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.
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.