Boost Exposed Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Snot Rod rode slowly around Radiator Springs. Doc had let him off of the lift just before he left and had made his last repair on him. He looked at the graffiti his friends had plastered all over the walls of the town and he felt bad about it. The town's folk gave him nasty glares and expressions when he drove past. To them he was just another member of the Delinquents and not to be trusted. He was outcast without even having done anything. He'd come in battered almost ready for the scrap yard, but that didn't matter to anyone. It was the price he would pay for hanging with the wrong crowd. But what hurt him the most and the on-lookers didn't know was that he was outcast from his own gang. The young orange car felt like he didn't belong anywhere. Snot Rod kept his eyes low to the road and felt a tear prickle up on his windshield. He heard an engine's growl coming up behind him. It was a strong yet hollow sound. He recognized it as Doc right away. Snot Rod stopped as Doc pulled up beside him.
"Well Kid, you're looking good." Doc said. "Why don't you come up to the court house and watch the trail. We could use your testimony."
Snot Rod looked down again and shook his head no. Doc watched him a moment.
"Hey listen, I know you're worried about what your friends might say to you but I assure you I won't let anything happen to you. This is your chance to turn your life around. Be glad you aren't in the trouble that they are. What do you say?" Doc asked.
"It's just…just that Boost said…" Snot Rod began.
"Boost said what?" Doc said cutting him off. "I know what Boost has been going around saying. I heard it all on the drive back from Nitropolis. I think there are a few things you need to know about Boost before you make up your mind."
Doc gave Snot Rod some strong words of encouragement, but the drag racer still seemed reluctant. Doc wondered what else Boost may have said or done to him in the past to make him fear him so much.
"Well please think about it. You know where I'll be." Doc said as he drove off to his court house. Snot Rod just stayed and watched him go.

The three tuners were dragged into the court. Most of the town had turned out for this one since there was hardly a building standing they hadn't been painted on. Sheriff had a long scroll before him and began to read.
"We have here before us today the gang that calls themselves The Delinquent Road Hazards." Sheriff paused to give them a nasty look. "The list of charges for Boost, Wingo and DJ are as follows. 'Disturbing the peace, speeding, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, breaking and entering, burglaries, defacing public property, vandalism, assault and battery and assault and battery with a deadly weapon'. How do you plead?"
Wingo's lip quivered from nervousness and he finally burst out.
"We plead for mercy! It really wasn't supposed to go this far. Please don't throw us in jail!" He cried. Doc sighed and rolled his eyes.
"So you admit to these charges?" Doc asked. Wingo nodded affirmatively. "Well son, you can only speak for yourself. What about you two?" Doc asked glaring at DJ and Boost.
"Yeah we was all there." DJ said reluctantly.
"And you?" Doc said looking at Boost.
"I ain't got nothing to say!" Boost yelled.
"Do you boys realize the trouble you caused and what you put all these good people through?" Doc said angrily. The three were quiet. "I call to the stand Ramone."
Ramone pulled up quickly and got right in the faces of the three tuners.
"Look what you did to my store! Business iz bad enough as it iz wit out you breaking everything. You dudes need to pay for what you broke and stole or I'LL make you pay. All my good paint iz gone!"
The three tried to back away but it was difficult with the boots on their wheels, the small space and the fact that Ramone kept closing in when they tried to back up.
"Then you go and steal from my wife! I should rip your hoods off right now and put them up on display!" He yelled.
"Yeah they took gas without paying for it. You nail 'em honey!" Flo yelled from the background.
Doc called everyone to the stand and they all testified about what had been painted or destroyed by the three Delinquents.
"Oh man, we really screwed up this time." Wingo said.
"Yeah." DJ said softly.
"Well, you can start to make up for your mistakes by apologizing to everyone here." Doc said.
"Right now?" Boost asked in an annoyed tone.
"Yes right now! You will start with Ramone and Flo since you did the most damage to their stores."
"We're sorry." Wingo said as he pivoted his front tire back and forth ashamed.
"Yeah. Sorry." DJ said averting his eyes. Boost sneered and looked at the ceiling.
"Sorry!" He said sarcastically. It was clear he didn't mean it like the other two did and if this was the worst the old car had him do they'd be out of here in no time. Just another slap on the hood he thought. No big deal. One by one they apologized to each Car in the court house.

Outside the doors Snot Rod had been listening the whole time. He was appalled by all the things they'd done while he was hurt and out of it. He'd done some bad things himself but they'd never taken it to this level. What had gotten into them? He slowly opened the doors and stood in the doorway as he watched the tuners apologize to Luigi and Guido for having turned their tires inside out and painting teeth on them to look like mouths, and for reworking his leaning tire tower to look like a giant tire monster attacking his store.
"Finally! Is that it? Can we go now?" Boost yelled up at Doc.
"No. There's one more car you need to apologize to."
"What? Who else could possibly be left?" Boost said angrily.
"He's parked right behind you." Doc said nodding to the doorway behind them. The three turned around and gasped in shock when the saw the fourth member of their team.
"SNOT ROD!" Wingo screamed happily.
"You're fixed!" DJ yelled. The two tried to roll up to him, their booted tires clunking as they spun.
"Get away from me!" Snot Rod roared. "How dare you come up to me now pretending to be my friend after what you put me through."
The three just stared wide eyed and in disbelief of what they'd just heard. After an awkward moment of silence Wingo finally spoke up.
"Gee Snot Rod. When did you learn how to speak right?" It was obvious to the three that Snot Rod had completely lost his speech impediment and was no longer sneezing every other word he spoke.
"While I was dying you guys were out having fun destroying everything. You left me for dead and now you expect me to just welcome you back? Doc here was kind enough to fix me up. He didn't give up on me like you losers did. And yes that includes fixing my allergy and speech problem. Thanks to him I'm better than new now, and no thanks to you."
"But…but we thought you would want us to do this." DJ said.
"WHAT? What moron told you that?" Snot Rod said furious. The two cars became nervous and looked back at Boost.
"Boost did?" Wingo said in a whisper. Snot Rod's engine roared in anger when he heard that.
"Oh Snot Rod, we're real sorry. Really. We was worried about you. I was anyway." Wingo said to him.
"Yeah, we even got in a fight over you. We're sorry." DJ said showing Snot Rod his slashed side. The three looked over to Boost who had been quiet the whole time.
"What are you looking at? I'm not sorry about anything. I'm sorry I've wasted all this time and picked such idiots to be in my gang. That's the only thing I'm sorry about. I already said it to the fools in this town, I sure as shooting ain't going to say it YOU. The Delinquent Road Hazards are through! You are all out! Now get out of my way, Snot!" Boost growled revving his engine trying to drown out Snot Rod's.
"You don't intimidate me any longer, Boost. Word's out homie that you're nothing but a poser." Said the drag racer smiling.
"Say WHAT?" Boost said slightly nervous.
"You always made fun of me and pushed me around because I wasn't an import like them." He said nodding toward DJ and Wingo. "Well what a nice little story Doc told me that you're not an import either. You're a domestic JUST - LIKE - ME." Snot Rod said enjoying the last three words. "At least I don't go around claiming to be something I'm not."
"HEY SHUT UP!" Boost screamed not wanting everyone to hear his secret. But with the tall walls and ceiling their voiced reverberated everywhere. It was too late. "Yo, that may be true but I'm nothing like you! I'm better than you. New engine or not I can still wax the floor with you!" Boost said still revving up.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Doc Hudson yelled.
"I'll say. Can we go now?" Boost asked.
"No I haven't passed your sentence yet." Doc replyed. The three groaned simultaneously. "DJ and Wingo, I sentence you to community service for one month or however long I takes to fix the town. You will wash all the buildings, repair everything you broke, repaint all the buildings properly and fix the fence around the tractor field.
"WHAT?" Wingo yelled. "But…but there's an angry combine harvester out there. It's dangerous."
"I thought you two liked living dangerously. You'll take turns. One will watch for Frank while the other fixes the fence. The sentence stands."
"Can we at least be fixed before we start all this hard work?" DJ asked.
"What makes you think you deserve to be fixed?" Doc said.
The two tuners groaned feeling like their cylinders had sunk through the floor in dread. Boost shifted his eyes around wondering why he hadn't been included with the others in their punishment.
"Boost, the court of Radiator Springs finds you guilty on all charges. I here by sentence you to three to five years in Nitropolis Prison. Now you may leave." Doc said.
"WHAT? NO NO!!" Boost yelled as Sheriff and a few more officers from Nitropolis closed in on him to escort him to the flat bed truck. "I'm still not sorry!" He yelled as they carried him off.
"And that's why your sentence is heavier." Doc said quietly.

Boost swore the whole way to the prison. He was intent on making his escorts' ride miserable as long as they were with him. If he was going to jail things couldn't possibly get any worse. He may as well let the world know what he thought. When he got out he'd make Snot Rod pay. Everything was still his fault.
"I never would have gotten caught if I hadn't let him join. THAT was my only mistake. You hear me? ONLY mistake!"
"Tell it to your new friends." The officer said when he dumped him off into the jail. He was glad to be rid of the big mouthed Viper.
"Go on get out of here! I bet you just love your job. Great life you have, OFFICER!" Boost yelled as he watched him go. He grit his teeth a moment but stopped when he heard laughter coming from behind him. He turned to see a frightening looking group of cars of different makes and models. All had clearly been placed here for much more heinous crimes than what Boost had committed.
"Well well. Look at the pretty new boy!" One said in a snake like voice.
"Let's make him feel welcome." Said another as the rough group closed in on him. Boost swallowed hard on a glob of oil that had formed inside him.
"Ok, may-be I am sorry." He said softly as the world around him turned black.

 

One Month Later

Snot Rod had been out cruising the streets and just enjoying the sights for the last four weeks, but now it was time for him to return to Radiator Springs. Doc had called him to tell him just how much time had passed. It was a good thing he had or he would have lost track of it. He rolled in and greeted everyone. It was a welcome change from the first time he'd set tire there. Everyone was glad to see him.
"Hello. Doc, are you in?" Snot Rod said as he knocked on Doc's door. The old doctor opened up and greeted him with a smile.
"Snot Rod, how are you doing? It's been a long time." Doc said happy to see him. Snot Rod smiled and peeked around his turbo charger with his bright green eyes.
"I'm doing great. Thanks to you. I can't believe it's been a month already. How are they doing?" Snot Rod asked.
"I think the work helped them out tremendously. They'll be surprised to see you. Go over to Ramone's. That's where they are." Doc said. After trading stories Snot Rod did just that. He rolled right into Ramone's shop and saw his old friends working in the back.
"Wingo! DJ!" He called out. The two nearly dropped their tools when they heard his voice. They hadn't seen him come in.
"Snot Rod?" Wingo said.
"Is that you?" DJ asked. Snot Rod laughed in a confident tone.
"Yes it's me. You two look great. Doc told me you've worked extra and actually MADE money to have your own repairs done."
"Oh this is so fly! I can't believe you came back!" Wingo said.
"Of course I came back. I don't leave my friends stranded. Come on, homies. You're free to go. Community service is over."
"Really? We're done?" DJ said surprised.
"Yeah, Doc said it's ok."
The two tuners shouted in joy and zipped out of the shop. After saying good bye to everyone they set off on the road to enjoy their hard earned freedom. Snot Rod felt great. He pulled out ahead of them, but stopped when he realized that his friends weren't keeping up well. He dropped back behind them and noticed their worried expressions.
"What wrong?" He asked.
"It's just not the same. The gang is broken up. Poor Boost." Wingo said. Snot Rod smiled.
"You care too much Wingo, but that's what I like about you. Boost got what he deserved. We're the gang now. Things will be better."
"So the Delinquent Road Hazards are still rolling?" DJ asked hopeful.
"Hum…yes." Snot Rod said looking up as he thought. "We're still a gang, just without the crime. So from now on we're just The Road Hazards. How's that sound?"
"Music to my mic." DJ said.
"Hehe Let's bounce!" Wingo yelled and the three sped off under the new leadership of Snot Rod.

 

Back