Collision Course [+ Additional Levels]

Level Nineteen - Tough Luck

"Well... that happened."

"Yeah, it did," QBert replied, still staring at the screen, taking in his defeat.

"A little headstrong," Jumpman chuckled. He looked up at his friend, and instantly realized he might've said a wrong thing. "Oh, sorry dude. I mean, you can't live without some risk, right? Absolutely not."

QBert waved a hand towards the screen, still not looking away once. "And look what good that did me." His voice sounded hollow.

"It's still good to know your limits," Jumpman worded carefully. QBert's shoulders dropped a little, somewhat comforted by that. "You always have the next time, and you can keep working at it," he continued. "It's just a video game."

That last sentence, his own words, came back and hit him as hard as a punch in the face. Jumpman grimaced and bit his tongue hard. Even they had no Control+Z option, which meant that he just spoke aloud, and he couldn't take it back. "I, I mean..." he tried, but it was pointless, he knew. They both knew too well that it was never "just a game" for them. For them, it was real.

Though... Jumpman looked up at his friend. QBert did seem to be taking this a bit hard. "Hey..." He set a hand on his friend's shoulder; he was surprised to feel him flinch. "You okay, Hubert?"

When QBert glanced at him, he seemed to be startled out of deep thought. He looked back at the screen. "Oh? Uh..."

"Hubert?" QBert didn't look at him. "Hubert." Finally Jessie got his attention. "What I had meant, was that it's just a game now. That you needn't worry much about it."

QBert's gaze drifted from his friend's face, shaking his head with somewhat of a scoff. Something was definitely bothering him. "But it won't be for long."

"What won't be?"

"'Just a game.'"

"Well, I guess so, maybe."

QBert scoffed again, and looked back at the game.

"... Hubert?" Jumpman paused, then said, "QBert."

His friend didn't divert his gaze, but he responded. "What, Jay?"

Jumpman blinked, startled to hear the softness in his easily ill-tempered friend's voice. He hesitantly lifted up his hand to rest it on QBert's shoulder, but then awkwardly closed his hand into a fist and pulled back, stuffing it into his pants pocket. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. Looking up at his friend, he tried, "Is there... something that you want to talk about?"

He watched as QBert's brow furrowed, and in the midst of the sounds of the arcade around them, he attempted to patiently wait for him. After a couple seconds, there was an opening of his mouth like he was going to reply, and then a hesitance... until finally,

"I wish that I could attack."

Jumpman's eyebrows rose as he processed this. He was tempted to ask, "Attack what?" However, it looked like QBert had more, so he held his tongue to give him this moment.

"I... wish I could attack. To get back at them somehow, but I can't. And it makes me..." QBert squinted at the screen before him, but it didn't seem like he was looking at it. Then he continued, "It makes me feel... defenseless."

Jumpman pointed at the video game. "You talking about...?"

QBert shook his head. "No... I'm talking about my game, Jay," he said softly. Then, he finally met his gaze, turning to face him, and it was to give him a funny look. "You just saw me fight back in this one."