The Honeymoon Trips
Chapter 19
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

The list of characters mentioned in this story belong to the various authors that created them. This is a fan-fiction story.

~~~000~~~

It is 9 AM at Secure-Sys on Cars World in Jacksonville, Florida. Richard, a sleek red Pontiac Grand-Am, looks at the 3D screen in disgust and grumbles to himself.

“Grr. . . . what happened? I was just about to come up with the next generation version of the 3D-Server. It was just in my mind and now it is gone.” The sliding door to his room opens up. Mr. Bryson, a Mercedes, rolls into the office.

“What’s wrong Richard? Lost your mojo?”

“I was just about to come up with the next generation version for the 3D-Server. Then all of a sudden it is not in my mind. What’s going on, sir?”

“Well, don’t worry about it for now. You have other things to do. I don’t want you to lose too much sleep over it.”

“Sigh . . . you’re right, sir. Hopefully, it will come back to me.”

“I’m sure it will. You are one of my best employees here. Ever since you caught Brent and his three friends embezzling our company and stopping the potential world crisis they would have created, our profits have sky-rocketed.”

“Thank you for the compliment, sir. Okay, I’ll get back to the usual work around here.”

“That’s the way to think about it. I’ll check in later today.”

“See you later, Mr. Bryson.”

Mr. Bryson leaves Richard’s office. The sliding door closes. Richard, changes the 3D-design screen to the usual display on the panel. He looks over the code just written by some of the other employees in the company.

~~~000~~~

Albert the plane sounds the alarm to wake everyone up when he approaches the east coast of the Americas.

“BZZZZZZ. . . . .”

Everyone on the plane slowly wakes up.

Brianna removes her hand from my shoulder. She looks up at me. She sees that I’m slowly waking up. She moves a stray hair that has fallen down in front of my face. She smiles at me.

I look down at her. “I love that smile of yours, Bri.” I crack a smile at her.

“I love that smile of yours too, Richard.”

Brianna slowly gets off. Then for good measure, she pinches my side to really wake me up.

I jerk my side away quickly. “Oooh . . . I’ll have to wait for my turn later.”

We hear the fairies giggle at our playful tactic.

“Giggle . . . I’ll be waiting for it. What is for breakfast, Richard?”

“Hmm . . . I know they will have water here. Either I bring it here by magic or we forage for it in the woods.”

My fairies perk up when they hear about food.

“We can look for some more nuts, seeds and fruits for you, father and mother, when we get on the ground.”

“Thank you for the offer, Ruby. Until we are alone together, then we can try for it.”

“You’re welcome!”

My fairies quickly take a morning shower on the table. They eat some more nuts and dried fruit. Brianna and I pour out some water into our own cups. My fairies offer some of their nuts and dried fruit to start the morning at least. I see that the spell is still holding on the water container, the nut and fruit bags. The bags refill automatically once we have eaten some of the dried fruit and nuts.

We get ourselves dressed. I decide to leave the armor on the jet for the time being. I can always call for it with my own magic spell.

The door slides open as we approach it. We walk back to where we earlier. We see Finn and Holley going over some things on a screen. It goes blank once they hear us. They turn to face us.

“I hope you slept well.”

“We did, Finn. Are there any other questions bugging your brain?”

“Yes, there are, Richard. I went over the text of your background. I think I found a gap in your story. Did you omit anything that we shouldn’t know?”

“Sigh . . . I was hoping not to say anything about it. I don’t know if the problem exists here either. But, you never know. Brianna and I are descendants from royalty. Our roots are in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.”

“Wow, I see what you mean by keeping quiet about it. What are the circumstances behind it?”

“About fifteen hundred years ago, King Arthur ruled the land with his wife, Guenevere. King Arthur did have a son, but he also had a nephew. His name is Mordred. Mordred wanted to be King of the Isles. After Guenevere gave birth to their only son, Arthur sent him away with the original royal rings to a trusted knight and friend, the Moores. I am his descendant. Brianna comes from the royalty side of the Picts and Ireland. From what I know, Mordred and his mother made a deal with the devil to live a long life. They became known as Mordred’s Legacy. They eventually became assassins for hire to keep the current monarchy in power for generations. Our families were found in the Isles and they fled to the Americas to hide once they found out they were being hunted. That was about three hundred years ago. I found a diary in the Mt. Blanc cabin home. It contains the list of names for our lineage. We are waiting for the right time until the current monarchy collapses. When that happens, we’ll be there to pick up the pieces.”

“You don’t mess around, Richard and Brianna. I don’t think we have that problem here, Richard. We won’t know until we have a talk with Richard on our world. Also, we need to know if Mt. Blanc exists here as well.”

“That’s right, Finn. So, until then, we’ll have to be quiet about it.”

“I agree too, Richard. It is another secret for me to keep.”

“Thank you, Holley. That is greatly appreciated.”

Then we hear Albert on the intercom. “I am approaching Gasville International Airport. Get ready for the landing.”

“Hmm . . . we don’t have chairs for you to sit on.”

“That’s okay, Finn. We’ll go back to the bedroom. We’ll be lying on the beds.”

“That’s a good idea.”

We walk back to the bedroom. Brianna and I fluff up the pillows. Then we lie on the bed. Our fairies quickly get comfortable around us.

Finn and Holley lock their brakes as Albert makes the landing. After a couple of skips on the runway, Albert is firmly on the ground. He begins to slow down and taxi down the air side strip. Albert parks himself in a location so that he has no obstruction to the main runway.

We get up from the bed and and walk back into the meeting room. Finn opens his doors, we get inside and sit on the seats. He then closes his doors. The back ramp opens and swings down. Holley and Finn rev up their engines and depart from the plane. The ramp door swings back up.

Finn opaques his windows slightly so that we can see outside. Soon, we see the billboards displaying the events for the week. We see pictures of Tedford and Lightning McQueen on several of them. Finn sees that he needs to drive out to the racing track complex. We also see that we are just in time for the start of the race week.

I see that the complex and the race track is much larger than the one in Asheville. Here, there are several tracks for everyone to race against.

Finn and Holley make their way through the crowd.

“How many are here, Finn?”

“Probably about 100,000 will be here for the week, Holley. It culminates on the last day with the National Race.”

“Do you think we can get this done today?”

“We should be able to, Richard. I’m looking for Tedford now.”

We mill through the crowd. We see Lightning McQueen up above on a platform. He is posing with his patented smile as he turns around. Then we see Tedford. He is on another platform right next to him. We see the four body guard trucks around him. Tedford has a big smile on the front of the car. His eyes are bright on the windshield glass.

Someone shouts out from the crowd, “How do you do it, Tedford?”

“What do you mean?”

“How come you are not rusting away? You seem to be in the prime of your life!”

“Well, it comes from good construction stock background. If I get any salt water on me, I need to wash it off right away. Well, you’ll have to excuse me. I need to retire to my tent.”

The crowd groans, “Ahhh . . .”

“I’ll be back for the next hour. Even I need to rest my circuits once in awhile. I know you all do as well.”

~~~000~~~

“This is our chance, Richard.”

“I agree, Finn.”

Finn and Holley slowly make their way through the crowd. Tedford drives off the ramp down to the ground. The four trucks get around him. Everyone gets out of their way as they head to Tedford’s tent.

Lightning McQueen quickly recognizes Finn and Holley. He drives down the ramp onto the ground. He drives around quickly to get beside them. He talks quietly to Finn.

“Why are you here?”

“We’re here to see Tedford. Something has come up. I have a couple of questions to ask him.”

“You’ll need me to get past his guards.”

“Okay.”

Lightning McQueen leads them to Tedford’s tent. They stop when two of the trucks block their way.

“What’s your business, Lightning?”

“These two need to see Tedford. They are from London Secret Service.”

The truck looks at him, “Is that true?”

“It is. Something has come up. We need to ask him some questions.”

“Hmm . . . Okay, I’ll let you pass.”

“Thank you.”

The trucks move further apart to open the tent flap. Lightning, Finn and Holley drive into the tent. We see Tedford sipping on some water and drinking down some oil in a large mug. He stops when he sees Lightning approaching.

“Hello, Lightning. Who are these two guests with you?”

“They come all the way from London, Tedford. They have some questions to ask you.”

“All the way from London? Then fire away. I hope I can answer them.”

“What do you remember about your early days? Where did you come from?”

“I remember a family of humans that rebuilt me. As soon as their son gave me a smarter brain. I became very aware of my surroundings even though I couldn’t speak.”

The two guards and Lightning sound out astonished together, “What?!”

“That’s right, you yahoos. I remember a town that we visited quite often. I would be put on a trailer and towed from Charlottesville to Mt. Blanc. Once we get there, they would unload me and drive me around the town. They were a very good family to me. I do miss them though. I would like to see them again.”

“Charlottesville? Don’t you mean Carsville, old man?”

“You better be smarter, Mac. It’s Charlottesville. I hired you to protect me. I know I’m a unique car around here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Then I speak up out loud as a tear comes down from my eyes. “I miss you too, Tedford. If it wasn’t for you, I would not have been able to go to college. We were all sad when dad sold you.”

“I know that voice like the back of my fender. Where is he? Where are you, Richard?”

Finn opens his door. I slowly step out and stand before them. Lightning is stunned that he is seeing a human being standing right before him. The other two truck guards have the same look.

“Hello, Tedford. It has been too long.”

“It certainly has, Richard.”

“I have some interesting news to give you. Do you remember Brianna Wilson?”

“You talked about her all the time while you sat in my seat. Did she find you?”

“She found me, Tedford. We are finally married.”

Finn opens the other door. Brianna gets out and stands as well. Finn closes his doors. Brianna and I walk toward Tedford. We both hold our hands together. We have big smiles on our faces.

“Now you didn’t come all this way just to see me, did you?”

“No Tedford. Do you remember the Emissaries on a star ship?”

“I do, Richard. They showed me a large ship. For some reason I can’t bring it up.”

“That’s okay. I’ll bring it up and give the photo to these two here.” I motion my hand to Finn and Holley.

“That’s great, Richard. It will give me more memory to remember.”

I walk toward Tedford. A truck rolls forward to block my path. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to his rear trunk. That is where I put the computer. My family also put a small plaque there as well. It list the names of our family. You can look first if you want to. The names are Robert and Allison for mom and dad. Then there is Kenneth, Michael and Richard, the three sons. There is a picture in your memory Tedford. It shows us all together as a group photo.”

“You’re right, there is a family photo.” Tedford accesses his memory. He quickly brings it up on his windshield.

Everyone sees it.

“You’re right, Richard. You’re telling the truth.”

Tedford opens his trunk, they look in the back and see the gold plaque mounted there.

“Where did you install the computer, Richard?”

“It is under the back seat. Out of sight and out of mind as we say it. If a thief happens to see the black box, he would rip it out for his own use. There is a cable coiled up and tucked between the panels there. That is the access point. All you need is a wireless keyboard with a small display.”

“I think I can do that for you, Richard.”

“Thank you, Holley.” I walk around to reach for the coiled up cable. “Where should I hook it up?”

“Hmm . . . looking at that connector is no problem. You will find it on my dashboard.”

“Okay.” I extend the cable as Holley turns around to get closer to the trunk. I reach inside and see the reception hole in her dash board. I plug it in.

Holley displays a 3D keyboard in front of me.

I type in some passwords to access Tedford’s hard-drive.

“You created a three level password, Richard. That’s very good.”

“Thank you, Holley. It was the best solution I could think of at the time.” I type in some commands to find the photo file in question. I see the “Moore-Tedford” photo file and the “star-ship” photo file.

“Thank you, Richard. I’ll copy it, delete his copy and bring it to my memory.” Holley quickly does the commands. The photo disappears from Tedford’s memory.

“Whoa! That’s a relief, Richard. Thank you kindly.”

“You’re welcome, Tedford.” I unplug the cable from Holley’s dashboard. I coil it up and place it back between the panels in Tedford’s trunk. I close the trunk.

Finn comes over and looks at the photo. “Richard, have you seen this star ship before?”

I walk around to take a look at it. “Oh, my Creator. I do recognize that star ship. They are a bad sort, Finn. That is a scout ship for a much larger fleet. I’ll tell you later after we get under way. I don’t want anyone overhearing who they are.”

“I agree, Richard. We need to keep quiet as much as possible.”

Holley turns off the image.

“Apparently that news can wait, Richard.”

“It can, Tedford. This world has some time to get ready.”

“Well, I would love to take you and Brianna for another ride. Perhaps during the parade.”

“I don’t know, Finn. Our presence could cause a riot.”

“It would have to be done carefully.”

Then all of a sudden we hear a commotion outside the tent.

“Momma! I need to know how to drive better! Who better to teach than Lightning McQueen!”

“He’s a busy car, Jeffery. He doesn’t have time to help everyone.”

We see the look on Lightning McQueen’s face. “So, someone needs some driving lessons.”

“Take a look first, Lightning. You need to know how big the kid is.”

“That’s a good idea, Tedford.”

The trucks take a peak, through the tent flaps. They see the two trucks out front barring their way. They see it is a Camaro and a go-cart. They roll back quietly. “It’s a go-cart, Lightning.”

“A go-cart?! How can I teach him how to drive better? Do any of you have any ideas?”

I speak up, “I can do it.”

“You can teach him how to drive, Richard?”

“Tedford, do you remember a go-cart race that we went to at one time?”

“Whoo!! Hoo!! I remember that go-cart race. Your two brothers were racing around really fast. You tried to keep up with them. You kept spinning out through the corners. It wasn’t until your dad gave you some pointers on how to drive through the corners safely.”

Lightning looks at me, “You raced go-carts?”

“I did, Lightning. That was for about five years before I started turning my attention onto computer science in high school. I did eventually beat my brothers a few times. What does he look like?”

An image appears in front of us. We see it is a typical go-cart with a low seat, gas pedals, and steering wheel. The engine behind the seat looks typical for its size. The go-cart is at least five feet long from end to end. There are two small head lights for his eyes. He speaks through the front bumper.

“I see no problem in helping him. When is his race? Is there a time when he practices?”

“Yes, there is, Richard. We are all given a few practice laps to qualify for the starting position.”

“That’s good, Lightning. It is the same approach with our races.”

Then we hear out loud through the speakers.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! It is time for the parade. Meet at the main race track and get into position! The stands are filling up fast!”

“So, do you still want us to sit with you, Tedford?”

“I would be honored, Richard.”

“Besides, it will make you more famous.”

Everyone chuckles and giggles.

“Yes it would, you old Model T!”

“You’re calling me old, Lightning! I know you’re the fastest for your generation. I was the fastest in my generation. Let’s leave it at that, friend.”

Lightning McQueen smiles, “That sounds fine to me, friend. Come on, let’s make some history.”

“Mac Trucks, I’m counting on you to watch my rear.”

“Yes, Mr. Tedford. We’ll keep a sharp eye out for you and any sudden movements toward you.”

Brianna and I sit in the front seat of Tedford. We buckle up to secure us in safely. We hear our fairies giggling in our pockets, they peek their heads out once in awhile to see what is going on.

The Mac Trucks open the tent flaps some more. Tedford and Lightning McQueen exit first. They are followed by Finn and Holley. As soon as the rest of the cars see us, they get really quiet.

Tedford speaks up real loud, “What’s the matter? Haven’t you seen humans before? These two are special to me. They are my guests. No, they are not drunkards and bad drivers! I know they are good drivers. There with me during the parade. So, take your pictures if you want to. But don’t pester us with questions! You got that!”

“Yes . . . yes . . . Mr. Tedford!”

Then Brianna and I smile and wave our hands at the other cars as we roll past them. We slowly make our way to the tunnel under the race track. We enter it and come out in the in field portion of the race track. About three dozen cars line up behind Tedford and Lightning McQueen. Everyone is taking pictures of the spectacle. There are horns blaring, streamers are shot into the air. Once we make two laps around the track we exit the main track to fill in the infield. There are two inner tracks in the infield. One is for go-carts, the other is for midgets. I step out of the car and try to find the Camaro and the go-cart. Lightning McQueen follows us. Cars get out of the way as we approach the go-cart track. Then we hear the commotion again.

“I tell you mom, I’ve got to get in there. I wish Lightning was here. He would tell me how to drive the right way.”

“I’m sorry Jeffrey. Lightning is a very busy car. He can’t be everywhere at once.”

Lightning smiles and gives the “Ahem!”

They turn around and get a big surprise.

Mom looks astonished that Lightning is right there before them.

“Lightning! You’re here!”

“Hello Jeffrey. I hear you want to learn how to race the right way.”

“That’s right, Lightning. I know I can beat them out there. But I’ve got no one to teach me.”

“I know someone who can teach you, Jeffrey. He’s not a professional racer, but he knows the basics.”

“Who is he, Lightning?”

“It is this human being here. His name is Richard.”

“A human being is going to teach me? How do I know you won’t crash me?”

“Haven’t you seen races with multiple car crashes?”

“I have, sir.”

“What happens most of the time?”

“Sigh . . .it is someone who is not fast enough and can’t get out of the way who is faster.”

“That’s right, Jeffrey. Now there is only one way I can help you. I am going to coach you right through the turns by sitting in that seat of yours.”

“Mom!”

“How are you going to learn, Jeffrey? I know you like real fender exerience. I trust him to teach you the basics.”

“Okay, mom. I get the message. You can sit on my seat, sir.”

“Thank you, Jeffrey.” I slowly make my way and straddle my legs on both sides of him. I lower myself down carefully into his seat. I put my feet into his gas pedals. I take off my satchels and hand them to Brianna. “Brianna, I need to get my helmet. Hand me my clothes satchel.”

“Yes, Richard.”

Brianna hands my clothes satchel to me. I reach into it with my hand. I recite the spell for my helmet to appear in the satchel. It appears in a blink of an eye without anyone seeing what I did. I take out the helmet and hand the satchel back to Brianna. I put the helmet on my head. I push the buttons to secure it to my head.

“Now, you need to let me drive for a couple of laps. Once you see how I am doing it, you can try it.”

“Yes, sir. You’re not as heavy as I thought you were.”

“That’s good, Jeffrey. Take us out to the race track. Ignore the others and their laughter, okay?”

“I’ll try to ignore them.” Jeffrey takes us to the go-cart race track.

An official car comes up to us. “You’re just teaching him some basic driving lessons. Is that right? He must do the qualification laps himself.”

“I understand, sir. Hopefully he will get the hang of it within the ten laps.”

“That’s good. You may enter the race track, Jeffrey.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Jeffrey enters onto the race track. The other go-carts are laughing at the sight.

“Okay, Jeffrey. Now pay attention to what I’m doing.”

“Yes, sir.”

I step on the gas pedal and zoom forward. As I approach the curve, I slow down through the half-way point of the curve. I then accelerate out of the curve. “Did you see what I do, Jeffrey?”

“I think I did, sir. You slowed down before the half way point and then accelerated out from the half way point of the curve.”

“That’s right. You need to keep your tires gripping the asphalt. If you are too fast, you will lose the grip through the corners.”

“I get it now. But how do I control it when I do slide out of control?”

“You need to keep your front tires pointing the direction of the curve. Then your rear end will slide out behind you. I’ll show you.”

I accelerate to the corner again. This time I come in too fast as I try to slow down. As I make the turn, the rear end slides to the right, but I keep the tires pointing in the direction of the curve. When I come out of the curve, I accelerate again and straighten out again. I press on the gas pedal zooming down the back stretch.

“That is neat. That is how Lightning did it on the dirt tracks.”

“That’s right. As you get older, do some dirt track racing. You need to judge the curve for the right speed. It will take more practice for the different types of curves you will encounter.”

“That is so true, sir. There are hair pin turns, high bank turns and so on. I think I can do this now.”

“Here is something to think about, Jeffrey. When you go for the qualification, don’t go for the fastest speed to be first. Try to come in a lower position. It is all about tactics and psyching out your challengers.”

“Heh, heh, heh, That would be great to do. Thank you for the tip, sir. Let me do it on my own now.”

I lift my feet off the gas pedals and take my hands off the steering wheel. Jeffrey quickly races around the track and drives through the corners much better. He even tries coming in too fast to find that edge to get around his challengers and make a pass around them.

The other go-carts realize he is a much better driver than they thought. We see some of them talking quietly among themselves.

“Jeffrey, look out for them. I think they are going to try and knock you out some how.”

“I’ll be ready for them. Besides, they will be penalized if the officials sees it done on purpose. I will just have to shoot out between them before I get boxed in.”

After the ten laps of practice, Jeffrey drives over to the side. I crawl out of the seat and stand back up.”

“Thank you, sir. Thank you for the lessons.”

“You’re welcome, Jeffrey. Jeffrey, what is your last name and where are you from?”

“My full name is Jeffrey Gorton. I like to be called Jeff. I am from California.”

“You will do just fine, Jeffrey. I mean Jeff.”

Jeffrey quickly drives up to his mother. “Mom! Mom! Did you see that?”

“I saw it, Jeffrey. We’ll tell dad the good news on the phone.”

I walk toward to Lightning. “So, did I do all right, Lightning?”

Lightning smiles, “You did just fine, Richard. Do you think he will challenge my Piston Cups total?”

“How many have your earned, Lightning?”

“I have seven Piston Cups so far.”

“I think Jeff will get at least four Piston Cups. So, he will make his own mark and history. I don’t think he will come close to your accomplishments. Besides, you won a few international races as well.”

Lightning smiles again, “That’s true.”

I walk up to Tedford. “Well, it is time for me to go, Tedford. I need to get to Jacksonville.”

“Can’t you stay a night at least?”

“I will have to stay on the plane that brought me here. You know there are no human beds on this world.”

“Oooh . . I forgot about that. I know you can camp out in the woods if you want to. The problem there is finding a safe location in the woods.”

“Before I go, Tedford. Have you tried to find Mt. Blanc here?”

“I did find it, Richard. However, it is a much smaller town here than back where we are from. I did find the cabin, though. It is a bit run down. It does need some work.”

“Hmm . . . my dad told me that is how he found it when they went looking for the ideal mountain cabin.”

“It is bigger than yours, that is for sure. It is designed for cars to live in. I’ll look into it and see what it takes to get to make it liveable again.”

“Oh, there is one more thing, Tedford. We know there is car version of Brianna here. They used to be neighbors in South Car-o-lina.”

“Heh, heh, . . . that would be something to see. It would make it full circle here.”

“Yes, it would, Tedford. I am going to Jacksonville to meet myself down there. We should bring the other Brianna. She should be in Knoxville, Tennessee.”

“Do you think the same phone number would work there?”

“I don’t know, Tedford. But it is worth a try.”

Brianna gives her family phone number to Finn. He dials it up.

“Ring . . . ring . . . ring. . . . click . . . This is the Wilson Residence. Mrs. Wilson speaking.”

Brianna smiles that the voice sounds like her mother.

“Hello, my name is Finn. Do you have a daughter named Brianna?”

“We do, sir. What is this about?”

Brianna steps in closer. “Do you remember a next door neighbor in South Car-o-lina. The last name is the Moores?”

“How come you sound like my daughter? Who are you?”

“My name is Brianna as well. Did you catch the news about humans coming to the car race in Gasville?”

“I did. What? You mean that is you?”

“Yes it is, ma’am. For your benefit, we are going to save you some time in getting back together.”

“Yes, please tell us where they are at?”

“The Moore family is in Charlottesville, NC. I mean, Carsville, NC. Richard is in Jacksonville. He is working at Secure-Sys.”

“Thank you for telling me that. I will definitely relay the news to the rest of the family. That is greatly appreciated.”

“You’re welcome, mother. You sound like my own mother right now.”

“I understand. Perhaps we can compare notes at another time.”

“I don’t know when that will happen. But I look forward to it when we all get together.”

“That would be some family reunion.”

“Yes it would, Mrs. Wilson. I have to go now. We are going to Jacksonville right now. We’ll relay the same news to Richard down there.”

“I appreciate that very much. Thank you.”

Finn ends the connection. “That would be something to see. Come, we need to get going.”

“Now don’t be a stranger, Richard. The Emissaries told me what happened to your family, Richard. I hope you find the guy who killed them.”

“I know who did it, Tedford. Right now, I am just a thorn in his side.”

“That’s good, Richard. Well, take care until we meet again.”

Richard and Brianna walk up and rub our hands on his front hood.

“We hope to see you again, Tedford.”

We walk back and get back to Finn. He opens his doors, we get inside and sit down in his seats. Finn closes his doors. Holley and Finn then drive back to the Gasville Airport.

“So, what about that scout ship, Richard? Who are they?”

“They are the . . . . .”