(Lightning's POV)

I awoke to a blinding, white light. I was aching and sore from my grille to my bumper. My axles were weak and my tires slouched. I was, also, having a massive hood-ache and...wait. Hood-ache?

My eyes shot open and I took in my surroundings. I was in a green recovery room. The blinds were closed behind velvet curtains. The tile floor glistened from the bright light overhead reflecting off it. I was parked in a car hospital bed with many vials and tubes going through, under my hood. I looked down and saw my Rust-eze logo and red paint. How I had missed it.

I drove out of my bed and drove towards the mirror on the left wall. I examined myself, carefully, making sure nothing had changed. I smiled when I couldn't find any flaws, and reversed back into my bed. It was difficult at first, maneuvering in a car again. I was a human so long I'd forgotten what it felt like.

I stayed in my bed, for about 30 more minutes, until a nurse drove in. She had a clipboard and was checking the machines next to me. She wrote a few things on her board and then smiled at me. "How are you doing, McQueen?"

I shrugged, "Can't complain. I'm a little sore, though."

She nodded, understandingly, and drove towards the door. "I'll tell him you're here."

What? What was she talking about? Before she left, she drove to me and unhooked all the machines and vials. She told me to wait here until she returned for me. I obeyed and waited.

Finally, she returned and I followed her throughout the building. After driving through the many halls and rooms, we arrived in a meeting area. I was beyond confused. Where was I? What was going on? I felt like I had just arrived at the HIA again.

The meeting room was very large, with an oval, oak table taking up most of the space. Many cars were parked around the table, sipping wine and chatting quietly to one another. When I entered, everyone went quiet. They all stared at me, showing great apathy. I smiled, nervously, and parked at the spot I was directed to.

Suddenly, a monstrous, black army vehicle drove in. He parked at the head of the table and smiled at me. "Hello Lightning. I've heard a lot about you and your tow truck friends adventure. The one to the human world."

I slowly nodded. "Yes, sir. It was a total accident, and I promise it will never happen again."

He laughed, "I'm not mad about that, McQueen. I'm actually needing you for something. I need your knowledge."

I was confused, "My-My knowledge?"

"Yes. Since you've been to the human world, you must know some of their secrets. I would like you to share them, with the group."

I grew even more nervous," Um....well....I don't really know anything."

The army car looked puzzled. "Pardon?"

"I said, I don't know anything. I didn't really take notes while I was there. Why do you want to know about them anyways?

He looked at me, seriously. He drove away from his spot at the table and drove towards the doors he had entered from. He motioned for me to follow him. I did so, and we drove throughout the building. I was still confused on many things.

"Where am I?" I asked, without really thinking about it.

The army car replied, "You are at a secret military base in Utah. We found you two, deserted, in the middle of the desert, so we brought you here. You two have become quite popular, with your disappearance and all. Your girlfriend is, especially, worried. She hasn't stopped worrying and fussing over you two. We brought you here, because we detected human scents on you, and so we thought you could come in handy."

"Wait, what is with you always acting like something's wrong? Why do you act like the world depends on the human world and my knowledge of it?"

He turned towards me. "You really don't know what's going on?" he asked me.

I slowly shook my hood. He sighed and motioned for me to continue following him. We drove towards a giant window, but the blinds were pulled closed. We stood, parked there for several minutes until he motioned to a button on the floor. "Push it. The blinds will open"

I looked down at the button and pressed it with my tire. The blinds slowly opened, and, to my horror, I saw what this guy had been talking about. Destruction everywhere. Fires cluttered the city afar. Cars and humans running around, crying for help. Everyone shooting and screaming. The sky had turned a dark gray and green color. Pollution was getting worse. The scene before me looked like the end of the world.

"I don't understand. What happened?"

"When the one army soldier entered the cars world, more of them started to arrive. Soon, the amount of humans caused a collapse and started panic throughout the nation. It isn't only here. It's all over the world. They keep coming. We don't know what they want or why they are coming, but they must be stopped. If they aren't stopped, I don't know how much longer the car population will last."

I listened intently, all the while shaking my hood in disbelief. "How do we stop this?" I asked.

He looked over at me, "We found the portal from where they are all coming from. If we can get to it and shut it off, then it should stop this war. If we don't, the car population will either die off or have to relocate. The portal is guarded by a lot of security, so I don't know if we could ever get in. I was hoping that you and your friend might have more intel."

I shook my hood. "I don't know anything. I never knew that this was happening."

I couldn't imagine having to go through war. Especially since we and the humans were both so much in common.

The army car looked at me, "Lightning, war has begun. I need to know, here and now. Whose side are you on?"

It took me several minutes to come up with an answer. Would I defend my fellow cars, including my friends and girlfriend, or would I protect the SIA and Scarlet and the rest of the human people I've met? I knew the right answer, and I didn't dare hesitate any longer.

"Alright....what do you need to know?"