#carthing

• Lightning has always looked to Mack like an older brother, especially during his earlier years of racing (like in the start of cars 1 and before) because Mack always stuck by him.

• Lightning had no Idea how to properly socialize growing up leading to him not having many friends which is why hes such a loner before he got trapped in Radiator Springs

•Lightning is bisexual, look at me and tell me that boy wasnt looking for a date with boys and gals

•Aditional to this, he is also asexual, nothing else to add hes just asexual

•This one isnt 100% but hes either Trans or Genderfluid in my eyes, he just gives off those vibes

•Lightning was online schooled, he did all his learning online and not in the class room due to him not even going to school when he was in school learning

•He never told anyone his real name (Montgomery) the day Cal and Bobby found out about it they would call him Monty or Montgomery non stop

•Lightning became Ramones test subject regarding his paint jobs because lightning loved changing it up alll the time and Ramone enjoyed the challenge of new designs

• Lightning had social anxiety growing up leading to him unable to attend school or go out often

That is all my headcannons for lighting :D

• Mack basically adopted Lightning as a little brother when he first became ligjtnings hauler, lightning accepted it and treats Mack like his older brother

•Mack is very protective of lightning, he was especially wary when he first met the Radiator springs folk because he could quite understand them

• He has friends all around america, they all keep in contact in a big gc about whats happening and they like to meet up when they can at truck stops

• One time Mack forgot his trailer and got like 3 miles down the road before he realized and had to turn back (yes lightning was in the trailer)

• Mack is the defenition of safety, if you're unsure if what you're doing is safe, ask Mack he'll tell you

• Hes very trustworthy and reliable, if you need something? go to him, if you're need advice he has it, if you're struggling he'll listen

• He collects souvenirs from every place that he visits and had rhem, he has a collection and will even get lightning a little something every time

• Mack purposely detours when transporting lightning so lightning can visit his favorite places

•Mack is one of the most social people out there, he will talk and say hi to everyone whk gives him the chance

• Mack has hundreds of stories about things hes seen on his travels that he loves to share with people

Francesco is 100% a mamas boy, he loves his mom

Francesco never misses a weekend of visiting his mom, every weekend tbey have morning tea, talk about how francescos week went

Francesco is Either Bisexual or Gay (leaning towards bi tbh) and Trans (FtM)

Francesco absolutely loves homemade food and will choose eating in instead of eating out

Francesco learned all hos mothers homemade recipes so when hes away from home he can still have the food his mama makes

The racing centre was busy, scientists and trainees and trainers were wandering around the centre to do their tasks for the day, the trainees were using the main equipment, some being led to back rooms away from the main training room. The trainees were all grey with assigned colours on them and had numbers painted on the side, they were only called that number unless visitors were being given a tour of the facilities, although the tour was never the entire centre just the part of the centre that seemed most legal. Behind the main room were labs, Dorms and isolated locations.

The training centre as they had named the facility was actually a giant laboratory. Cars were experimented on, modified and given chemicals to alter their bodies. The aim to make the strongest fastest cars that was possible to race, to make money, to win championships. The moment the cars became trainees they were no longer civilians they were experiments for the company to do as they wished.

These companies full of power and greed would do anything they could just to make the best racer. They would buy kids into their company to experiment on from a young age. Send out advertisements saying there was an opening for up and coming racers. These experiments could be as young as 3 being experimented on.

---

On the third floor was some of the isolated areas, in one was a small child, he had the number five on his side and his own trainer. The kid had been in the training centre for two years now he was one of the few that had been bought purely to be experimented on. The kid was 4 years old and was one of the youngest trainees in the centre, he had a trainer who he had accidentally called dad more times than he could count.

The small child had 3 main areas that he was allowed in. The first room was his bedroom, it had a standard looking bed with some cartoon bed sheets. He had some toys he could play with but not many. The second room contained a lot of technology mainly a small simulator that mimicked racing on a racetrack, the kid had to use the simulator as much as he could as part of his experimentation and his change in reaction time and skill. The third room was the room he hated the most, it was the largest room in the area, it contained a hospital bed, a lot of monitors. The locked drawers that lined the walls contained needles and sheets to record the child’s reaction to whatever the scientists gave him.

It was late in the afternoon when the door to the kid's room opened, and his trainer drove in.

“Jackson, I have dinner for you” Ray stated looking down at the kid, Jackson was playing with some coloured mats and some toy cars. Ray knew he shouldn’t call Jackson by his name, but he couldn’t bring himself to call him Number 5 it seemed wrong to Ray.

“Ray!” Jackson beamed happily as he quickly sped over to his trainer. Jackson was always excited to see Ray, Ray was his favourite person.

Ray placed the oil for Jackson on his small table as he lowered himself as much as he could so he could be similar eye level to Jackson. Which in itself was quite difficult for a pickup.

“Thanks Ray!” Jackson said mouth half full of the oil that Ray had brought him.

“Don’t speak with your mouth full Jackson, eat the food then speak” Ray scolded lightly, Ray wasn’t only in charge of ensuring Jackson was ready for the more intense training when he’s older but also making sure he was well mannered unlike some of the older trainees.

Jackson nods and goes back to eating.

---

Jacksons life was pretty much the same until he became thirteen. For 10 years of his life he was experimented on and isolated from everyone else, as far as he knew he was the only person in this place that it was only the size of the room he was in and that outside was just trees and grass like he had read in his books and seen on screens.

When Jackson had officially turned 13 Ray had brought him out of his room, he had known all his life. When Jackson walked out it was overwhelming, Jackson didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know how to react. Standing just outside his door Jackson stood frozen, he turned to Ray.

“why, when was this here?” Jackson asked there was an audible tremble in his words he looked around again it was so big already Jackson didn’t know if he would be able to remember where everything was.

“It's always been here kid, what did you think was out here?” Ray asked almost concerned at Jacksons reaction but also not surprised by the reaction the kid had been isolated for an unfair amount of time.

“I thought... it was trees and grass, like the books I read when I was younger” Jackson says tears pricking at his eyes the entire situation becoming too overwhelming to him.

Ray brought Jackson in for a hug, he couldn’t even imagine how Jackson may feel after being let out of a room he had been in his entire life. To Jackson he thought the world was his room that maybe there was something out there but he didn’t know what, to find he was just in a room would be such a shock and a struggle to comprehend. Jackson started sobbing against Ray.

---

Jackson managed to calm down after a while, he pulled away from Ray and looked up at the latter. “Can we go looking around the place?” Jackson asked softly.

Ray smiled softly. “of course kiddo, lets go” Ray stays close to Jackson as he begins to lead the kid around the centre, they drove down the long halls. The first stop was the dormitories, he showed Jackson where the older kids always slept.

Jackson looked around the room it was empty but there were 4 beds and some desks, Jackson looked in awe at how bland the rooms looked. “They’re much more… boring than my room” Jackson commented looking at Ray.

“Yes well, this is the room you will be staying in from now on, that old room, is no longer yours, you have grown out of it” Ray said trying to put it gently, but he knew that Jackson needed to know about it.

Jackson looked at Ray in despair. “But, its my room, why can’t I stay there? Its my room!” Jackson looked at Ray scared and confused learning about this he felt like crying again.

“Jackson you are thirteen now you have to move here, its, its how this works” Ray tried to explain. The way Jackson looked at him, it was heart breaking. “come on Jackson. Lets have a look at the rest of the facilities”

Jackson nodded and the two left the dorms and headed towards the training areas. Jackson saw just how many trainees there were there were trainees and scientists at every area. Jackson looked at everything taking in everything that was there.

“Its like, what I’ve been using all my life, but bigger” Jackson said a little lost.

Ray nodded and looked at Jackson. “They are, because all the trainees that use them are much bigger than when you were using your smaller equipment, and now you will get to use these facilities, you can improve your speed even more” Ray smiled “eventually you’ll be sharing a dorm with 3 other trainees and you will work together with them”

Jackson looked back at the training centre. “Will, the scientist still… experiment on me” Jackson asked anxiously.

Ray frowned he didn’t want to tell Jackson the truth, but he knew the kid deserved to know. “Yes, until you’re older and have been put into races” Ray explained.

Day 1

Wow I’m actually writing a diary; it was recommended by Ray, Jacksons trainer that I write my thoughts out in this, so I’m not distracted by feelings during training as he said. It’s weird I never thought I’d be writing a diary; I should start by introducing myself.

Hi! My name is Chase I'm 18 and I’m an up and coming racer in the piston cup. I’ve been training since I was a young car. I watched every piston cup race and tried to convince my parents to take me to races. I joined smaller tracks growing up and excelled being in the top 3 every race. I wanted to be first, so I never stopped bettering my technique, but I knew I needed to learn more. When I saw the advertisement that this racing centre was looking for up and coming racers, I took my chance and applied. As you can tell I was accepted and here I am.

Upon arriving at the centre, I was given a tour of the facilities there were training simulators, wind tunnels, and more I was excited to get training, I was informed that I would be given a trainer which made me even more excited, I don’t know who they’re going to be until tomorrow but I’m hoping its someone I can work well with.

 After being shown the centre I was shown my room, I’m rooming with some racers called Ryan, Aiden, and Jackson. So far, they seem pretty chill except for Jackson, Jackson seems more defensive, he doesn’t talk much and seems to keep to his own corner of the room. I think maybe he’ll open up at some point.

After lunch me and my roommates found out we are in an assigned group meaning we will spend a lot of our time together especially during group trainings and will rarely mingle with the other teams I’m ok with that at least we’re not isolated from each other that makes me happy.

Jacksons trainer Ray who Jackson calls Gus led us to a room we weren’t shown within our tour, we had our paint removed and changed to primer except for our spoilers and the edges of our body’s I was assigned the colour green and the number 17, its weird. We then had these probes connected to our bodies apparently, they track our vitals and stats, I guess it makes sense in order to keep us healthy when training. The others had different colours and numbers Ray said it's how the other members of the training centre will refer to us.

The probes feel weird on my body I hope the feeling goes away soon its annoying.

After sorting out our paint, numbers and colours Ray took us to the main area of the training centre giving us an in-depth tour of what each machine does and how we use it.

The simulator simulates racing on a real track and collects data based on how we race. He also said at some point we will get to go to the nearby racetrack to race each other and get used to the track, I’m excited for that. He even said our trainers would book for private track time to train I’m excited for that too.

The treadmills were pretty simple they just let us either go as fast as we have a set limit set by our trainers as a type of workout, there also TVs they can have displays set by our trainers to motivate us or as an exercise to better us a racers.

The wind tunnel was fun feeling the difference of the air flowing over you and how it changed based on how we sat on the track, if I sit lower on the track the wind flows over me easier. When we’re watching everyone else in the wind tunnel you can see the wind flowing over them it’s really cool.

Ray showed us the small race track out the back of the centre it was there to help us practice pitting, learn the flag meanings and practice how we would line up before a race. The smaller track was cool it reminded me of the tracks I used to race on as a kid just slightly bigger.

The last area that Ray showed us was strange it was a big empty room with large speakers in the corner, according to ray it was a room for trainers to take their racers to motivate them or simulate different situations like what they’d hear if there was a crash, or the sound of a busy racetrack. He said that music can be played and some of the other group would be put its the room together to socialize it's kind of funny.

For the rest of the day Ray kind of just supervised us as we got acquaintance to each other and the areas. Ryan was nice he has a competitive spirit but is also willing to make friends, I think he’s going to be a nice group member.

Aiden is kind of rude he doesn’t give off an “Approach me” feel, based on how he acted he seems more defensive like Jackson but also more of an anger outgoing personality.

Jackson, I think going to be chill, towards the end of our session with Ray he seemed fidgety and like he was going to get mad or something, he kept to himself or by Rays side The last thing we all decided to do was to race each other on the simulators.

Ryan and I versed each other, and Jackson and Aiden versed each other. I lost against Ryan, but I don’t mind, Aiden lost against Jackson and wasn’t too happy about it and went and pouted in the corner.

 The last race was between Ryan and Jackson, Ryan one fair and square but Jackson got mad, he started going on about how Ryan was cheating or something, he stormed out and Ray sent the rest of us off to go get dinner.

I didn’t see Jackson after that. The next time I saw Jackson he seemed really tired, we were in our room, he’s asleep now, so is Ryan and Aiden.