Worlds Collide: A Cars Fan Fiction

Never Say Bye

Nikki leaned forward to see what Sally had seen. The control panel of the machine was still operating. As she watched, the screen blinked to display a message. 

OVERHEATING AVOIDED. BEGINNING RESET MODE.

"It-It still works." Nikki spoke without knowing what she was saying. Her heart was feeling as light as it had when she kissed Zane. "It works!"

"We can go home!" Hector cheered. 

"Y'all can go home!" Mater cheered. The two sped around the room cheering. 

"Classic comic book maneuver!" Abbey declared, buddy-punching Zhara in the shoulder. "It seems like the heroes are dead or trapped, then BOOM! Plot twist!" 

"Seriously, lay off the comics for a while," Zhara responded, rubbing her shoulder but smiling all the same. 

"Will it be very hard to get the machine working again?" Zane asked Nikki.

She cracked her knuckles. "Twenty seconds."

Once again, she underestimated herself. It only took her seventeen to get the machine back to the way it was when they'd first entered the room. She was practically shaking with excitement. They were going home. For real this time. She listened to Hector and Mater chanting, and her excitement disappeared. 

She faced the cars of Radiator Springs. Other than a scratch or dent here and there, no one had been injured in the fight. She took a deep breath. This was harder than she'd thought it would be.

"I want to thank you all for everything you've done for us. You might have saved our lives. I don't know what we'd have done if you hadn't helped us."

"We were happy to do it," Sally said, rolling forward. "We're going to miss you all."

Everyone, realizing that it was about time for the humans to go, began saying their goodbyes. 

"Stay out of trouble," Sheriff told Abbey.

"No promises!" she responded.

"Don't you tell McQueen this, but I think you're the best dad gum tractor tippin' partner I've ever had!" Mater told Hector. He started to cry a little. Tears were in Hector's eyes, too, and he tried to hug Mater. 

"I'll miss you, too," he told the tow truck. 

"Good luck with your motel, Sally," Zhara said to the Porsche, "and thanks for everything."

"Thanks, Zhara. Take care of yourself."

"Remember what we talked about, man," Ramone reminded Zane. "You think you can tell her how you feel from now on?"

"I do," Zane smiled. "Thanks, Ramone."

Elsie and McQueen had a few moments together, although Zhara still needed to translate for McQueen.

"Thanks for coming back for me, Elsie," the race car said.

"You're welcome," she signed. "Thank you for everything you did. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." 

Doc approached Nikki. He looked a little uncomfortable, but he smiled at her. "You six were a lot of trouble. But...it was nice having you here. Get home safe, alright?"

Nikki smiled back. Tears were threatening to fall. "Thanks, Doc."

Zane came to her side, and gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back, and put her hand in his. She looked up to see Elsie, Zhara, Hector, and Abbey coming over. They didn't say anything; Nikki said it for them.

"Let's go home."

As previously agreed, Sheriff operated the machine so they could all go through. "As soon as you're through," he told the humans, "I'll shut it off. Then we'll destroy it."

"Sounds good!" Nikki replied. 

The cars of Radiator Springs shouted their goodbyes once more. Red was sobbing again. Even Sarge seemed to be blinking back tears. 

"We'll miss you!" Elsie signed, with Zhara translating. 

The portal activated. Just like when they'd come to the world of cars, what looked like a glowing wall of green light appeared before them. Nikki felt Hector's hand grab hers. As before, the six friends were holding hands. 

"You ready?" she asked Zane.

"For anything. As long as I'm with you."

She grinned. And the six of them stepped into the portal.

---

The light was practically blinding; she'd had to shut her eyes. Walking through the portal felt like jumping into a freezing pool. Then, she felt different. Like she was someplace she knew. She opened her eyes, and laughed in surprise. They'd landed in her backyard!

"We did it!" Elsie signed, grinning from ear to ear.

Hector whooped and did a back flip. Abbey saw the tree house that they used as their hideout, and ran up into it. Less than a minute later she poked her head out of the window, looking relieved. 

"Don't worry; the comic books are okay!"

"I will never understand that girl," Zhara muttered. Nikki laughed at her, forcing the fourteen-year-old to grin. 

Nikki turned back to Zane, and they kissed. She pulled away and looked up at her house. She drank in the summer sunshine making everything glow. 

Elsie was right, they'd done it. They were finally home.

---

Once the humans were through, Sheriff turned off the machine. Sarge had informed one of the army cars (who apparently was a friend of his) of the machine's existence, and informed his friends that it would be dismantled, with pieces of it (along with the blueprints) being used as evidence against Moteur in his trial. 

Red still hadn't stopped crying, and inadvertently got Mater, Guido, and Luigi started. When they'd finally stopped, the army cars that had swarmed the compound allowed the cars of Radiator Springs to leave.

"But remember," Sarge reminded everyone as they left, "we can't tell anyone about anything that's happened over the last few days."

"Who'd believe us?" McQueen joked. Now that the whole ordeal with the humans and scientists was over, he was more than looking forward to getting back to normal. Still, he was going to miss those kids.

"Lightning!" Mac, who'd been waiting very patiently at the bottom of the mountain, was overjoyed to see McQueen again.

"Mack! You came, too?"

"Of course. I had to haul all those humans here. Where are they, anyway?"

"They went home," Sally told the truck. "I think we should do the same."

"Agreed," Doc said. McQueen could tell that the last two days had tired his mentor out even more than the racing season had. The cars of Radiator Springs began making their way back to town.

"Hey, McQueen?" Mater drove up alongside his best friend, looking like something was bothering him. 

"What's wrong?"

"That portal, and the world of humans, got me thinkin'. What if our world, and the human world, are only two out of a couple billion worlds, and each one holds creatures and things that we can't imagine, all existin' at the same time?"

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then McQueen spoke again. "You've been drinking Fillmore's "special oil" again, haven't you?"

Mater looked sheepish. "Caught me again."

They'd been out all night, and the sun was just beginning to rise. As they arrived in town, each car said goodnight and went inside for a nap. McQueen, before he went into his home, stopped to gaze at the morning sky. 

He understood why the humans had wanted to go back through the portal so badly. He couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere other than Radiator Springs. Satisfied, he went indoors. It had been a long night.