Collision Course [+ Additional Levels]

Level Five - Close Call

"Pacman?" Jumpman rubbed his head that had hit the window.

Pacman readjusted his sweaty grip on the steering wheel, panting.

Then he muttered something under his breath, that shocked both of his close friends.

Dazed, QBert sat up, and shook the fuzziness out of his head. "I have no clue what just happened, but you just swore, and that can't be good," he said.

"They've surrounded us," Pacman said, breathing heavily.

Jumpman turned around in his seat to look at the four lanes. "Uh oh," he muttered. Sure enough, Clyde, Pinky, and Inky occupied three lanes. A little farther off in the distance than the other three, a red mini cooper rode to them in the fourth lane. QBert, less woozy, staggered onto his two thin legs, and went on his tippy toes to peer over the window ledge.

"@!#?@!... I was right. This isn't good," he said, his eyes widening as he saw them.

"Wait, Pacman," Jumpman said. He was staring through the windshield at something in the distance.

Pacman turned to him. "What?"

Jumpman pointed to the fourth lane, where Blinky was coming from. A glowing yellow orb hovered between Pacman and Blinky. It was larger than the other orbs, and Pacman's eyes widened when he recognized it.

"A power pellet," he whispered.

"Hold up. What do those things do again?" QBert asked.

"They reverse the food chain," Jumpman said. He and Pac shared a glance. "They enable the Pacman to eat the ghosts."

QBert's eyes widened. "Say whaaat?"

Jumpman frowned down at him. "We've known Pacman for almost thirty years now, and you didn't know what a power pellet could do?" he asked incredulously.

"It's been a minute since we've been a part of his game like this," QBert replied a little defensively. "Besides, even then, I let all the details to be up to Pacman to remember." Then he looked over at the driver. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Is there anything else you can do?" Jumpman added, nervously glancing at the oncoming Ghosts.

Pac readjusted his grip, a low growl coming from him. He'd been saving that power pellet, as it had been the last of the four included in each level, but now it didn't seem like he had a choice. "It's a long shot, with all ghosts coming at us." He stared down the fourth lane, determined. "But it's a chance."

He cranked the wheel towards their destination as he hammered down the drive pedal, making the yellow tires screech and smoke, and raced down the fourth lane. The other three ghosts drove into the intersection where Pac just was, and followed him. Pacman stared down the street as Blinky drove to him, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde hot on his trail.

The power pellet hovered a few feet in the air, waiting. QBert and Jumpman held their breaths. Tension was tight as motors roared in the five car engines, racing down that road. Inky inched closer to Pacman, Clyde just behind him, Pinky in caboose. The mini cooper bumper closed in on the edge of the Denali, quickly closing the distance between the vehicles. The driver of the small cyan vehicle grinned as the two glowing cars creeped closer and closer. Blinky closed in on the other side of the power pellet—Pacman was going to be sandwiched.

Bliiiing!

All four mini coopers suddenly turned dark blue, their colored headlights turning white. Like the Denali's transformation, each flashed with glowing sparking numbers, quickly followed by glowing squares that covered the surface of the vehicles. Blinky and Inky crashed into Pacman, but the Denali wasn't the one to disappear—the mini coopers were.