Collision Course [+ Additional Levels]

Level Seven - Gone Missing

Jumpman narrowed his gaze. "Huh. That's even more peculiar. Not sure why I didn't think of that first."

"Hmm." Pacman crossed his arms, brainstorming.

"Oh, speaking of shoes."

Pac blinked. "What?" he asked, oblivious.

Jumpman pointed down at Pacman's feet. "Nice socks."

Pacman looked down at his bright yellow feet, and wiggled his toes. "I've gone out in worse," he smirked.

"There's poison ivy still out."

"Again, I've gone out in worse."

Jumpman sighed with a shrug, then, "Have you?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it."

"Have you ever even stepped into the woods your whole life?"

"Yeah! The Ghosts have driven me out through trails and parks before."

"But have you ever stepped into the woods? Like, strayed from the path?"

Pacman fell silent. Glancing past Jumpman's shoulder at the trees behind him, he said, "Have you ever contracted poison ivy before?"

"No."

He blinked at him.

"Because I've been careful, and wore shoes."

Pacman laughed. "Alright, ranger, I'll be right back." He turned and jogged around to the front of the house, sticking to the stone path that connected the driveway to the steps of the porch. Jumpman heard the front door open and close. Moments later, he saw him come out of the window again, his yellow running shoes on his feet, and two jackets folded over an arm. He tossed the red one to Jumpman, and pulled his on.

"You know there's thorns too. And that'd sure be uncomfortable," added Jumpman after he caught it.

"I noticed QBert's shoes were missing too."

"Huh, oh good for him."

"I haven't been here before!" Pac said defensively. "I don't know what your woods are like!"

"It's pretty much the same for any woods you go to."

"You know, you didn't come out with your jacket either."

"We just climbed through a window!"

"And you're giving me grief about my shoes?"

"You weren't going to put them on."

"I..." He trailed off, then cast a glance behind him at the open window. "We're wasting time."

"Okay. So, back to the question at hand," Jumpman said, shaking his head while sticking his arms through his jacket sleeves.

Pacman sighed, walking to the woods a little, his feet leaving the crunch of the gravel driveway and entering the soft grass, which muffled his steps. "I don't know. Maybe we could browse around a little, and call out his name," he suggested, turning a bit. Then he stopped, letting out a gasp.

Jumpman was working on his buttons. "What?"

Pacman frowned, and turned to look at the ground. "I think... I think I felt him," he said.

Jumpman blinked and stopped. "You what?"

He saw him crouch and stare at the grass. "I feel QBert's Code here," he was told.

Jumpman came up beside him, looking at the empty ground. "What, is he underground?" he asked, alarmed.

Pac shook his head quickly. "No, no." He waved his left hand over the ground. "It's more like he's—"

Snap!

Pacman jerked his hand back away from the orange spark, standing up and flapping his hand. A scorch mark was left on the ground.

"Pacman! Are you okay?"

Pac blinked hard, and rubbed his head. "Yeah." He squinted at his hand as he opened and closed it. "Whatever that was, it was from QBert."

"Wherever he was going, he must have been kicking off a huge amount of energy along the way," Jumpman told him, looking at the blackened grass that Pacman had touched.

Pacman's face lit up with an idea. "If he was giving off that kind of energy"—he stepped forward, and crouched again—"then that means that he left a trail. Something that we can follow."

Jumpman immediately stepped forward. "Pac..." he cautioned.

Pacman set his right hand on the ground, fingers outstretched. The tips of the grass blades tickled his palm. Almost immediately, there was a static pop, and orange glowing squares appeared on the ground, filling into a shape. More shapes like it appeared in front of it, and lead into a line to the woods. "Footprints," Pacman whispered, lifting his hand, standing up.

"QBert's?" Jumpman asked him in awe; he'd never seen anything like this before.

Pac nodded. Then he suddenly laughed as something occurred to him.

Jumpman stared at him. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I just realized something," Pac replied, turning to his friend. "In the game, Pacman is supposed to find the right path, and follow the dots, right?"

"Yeaaah?" Jumpman replied, unsure where he was going with this.

"QBert's gone missing, and all I have to do is do what Pacman does best," he explained. "Find the right path—the path QBert took—and follow the dots. And in this case," he gestured to the orange, glowing spots on the ground. "His footprints."

"Um..." Jumpman glanced between the footprints, and his taller friend. "Actually, eating the dots, is what he does best."

Pacman just rolled his eyes, and, shaking his head, started following the orange footprints.

"You get the point."