Wish's Folly

Chapter Three: Trial and Many.... Many.... Errors

Liv's eyes shot open. The black of her roof met her. She blinked. Sleep clung to her bones like a vice, seeking to drag her back into the realm of passive dreams... But the dream she had... It stuck in her thoughts even as the ticking continued. But there was something above the ticking.

Banging. She stood upright, finding her old hoodie and pulling it over her body. She zipped it up, acutely aware of the immediate increase in temperature.

"Are you protected?" Sheriff's voice vibrated against the metal.

"Yes!" Liv pulled the hood up, letting it obscure her head. It was still pretty dirty, no matter what she did. The metal door was slid away, revealing Sheriff. He glared at her for a moment. Then the police-car turned, driving until his door was as close to the entrance as he could get without scraping his side.

"Then get in." It opened. The interior had semi-cracked leather seats, a true testament of Sheriff's age. Liv knew better than to question, instead quickly making her way over and sliding inside. The door closed on its own. The film of white in front was a dim gray in the darkness of his cabin.

She wouldn't hesitate to admit, it always felt strange being inside- quite literally- one of her friends. The windows were all colored a deep, dangerous black inside Sheriff- save his front windshield. Liv was grateful for it. She kept her hoodie on, still lightly worried about any sunlight that might dare to crawl in. Sheriff was moving. She could tell from the muffled sounds of gravel and rubble clicking under his tires.

Something cracked against the front. Liv's eyes shot forward despite knowing she could see nothing through the film. All she could do was listen, invisible to everyone but Sheriff.

"The Radiator Springs Traffic Court will come to order!" Man, that sent a bolt of fear through her veins. The doors opened again, clacking against metal. Every single car in the building immediately burst with their accusations, yelling everything from taking blowtorches to the accused to questioning what kind of drugs he had been on. Probably the strangest yells came from Fillmore and Sarge, with a hippie-style voice calling out 'fascist' and a grizzled army veteran muttering 'commie'. There could not be two vehicles with more opposite views.

"Officer, talk to me babe, how long is this gonna take?" Liv slid a hand over her mouth. The words themselves sounded absolutely ABSURD when she realized that the vehicle was addressing Sheriff. She was going to hold that over him for weeks. "I gotta get to California, PRONTO."

California, huh?

"Where's your lawyer?" Sheriff jerked forward and then back. Liv had to throw her hands on the dash to keep from slamming into it. Jeez!

"I don't know, Tahiti maybe... He's got a timeshare there." This guy was not taking the court seriously. She was half-asleep, and even she could tell that!

"When a defendant has no lawyer, the court will assign one to him...." Oh boy. "Hey!" Silence. "Anyone wanna be his lawyer?" Several cars backed up. She didn't have to see to know that. The noise of several engines fading ever-so-slightly did help her in picturing the event, though.

"Shoooot, Ah'll do't, Sheriff!" Well. If the guy wasn't screwed before, he certainly was now.

"All rise! The Honorable Doc Hudson presiding." Liv sat up straighter in her seat, as if that would make any difference. She could distinctly make out Ramone's system- it was raising based on the squeak.

"Show off." Of that, she and Luigi agreed.

"May Doc have mercy on your soul." With each squint of Sheriff's, the interior got darker. She relished in the light that she could get. The door at the end of the room opened again, this time banging against the walls.