Collision Course [+ Additional Levels]

Level Four - The Chase

"Parker?" Jessie asked again. This time, Parker responded.

"You may want to buckle your seat belts."

"Why?" Hubert asked blankly.

After setting the vehicle in park, their friend put his right hand up on the roof of the car. "Because this ride is about to get a little bumpy."

His right hand suddenly turned yellow, tiny glowing numbers shooting away from it like sparks. A yellow flash enveloped the truck, numbers climbing on the surface of the whole vehicle. Yellow flashing squares followed the flash, and in an instant, the whole Denali was yellow, the once dark blue outside now emitting a small amount of glowing yellow.

"Whoa, what just happened? Everything in the car just turned yellow," Hubert said, examining himself to make sure he hadn't turned yellow as well.

Jessie looked at Parker, who removed his hand from the ceiling, and watched a drop of sweat roll down his right cheek. "You just changed the... coding of the Denali, didn't you?" he asked him.

Parker nodded. "I, myself, need to move in the game. So to follow the rules a bit more easily, I basically made the vehicle a piece of myself," he said a little breathlessly.

Jessie leaned back in his seat and stroked the door. Even the windows were slightly tinted with a yellow glaze. He turned back to Parker. "Just make sure to change my Denali back to normal when we're done, n'kay?" he said reluctantly.

Parker laughed, knowing very well of his friend's sentimental attachment. "Don't worry. I'll have to."

"Um, guys?" Hubert suddenly called from the backseat.

Parker ignored him. "Doing something like this—"

"Guys?" Hubert repeated.

"—takes up your energy, and slowly—"

"Guuuys!"

"—drains it," Parker continued, yet again ignoring Hubert, while Jessie looked back at him with a raised-brow we-should-probably-answer-him expression on his face. "So, this won't last forever. I'll eventually ha—"

Hubert swore and kicked the base of the driver's seat. When he cursed, a strange sound came from him, and a white word balloon like from a comic abruptly materialized in the air beside him, with the symbols '@!#?@!' inside. After he cursed, the balloon disappeared. Hubert almost didn't seem to notice it though. "Pac!" Hubert shouted.

"What!? What, Hubert? What in the worlds is so important?" Parker asked, irritated, wheeling around in his seat to face Hubert. For a split second, Jessie thought he could see his eyes flash and his irises turn completely yellow.

Hubert scowled. He was on his knees, turning from looking through the back window. "There's a small red car coming up behind us."

"Why would that matter?" Jessie asked him.

"Well, maybe because the license plate says 'Blinky,'" Hubert snapped.

A surprised look crossed Parker's face. Then he frowned, puzzled and alarmed. "But he shouldn't be here... not yet..." he said to no one in particular, looking past his friend's shoulder to see. Hubert was right. A mini Cooper was heading to them, not pausing once by a stop sign behind them. It was close enough that he could make out the word BLINKY on the license plate on the front. It was bright red.

And like the truck, it was glowing.

Parker immediately whirled in his seat again, and cranked down the lever behind the wheel. "Hang on!" he shouted.