Collision Course [+ Additional Levels]

Level Five - Close Call

 "Pacman, to your right!" Jumpman warned.

"I know," Pacman replied automatically. He quickly turned the steering wheel, skidding to the left lane.

"This is a big neighborhood," QBert suddenly remarked. "I've been mapping the turns in my head, and so far, this neighborhood is six blocks long."

"Part of that is the neighborhood, and part of that is the game of Pac–Man," Pac said. "As I play, and the more points I earn, the more map appears. When the game passes the neighborhood, or when I"—he hesitated a split second before continuing—"lose a life, the neighborhood will return to normal," Pacman explained.

He drove the vehicle into another floating yellow orb. It disappeared in a flash. Suddenly Pac yanked the wheel again, feeling Inky come down the left lane.

"Seven blocks," QBert declared.

Pac was breathing harder now, eyes glued to the windshield, fingers clutching the wheel so tight that his knuckles had turned white. Sweat rolled down his face, making his hands and shirt sticky. The Game Code flowed through him, filling his mind with numbers. In his mind, the flying digits computed into thoughts, and strategies. The neighborhood was mapped into his head, and he constantly scanned through the maze behind his eyes. He could feel where each ghost was. And among all of that mind activity, rules and points were compacted in the back of his consciousness.

As the points quickly rose, his speed increased as well. Higher the points, faster the speed. It didn't only increase his speed though; it made the ghosts faster as well. With each orb, he and the ghosts received a boost in their speed. And the more orbs he receives, the higher the points the orbs give him. Only when a ghost touches Pacman, does the speed drop, and the point level of the orbs drops back to the original ten. But Pac and the ghosts were moving very fast now...

Because Pac hadn't been touched yet.

Jumpman jerked his head back and blinked in surprise as a word balloon appeared in his face. "Blinky's behind us!" QBert called.

"I know, I know," Pac said through gritted teeth, yanking the wheel again.

"Pacman? Are you okay?" Jumpman asked him, waving the balloon out of his face. Pacman was tense, and his eyelids kept fluttering shut.

"I'm fine. I just.... need to concentrate," Pac said. His eyes suddenly widened as he gasped. He hastily turned the wheel to the right. Jumpman clutched the armrest in the door, gritting his teeth as the vehicle swung around. The truck made a one hundred eighty degree turn, now facing where they came, and they continued that way at high speed.

"Whoa! What was that for?" QBert asked Pacman.

Pacman didn't reply right away as he tore down the road. Finally, he said, "Look behind us."

Jumpman angled the overhead rear view mirror (knowing that Pacman wouldn't mind since he wasn't using it), and gasped. Three glowing mini coopers raced after them in a single file. Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. As the blocks sped past the yellow tinted windows, two disappeared into different streets, leaving Clyde to trail them.

"Looks like Clyde the daydreamer is feeling less loopy all of the sudden," QBert murmured.

Pacman gasped again, gripping the steering wheel.

"Great. What now?" QBert asked him grudgingly, rolling his eyes.

They came into the middle of a four way intersection, and Pacman suddenly slammed on the brakes, screeching the truck to an abrupt halt. QBert slipped out of Jumpman's hands, and yelped as he bounced off the windshield. Dizzy, he spun, fell from the dashboard, and plopped onto Jumpman's lap again.