TDIT's Cars crossover fanfic - 24: The Race Against Time

[thedriveintheatre]

Over the past week, I’ve been posting teaser taglines under my sig about my upcoming crossover fanfic. Well, for any of you who are intrigued about its premise, you’re about to find out!

I’ve been a regular visitor to Fanfiction and DeviantArt (as well as this fanfiction board) and I’ve been entertained, thrilled and amazed by the various writing talents of fellow Pixar fans in all the various movies. I soon became aware of a sub-genre of fanfiction called ‘Crossover Fics’. I’m sure most of you are aware of this phenomenon, but to the uninitiated, it’s basically the meeting of characters from two different literary universes in one converging storyline. Their interaction with each other, as well as with the ‘foreign worlds’ around them, forms part of the interest and excitement of viewing such a piece.

There has been many awesome examples in real-life; CSI Miami/CSI New York, CSI New York/Cold Case, Knight Rider (2008)/Las Vegas, Archie and the Punisher, Sonic & Mario at the Olympic Games, and of course, the entire ‘Who Frame Roger Rabbit’ movie.

I happen to be a fan of both Cars the movie and the TV show 24, which features Keifer Sutherland as federal agent Jack Bauer, this ‘Chuck-Norris’ for the new millenium who runs around shooting terrorists, interrogating double agents and generally saving the world, all within the space on one day. So I thought to myself: What if Jack Bauer was a car in the world of Cars? Who would be the villians? What if all the residents of Radiator Springs and the racing world were put through, as J.B. calls it, “the longest day” of their lives? What would be a suitable plot? How will the characters interact with each other? Why hasn’t anyone attempted this before?

I guess the answer to the last question is because it’s just insane and that nobody would even think of such a combination. Which sounded great to me. So I put a challenge to myself, to mash the two seemingly disparate worlds of the Disney movie and the Fox TV show, and see whether I can pull it off.

And that would be my debut fanfic on both Fanfiction and this forum. I always thought of myself as a fairly decent writer, so this will be the ultimate test, so to speak.

Stay tuned, because the worst day of Lightning McQueen’s life is about to begin in just a few hours!

[Sky]

What a creative idea, Andre! I’m not really a fan of either Cars or 24, but the way you write about it makes me really intrigued. I’m interested to know exactly how Jack Bauer will affect Radiator Springs, and also how the 1 hour per fanfiction chapter will work out, too. (And secretly, I’d like to see Lightning McQueen’s day ruined. )

[thedriveintheatre]

Thanks for your comment, Rachel! It won’t be just Lightning who will have a very bad day…pretty much all the residents of Radiator Springs, the DRH, Chick Hicks and the rest of the Cars world will be pushed to the limit too!
I’ve postponed the release date to 12 AM MYT (Malaysian Time) to give myself more time (I just returned from watching Max Payne) to put the finishing touches, as well as in honour of my country of birth.
In the meantime, here’s an exclusive sneak preview for Pixar Planet readers. Time to don that Kevlar suit…

…

Jack turned to the car cruising next to him, a smirking beige 1970 VAZ-2101. The scratches on his side panels and rusting hubcaps showed signs of his age, but beneath the ancient bodywork lies a youthful mind, quick, agile and ruthlessly merciless.

“Shut up, Yuri. We still got 300 miles to go, and the last thing I want to hear are your wiseguy remarks.”

The Lada just grinned in reply. Although diminuitive in size, the Russian vehicle was the exact opposite in criminal stature. As an immigrant from the Soviet Union during the Cold War, Yuri made a living through supplying illegal arms to various organisations around the world; regions such as the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and South America. Whether it be guerrilla fighters, terrorist factions, or even secret government para-military agencies, he served anyone who wanted weapons to fight their cause. To him, race, religion, idealogies, it all didn’t matter. He was just a businessmen, the middlemen who only serves his customers’ interests.

Lately, he came into prominence on CTU’s radar when he began selling illegal arms to several Middle Eastern terrorist cells who were fighting troops in Iraq. Capturing him became CTU’s highest priority, and after several months of investigative work and stake-outs lead by Jack Bauer, he was arrested in a sting operation in La Paz two hours ago. He is now being escorted to the nearest Arizona State Prison Complex, which is 500 miles from his point of arrest. Jack volunteered to be the commander of the five-man convoy, as he had done extensive research on the suspect in the course of his investigation and felt he knew Yuri’s every move by heart. He also had a compulsive habit of taking it entirely upon himself to ensure the bad guy is brought to justice, not to mention being a fiercely loyal patriot who will do whatever it takes to protect his country. Even if it means taking a life, as he had experienced many times before.

6:51:09/5:51:10/6:51:11

“Approaching tunnel, ETA 20 seconds,” announced a silver 1990 Peugeot 405, who together with Jack, travelled parallel to Yuri, effectively flanking him.

“Roger that, Pierre,” answered Jack. Pierre Mot was a former RAID agent, which was France’s equivalent of a counter-terrorist unit. He was assigned to CTU’s Field Operations Division as a French inter-agency liason. Jack didn’t know much about the French saloon, only that he had worked undercover with the Russian mafia and had many underworld ties, which proved invaluable when it came to busting the European crime syndicates.

They had just entered the mile-long tunnel and reached the halfway point before CB radio chirped to life. “Uh…Jack, we got a suspicious vehicle up ahead. Looks like a curtain sider. Travelling at a constant rate of speed, I’ve told it twice to give way but it has refused to acknowledge. Recommended course of action?” Bill’s voice crackled over the line.

“Keep requesting it to give way. Don’t slow down. Ethan, Takashi, stay sharp. Wait my command,” Jack responded.

“Copy that,” replied a dark blue Land Rover Defender who along with a Toyota Hilux, formed the rear guard of the convoy.

Before Jack could issue the next order, Sarah’s panicked voice hissed over the radio.
“Jack, the trailer’s turned to block the entire tunnel. I have a bad feeling about this…”

“Alright, all units. Evacuate the tunnel immediately! I repeat, turn around, possible ambush in progress,” yelled Jack.

The cab, a Peterbilt 379, detached from the trailer. The semi’s metals curtains slid open to reveal three Chinese BJ212 Jeeps inside, armed with AK47 assault rifles. Leaping off the trailer’s platform, they opened fire as they drove towards the scouts.

“Code red, code red! We’re under fire from hostiles, retreat to tunnel entrance now!” yelled Bill as he and Sarah screeched to a halt and put their gears in reverse. Bullets ricocheted off the tunnel walls, echoing like marbles rattling in a tin can. The duo pulled a reverse 180 and sped off to the main convoy…

…

So whatcha guys think? In less than 3 hours, the longest day of Lightning & Co. will begin. The countdown to destruction commences on 0:00 MYT, 18th of October. Get ready.

[Al-Bob]

Excitement-9/10
Characters-8/10
Storyline-8.5/10

Review-Great Job. You had me enjoying 24 for a minute there. You have a promising fanfic here keep going…9/10

[thedriveintheatre]

Thanks for your rating, Al Bob. That was just a sneak preview, anyway. Which bring us to…

The Drive-In Theatre is proud to present its very first fanfiction effort:

24: The Race Against Time

Lightning McQueen is off to the final race of the new Piston Cup season, and he has been waiting for this day for all his life. Too bad it was the day Jack Bauer was in town. Now the two must team up, along with Mater, Sally, and a host of other characters throughout the course of the most intense 24 hours they have ever experienced, to stop a sinister Far-East terrorist group from holding the entire country hostage. Every second counts in this pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, thrill-a-minute crossover that has never been attempted before.

Featuring the cast of Cars and Jack Bauer as a '82 Ford Mustang SSP, this weekly action-drama will put the residents of Radiator Springs and beyond through the most gruelling day of their lives!

This fanfic is rated T for Teen. It may contain scenes of some violence, and minor coarse language. (This is after all, a hyped-up police procedural on speed. People will be shot at, there will be a couple of explosions, and Jack Bauer will swear occasionally. I’d reckon the level of violence and language is about the level of Casino Royale or Live Free or Die Hard) You’d probably never think much of a wrecked vehicle or its occupants in a cinematic freeway pile-up/car chase, but when translated to the Cars universe, it can be quite gruesome indeed. Which is why I’m posting an external link, as viewer discretion is advised.

The first hour is now up. The clock is ticking…

Comments?

[thedriveintheatre]

Well, it’s exactly 24 hours since my very first fanfic premiered. Needless to say, I’m a tad bit disappointed with the lukewarm response.

I received two comments on my account, the first from Random Gypsy, and the second from foreignconcepts, of whom I have read several Cars fanfictions. If they’re anyone from this forum, please identify yourselves. If not, well… to quote Dennis Hopper from Speed: “This day has been rather disappointing, I don’t mind saying.”

Can someone please give me feedback on the full chapter? Anyone?

[Sky]

I’m not even into Cars (the movie or the automobile), but your way of writing is FANTASTIC! Your grammar and spelling is top-notch, and some of the jokes are very clever and funny! Like the [spoil]marble cross[/spoil] one, for example. And you use such descriptive words which makes it possible to conjure up the image of your story very easily. Loved the [spoil]For the Birds[/spoil] reference, heheh. =) Jack Bauer seems like he would make for a very cool-looking Cars character.

Also, you might want to give people more than 24 hours to respond, even though it would be nice if they did give you some feedback quickly, sometimes it’s not possible, or they have other things to attend to here. Also, FYI, I’m probably the absolute worst person here for relying on consistent feedback for any type of work, as I’m a procrastinator-extraordinaire, but I’ll try my best to read your chapters.

[thedriveintheatre]

Thanks for your kudos, Rachel! The [spoil]marble cross joke[/spoil] was not my idea, I took it along with the [spoil]‘speeding home to avoid an accident’[/spoil]from a car jokes website that I just Googled. I’m glad you caught the [spoil]‘For the Birds’[/spoil] reference, I was wondering whether someone would notice that. And yes, I agree that J.B. may be a pretty awesome character in Cars. I thought about what model he would be (I even checked out what cars the character owned/drove in the original TV series), but then I considered his aggressive personality and decided that America’s classic pony car would best suit his character, rather than just take whatever vehicle he just drove from the TV show. You could say I was a little influenced by the recent Knight Rider TV series too, although I made him an older model to reflect his age.

On retrospective, I have to agree with you I was too impatient in waiting for comments to trickle in. Guess it was because I had been ‘promoting’ it for the past week in my sig and I thought no one seemed to care. But I suppose I was hasty. It takes time for word-of-mouth to gather for any new TV show (or weekly fanfiction episodes, for that matter). I mean, it took me 2 days before I replied to your kind comments, so you’re not the only procrastinator here.

[Sky]

You’re welcome, Andre. =)

You seem to have done a lot of research with choosing which characters are going to be which models, and even though I don’t know the models of cars, the research you have put into this fanfiction is still evident. Well, the jokes in the story are still really funny, even if you didn’t write them and I like the way you’ve used them.

It’s ok. Everyone at some point or another has been affected by the underwhelming response to their pieces of work, but that’s just the way it is sometimes. Don’t take it as a reflection of the quality of your work though, since, I’m telling you, your fanfiction is sure to be excellent with your combination of writing skills, research and creativity. Keep on truckin’!

[thedriveintheatre]

Thanks, Rachel. I actually researched what police and military cars different countries use, the various counter-terrorist agencies around the world, and even the procedures for a prisoner transport convoy (I even downloaded a document one law enforcement agency wrote as a guide ). It’s quite easy (though I had to still look up some of their radio codes) to write ‘cop lingo’ since I actively watch and read a fair amount of police procedurals (not that you can avoid it in pop culture nowadays). Glad you noticed the prep work that went into the piece.

Anyway, now that I’m free of all assignments (aaaattt…laaasssttt…), it’s time for me to cut loose and up the ante, so to speak. So, here I go into ‘upcoming attractions announcement’ mode (adopts Pablo Francisco voice):

His entire team has been wiped out. His prisoner has escaped. And he’s on his own in Carburetor Canyon. On the 2nd of November, find out what will Jack Bauer do next, in an all-new thrill-a-minute episode of 24: The Race Against Time. This Sunday, 12 AM MST.

[thedriveintheatre]

The Drive-In Theatre would like to announce that the next installment of 24: The Race Against Time is put on hold for the moment, due to the producer’s involvement in another creative pursuit today, the Hallow’s EVE signature series. The theatre would like to assure its audiences that it will endeavour to air the new episode as soon as possible. Estimates for the release would be sometime tomorrow night, subject to time availability and “creative juices” of the author.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our fans, and would like to thank them for their understanding. In the meantime, check out the pilot episode of 6:00 AM-7:00 AM and stay tuned for further updates!

[Sky]

Heheh. Thanks for the announcement, theatre attendant! I look forward to the next installment of the chapter when things are back to normal at the drive-in theatre. =)

[thedriveintheatre]

Thanks, rachel! That was the manager-owner, by the way.

Here it is, folks! This is an exclusive Sneak Preview for Pixar Planet members for this week’s upcoming episode! Fasten your seatbelts, lean forward, and place your feet flat on the floor, it’s time for an emergency landing…

…

They were now flying over a range of rock formations shaped like Cadillac tailfins. As they came over the range and flew down into the valley, Yuri looked down below and saw a small forest, and just ahead, a huge mesa shaped like a radiator cap. “I guess you have to do your job, and I do mine. So where are you taking me?” When he got no response, he leaned out of the cabin and glanced at the cockpit, where the helicopter’s eyes were. “Did you hear me?”

“I don’t feel good, I think that cop just shot my fuel tank. I’m losing fuel…and oil,” the chopper croaked weakly.

“What? So now you’re bleeding?” cried the Russian car as he turned behind to glance at the helicopter’s tail. Indeed, the hole torn by Jack’s last bullet had ruptured the chopper’s fuselage, and oil and gas was gushing out at an alarming rate.

“I can’t stay in the air…I feel dizzy,” the Bell muttered faintly.

“Stay with me! Chyort voz’mi…” the Lada cursed as the helicopter started to spiral out of the sky. They were now rapidly descending over a small town in front of the mesa, and were falling towards a butte that lay East of it. The helicopter’s engine began to sputter, then die. The blades were next to stall, and they began to plummet to Earth.

The sudden drop in altitude must have startled the chopper from his exhausted stupor, because he was now wide awake and frantically trying to restart the engine. “We’re going down!” he shouted the obvious. “Hang on, I’ll try to initiate an autorotation sequence!”

“A what?” yelled Yuri back, but the Bell was too busy preparing for their controlled descent from their freefall. The internal stability detector was now blaring loudly at a high-pitched whine. They were quickly approaching terminal velocity, and Yuri’s fuel tank felt like it was floating. He was experiencing a low-g condition, a sense of weightlessness that came from a rapid vertical descent. Yuri then heard the chopper’s freewheeling unit disengage the engine from the main rotor, as the wind whistled through the blades and slowly began to turn them again. “Like a windmill,” he thought as they slowly started to decelerate. The butte now loomed large, and the ground was less than fifty feet away and rushing up to meet them.

…

Follow the further adventures of Jack Bauer and the residents of Radiator Springs tomorrow night!

[thedriveintheatre]

Hello everyone, and welcome to our second exciting episode of the all-new season of 24: The Race Against Time. In this hour, we have plenty of action in store for the DRH, Yuri the arms dealer, and our hero Jack. There will be chases, an emergency helicopter landing, and one of Jacks’ trademark impromptu interrogations.

And introducing a new element to the real-time format, the split-screen effect! Check out how it works on the story link below.

This fanfic is rated PG for one minor swear word and some violence.

And now it’s time to fasten your seatbelts, cos’ it’s gonna be a bumpy ride…

Catch the action here.

[Sky]

I tried to read it but I got this message: “You must be logged in to access this page.”

[thedriveintheatre]

Sorry about that, Rachel. The faulty link was to my Live Preview, I thought it was already up once I clicked the upload button, but I guess there must be an hour or so lag between the server actually uploading it and me pressing the button. Kinda like how Youtube videos take a while to appear on your channel. I’ve fixed the link, should be okay now. Thanks for lettin me know!

Comments anyone?

[The_Star_Swordsman]

Well Andre, I decided to take a look at your story. I must say that I am incredibly impressed. Grammar is really, really good. You have done a great job planing all of this out before putting it on the page. Well done. I will be keeping my eye on this story. Keep it up.

So far, chapter one has been my favorite, but as more chapters coom, that might change.

[Sky]

Oh, wow. Split screen effect - that is really clever. I felt sorry for the helicopter, I hope he ends up being ok and Lada can get the townspeople to help. Can’t wait for Jack Bauer to make it into town and into the story a bit more - DAMMIT! Just a spelling mistake I spotted: “he had undertaken every since he was inspired.” If you don’t want me pointing out spelling mistakes, let me know.

[thedriveintheatre]

The Star Swordsman: Thanks for the first review. As I’ve told Rachel, I’ve done research before putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). For the second chapter for example, I actually read a few online articles (and watched a couple of Youtube videos) on how helicopter pilots perform autorotation, or an emergency landing without engine power. It was very interesting, and I was able to incorporate that maneuver and its related terminology into the story.

As for my grammar, well, I just double-check before I post the fanfic, and my essay-writing skills were decent to begin with.

I don’t have a preference for any chapters yet, but I liked how the first kicks the story off with the attack on the convoy. There’s a great deal of foreshadowing, too, if you pay attention.

What was it about chapter one that you liked? Do you have anything else to comment on story-wise? Predictions?

rachelcakes1985: Yeah, I realised I forgot to include the split-screen feature in before the first chapter was published and promoted, so I decided to add it to the second and subsequent chapters. Glad you understood and liked the ‘simultaneous-events’ concept; it’s one of the most interesting aspects of the show.

I’m not going to say the fate of the helicopter, but he is a baddie after all, so he kinda deserved it. But yeah, you’ll find out what happens to him later. As for Jack, he will reach the town sooner than you think…

Sorry, I don’t see the spelling mistake in that phrase, could you please highlight or underline it for me? And no, I don’t mind you pointing out mistakes, in fact, I prefer to have my faults pointed out to me both grammar and story continuity wise, so I can correct them.

And thanks for being a loyal reader.

Anyone else wants to say somethin’? I could always do with a ‘ratings’ boost…

[Sky]

Andre - Yeah, I think that split screen effect adds a very impressive and creative touch to your story, and sets it apart from the rest. The helicopter is going to die, isn’t he?!!! =( With that spelling mistake: “he had undertaken every since he was inspired” it just seems like it should either say, "“he had undertaken ever since he was inspired” or “he had undertaken every day since he was inspired.” But sometimes I have a habit of reading words wrong, so hopefully I am correct…

Looking forward to your next chapter! =)