
anywhere.”

“Stay outside. Gotcha,” Mater radioed back.

“Outside?” Lightning asked. Trusting his buddy, he overrode his better judgment and cut to the outside of the track. It was just enough of an opening for Francesco to sail into the lead.

“
Grazie
and
arrivederci!
” Francesco said as he sped past Lightning. Lightning groaned in disbelief. Why had Mater told him to stay outside?

“I can't believe what I just saw!” Darrell Cartrip said to Brent Mustangburger. “You don't open up the inside like that!”

“And it just might have cost Lightning McQueen first place,” Brent said.

Meanwhile, in the back alleys of Tokyo, Finn was still trying to divert Professor Z's cars away from Mater. But a gang of Pacers was herding Finn in Acer's direction. They were trying to surround him! Acer still had some fire retardant on him, but this time he wasn't going to be surprised by Finn McMissile. He had a flamethrower ready.

Mater passed the entrance to an alley. He heard the commotion and saw some flames.

“You're doing fine,” Holley told Mater, trying to keep him away. “Just stay focused.”

But Mater headed toward Finn and the enemy cars. He wanted to see what was happening.

“No!” Holley shouted. “Don't go down that street!”

Mater showed up just in time to see Finn leap forward and attack Professor Z's cars with his world-class martial arts moves.

“Wow! A karate demonstration!” Mater shouted in delight. He was so excited that he forgot he was on the radio with both Holley
and Lightning
!

Lightning heard Mater's exclamation down on the track. “I've had enough of this, Mater. Just sign off.”

Mater didn't even hear Lightning. He wanted to get the karate expert's autograph. But before he knew it, the guy was gone.

“Where'd he go?” Mater asked, looking around.

Just then Holley said, “Our rendezvous has been jeopardized. Keep the device safe. We'll be in touch.”

“Dadgum!” Mater said. “Did I miss our date?”