Glimmer's Chrysmas Carol

[fierano]

Disclaimer[/u]
The following is a work of fanfiction inspired and based upon A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens using characters and events from the Cars movie by Disney and Pixar. Carl Magnus is a Cars-style character based off the BMW M3 GTR from EA's Need For Speed Series. Character concepts otherwise are based off their respective creators.

====

...in Crime News tonight, a Chrysmas gift for justice today as the body of one of the West Coast's most notorious street racers was recovered from the bottom of the Carbon Canyons today, confirming the crushing end of his reign of terror.

Carl Magnus, who went by the street name Mag Three, was reported to have fallen off the Canyons after he was spun out and crashed through a safety barrier at the edge of the road during a high-speed police chase some nights ago. His body was identified through police records and tire track ballistics. Several Palmont police cruisers were also injured during the perilous chase through narrow canyon roads, but Magnus was the only one reported to have fallen off the cliffs.

A press conference is expected soon.

"Mr. McFierson?"

The red Pontiac Fiero quickly switched off the TV he was watching and quickly aligned to attention inside the pit garage, almost dislodging his yellow-and-black team cap. He didn't seem to mind that he was the only one in that cold garage that night on the speedway, apart from his team's star racer.

Jens Glimmer had already won the Piston Cup for the previous season, beating an array of competition that included "shooters" (cars mixed of so many makes that it was hard to tell exactly what they were), established Piston Cup figures and even other foreigners. This German racer was also particularly known for an ice-cold demeanor which made the rest of the room seem like a warm spring, and this Chrysmas Eve, he was no warmer than he usually was.

"Have you finished processing the data, McFierson?"
"Y-yes, sir. I've already sent it out and the evaluation should come back ASAP."
"Good. I'd like you here at 0600 to have my settings prepared."
"Sir...I was about to ask you something on that..."
"Well, spit it out then. Time wasted means victory made more elusive."
"I was wondering if I could have the day off."

The question hit Glimmer like a slippery fish.

"Excuse me?"
"If it's okay with you...and your managers."

For the past few years, Glimmer had been managed by a group literally referred to as the Managers. He knew little of their inner workings, especially since he was satisfied with their assistance in helping him win. It was assistance that got him four DTM championships before "exporting" himself to America to truly go international.

"Fahrvergnugen. I don't understand why people take as much as weekends off, especially racing teams. No, you cannot have the day off."
"Sir, it's Chrysmas!"
"I understand your family situation is serious, but your next vacation is not until New Year's Day."
"Just one day off. I'll work overtime as much as it takes to make up for it!"

It was then that Glimmer's in-car phone rang. He gestured for Rafey to silence himself (an order the Fiero followed like a puppy) as he took the call from his Managers. Rafey watched as his anger turned slowly to a slight sense of shock.

"Yes...ugh...all right then." Glimmer shut off the receiver before turning to Rafey.
"All right," he began with an exasperated sigh. "You can go spend Chrysmas with your family. I'll book the ticket for the next flight out. But I expect to see you back here early on the 26th."
"Only a day visit?"
"You were expecting a week? Now get to the airport before I change my mind."
"Y-y-yes sir. Merry Chrysmas."

Glimmer snapped a quick "Fahrvergnugen!" as Rafey left, leaving the cold Mercedes-Benz Piston Cup racer under cold fluorescent light in an even colder garage. He looked out at the track, which was only lit because he was present. His driver had already left for Chrysmas Vacation, leaving him to drive slowly out of the garage and out onto city streets. Glimmer's pacing was slow as he was still wearing his racing treads, and he'd have to do so all the way back to the hotel he was booked at.

Evening was settling on the city, and the hustle and bustle was evident. Cars shuffling to and fro on their lanes to get back to their garages of residence for Chrysmas Eve dinners and parties with family and friends. Were it not for the straight fascia and lack of such plans, Glimmer would have appeared to be just another one of the crowd.

The only real standout for a few blocks, it seemed, was the Salvation Army APC that caught his attention at the front door of the hotel.

"Salvation Army, sir..."
"I can see that, isn't hard for anyone to see that badge on your bulk."
"Sorry, I'm a bit clumsy sometimes..." the APC said as it slowly turned to face the clearly-smaller Mercedes-Benz. "Anyway..." he cleared his throat, as if he had a hard time memorizing what he was going to read, "There are thousands of cars in this city who need garages and anti-freeze this Chrysmas, and we need-"

Glimmer felt the need to interject.
"Don't you already have several installations in this city alone for that?"
"Well yeah...but to be honest, they're barely managing to feed them. Times have been hard with the economy, so we're also asking for donations.
"Well, I already have to donate quite a bit of my earnings to several charities as my contract dictates. Better there than jail...which is where a lot of them will end up anyway."
"Most cars would rather die than go to the country impound!"

The mention of death caused Glimmer to glare...something he only reserved for competition. "Then perhaps they ought to die. Every make has its lemons and surplus manufacture. You have a good evening."

The APC simply rolled back aghast at Glimmer's words, as Glimmer entered the hotel. It was a posh, 5-star place where he'd made reservations weeks in advance, but he had little need for any more than a standard garage there. The only reason he'd checked in there was becuase he had a reputation to keep up.

"Room 616, Mister Glimmer," the concierge replied before sliding Glimmer's keycard over to him. "Merry Christmas!" he added as Glimmer went into the elevator...before the Benz once again retorted, "Fahrvergnugen!"

There was something off about the door to his room that particularly startled him. Instead of the usual number in faux-metal ornaments, there was a BMW badge dripping with oil, as if it were welded onto someone and then ripped right off. In fact, the logo also appeared to have some of that sheet metal surrounding it too when it was ripped off.

Glimmer gasped and shook his frontside, only to find the normal number where the logo was. He quickly looked to either side down the hall to see if anyone had caught him...but it was quiet.

"I suppose all this practice is finally getting to me," he shrugged. "I'm not a robot."

He entered the room and set the key in the power slot before locking the door firmly shut beside him and heading into the bathroom for a quick wash and a change of tires. The drive here had left him filthy, by his standards. He switched on the shower...

...only to be doused by used oil. Glimmer reflexively squinted and gagged, trying to purge the oil from his mouth...but when he opened his eyes, it turned out to be just the cold shower water.

"What the heck is happening to me!?" he shouted, before taking a few deep breaths. "It's okay...just calm down. I must not be used to not practicing...that's all."

He finished his shower quickly and dried off before heading back to the bedroom, where he noticed a complimentary bottle of Valvoline on the minibar. He blinked and shook his frontside again, just in case a poison bottle replaced it. Thankfully, it didn't...and Glimmer slowly took it and took a quick swig. He forced it to go down into his system...Valvoline just didn't have that tang that he enjoyed from Mobil...before he put it back on the bar and turned off the light.

As soon as darkness engulfed him...

"Hello Jens...do you remember me?" came a haunting rasp from behind him.

Glimmer did a double-take, and at that moment wished he hadn't, otherwise his breath would not have suddenly left him.

A BMW M3 GTR had manifested in his hotel room, as ghastly white as a zombie. Or at least whatever wasn't covered with oil or showed exposed sheet metal or any of the other fragments of street fixtures sticking out of his body. The moonlight coming through the window seemed to emphasize the disfigurements all the more.

"Oh God...who are you?" It wasn't particularly surprising that the ice-cold Benz was still more cold than fearful.
"Glimmer...remember me?"
"I don't. This American Valvoline must've gone stale already."
"Why don't you ask me then?"
"All right then, who are you?"
"I was there when your life changed forever...in Hockenheim."

The Mercedes raised an eye-visor. "Hockenheim? That was more than a decade ago!"
"I was in the back of the pack that ran you into that barrier. And you might have heard of me on the news."
Glimmer flinched at the memory, but only briefly.
"Well then, Mr. Magnus, living well is the best revenge...and by the looks of you, it's revenge well wrought."

It was then that Carl groaned...or rather, roared...in a manner that his bumper seemed to fall right off. The BMW then bobbed his frontside to re-attach it.

"That's right, you suffer for what you did to me."
"But do you know what happened to me after I saw you crash, Jens?" Carl moaned. "I'd always wanted to race in the streets. Not caring for anyone but my closest crew-mates. And not really caring about them except for when I needed parts. My parents groomed me to be a legit touring car...and when I saw you crash I figured the legit circuit was no less harsh than the streets. How wrong I was."

"You had only watched a little loser get run out of the game of survival of the fittest...or at least for a while. Perhaps if you had persevered, I might have raced you in the DTM. What a rival you would have been...so many fans, so much bounty to divide-"

Carl roared out in pain again at the word "bounty", causing the entire room to rumble...and his bumper to fall off yet again.
"Bounty...awards, trophies, fans...is that all you care about!?"
"You sound as if you regret it."

"Regret? I've run dozens of cops and regular traffic cars off of the road...buried them in obstacles, mutilated them at roadblocks...but I never looked back. Not because I was being chased, but because I never cared to wonder what would happen to their families. The suffering they had to go through as I maimed or even killed their relatives."
"Leave them behind, Carl. They lost in your great race of life. Perhaps you're in this state simply because of the unfortunate manner of your demise..."
"And do you know what YOUR true state is really like, Jens? Do you really want to wait until you die to know?"
"I think I have a good idea already. You really mustn't be so pessimistic."

Another roar, and yet it seemed Glimmer hadn't quite gotten used to it. On the contrary, his demeanor seemed to have melted, and he moved in close to try to console the Bimmer.

"When you're finished doing what you do in life, you will never have a reason to see hope. You think you'll pass on in your prim and proper racer's form...but you've never seen your true inner self. My living form perished with me at the bottom of that canyon...but yours is still alive. You left it in the now-abandoned stretches at Hockenheim, mangled and rusting, whimpering, just begging to die."

"But I'm not dead...I'm living right now! I can show you how I feel pain if you want!"
"No...earthly pain no longer concerns me. I'll be feeling this pain for all eternity, burdened by the memories of those that choose not to forgive me...but your burden...is already worse than mine."

" But you died a winner at something, Carl."
"Winning? Is that all you ever think about? That's all I ever thought about...and look where I ended up..."
"Enemies come and go, but winners' legacies remain!" Glimmer pleaded, the anger slowly draining from his voice like an oil change.
"Yours won't remain when you pass on...you will be forgotten just like me...you will be replaced if you don't change."

Any other car of Glimmer's supposed stature would have simply dismissed Carl...if the 'R' word represented the single worst fear that Glimmer dreaded.

"Is...is this true? Will I really be..."
"Tonight you'll be visited by three ghosts, in the forms of people you know. It is now 9:00...each will visit on the hour starting at 10:00 as your alarm starts to beep...they will help you...so you don't end up like I did..."
"I hope I don't lose sleep over this."
"I was the one...who called the paramedics on you all those years ago..." Carl moved up so that he was nearly bumper-to-bumper with Glimmer, "...if you do not use this chance...you will never be able to sleep again..."

Although the prospect of being awake 24 hours a day might have actually pleased the Benz, there was something in the way Carl worded himself that caused Glimmer to simply park there, trembling, as Carl suddenly backed toward the window, through the glass and onto the balcony and appeared to just fall right off the drop.

Glimmer raced to the window and looked out of the balcony. The sky was clear save for a few clouds that the moon reflected off of in strips of silvery light.

Then he looked down.

The emptying streets seemed to have turned into rivers of what appeared to be wrecks of cars flowing seamlessly across the blackened concrete. None of the traffic below seemed to notice, let alone care about the ghosts that swarmed about them. He could spot Carl falling toward them...and disappearing into the white flow.

Glimmer backed away with tonight's fright already lodged into his system. He took another swig of the Valvoline and parked himself before hastily shutting his eyes.

He wanted to forget what just happened tonight...but he wasn't going to forget what was about to happen to him.

To be continued...

[Reiji Neko Mitsukai]

Mwahahahaha.... >3

[ebonyviper]

So, is Glimmer playing Ebenezer Scrooge?

[fierano]

Myep. 0: I'll be posting each "stave" at intervals, so people can have time to read them. <_< They should all be up by the 23rd, when I leave for the countryside on my family's regular Christmas excursions.

[Evangeline]

Whoah, cool. Wanna see the rest of it!

[fierano]

Disclaimer
The following is a work of fanfiction inspired and based upon A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens using characters and events from the Cars movie by Disney and Pixar. Carl Magnus is a Cars-style character based off the BMW M3 GTR from EA's Need For Speed Series. Character concepts otherwise are based off their respective creators.

Much of this chapter could not have been possible without Reiji's help. Many hugs to her.

===

"Ten o'clock...why is my alarm ringing!?" Glimmer grumbled as his inner clock suddenly started beeping. He couldn't remember setting it for 2200 hours, nor did he quite remember what Carl Magnus had mentioned.

At least not until he squinted and braced as a brilliant light burst through the window. "Aaagh! Gott-in-Himmel!"

"Glimmer..." came a haunting, female voice from beyond that light. It was haunting enough to fascinate him and keep his tires glued to their current spot.

The Mercedes kept a tight, slit-like squint as he slowly turned to face the light, and the source of the voice. "Who...who are you? Are you a spirit?"

The voice replied with a lifted tone. "Heh. You could say that..." it said as the light faded to reveal a very familiar shape - a light blue Shooting Star hatchback with a big smile on her fascia. "Hiya Glimmie!" she chirped.

Glimmer's fascia, on the other wheelarch, cringed into a disgusted frown as he recognized the "spirit" in front of him. "Ach, s----ße. It was a prank all along."

"Nice wishful thinking, but this is no prank," Kamui replied sternly, "I'm the spirit that's gonna show you your Chrysmas past. "

"Look, -Kamui-. I don't know what the hell you're trying to pull infiltrating my dreams again, but it's not going to work."

She laughed. "Dreams? This is no dream, I'm afraid. Granted, it's technically not "me," but that's for another explanation." She waved a tire dismissively.

"Then that schweinhunde Carl must've known you and picked your form to haunt me for extra effect..." Glimmer replied even more dismissively before sighing. "Whatever. Show me what you want to show me."

Kamui frowned a little, but ignored Glimmer's cold sarcasm. "Business as usual, I see. Alright. Let's start with when you were a young'un.

Given his "memory realignment," the thought of revisiting his younger days actually caused him to shudder. "Not those days! Not when I was a loser...but if it'll satisfy you, then I hope I don't lose any sleep over this."

She suddenly grinned. "That's right! Hang on to your hubcaps- here we go!" The room disappeared around them, fading to black.

Glimmer squinted, expecting a bright flash of light, so he didn't notice the room go black. When he opened his eyes though, he found himself outside what appeared to be a large racetrack stadium. In Germany. It was a fairly chilly morning, and the trees were barren...though the same could not be said of the mood of the people around them.

Based on the appearances of the cars around him, he also appeared to have been warped back to some time in the early 1990s. Mercedeses, BMWs, Opels...and even a few Trabants and Wartburgs from the recently-unified East.

"Where...are we?!"

"Remember back when you were little? What inspired you to race in the first place?"

Glimmer took a good look at the Stadium, and then rolled back a bit, bewildered. "I...I remember this place. I do..." His eyes then began to - of all things - glimmer with remembrance. "This is where my parents took me to my first race!!"

She nodded. "Uh huh!" she replied with a smile.

It was then that three Mercedes-Benzes passed Glimmer, and he instantly recognized them. "Oh Gott...that's me! And my parents!" His wonderment didn't seem to cease...though it was then that a guard approached Glimmer.

"<Excuse me, sir, if you don't have a ticket->" the guard began in German, before Glimmer turned to face the guard, and to which the guard oddly added, "<Oh...sorry. Didn't know you were a VIP. Carry on.>"

"Good thing you're popular," Kamui added as the guard went away, "I could always make it so we're invisible if you'd like."

Glimmer turned to face Kamui, "If this is just a vision, then I really don't have to worry about time paradoxes," he replied, "Not that I would want to cause one. Shall we go in?"

"That's why we're here, after all." She motioned forward with a tire before rolling forward.

Glimmer rolled forward with Kamui and entered the stadium after his family and younger self. As it turned out, both his current and past selves headed toward the VIP sections. "My father was an MP, so he got me a VIP pass for the event...I was bouncing like a lowrider in anticipation when he told me."

"You must've been pretty happy," she said as she rolled beside him.

Perhaps it was out of instinct, but Glimmer seemed to roll away from Kamui a bit as she went up close. He still conversed with her, though. "Yeah...it wasn't long after that I wanted to race myself...but those were the days I -don't- like to remember." They arrived at the VIP parking slots, where the two found themselves parking right next to Glimmer's family - a Mercedes father and a BMW mother.

She glanced over at the young Glimmer eagerly awaiting the start of the race. Even though it was chilly, the little Benz seemed to be as perky as the start of summer break. "I dunno... you look pretty happy to me."

"I was happy then, before I actually started..." he added solemnly, as the green flag waved. The little green CLK 200 seemed to leap in anticipation as the cars roared off the starting line, and the grown-up Jens seemed to be shedding a tear at the child's happiness.

It would have been too easy for Kamui to poke fun at him at that moment, but Glimmer was actually supposed to *learn* something with this experience, so she decided it would be best to hold back on that for now. She was on a mission, after all. "It's been a long time since you've been that happy, hasn't it?"

Fearing that Kamui would make fun of him for that that tear though, the adult Glimmer quickly shook his frontside and quickly steeled himself. "Well...I suppose we all grow up from childlike exuberance into mature enjoyment. Though we have our bad times."

"Glimmer... Do you remember the last time you were happy? I mean, REALLY happy- not just pleased about first-place or winning a championship."

To which Glimmer replied, "If you mean happy as in that sort of childish happiness, I suppose that was something I really grew out of. I learned that the higher up in your happiness you are...the harder you fall in the end."

With an exasperated sigh, she reached up with a tire and gave him a sharp bonk on the hood. "Chrysler, Glimmowatt- would you actually *listen* to me for once?!"

The bonk caused Glimmer to flinch. "Hey, watch it! What is it?" he replied exasperatedly.

She gestured towards the bouncing child beside them. "At what point did I say 'happy like that'?!"

"You asked if I was ever -that- happy," he replied frustratedly, gesturing toward his younger self, "Apart from today and my..."early" racing career, I cannot honestly recall."

"There's a difference between naiieve happiness and genuine, Captian Dimbulb." She pointed again at the young Glimmer, who leaned against his parents while the racers were on the back straights. It was during this lap that the little green CLK said, "Thanks mom...thanks dad...Merry Chrysmas," with a warm smile across his fascia.

Glimmer sighed and rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to his younger self. "To be honest...I actually feel sorry for him now...but then again, a little childhood trauma builds character."

She rolled her eyes a little, but said nothing of what was on her mind. Instead, she said, "Speaking of childhood trauma, let's see another part of your life..." With a wave of her antenna, their surroundings disappeared again.

The two found themselves by the sidelines of a local racetrack where an autocross was taking place. Glimmer looked around and realized that he wasn't just in any 1990s autocross. "This...this is my first actual race!" he replied. He could even see his younger self getting a kiss from his mother off at the pit area...to what appeared to be mocking glances from other racers.

Kamui smiled at the mother-son scene before returning her attention to Glimmer. "Uh-huh. And can you tell me why this event is so special?"

"Apart from this being the first race I ever took part in?" he snapped back, before his voice suddenly started to soften, "This was where I met her..." The mid-teen Glimmer - with a basic number 57 chalked onto his side, took his place on the starting grid close to the back. He could hear some mocking chuckles from other racers, but the little Benz didn't seem to mind.

"Bingo! We have a winner, folks!" Gesturing with a tire, she pointed into the crowd.

Glimmer looked up at the bleachers in the general direction of Kamui's tire. He spotted a dark blue Mitsubishi Endeavour who seemed only mildly pleased to simply be there. "That's her. Andrea..." he remarked.

"Uh-huh! She was there to watch your first race- a big event in your life. Let's watch, shall we?"

Glimmer relaxed on his shocks and watched as the race began. They were parked on a curve where he could see a good portion of the race. He watched as his younger self not only lagged, but also received a couple of nasty shunts from other, more well-built (and "pedigreed") competitors. However, little Jens seemed to race on, his confidence barely shaken.

"You were pretty unshakable back then, weren't you?"

"It took a while for...reality...to set in. That and the little damages that come with shunts like that. Bodymetal losing stiffness and all that."

As the younger Glimmer pulled into the pit - finishing 2 laps behind the winner - he accidentally bumped into the Endeavor, who was on her way out. "Oh! Watch it!" Andrea exclaimed.

"Ah...I'm sorry. This is my first time at the track," young Jens replied embarrassingly.
"Heh...that's okay. You did pretty okay out there for a newbie."
"I was last though...ah well, there's always next time."

Kamui grinned. "Aw. So cute..."

Glimmer half-winced as Andrea and his younger self seemed to laugh together. "A bit too mushy for my taste."

"Not back then it wasn't. Besides, she made you happy."

"Happiness that wasn't meant to last, it seemed," Glimmer replied, despite seeing Andrea nuzzle Glimmer a bit before his parents called him to leave with them.

"And do you remember what changed that?" she asked.

Glimmer shuddered as he remembered. "It wasn't a sudden change...it was something I had coming...as I got frustrated with all the mockery and always bringing up the rear."

Kamui seemed to hesitate. "You're going to hate me," she finally said.

"As if I didn't hate you enough enough already..." Glimmer sighed as he watched his younger self wave to Andrea and leave. "...for what?"

"This." She waved her antenna again, and the environment suddenly shifted to something colder. Glimmer could immediately tell that by the sudden blast of wind on his fascia.

Glimmer didn't realize his surroundings at first due to the sudden wind chill, because the next thing he knew he was moving at really fast speeds down a set of racetrack curves, behind a pack of cars. As a Piston Cup racer, he wobbled trying to find his tire grip on tracks built for his old DTM specs.

"Don't worry," she called over the wind. "We won't crash."

"Crash!? Where are we?" he exclaimed...before he passed by the lightly-filled bleachers. Their structure was horribly familiar to him. "Oh Gott...not here!"

She nodded solemnly. "Here."

The forests of the old Hockenheimring quickly engulfed Glimmer as he left the stadium's audience grounds, and past the point of no return. It was almost too ominous as the trees were also lightly covered with snow.

Glimmer accelerated to catch up to the pack of cars in front of him. This was the DTM tryouts, and they all had to be dressed and modified to impress. A couple of them were even CLKs like he was, the leader being a black one whose name he vaguely remembered as "Warsteiner." But most importantly, he could hear them hurling insults at someone in front of them, but couldn't see in front. It was as if they could pass that car any time they wanted, but they chose not to.

He did recognize the first car he approached though...a BMW M3 with white and blue Le Mans touring car decals. "CARL!?"

Another nod. "He was there that day. He saw it all."

"So that's what he meant...that means..." Glimmer found himself accelerating flat out, seemingly against his will, down a long, sweeping straightaway. "No...I don't want to see what happens next!"

Oddly enough, Carl Magnus didn't seem to want to hang out, but also felt compelled to follow...despite not noticing Piston Cup Glimmer next to him.

"You have to!" came her response. "You have to face it!"

Glimmer forced a deep breath and looked ahead, as he tried to make sense of it. "I guess I have to...this is what happened!" he shouted over the increasing wind rush as they approached that familiar chicane. He could hear what appeared to be swerving in front of the pack as well as taunts from the other members. Somehow, Glimmer wanted to stop them before they literally stopped him...but the curve was approaching. Although Glimmer seemed like he was racing-stressed...one could see that he was actually frightened of what lay just down the track. Of course, his "frightened" was nothing compared to the "frightened" of his younger self.

Kamui merely kept up with Glimmer as they suddenly saw brake lights illuminate on the cars in front of him, and their reflexes were good enough that they too braked almost instantly. The problem was, Glimmer couldn't stop quickly enough as Piston Cup brakes weren't quite as effective in stopping him as DTM specs. Of course, there was no need to brace as he seemed to go right through the cars in front of him as if he were a ghost.

He could see his younger self frantically swerving out of control as he slid onto the gravel and slammed almost head on into the barriers at the outer perimeter of the circuit, throwing up tires, debris and smoke in the process.

Perhaps almost ironically, snow had started to fall with the debris as it came back down.

Meanwhile, his current self had also entered the gravel...but at a much slower speed, allowing him to literally skid toward the wreck like an ice skater coming to a stop...as the cruel laughter of the other cars faded into the distance. One car - Magnus - stayed behind. "My God...why..." Glimmer whimpered as he approached his now-barely-recognizable younger self. The deathly chill that he remembered feeling as he lay mangled on the gravel all those years ago seemed to conduct right back into him.

Kamui slowly pulled up behind him, keeping a respectable distance. She wanted to let in sink in bit more yet.

"Why...why did you show me this...again..." Glimmer muttered below his breath as he saw the wreck...which didn't appear to be moving at all. He didn't seem to notice Carl backing off a bit and radioing his team pit to send paramedics over ASAP.

"Because this is where it all started," she said softly.

"You were right...this was where it started...this was where I learned the truth about racing." Glimmer growled as he turned to face Kamui, shivering from the cold. His fascia, however, was wracked with sorrowful anger, not hateful anger. Either way, it was also cold anger.

Kamui sighed and shook her front sadly. Rather than speak, she waved her antenna again, and the environment changed to a hospital room.

Glimmer didn't flinch as Andrea rushed into the room next to him, and quietly followed her in. He gasped slightly as he noticed his recognizable-but-still-battered form hooked up to all sorts of machines.

Andrea rapidly blinked in an effort to hold back tears at the mangled form. "J-Jens?... Can you hear me?"

Glimmer opened his eyes, just enough to glare at the entry. "Andrea...why are you here?" he groaned.

"Because I've been worried sick about you- that's why! I came the second I found out... How do you feel?" She momentarily wondered how many painkillers they had pumped into him.

"I feel...like a gott-dammt loser, that's how I feel..." he grumbled. "I'm surprised you bothered to visit...after that humiliation."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the statment. "Because I don't care if you win or loose, Jens- I just care about *you*!"

Glimmer's fascia twisted into a hateful yet severely pained frown as Andrea uttered words he refused to believe. "Liar...you were cheering them on...I saw you with Warsteiner...you were plotting..." he continued to sob, anger seeping through hie stears.

Andrea was stunned by what she was hearing. Her plotting against him? What... "Where did you get THAT idea? I was cheering for you! And when they said you wrecked..." She rapidly blinked again.

"Hrmph...no matter...I lost...that's all that really matters..." Glimmer groaned as he twitched a bit amidst all the tubes that fed him, "...but there's hope...these people came in...said I could be a winner..."

"And the only thing that matters to me is that you're alive, Jens!" She was visibly starting to get upset.

"No...there's no point in living if I can never win..." Glimmer replied, an oily tear dripping from a wiper duct. "The only people who matter are those who'll help me win."

"But..." She swallowed the thickness back. What had gotten into him... had the crash damaged his mind as well?

"Those people...those Managers...they love me...they can help me..." he replied, "And if you can't help me win...there's no place for you."

"But I love you!" she suddenly cried, the tears stinging her eyes again. It seemed her worst fear was coming true - she was losing Jens, just not in any way she had ever imagined. And yet her tearful pleas seemed to go right through Jens and out the exhaust pipe.

"If they love me...they'll help me win. I know who loves me..." his voice seemed to die down to a chillingly cold murmur..."and it's not my family...or you."

Those words finally caused tears to break through. "Jens..." the Endeavor whimpered as she edged closer to him.

Glimmer recoiled - or as much as his injured self could amongst all those tubes. "I have nothing more to say to you...why'd you want to hang out...with a loser like me...in the first place?" he replied before closing his eyes and forcing himself to sleep. He tried to dream of what lay ahead without her, not knowing (then) that he'd become the car watching from the doorway, desperately trying to keep himself steeled.

Andrea forced back a hiccup. "Because I love you, not some trophy gathering dust on a shelf!" she pleaded one last time.

"Get out, Andrea...the feeling isn't mutual..." Glimmer groaned, his eyes firmly shut. His current self backed away a bit from the doorway. He knew how it ended, and just in case he wasn't really "invisible," he didn't want to get hit on the way out.

With a shuddering breath Andrea heeded his wishes, fleeing from the room to weep in private.

Kamui sighed and shook her head. "That was the worst mistake of your life, Jens." Jens turned to calmly look at Kamui as a sobbing Andrea raced past him and down the hall, nearly bumping a doctor out of the way. "On Chrysmas Day, too..."

"Was it really, Kamui?" he replied confidently, "If anything...I probably just got another obstacle out of the way."

"She would've been your most faithful fan on and off the track. But just because you rammed her out of your life doesn't mean she quit. Here, let me show you something..." She waved her antenna again.

With another flash, he found himself at the front of a large crowd. The surge of noise was disorienting at first, until he looked up and saw a very familiar chrome gleam. To Glimmer, that sight was almost like seeing Chrysler himself - as it was none other than the chrome-silver Jens Glimmer, back in 2002, winning his very first DTM championship and receiving his trophy up on the podium. "Isn't it beautiful!?" he shouted to Kamui over the din, even though the Glimmer accepting the trophy didn't look at all interested in the trinket or the audience, for that matter.

"Yeah, and you're a freaking robot up there! Look what those Managers did to you- you're not even enjoying your victory!" she called back.

"I know what I felt like back then! It was pleasing inside, but it was only the first...I knew I wouldn't be great unless I won more!" he replied with what appeared to be a soft, confident smile. "Now I've got a Piston Cup to add to that!"

Kamui resisted the urge to smack him on the hood again. "Yeah, but look what you lost." She gestured towards a figure in the crowd.

Glimmer looked in that direction and saw a dark-blue Mitsubishi Endeavor looking tearfully up at his past self. She was smiling as if it caused her great pain, yet it was something she wanted to do. "She was there!?" Glimmer replied to Kamui.

She nodded her front. "Yes. You saw her, remember?" She gestured up towards his younger form up on the stage. "You just never recognized her. You blocked her out, but she never forgot you."

"I suppose she's just one of my legions of fans now..." he replied as he watched her turn away and head out, "There are many who envision me in strange relationships with other racers..."

This time she didn't hold back from giving him a sharp smack on the hood. "She loved you, idiot! And she still does! She's more than just a fan- and you willingly left her out in the cold because of your drive to win! The fans won't be there when you're old and decrepit and can hardly feed yourself - but she would have been!"

"Fans come and go, but legacies' remain," Glimmer replied. "Perhaps I should thank you for showing me this...because it reminds me of my real mission in life!" he added strongly, almost gushing with ego.

Kamui simply rolled her eyes. "You've got a real thick hood, Glimmobulb. You let go of the greatest thing in your life because a bunch of cars came to tell you a bunch of lies that you actually believed." She then sighed in frustration. "You know what? You're really not gonna like the other two you're going to be touring with later tonight."

Glimmer harumphed. "I suppose these visions are setting me up for a trap then," he replied as the vision around him dissipated to leave him back in his hotel room. "I'll be ready...besides...how bad could the other spirits be?"

A twisted, ominous grin spread onto her front. "Eleven 'O clock, Jens. Be ready." With that, she disappeared.

The Mercedes sighed. "It's just one night..." he muttered to himself. "Really...how bad could they be?"

====

To be continued...

I know there wasn't much Chrysmas there, but there will be in the next chapter.

[ebonyviper]

That was cool using Kamui as the Ghost of Chrysmas Past. I like the nicknames she gives to Glimmer and I can't wait to see who the Ghosts of Chrysmas Present and Chrysmas Future are.

[elizar]

I wonder if Lightning is going to be one of them. XD

[ebonyviper]

*headdesk* OMG, that would be very funny! But that would defeat the purpose of "The Christmas Carol" because Glimmer's gonna be too infatuated with Lightning to take any notice of his "lesson". LOL!

[fierano]

"Don't worry, Lightning. Nobody will ever know or notice...we're invisible."

But I digress. Let's get back to the real story. Wanted to post this last night but I fell asleep.

Disclaimer
The following is a work of fanfiction inspired and based upon A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens using characters and events from the Cars movie by Disney and Pixar. Carl Magnus is a Cars-style character based off the BMW M3 GTR from EA's Need For Speed Series. Character concepts otherwise are based off their respective creators.

Much of this chapter could not have been possible without Reiji's help. Many hugs to her.

====

Glimmer's alarm beeped again, this time marking eleven o'clock at night. "Ugh...that was quick..." He looked around, and everything seemed normal. In the gloom of the dark room he was in, it was a surprise to see light... coming from underneath the closet door.

"Hmm?" he muttered... Perhaps this was all art of the act, but he moved over to the room's closet door anyway. He pushed the pedestal to slide it open.

Bright light assaulted his eyes in a brilliant display as another voice- this one likewise familiar- echoed into his room- a strong, barritone male voice. "Glimmer..."

"Who...who's there?" Glimmer asked as he rolled into the light. This time, he was expecting that light, so he wasn't too scared...yet. "Who are you?"

The light quickly faded, revealing a horribly familiar Scottish car who grinned broadly. "HIYA GLIMMIE M'LAD!"

Had Glimmer been built less rigidly than he was, his engine would have seized, causing instant death. Thus his reaction was more of a scared, heavy gasp and his eyes glaring. "You..."

El Bandito laughed his familiar barking laugh. "'s right! Ah'm th' ghoost ah Chrysmas Prezent!" And Glimmer's face then twisted into one of pure hateful rage.

"That's it. I've had enough of you and your little shooter mutt's tricks. I want out of this."
"No tricks THIS time, lad. This's fer REAL. Ah'm show'n ye 'ow otter cars'r spendin' there Chrysmas's."

"Why?" Glimmer demanded, "Why should I be shown cars wasting their fahrvergnugen' time?"
"Tae teech ye a lession, Jens," came the stern reply, his antenna wagging at the Benz in a scolding manner. "Ye've been cruel tae all these otter cars, an' now 's time for ye tae see what THEY go through."

"Me? Cruel?" Glimmer replied, flabbergasted. "After what YOU'VE been putting me through with your crazy puppetry, I'm a SAINT by comparison."
"But YER th' one whooz alive, lad."

"If I had to live the rest of my life with YOU in my engine block, I'd rather die," Glimmer replied, looking Bandito in the eye, "But whatever. If you're going to show me anyway, go ahead."
"Roight. Let's get started!" Waiving his antenna, the room disappeared from around them.

Glimmer blinked and quickly found himself in what appeared (to him) to be a rather desolate and hodgepodge desert town. A large rock in the shape of a carburetor seemed to rise up at the end of the town's main street. Other than that, it was night time...and eerily quiet.

"Where...where is this?"
El Bandito blinked at him, surprised. "Y' don' 'member? This's Radiator Springs! Where Loightnin' threw 'is big 'ngagemen party back in yer first season a Piston Cup."

Glimmer suddenly turned to face El Bandito slowly, with a look of bewilderment in his eyes. "Did...you...say...Lightning?!" he said each word slowly, sounding more enamoured after each syllable.
Bandito nodded, "'E LIVES 'ere, after all."
The Benz was shocked again, but this time not in anger. "B...but why did I not know this before!?"

El Bandito sighed and shook his front. "Ye realleh don' pay much 'tension tae otters, do ye? Common- let's go," he said, as the two moved on toward one of the buildings. They ended up in front of a large, turquoise 50s-style diner of sorts. A large "V8" sign was mounted on the roof. As they got closer, they could hear a lot of cheerful commotion.

"What's going on?" Glimmer asked inquisitively.
Bandito rolled his eyes and sighed. "'s Chrysmas Eve- whot d'ye THINK'S goin' on?"
Glimmer rolled up to the diner but stopped short of the doorway in case Bandito was going to pull a prank on him. Instead he went around the side and peered in...and spotted a familiar red shape. A shape that caused him to smile from wheelarch to wheelarch, and his tachometer to spike.

Lightning McQueen stood ready and waiting, equally grinning as he watched his best friend wander around, a blindfold around his cab and over his eyes. Everyone was giggling at the sight, and the rusty old tow truck himself was grining broadly with his buckteeth.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Glimmer said with an almost feminine tone as he seemed to focus almost solely on Lightning. As part of the Managers' efforts to train him for the Piston Cup, Glimmer was shown footage of important racers. One of those racers was Lightning McQueen, and perhaps it could have only been described as 'love at first sight.'

Bandito watched as said racer coasted out of the truck's way in an effort to avoid being caught. "Looks loike 'es 'avin' fun tae me."

"Yes...fun..." Glimmer probably didn't even notice himself drooling. "It's just a shame that I'm invisible..."
Bandito caught on and quickly gave Glimmer a sharp whack on the fender with a tire. "Focus, lad!"
"Huh? Oh...okay...uh. Yeah. Why were you showing me this again?"
Bandito sighed frustratedly. "Look at 'em; look 'ow 'appy they are! Can ye tell meh why?" he said with exasperation.
"I don't know, becuase it's Chrysmas?" Glimmer replied sarcastically.

"Close. Look again." He gestured towards the gathering as Mater carefully swiped a tire around, feeling for another car. It touched Flo's side, who bit her lip in an attempt to hold back the laughter. "Uh... 's this Doc?" he guessed. The laughter burst from the showcar and she scooted away, pulling up to a stop beside her lowrider husband as he laughed. "Nice try, man!"

Glimmer's glance shifted to the Porsche beside Lightning. "That...and that is..."
Bandito nodded, urging him to continue. "... Two words... both start wit' Fs..."

Glimmer was too engaged to think of any words that would fill those letters that wouldn't be obscene. He believed that Sally Carrera had quite literally stolen his Lightning, and every time he saw her he'd always envision rather violent fates for her before saving Lightning as a knight in shining bulletproofing.

These visions were quickly interrupted this time by another tirewhack. "Common lad! Get wit' th' program! Friends 'n famileh!"
"AAGH! Oh. Yeah. Those...right..."
"Y' had thoose at wan point, Jens. Loike Kamui showed ye, ye just threw it all away."
"I don't need a 'family...' all I need is victory...and him..." Glimmer replied, sinking back into his daydreaming.

"Lemmie show ye somethin' lad... what 'appens to somethin' ye dinnae 'need'..." he waived his antenna again.

"Wait! NO!" Glimmer begged as his surroundings began to change...and Lightning disappear from his sight. They found themselves in colder climes...and just-as-familiar-surroundings. Glimmer recognized the skyline as being in the same city where his hotel was...though they were in the suburbs. "Why did you have to ruin it?" he whined.

"Cuz ye wern't payin' any atten-tun t' the lesson, ya bloighter! 'Sides, there's somthin' 'ere ye need tae see." Bandito pointed towards a house nearby.
Glimmer sighed exasperatedly and rolled up to the house. As he did, he noticed the mailbox read "Diamanta." "This is Andrea's house."

"Roight. Now, let's take a peek." He gestured to the large window, which gave a good view of the living and dining room.
Glimmer rolled up to the window and looked through, spotting four Mitsubishis parking for dinner. Andrea was there, as was her Galant mother, Diamante father, and Lancer Evolution little brother.
"Notice aneh-thin'?" Bandito asked, gesturing towards Andrea.

Glimmer got the hint and looked specifically at the Endeavor. "She doesn't seem so happy. And?"
"Common. Let's find out why." Witht that, he gave him a quick shove through the window, both of them ghosting through it. The two parked by the nearby TV and listened on the conversation at the table.

"Andrea...don't you like your Chrysmas present?" her mother asked, as Andrea looked at the premium fog lamps that decorated the front of her hood.
"I do...it's just-"
"Your cousin Monty went through a lot to get that for you," her father added. "I just didn't wish he did."
"Oh come on now. You should be thankful."
"I will...can I just put this in my room first?"
"Sure...but come back soon before dinner gets cold."

With that, Andrea went to her room, with Glimmer following. El Bandito also followed, but kept silent. At least this time, Glimmer was following her on his own.

He paused in awe as she opened the door to her room. This was no ordinary teen girl's room. Instead of posters of teen idols, the walls were plastered with posters of the famous Monty Panache, the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution that had won the last few Dakar rallies. "This...that's her cousin Monty?!"
"Aye," came Bandito's simple response.

"Now I actually do regret letting her go..." Glimmer replied disappointedly as he watched Andrea., "She would've gotten me connected with him...two racing legends. Of course, she doesn't have to know I don't really love her."
"She loved ye, Jens. Ye know that. Usen' 'er isn' th' same as love."
"The only one I love is Lightn-" Glimmer suddenly hesitated. Were it not for his paint scheme, he would have also blushed. "...I mean the pursuit of victory," he said, quickly composing himself.

El Bandito then gestured towards a smaller photo in a simple frame on Andrea's dresser. "See that?"
"See what?" Glimmer asked. He was still fairly mesmerized by the posters of Panache racing through the desert to notice the little photo in a frame on her bedside dresser.

With a sigh, Bandito drove forward and physically pointed it out to him. It was a small photo, but one that was obviously well taken care of. In it was the clear image of a younger Glimmer, taking a turn around a sunny track, looking happy just to be racing. He was also looking into the camera, and Andrea seemed to have a goofy expression trying to include herself in the shot with the right timing.

"Why...does she have a photo of -me- from -those- days around?" Glimmer asked, acting as if the photo was insignificant.

"Ah'll give ye three guesses, an' th' first two don' count."

Glimmer smirked, "Because she loves me and still somewhat cares, because she wants me back, or because it's a relaxing thing to look at after viewing these grandiose posters all the time."

Bandito sighed again. "She loves yeh, and ye'd much rather throw it all aweh for winnin' races."

"I wouldn't call it 'throwing away,' those words are too strong," Glimmer replied nonchalantly as he watched Andrea stash Monty's fog lamps in her closet...along with what looked like enough rally equipment to fully equip her for the rallies, save for the tires. "Besides, she's just one person."

"Wun person can' 'av a greet effect on ye," Bandito replied, "But whut aboot two...or three?"

"What do you mean?"

"Coom...lemme show ye." Another wave of Bandito's antenna found him and Jens in a different, more ordinary living room.

The house of Anastasia Kurumoto and Rafael McFierson wasn't too modest of a place, after all, Annie was technically a Piston Cup racer as well. But when Edward Kurumoto, Jr. was born, she had to take some time off to raise him...especially after his father passed away. Right now, Annie was tending to EJ in her bedroom. She still wore her black #22 paintjob...but it was almost completely devoid of all but the basic sponsor ads. As for EJ, the little Toyota FT-HS lay under a rather large pile of blankets that covered all but his frontside.

"Cute lil' bugger, idn't 'e?" El Bandito began, softly.
"For a half-demon, I suppose," came Glimmer's sarcastic remark. "Why are you showing me this?"
Bandito shushed the Benz as Rafey rolled in. He seemed exhausted from the flight - which had taken place mere hours ago - and commute back to her house. The Fiero swung his team cap onto the hangar.

"Annie...EJ..." he panted.
Annie tried to smile at her child's godfather, though it was hard given the burden. "How was it?"
Rafael nuzzled her, but he didn't try to smile. "I gotta be back on the 26th, bright and early...how's EJ?"
Annie went over to the EJ and checked his temperature. The red mercury filled almost the whole thermometer. "Fever hasn't gone down... and..." her expression suddenly sank. "I got a call from the doctor."

The Fiero looked shocked, but not quite enough to cause one of his infamous engine fires. Perhaps it was self-control that was keeping him from doing so. "Oh no...what did he say?"

"The treatment that could help Edward..." Annie blinked rapidly as she said it, trying to hold back her tears. "There's no way... I checked with insurance, but they won't cover it. We can't afford it, Rafey."

The Fiero gasped and moved over to embrace her for comfort. Oh God...no...there's gotta be some way. I could call Glimmer...he has to help," he pleaded.

To which the watching Mercedes muttered, "...like I will."
Annie then burst into tears as if he really were there, telling her that to her fascia. "He won't! That heartless bastard won't do a damn thing! My son is going to die and he's just going to watch it happen!"
Rafey shook Annie a bit to try to get some sense into her. "He won't die! I won't let him!" he shouted, "I'll call in and do overtime until I retire! Please..."
Annie finally managed to stifle a sob, and her voice lowered to an ominous whisper. "We both know he doesn't have that long..."
Rafey leaned in close and whispered to her, to try to avoid waking EJ up. "I don't want to believe that...Please Annie...don't lose hope..."

It was then that Glimmer turned to El Bandito, looking completely unaffected by the situation. "Are we done here? If you're trying to scare or guilt-trip me with this hallucination then it isn't working."
The Scotscar, of course, was perturbed. "'allucination"? Oi! This's goin' on roight nao, lad. Ain't no illusion. "
"I know Miss Carson's had to take a while off due to maternity leave but it certainly could not have gotten THIS bad for them."

El Bandito sighed. "Liss'n, lad. 'Member all those times th' Rafey there came in fer werk all de'pressed loike? It's cuz th' kiddo had 'nother test come back from the doc's that tol' 'em nothin'. 'nsurance on a wee lad like EJ there don't cover tests loike that. 'ee had jus' 'bout ev'ry test 'manageble done, an' they're 'spensive! Moneh went quick aft'r Annieh quit werk. Nao that there's hope, they don' 'ave 'nough fer th' treatment."

Glimmer gulped from the explanation, but shook his hood. "If this is really happening, then he should have told me at the beginning. Maybe I could've done something then."

Bandito looked Glimmer in the eyes. "Then? Why don' ye do som'thin nao? Cannae do nothin' 'bout th' past nao, lad. An' they dinae know i' would get this bad. Looked loike th' liddle guy 'ad a cold in th' beginnin'. Y' woulda jus' brushed it off. Y' an' I both know ye would've."

"This is still my vision, isn't it? Kurumoto Junior is probably alive and well by now."

Bandito sighed and shook head sadly "Fraid not. But ye'll see that later with Future."
Glimmer harumphed. "I know my Future already. I've got another Piston Cup to win, and if Mr. McFierson doesn't show up for work on the 26th, his future'll be at the unemployment line."

"O realleh? An' what aboot the liddle lad? What aboot 'is future an' 'ow it 'fects yers? Anythin' that 'appens t' th' boy'll reh-cipricates back onteh ye, lad."
"It was McFierson and Carson who brought their problem child to me when she went on maternity leave, rather than that shooter student of yours who visited me a while ago. It should be reciprocating back onto them instead. "
"O, but it IS- cannae y' see it? Look at Annieh- when d'ye suppos' th' last time sh' slept was? Or ate? Y' dinnae 'ave aneh youngins ah yer own, so ye 'ave NO ideah what they're goin' through roight nao. An' what 'fects Rafey 'fects ye, lad- not onleh with ye business, but with ye repu'tation too."

El Bandito then loomed in closer, almost seeming to overshadow the Benz. "Or mehbeh ye relleh DO think ev'rehone else 's 'surplus manyufacture'."

Glimmer flinched. "How did you- No...no matter. People know me as a hard taskmaster...my own team especially. One lemon will not spoil the entire batch. And -you-...you have been an even bigger nuisance since you took residence in my engine block all that time ago.

"Oi lad... yer stupidity 'muses me som'times," Bandito chuckled sickly. "This ain't 'bout me, lad. This 's 'bout YE. An' "'ard taskmaster" 's a far cry from "'eartless bastard" that cars'll be sayin' 'bout ye."

"I don't suppose you'll be the one starting the rumor yourself," Glimmer replied with a frown that a ruler could trace. "Leave me now."

"Don' be daft, lad. Ah cannae be start'n rumors. 'm dead, 'member?"

Glimmer then looked into Bandito's eyes. "Then I'll exorcise you. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll even get you concerned for your pupil. I can do that without anyone tracing it back to me, even if I end up 'confessing' it myself. It'll be as easy as firing McFierson as soon as he shows up the next morning."

"Ah'm willin' t' ignore th' threat on Kamui, but be warned - Future won' take kindleh t' yer attitude," Bandito scowled. "An' if'n ye wanna be rid 'o meh so bad, lemme leave yeh with a partin' gift." He then moved up to Glimmer and tire-slapped him hard.

Glimmer winced from the blow and groaned...but when he opened his eyes he found himself in what appeared to be darkness interspersed with the glow of several screens. "Wha-? Where are we!?"
"This 's a part a ya Managers y' don' get tae see, lad."

"My Managers keep a lot from me, but I understand if that's to prevent team sabotage," Glimmer replied defensively as he started forward, before he seemed to bump into something. "Ach! What was that!?" It was a sensation not unlike plexiglass...though he could've sworn he'd heard bubbling nearby.
Bandito gestured with a tire towards a doorway. "Yer aboot tae find out," he said as motors could be heard approaching. "Dinnae worreh- they won' be able tae see us."

That didn't stop Glimmer from sliding over and ducking behind a nearby console as a door slid open, revealing a sterile-white Audi coupe and a pitch-black Opel sedan. The Audi's voice was instantly recognizable.

"So...how is Johann developing?" Franzeska Nuvolari asked her aide as she rolled in.

"Ye recognize 'em?" Bandito asked, watching the two as they proceeded to observe the consoles and charts.

"That's Franzeska..." Glimmer replied, "You might remember them from my...tune-ups." Glimmer winced a bit at the memories of those. Franzeska, of course, was more than that. She was the Manager-In-Chief. "But what are they looking at? Who's Johann?"

"Johann is developing fine. He's shown remarkable times on our tests," her aide replied, clearly not noticing the other two cars supposedly in the room.

"Ye'll see inna sec 'ere, and ye not gonna loike it." The Scotscar gestured towards the dark object Glimmer had bumped into ealier.

"Let me check, I'd like to see this progress for myself," Franzeska replied. Her aide pressed a button that illuminated the object that Glimmer had bumped into with an eerie - if not haunted-house clichéd green light.

Before them lay a large "incubation" tube of sorts in which a large black car seemed to be resting while submerged in a strange fluid. The car also seemed to have several tubes coming in and out of it leading to either end of the tube.

"That's Johann," came the response from the ghost. "Th' new progect yer Managers 'r workin' on."
"New project? What do you mean?" Glimmer replied tensely.

"How soon will he be able to compete internationally?" Franzeska replied as she observed the seemingly lifeless form in the tube.
"As soon as the DTM season ends, he'll be upgraded for the international circuit."
"Has your team made up your minds on where?"
"Yes...the Piston Cup."

"P-p-wha-!?" Glimmer exclaimed. It was bad enough competing with the likes of Kamui "The Previous Ghost" Exan in the Piston Cup...but another competitor from the Managers!?
Bandito shrugged his tires. "Sorreh lad, but ye had tae see this. 's for yer own good. Ye needed tae know b'fore th' next ghost."
"Wait...know about what!? What is this!?" Glimmer panicked as Franzeska beckoned her aide to shut off the tube's light.
Bandito shook his front sadly. "Ye'll find out when Future comes. Which, act'ally... 's vereh soon. Best get ye back. 'E doesn' loike ta wait." He waived his antenna again.

Glimmer found himself back in his hotel room before he could take a better look at the figure in the tube. "Wait...When is this Future ghost coming!?"

A faint call came from inside his ECU, sounding ominous. "Ye won' 'avta wait much longer... 'eed mai words, Jens- 'e won' tol-rate yer attitude. Be respectful!"
Glimmer tried to act angry, but it was a half-hearted attempt. "This still isn't a prank, is it?!"

But silence was the answer... until his alarm clock began to beep once again.

[ebonyviper]

Haha! El Bandito rocks! I just love how Glimmer forgets his lesson several times when he looks at Lightning! Can't wait until the Ghost of Chrysmas Future, whoever that may be!

[fierano]

Disclaimer[/u]
The following is a work of fanfiction inspired and based upon A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens using characters and events from the Cars movie by Disney and Pixar. Character concepts otherwise are based off their respective creators.

Special thanks to Reiji. I wrote most of this chapter myself this time...but I wish her a very merry Christmas all the same.

===

Glimmer's eyes sprang open when he heard his alarm beep twelve. This time, there was no light. Just a drastically cold chill that made the air conditioner seem like it was malfunctioning. As if the alarm beeping in consecutively lower pitches like a record player slowing down didn't chill him enough.

He looked toward the window...and there seemed to be a blotch of darkness obscuring half of the view. He blinked to make sure he didn't suddenly get a cataract...only to find that the shadow took the shape of a car.

"You're...the spirit of my Chrysmas future..." Glimmer didn't want to question the spirit's presence. Not only was the spirit only vaguely familiar compared to the other 'nuisances' that had bothered him in incremental hours earlier, but the vision that El Bandito had showed him was far to unsettling to just dismiss.

"What...what do you want to show me?" he asked, trying to sound calm as the spirit approached him. The only recognizable feature in that dark mass was its glowing blue irises, but otherwise there was nothing in that shadow that reminded Glimmer of anybody he knew.

With a nonchalant wave of its antenna, the spirit seemed to dissolve Glimmer's surroundings. Rather than a flash of light or a sudden shift, the hotel room seemed to melt into that of a doctor's waiting room. The first thing Glimmer saw was the calendar...Christmas Eve, one year in the future.

"Where is this? What are we doing here?" Glimmer asked.
The shadow went over to a door and opened it, revealing the doctor's room. There were two people in it, the doctor and a very familiar red Fiero, no longer dressed in Team Pennziere decals and sinking low on his shocks as if utterly dismayed.

"That's...Mr. McFierson! What is he doing here?!"

The shadow beckoned Glimmer to move forward to overhear the conversation.

"I'm sorry, Rafael. There's nothing I can do. It seems to me she's taking the death of her son very hard. If it was a physical problem I would be able to help, but figurative broken engines are out of my league. If she keeps this up... she won't have much longer."

Rafey already looked like he had finally broken down as well, whimpering, "Please doctor...please...I'm doing everything I can...but now she's turning me away too. It's as if she doesn't even know me anymore!"
"Mr. McFierson...I'm sorry. I want to wish you a Merry Chrysmas, but...I'm sorry."

The Fiero simply sobbed quietly and left the room, passing a mildly shocked Glimmer.

"I...I fired him, didn't I," the Benz replied as the doctor went out to get the next patient.
The spirit simply nodded.
"I guess...I could get over this...but that tube...what was that?"

The spirit shrugged in reply and waved his antenna. The doctor's office suddenly melted into the living room of a very posh mansion up in the Alps. It was a living room Glimmer instantly recognized as his own, only it was filled with moving boxes and vans shuttling around, as if he were moving out.

"Huh? What's going on now?" he asked curiously, looking around. His eyes suddenly caught one figure moving around that wasn't a moving van - a large red-and-orange sport utility vehicle.

Andrea - now an Endeavor Ralliart - was decked out and modified in the best rally gear available on the market. She was also decorated in Dakar decals that clearly showed that she'd won the races before. Of course, she wore regular tires right now, as she didn't want to ruin the floor.

"Well, I guess things did turn out all right in the end...I welcomed Andrea back, and it looks I'm finally upgrading to a better place to park," Glimmer said, trying to force a confident smile. "I've had my eye on that place overlooking the harbor at Monaco, you know."

"Miss Diamanta? I need you here for a moment," came a voice from another room...a voice that wasn't Glimmer's, which caught the Benz by surprise. It was a monotone so cold and robotic that Glimmer had a hard time believing the speaker was an actual car and not just one of those super-advanced AIs he'd seen on science fiction movies as a child.
"Wha-? Who's that?"
"Yes, sir." Andrea replied with a seemingly robotic compliance.
"And what's with her? Shouldn't she be happy that she's a winner?"
The shadow shrugged as it gestured for Glimmer to follow the Endeavor Ralliart into the next room.

There was a black Maybach Exelero talking to Andrea, decorated with number 39s and Unity Auto Parts decals. The typeface all seemed machine printed to the point that Glimmer could have imagined several barcodes on the Exelero's sheet metal. But one mere look at the Exelero's sleek black form sent chills down his driveshaft that surpassed that of the spirit's. The Maybach didn't even have a mouth, instead speaking through his grille like he was Carth Vader.

"Ms. Diamanta? You seem unsettled."
"I...I'm..." Despite her rugged looks, Andrea seemed completely cowed in the Maybach's presence.
"Is it because of the relocation of this base of operation?"
"Y-y-I guess..."
"You have no reason to be unsettled then. Our facility in Monaco will be superior to this one."
"I...just...just don't think it feels right."

Von Klamp then looked straight into Andrea's eyes, causing her to flinch.
"Miss Diamanta, need I remind you of your obligation to my team?"
"I'm here...to win, sir."
"Yes...Joha-"
"That's Mister Von Klamp to you, Ms. Diamanta," the Exelero snapped back, clearly unscathed by her fear. "Now proceed to Monaco. You have the address, and I do not wish to see you again until you get there. Good day."
"Yes sir..." she whimpered.

Glimmer tried to catch up with Andrea as she turned to leave, following her back into the living room.
"Wait! Why are you letting him boss you around?" he shouted to her, "You're a winner! Tell him that!"
But she didn't listen...because it hit Glimmer that he was invisible in this vision.

Johann Von Klamp then turned the other way and started to bark orders to the moving crew. "Hurry up. I want all of my predecessor's belongings moved out by nineteen-hundred hours," Von Klamp ordered. "If I'm going to replace him, I do not want to lose even a fraction of a second in building my new legacy. Everything has to be in order! IN ORDER!"

The way Von Klamp barked those last two words immediately caused the entire moving crew to work one gear faster, like a manufacturing line.

"Wait!? What the hell is going on?" Glimmer was starting to get fearful again, even more so then when El Bandito showed him Johann in his Managers' incubation tube.

The shadow responded by turning one of the nearby moving boxes - the one that housed Glimmer's racing trophies - so that its address faced Glimmer's.

"World Racers'...Memorial Hall?!"

The mention of those words already started Glimmer shivering. There was only one real requirement for a famous racer to enter the Memorial Hall:

Death.

"This can't be...my calendar's malfunctioning!"

Glimmer blinked and shook his front, checking his internal calendar. It was set and synchronized by his Managers...but this time it read a date not too far in the future. "You're scaring me. Stop this now!" he shouted to the spirit, but the shadow just shrugged, looking in Glimmer's eyes with an I-told-you-so glance that meant only one thing.

"Oh Gott...I really am going to die soon...B...but people will remember me, right? They'll put my legacy on exhibition?"

The shadowy figure appeared to sigh and close his eyes in slight frustration. With another wave of his tire, the scenery had changed to the memorial hall, a few days after the funeral ceremonies. Glimmer and the shadow parked a few meters from the front entrance, where two maintenance workers were speaking. The tomb next to them was grand and gothic for its size, allowing people to go in and see the grave proper...but the maintenance workers were the only ones there. The whole area seemed desolate and gray, with the trees barren of leaves as if abandoned.

"You don't feel in awe here? This is Jens Glimmer's tomb!"
"So?"
"So...he won the DTM four times and the American Piston Cup! If it weren't for that accident he had in the WTCC he would probably be on the road to Formula 1 by now!"
"And?"
"And...you don't seem respectful of that."
"I'm not. And do you want to know why?"
"Why? Because you're envious of him winning?"
"No, I'm not respectful because that's all this guy cared about. Winning."
"C'mon. You're just envious."
"Envious? I USED TO WORK FOR HIM."

The younger worker's enthusiasm seemed to temper."...Oh...that's right, you were with Team Pennziere."
"I was. At least until Glimmer got into that accident at the Hockenheimring."
"That was messed up...the same curve where he crashed when he was younger."
"I hate myself less for saying that I think he deserved it."
"Wha-!? That's just cold."
"Really? You know what cold was? Cold was denying one of my fellow employees the benefits he needed to keep his ailing godchild alive. Now he and that family are all six feet under. You remember the story of Annie and Eddie when you were younger? That was them."

A lump rose in Glimmer's throat as he heard those words coming so casually out of the maintenance worker's mouth. It was something preventing him from saying those words.

"Oh man...that is cold."
"Hell, the only reason I stayed on was because I had to send my kids to college. Annie didn't get it due to the fact that she was on another team. All because this guy wanted to clip a millisecond off his lap times."
"Sheesh...yeah...I guess you're right," the younger worker replied. "Let's go. This guy needs a rest anyway."
"Heh...where he's going, he'll never rest. He'll be trying to win in the afterlife, too."

The two passed a shocked Glimmer...though they probably would not have noticed him even if he was alive. As they got closer, he started to breathe heavily realizing what had just happened.

"You're not making this up, are you?"
"Did that old Pennziere cap I wore look like a souvenir? At least their new driver's a nice guy...not like that Van Klomp or whoever his name is..."
"Heh...only person cold as Johann was Glimmer..."

Those were the last words Glimmer heard before the two passed out of earshot. And it was at this point that he finally broke down in tears. Not only had he been replaced - his own worst fear realized - but it had been doubly compounded by the fact that his legacy was swiftly being forgotten as well as his memory.

"Replaced...what a shame." the spirit finally spoke, laying a tire on Glimmer's wing. Glimmer suddenly froze, as he realized there was only one car that could touch him with a chill as cold as death itself, and he slowly turned to face the spectre.

The shadowy spectre had taken on a form with more color, and the familiarity was sealed. Before Glimmer was a blood-red htB Toyota Camry 'Car of Tomorrow', decked out in Piston Cup decals and large number 87s written across his body panels.

"Your Managers knew you were getting obsolete, so they had you whacked at the same place you crashed," Edward Kurumoto Sr. explained, "Such cruel irony!" he added with a sadistic laugh.
"Y...you...you are..."
"And you know what the kicker is? My wife, son AND best friend all went down to separate sections of hell when they died. I'll never be able to see them again, let alone bear the eternal torture they'll have to endure. And it's all YOUR FAULT." Edward said those last two words with a flared-up rage that caused Glimmer to stagger back.

"You have to stop this! Please!" Glimmer pleaded as Eddie Sr. backed him into the tomb area.
"Of course not, Jens! You have races to win! You have a career to live out! You don't want to be a loser now, do you?" Edward added, with a psychotic giggle that sounded like he was going to rip Glimmer to metal shards in his own subconscious.
"No! If being like this means being replaced?! Please, gottverdammt! No!" Glimmer was already sinking low on his shocks to beg.

"You'll be the most famous car in the scrap yard," Edward whispered with a sadistic, fanged grin on his face as he waved his tire, shoving Glimmer into the tomb. "Why not get a head start now?"

The Mercedes looked around as much as his confines would allow, and suddenly he was in an old, rusty crusher with piles of what were once cars towering around outside. Edward was above him, operating the lever.

"Please! Stop this madness! I'll change! I'll take care of Mr. McFierson and Anastasia!" Glimmer pleaded, tears leaking from his eyes. He had already lost his composure enough that formalities were already starting to fail.
"I don't believe you." Edward replied mockingly.
"I mean it! I promise! Cross my engine block and hope to get-" Glimmer gulped at the sudden irony of the situation, "...crushed. Please...I'm sorry...I really am..." He could barely move from his emotional distress, but he really meant what he said. Eddie seemed to recognize this, as there was a bit of a silence afterward.

"Well...we'll see about that," Edward then replied as he pulled the lever and moved away. "I'll be seeing you very soon," he added before laughing maniacally.

Glimmer screamed in horror as the crusher lid closed in on him, and squinted his eyes, bracing for the worst as everything went black. But then, everything went silent.

His eyes jerked open only to find himself back in his hotel room, practically hyperventilating and sobbing, at least that's what the tears streaking down his hood felt like. His internal clock read one in the morning, and the moon was still shining outside. But he didn't want to go to sleep. He tried to let what he'd just seen sink in...but it was hard trying to process it all. It was so hard to accept what would happen if he didn't change that it took him all night before he could figure out what to do just in the next 24 hours. How to sate Edward's desire for karma against him for Annie and Rafey...and how to temper his desire to win. Figuring out the lessons that Carl, Kamui and Bandito had hinted to him in their apparitions.

And - for some reason - how to get Andrea back.

The Mercedes finally sighed as the sun eventually started to peek over the horizon as he finally figured something out.

The Salvation Army APC he had met the previous evening was setting up his pot and stand on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, still looking as jolly as he did yesterday. And just like yesterday, a rushed Glimmer accidentally bumped into him on his way out of the hotel.

The APC slowly turned around to see who it was and accidentally knocked his collection pot over. He only managed to catch Glimmer disappearing into the crowd before sighing and moving to stand the pot back up again. His eyes widened though, as he noticed a check for $100 sticking out of it, with Jens Glimmer's name on it.

Meanwhile, Rafael McFierson was woken up by a phone call. He shared the master bedroom's mattress with Annie and EJ, shivering from having to give most of his blankets to the little Toyota as he picked up the phone. The news that greeted him through the receiver caused him to really wake up...and get Annie to wake up as well.

"Annie! Wake up! I've got good news!"
"Mmmnn...wha?"
"Annie! It's the insurance company! Glimmer's got the hospital to cover the treatment!"
"Huh...?" Annie was only slowly waking up... "You sure you're not being scammed?"
"Listen for yourself!" Rafey replied, sliding the phone over to her. Annie's fascia suddenly brightened as the telephone agent told her the good news, ending the call with a "Merry Chrysmas." According to the agent, Glimmer had somehow had a "change of heart" and had offered to sponsor the treatment. There was also a little extra message that Rafey didn't have to come in for work until after the New Year.

The two Pontiacs leaned against each other and smiled warmly.
"Merry Chrysmas, Annie..."
"Same to you, dear..."

"Mom..." little EJ whined, "I'm trying to sleep..."

It was later in the day that Glimmer had managed to track down a certain address via his GPS and whatever faint references he had from his vision with Bandito. He approached the front door and took a deep breath as he pressed the doorbell.

"Andy! There's a Piston Cup racer here!" the little Evolution X shouted. Within seconds a rather large blue Mitsubishi Endeavor arrived to take her little brother's place at the door.

"Oh...it's you, Jens," Andrea Diamanta replied disappointingly.
Jens was relieved that she hadn't (yet) turned into Von Klamp's trophy wench. "Andrea...I'm sorry..." he panted between sets of words.
The Endeavor raised an eyevisor. "Oh really, now."
"Yes...I'm sorry I said all those things to you," Glimmer replied with a tear, "I really am...I really don't know what else to say. I'm sorry I told you that I don't love you. I don't know if I still do...but at least I hope there are no more hard feelings between us."
Andrea didn't reply for a while as she tried to analyze Glimmer's expression.

"Come on in then...my parents had to go somewhere so you might not be able to stay long." Andrea said, and she beckoned for him to come in. "Besides which, I'd like to show you something."

The two of them made their way past Andrea's little brother, who seemed to be obsessed with the PS3 he'd gotten as a present, down a corridor familiar to Glimmer and into her room.

This time, Glimmer was not left in awe by the large posters of Andrea's successful cousin Monty, which were plastered all over the walls of her room. Instead, he seemed to focus on the last thing he saw before Bandito whisked him away to Rafey's house.

"I can't believe..." Glimmer hesitated a bit, knowing the sight was a little too familiar to him, "...you still have that picture."
"Yeah...I kept it for sentimental purposes...you were really my only friend while I was living in Germany," Andrea replied solemnly.
"I...I don't know what to say," Glimmer replied, "It must've been hard after you left...and I'm sorry for that..."
"I know you are...we just have to get over it."
"I...we're...we're trying."

"We'll figure that out in time...but for now..." Andrea said before suddenly leaning against Glimmer, "Merry Chrysmas, Jens..." she whispered as Jens leaned against her too. The two of them looked at the photo of the two of them having fun when they were younger.
"Merry Chrysmas..." he whispered, "...and thank you...for everything."

Jens Glimmer was tired from staying up all night and from having such a lesson forced upon him...but for once, after everything he'd been through, he felt...warm.

THE END

((Had to stay up late to finish this, and I'm only getting less than 3 hours of sleep before I leave for the countryside for a Christmas excursion. z___Z Merry Christmas to everyone!))

[Evangeline]

Aww, that's great... the "future" scenes were really cold and desolate.