"So, as we all know," Nikki began, "Abbey is locked up in the scientist's compound. Said compound is somewhere in this area." She pointed to spot on the map Sheriff had on his wall.
Everyone nodded. Nikki, Zane, Elsie, and Sheriff had managed to put together a decent plan. Zhara, Doc (who'd shown up while Hector and Mater were messing with Red), Sarge (who'd arrived shortly before Doc), and Sally were listening attentively. Mater and Hector, since they'd been dripping wet, had been asked to wait outside. Everyone was silent.
"First, we head to the first mountain of Cadillac Range. Last night, once we'd climbed down from there, we didn't pass any other mountains on our way to Radiator Springs. So, logically, that's where the compound most likely is.
"Next, we'll need to find a way up. No offense, but you cars don't seem to be natural mountain climbers. So the scientists probably have an elevator or something to get them up there. Once we've found that, it'll serve as our entrance and escape route."
"All due respect, miss," Sarge interrupted, "but those scientists are searching for you. Isn't going right to their HQ a bad idea?"
"Not if it's empty. That brings us to the third phase of our plan." Nikki pulled out a rock. She'd found it last night while walking through the desert, and was relieved that she'd kept it. "This rock is called flint. When struck with something sharp, it sends out sparks. I'll start a small trashcan fire in the compound to set off the smoke detectors. Once everyone's out, we should have free run of the place. Then, all we'll have to do is find Abbey, find any clue as to how to get home, and then run for our lives. Easy."
"I doubt it'll be that easy," Doc said under his breath.
Nikki, standing closest to him, secretly agreed. But, so far, this was their best shot at saving Abbey and getting home. So, she was trying to be optimistic.
"Who all will be going to the compound?" Sheriff asked.
"Me," Zane said, raising his hand.
"Me, too," Nikki added. "It's my plan, so I don't have a choice."
"Wrong," Elsie signed. "I came up with most of it. I'm coming."
"If Elsie's going," Zhara spoke up, "then so am I."
"You kids will need a little military assistance," Sarge butt in. "I'll go along."
"I don't like charging in somewhere without a warrant," Sheriff stated, "but I think I might be needed."
"I'm going too." This came from Sally. Everyone looked at her, the three other cars with mild surprise. She seemed a bit offended. "What? Those 'scientists' pulled six kids into another dimension and have been holding one of them captive for over twelve hours. I'm going to give them a piece of my mind."
"Happy to have you, Sally," Nikki thanked her. She looked, along with everyone else, at Doc. The Hudson Hornet looked a little uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry," he finally said, "but I don't think I'd be that good at a rescue mission. I'll help in any way that I can, but I don't think I should go with you into the compound."
"Don't be sorry," Zhara told him, "we're asking for a pretty big favor here."
Nikki nodded, giving Doc a reassuring smile, then looked back at the battle plan that she and Elsie had drawn up. She'd feel much better if they had one more car to help...
She shook it off. Sometimes you just had to make do with what you had. "Okay," she told everyone. "We know what to do. Everyone take a few hours to get ready. We'll leave at noon. Two hours. Sound good?"
They all agreed.
---
"What do you mean I can't come? I need to help rescue Abbey!"
"I'm sorry, Hector," Nikki replied calmly, "but this could be dangerous. You could get hurt."
"So? I've hurt a hundred times before! Remember what Guillermo did to me last week?" He opened his mouth wide enough to show his missing incisor. Guillermo was his little brother, and the week before he'd accidentally knocked Hector's tooth out during a backyard soccer game.
Zane sighed. "This is different. It'll be best if you stay here and hold down the fort." The truth was, while they did believe that Hector would be safer if he didn't go on the mission, they also believed that he would only cause problems if he went. They all had to admit that the ten-year-old was a little...impulsive.
Nikki hated leaving him behind. After all, he and Abbey were pretty close. She knew that all he wanted to do was help. This is for the best, she repeated to herself.
"Fine." Hector sat on the curb outside the town hall, pouting. Zane, clearly not wanting to leave him like this, looked to Nikki. She looked around, and saw Mater ten feet away, clearly listening while pretending to inspect the town founder's statue.
"Mater!" she called.
The tow truck, looking somewhat guilty at being caught, drove over. "What'cha need?"
"Is there anything in Radiator Springs that Hector hasn't seen yet?"
Hector continued to pout, but Mater had his attention.
"Oh, sure! There's Wheel Well, Willie's Butte, the drive-in movie theater, and my favorite place, the tractor fields."
"Tractor fields?" Hector stopped pouting. "What's so interesting about them?"
"Shoot, I jus' realized! You ain't ever gone tractor tippin', have ya?"
"What's tractor tipping?"
"Oh buddy, we're gonna have fun! Follow me!"
With that, the two trouble makers began to head to the tractor fields. Zane turned to Nikki again, looking like he wanted to say something. Instead, he held up his fist.
Nikki smiled and bumped it with her own. "Come on, Shing," she told her friend as she turned towards Flo's. "We have two hours until we need to go."
---
McQueen had a habit of sleeping late. Doc had tried, and somewhat succeeded, at getting him to break it. But every now and then, he'd forget to wake the young race car and leave Lightning to sleep in.
He finally woke up, and glanced at the clock. Ten-thirty. His first thought was that something weird was going on; Doc wouldn't let him sleep that late. Then he remembered. The humans.
He was instantly wide awake, and left his home to go find everyone. He knew that the humans were harmless. The fact that they'd helped Mater the night before made that clear. But, still...
He found them all, as he'd expected to, at Flo's. Everyone was at their usual spots by the gas pumps, with the humans sitting in between them and drinking from large, transparent bottles of what looked like water.
"Morning, Stickers!" Sally called. His eyes rested on his girlfriend. She was talking with Nikki and Zane. They both smiled at him. Zane raised his hand and shook it in the air (what Mater told him later was called a wave). McQueen hesitated a moment, then lifted his tire and imitated the gesture. The two kids cracked up. He smiled as he joined them; they were easier to get along with than he thought.
"I overslept," he told the three when Sally asked where he'd been. "What's been going on?"
The events of the morning, as well as the plan for breaking into the compound, were explained to him. He was...surprised to say the least. Just the day before, the whole town had been focused on his homecoming party. Now they were about to break into a fortified lab?
Nikki was still talking. "...maybe while we're there, we'll find a way to get home."
"The sooner the better," Zane interrupted. "My dads must be worried sick..."
McQueen realized how selfish he was being. He was thinking about his party while six kids, each of them with worried parents, were trapped in another dimension.
The two had stopped talking. Sally, who'd always had a weak spot for kids, gave them a sympathetic look. McQueen moved a little closer to the kids. He didn't know how he'd do it, but he knew that he would get the kids home.
"This plan of yours," he said. "How can I help?"