“The Radiator Springs Traffic Court will come to order!” the Sheriff called as Lightning rolled into the front of the courtroom, his boot clomping.
The townsfolk were gathered in the courtroom— and they were not happy.
“Hey,” called Ramone, a lowrider with a flashy paint job. “You scratched my paint. I ought to take a blowtorch to you, man!”
“Did you see what he did to my Stanley?” cried Lizzie, the oldest resident of the town.
A glamorous show car frowned at Lightning, indignant. “You see what he did to my café?” Flo demanded. “Now I’ve gotta restack the cans.”
“You broke the road,” scolded the small Italian import named Luigi. He owned Luigi’s Casa Della Tires—and the tires Lightning had plowed through the night before. “You’re a very bad car.”
“Fascist!” Fillmore called.
“Officer, talk to me, babe,” Lightning said to the Sheriff in a smooth voice. “How long is this gonna take? I gotta get to California, pronto.”
“Where’s your lawyer?” the Sheriff demanded.
“I don’t know,” Lightning admitted. “Tahiti, maybe?”
“When a defendant has no lawyer, the court will assign one to him. Hey!” the Sheriff called out to the assembled cars. “Anyone want to be his lawyer?”
“Shoot,” Mater said. “I’ll do it, Sheriff!”
Lightning groaned.
“All rise,” Sheriff called. “The Honorable Doc Hudson presiding! May Doc have mercy on your soul.”
An old blue car rolled into court and took his place at the judge’s bench. “All right,” Doc ranted, “I want to know who’s responsible for wrecking my town, Sheriff. I want his hood on a platter. I’m going to put him in jail till he rots—no, check that. I’m gonna put him in jail till the jail rots on top of him and then I’m going to move him to a new jail and let that one rot. I’m—” Doc stopped short, narrowing his eyes as he got a good look at Lightning.
The race car laughed nervously.
“Throw him out of here, Sheriff,” Doc said in an official voice. “I want him out of my courtroom. I want him out of our town. Case dismissed!”
“Yes!” Lightning cried as the townsfolk gasped.
“Boy,” Mater said to himself. “I’m pretty good at this lawyering stuff.”
Just then, a sleek blue sports car drove into the courtroom. “Sorry I’m late, Your Honor,” she said.
“Holy Porsche,” Lightning muttered, awestruck by the gorgeous car. “She’s gotta be from my attorney’s office. Hey, thanks for coming,” he said suavely, “but we’re all set. He’s letting me go.” “He’s letting you go?” she repeated.
“Yeah, your job’s pretty easy today.” Lightning grinned. “All you have to do now is stand there and let me look at you. Listen, I’m going to cut to the chase. Me. You. Dinner.” He flashed his lightning bolt sticker. “Ka-chow!”
“Ow!” the blue sports car cried as the reflected light shone in her pretty eyes.
“I know,” Lightning growled, moving in close to her. “I get that reaction a lot.” He revved his engine.
“Okay … ,” she said, unimpressed. She excused herself to talk to the judge.
“Do what you gotta do, baby,” Lightning told her. “Oh, but listen, be careful. Folks around here are not firing on all cylinders, if you know what I mean.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” the blue sports car replied as she rolled forward. “Hey there, Mater,” she added as she drove past the tow truck.
“Howdy, Sally,” Mater replied.
Lightning gaped. “You know her?”
“She’s the town attorney,” Mater explained. “And my fiancée.”
“What?” Lightning cried.
“Naah, just kiddin’,” Mater said, giving Lightning a friendly nudge. “She just likes me for my body.”
“Doc, you really look great this morning,” Sally gushed to the judge. “Did you do something different with your side-view mirrors?”
Doc Hudson sighed. “What do you want, Sally?”
“Come on,” she pleaded, “make this guy fix the road. The town needs this.” Sally not only acted as the town attorney, she also owned the Cozy Cone Motel. She knew that the town was dependent on the road. How would they ever get customers if no one could drive to Radiator Springs?
Doc shot Lightning an angry glance. “No. I know his type. Race car.” His grill tucked into a frown. “He’s the last thing this town needs.”
“Fellow citizens,” Sally said, turning to the cars who lined the courtroom, “you’re all aware of our town’s proud history. It is our job and our pleasure to take care of the travelers on our stretch of that road. How, I ask you, are we to care for travelers if there is no road for them to drive on? Luigi, what do you have at your store?”
“Tires,” the little Italian import replied.
“And if no one can get to you?” Sally prompted.
“I won’t sell any tires,” Luigi replied. His front bumper dropped in horror. “I will lose everything!”
“Flo, what’ll happen if no one can come to your station to buy gas?” Sally asked the café owner.
“I’ll go out of business and we’ll have to leave town!” Flo cried.
Sally turned to the revved-up crowd. “And what’s going to happen to all of us if Flo leaves town and closes her station?”
Suddenly, the entire town realized that their very lives depended on that road!
“So don’t you think the car responsible should fix our road?” Sally demanded. “Oh, he can do it,” she said, casting a look in Lightning’s direction.
“He’s got the horsepower. So what do you want him to do?”
“Fix the road!” the cars shouted, rallying.
“Because we are a town worth fixing!” Sally was on a roll now.
“Order in the court!” Doc shouted. Once the courtroom was quiet, the irritated judge gave Sally a sidelong glance.
“Seems like my mind has been changed for me,” Doc finally said grudgingly.
Lightning was furious. “Oh, I am so not taking you to dinner,” he grumbled to Sally.
“Oh, that’s okay, Stickers.” Sally smiled, poking fun at his sticker-covered frame. “You can take Bessie.”
“Bessie,” Lightning repeated. “Who’s Bessie?”
麥坤捆著鎖鏈,重踏著進入交通法庭。警長宣布:“水箱溫泉鎮(zhèn)交通法庭,現(xiàn)在開庭!”
小鎮(zhèn)的居民聚集在法庭里——他們看起來都不開心。
“嘿,你刮掉我的漆了。我要用噴槍揍你一頓!”做噴漆工作的雷蒙是一輛低底盤車,他氣憤地說。
荔枝婆是小鎮(zhèn)最年長的居民,她對警長說:“看看他對我的斯坦利雕像做了什么!”
一輛名叫芙蓉的優(yōu)雅的演出車朝麥坤皺了皺眉頭,說:“看看他對我的咖啡店做了什么吧!現(xiàn)在我得回去重新整理我的油罐。”
“你破壞了我們的公路,你這輛車真是壞透了?!笨ú际且惠v意大利進口車,個子不高卻在鎮(zhèn)上經(jīng)營了一家名為“輪胎斜塔”的輪胎店,而昨晚麥坤撞上的正是他們家的輪胎,他非常氣憤。
“法西斯分子!”輝哥吼道。
“警長,你能不能告訴我,這樣的審判要進行多久?拜托,我得趕去加州?!丙溊ふZ氣柔和地說。
“你的辯護律師呢?”警長質(zhì)問。
“我不知道,也許跑大溪地去了吧?!丙溊ふf。
“如果被告沒有律師,法庭將會為他指派一名辯護律師。大家聽著,誰愿意當(dāng)他的辯護律師?”警長對聚集在一起的小鎮(zhèn)公民說。
“好吧,警長,我來!”板牙說。
麥坤咕噥了一聲。
“全體起立,”警長宣布,“審判由尊敬的藍(lán)天博士主持,愿博士寬恕你的靈魂!”
一輛藍(lán)色的舊轎車沖入法庭,站在法官的位置上說:“好啊,警長,我想知道到底是哪個渾小子把我們的小鎮(zhèn)搞成這樣。我要把他的引擎蓋卸下來,再把他關(guān)進監(jiān)獄直到他腐爛……不對,糾正一下,直到監(jiān)獄的鐵門都腐爛在那里。然后我再把他關(guān)到另一間監(jiān)獄,直到那一間也腐爛掉。我還要……”博士突然停了下來,然后瞇著眼睛仔細(xì)看了麥坤一眼。
麥坤緊張地笑了笑。
“把他扔出去!警長!”博士義正詞嚴(yán)地說。“把他轟出法庭!把他趕出小鎮(zhèn)!案件駁回!”
小鎮(zhèn)居民滿臉驚訝,而麥坤卻激動地說:“太好了!”
“小子,我這個辯護律師當(dāng)?shù)貌诲e嘛!”板牙自言自語。
就在那時,一輛時髦的藍(lán)色跑車來到法庭:“尊敬的法官,對不起,我來晚了。”
“哇哦,保時捷!”麥坤喃喃自語,對這輛漂亮的車驚嘆不已?!八欢ㄊ俏业穆蓭煆穆蓭熮k公室派來為我辯護的。嘿,你好,謝謝你能來。不過問題已經(jīng)解決啦,他把我無罪釋放了?!丙溊厝岬卣f?!八涯銦o罪釋放了?”她重復(fù)問了一遍。
“沒錯,你今天的工作相當(dāng)輕松!”麥坤露齒一笑,“你現(xiàn)在只要站在那邊讓我好好看著你就行了。聽好,我直說吧,我打算與你共進晚餐。就咱倆,我和你?!彼f話的同時秀了一把自己炫酷的閃電標(biāo)志?!斑青?!”
“哎呀!”麥坤閃電標(biāo)志反射的亮光刺到了她迷人的眼睛,她叫了起來。
“我知道你的感受,”麥坤憤憤地說著,慢慢靠近她。“這種反應(yīng)我見多了。”說著他啟動了發(fā)動機。
“好吧……”她并沒有被打動,而是借口要與法官交談。
“做你想做的事情吧,美人,”麥坤對她說,“不過,聽好了,你得小心一點。這里的人可不是都像我們倆一樣(都是全氣缸點火的跑車),你明白我的意思?!?
“我知道?!彼{(lán)色跑車一邊回應(yīng)著一邊往前開了幾步。從拖車旁邊經(jīng)過時,她跟板牙打招呼:“你好啊,板牙?!?
“你好,莎莉!”板牙回答。
麥坤驚訝地問:“你認(rèn)識她?”
“她是鎮(zhèn)上的律師,也是我的未婚妻!”板牙解釋道。
“什么?”麥坤驚訝地說。
“沒什么,開個玩笑。她只是喜歡我的身材。”板牙邊說邊友好地推了一下麥坤。
“博士,你今天早上看起來真帥氣。你是不是改裝了自己的側(cè)視鏡啊?”莎莉感情豐富地對法官說。
藍(lán)天博士嘆了一口氣:“你想說什么,莎莉?”
“求求你,罰他去修路吧,小鎮(zhèn)需要路?!鄙虿粌H是小鎮(zhèn)的律師,還是路障汽車旅館的主人。她知道小鎮(zhèn)離不開這條路。假如沒人開車到水箱溫泉鎮(zhèn),他們又怎么會有顧客上門呢?
博士氣憤地瞥了麥坤一眼,他皺起眉頭說:“不行,我對他這樣的賽車很了解,我們鎮(zhèn)上最不需要的就是他這種車?!?
“各位居民,”莎莉轉(zhuǎn)身對在法庭上排成一排的汽車說道:“大家一定都熟悉我們小鎮(zhèn)的輝煌歷史吧。我們有權(quán)利也有義務(wù)為路上的汽車公民服務(wù)??墒俏覇柲銈?,如果沒有路,我們又該怎樣為他們服務(wù)呢?卡布,你店里賣的什么?”
“輪胎?!卑珎€子意大利進口車回答道。
“但如果沒人能到你的店呢?”莎莉接著問。
“我一個輪胎也賣不出去,我將失去一切?!毕氲竭@兒,卡布的保險杠都嚇掉了。
“芙蓉,如果沒人能到你的店里買汽油,將會怎樣?”莎莉問咖啡店的老板。
“我會破產(chǎn),然后被迫離開城鎮(zhèn)?!避饺乜蘖似饋怼?
莎莉轉(zhuǎn)向激動的人群,說:“如果芙蓉離開我們,關(guān)閉加油站。我們該怎么辦?”
突然,所有小鎮(zhèn)居民都意識到他們的生活離不這條路!
“所以,你們不覺得這輛闖禍的車應(yīng)該為我們修路嗎?”莎莉質(zhì)問道?!鞍萃?,他能做這件事?!鄙蛘f著朝麥坤看去。
“何況他還擁有超強的馬力。好了,大家覺得該讓他做什么?”
“修路!”汽車公民齊聲回答。
“因為我們的小鎮(zhèn)值得去修復(fù)!”莎莉的工作進展得很順利。
“肅靜!”博士叫道。法庭剛安靜下來,憤怒的法官便瞥了莎莉一眼。
“看來有人改變了我的決定。”博士最終不情愿地說。
麥坤勃然大怒。“呃,我現(xiàn)在不打算邀請你共進晚餐了?!彼裨股?。
莎莉笑了笑,她仔細(xì)看著麥坤身上的閃電貼紙:“沒關(guān)系,閃電俠。你可以帶貝西去?!?
“貝西,”麥坤重述道,“誰是貝西?”
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