Bring Your Little Racer to Work Day
At this time during the day, the arcade would have been in its after hours. Game Central Station was dark with the only light being from Surge Protector patrolling the halls and making sure no other disasters would befall upon the remaining games. It was quiet enough that one could hear their own steps bouncing off the walls.
But the station was not completely deserted, because three little racers had slipped away in the middle of a slow-paced game of hide and seek to make an adventure of their own.
Jubileena, being the bold and determined character she was, took the lead at the head of the group. She was wild and reckless, and in need of something more exciting than a simple childish activity. With all the restlessness she'd been experiencing while being stuck at her temporary home, it felt necessary to get out while no one was looking. Candlehead and Citrusella were following close behind, both trembling slightly and their eyes looking at every dark corner they came across.
"This place sure is a lot more creepy when it gets dark." Candlehead mentioned.
Jubileena laughed loudly and spun around, her feet firmly planted on the ground and her hands on her hips. "Relax, that's why you've got your big sis here to keep you safe!"
Citrusella looked up at her. "What are you talking about? You're the same age we are!"
"Then I'm your smarter sis!"
Jubileena hopped forward, antsy and with a high level of confidence that surprised herself. None of the kids had ever traveled between games, and they certainly had not done it alone.
"Hurry up, you slowpokes!"
Candlehead and Cirtusella were dragging their feet, nervous to take any steps closer to wherever their destination was. But they picked up the pace for the sake of keeping up with the spunky redhead.
"Won't we get in trouble for this?" Candlehead asked in a concerned voice.
Jubileena scoffed. "If you two would quit lagging behind, then we could make it back there before they even notice we're gone."
"Do you even know where you're going?" Citrusella questioned.
The cherry-haired girl shook her head with a grin on her face. "Nope! That's part of the fun, ladies!"
Each game tunnel caught her attention for a brief second before she decided it wasn't worthy of her and the other's time. She made a comment about the title sounding too "kiddy" or "low-level".
Finally, she stopped the line she was leading right in front of the Hero's Duty tunnel. She gazed up at it and listened to see if she could hear the sounds from within. It seemed as though there were a million explosions occurring inside this world. Bombs going off and what she assumed was rapid gunfire; she and the others hadn't actually seen weapons firing in person before.
Candlehead was gazing up at the digital title above. "Isn't this Mrs. Calhoun's game?"
Jubileena shrugged. "No idea. But it sure sounds like a whole lot cooler things are going on in there!"
Citrusella took a few steps back. "No, no, no, bad idea."
"What're you, scared?" The redhead teased as she moved in closer.
Candlehead ran up to her and firmly grasped the overeager girl's arm. "Jub, I don't think this is the kind of place for us. You know what happens if we die outside our game."
Rolling her eyes, the leader turned and folded her arms over her cherry-printed shirt. "We already are outside our own game if we go back. I've been wanting to branch out and see new things since forever ago and now we've finally got a reason to do it."
The others looked down at the floor, making circles in the ground with their boots.
Jubileena palmed her face. "Look, if things get too intense, we can leave. Is that okay with you guys?"
It was an awkward silence for all three of them, with both the other girls reluctantly agreeing, possibly for the sake of preventing bad things happening to Jubileena, as well. Her mind was already made up to go inside, and being as stubborn as she was, she wasn't about to listen to reason.
Candlehead sighed. "Okay, fine. But if anything goes wrong, we're blaming you."
...
The environment that unfolded before them was a stark contrast to the one they'd just come out of. It was dark, grim, and hazy, with a burning scent lingering in the air. The screeching sounds of heavy machinery pierced the atmosphere and caused both Candlehead and Citrusella to plug their ears. In the distance, weapons were going off and sparks of explosions could be seen from where they stood.
The air was smoggy and sent each of them into a bit of a coughing fit. The floor they were walking on was no longer the laminated surface of the GSC, but instead a sturdy metal cover with several unfamiliar symbols and colors painted onto them.
Candlehead jumped at the sound of a grenade detonating much too close for her comfort. "This is crazy! Who would want to play in a game like this?!"
"Are you kidding?" Jubileena jumped up and down, completely ecstatic. "This is totally out of this world! I've never seen such a cool place before!"
"I wanna go home!" Citrusella cried.
Jubileena sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine, you big babies. Let's get you two out of here before your squeals awaken the monsters-"
Just then, the exit was blocked by a spontaneous cloud of white mist. The three of them were overtaken by a series of coughing fits and burning eyes. It was difficult to breathe, to see, and to feel around them.
"Guys?" Jubileena called, using her hands to find her way around.
She nearly tripped over a few loose pipes and discarded pieces of artillery. She could hear the voices of the others attempting to reach her.
"I'm over here!"
She jumped up and waved her hands in the air. She rubbed her burning eyes and squinted forward. A silhouette that didn't appear to be much bigger than herself could be seen through her blurry vision. Its details couldn't be distinguished through the thick smoke. Jubileena took a cautionary step backwards, keeping in mind the scattered litter all around her.
The thing had traveled closer to her and once she heard the whirring sounds of mechanical parts spinning, she knew it wasn't one of the others that was coming closer to her.
It looked like an insect - very much like the ones that occasionally scampered along the glass panel on their game console - with a hideous green glow and a more menacing look on its face.
It stood on its hind legs and waved its two front pincers wildly and its entire upper body expanded. In its middle was a swirling spiral of razor-sharp teeth. It lunged forward at Jubileena and she managed to hop out of the way, rolling onto her feet and already prepared for its next attack.
"Woah..." She breathed, not a clue as to how she managed to make that kind of move.
When one has to face many hazardous obstacles on different terrains of race tracks, one learns to dodge more than just their kart, she assumed.
The bug turned and looked as if it were about to charge, again. Jubileena slid underneath it as it leapt up, swiftly grasped a loose pipe, and held it with both hands in front of her. "Stay back!"
It didn't seem too phased by her defense and easily devoured the weapon she'd chosen.
She didn't allow herself to be afraid of it. But Jubileena wasn't about to stick around and find out what its next moves were. She turned around and sprinted towards the opposite direction, where she could hear the others calling out for her.
"Jubileena! Help!"
She skid past another one of those nasty bugs as it just barely missed one of her red pigtails. She could see the two girls huddled together, with Candlehead defending Cirtusella as she was sitting on the ground with an arm wrapped around her knee.
Grabbing another loose pipe, Jubileena slid in between Candlehead and the bug, holding out the weapon like a sword.
"Don't you touch my sisters, you ugly green critter!"
The bug was floating on its skinny wings and its swirling spikes began to close. There was a look in its eyes that was different than the other she'd seen. The eyes were colored blue with several hexagonal lights blinking out of them.
Jubileena turned her head slightly to the others. "Guys, I've got it distracted! Head towards the exit!"
"What about you?" Candlehead asked.
"I'll be fine!" She said to them. "Just go on ahead!"
Candlehead hoisted one of Citrusella's arms over her shoulders and helped her stand as they made their way back towards the game tunnel. Jubileena assumed she had the bug's full attention, but as soon as the other two started to make a run for it, the bug decided it was more interested in them.
Citrusella could barely move and stumbled back on her behind. Candlehead looked all around her for an object she could use against it. Then without a second thought, she grabbed the candle that was still lit atop of her hat and pointed it at the creature. "Go away!"
She waved it in front of the bug and both her and Citrusella noticed that the bug's hypnotized eyes kept following the flame.
Jubileena could see it, too. "Candlehead! Throw it!"
"What?!" Candlehead was still traveling back as the bug kept following the lit candle.
"The bug's attracted to the fire!" Jubileena said. "Throw it!"
Candlehead refrained from doing so for only a split second and spun around, and chucked her most treasured piece of her uniform as hard as she could into the distance ahead.
The bug went after it and cleared the way for the three of them to make their escape. Jubileena, still clutching the pipe in one hand, hurried over and wrapped Citrusella's other arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's blow this joint!"
Just as they were about to cross the game tunnel back into the GCS, there was an explosion that went off even more intense and louder than before and all three of them turned their heads to look.
A burst of light popped out of the tall tower that was ahead of the path, which they assumed was the central point that all the bugs spawned from. All the bugs that they were fortunate enough not to encounter arose from the ground and headed towards the beam of light. They all fluttered away in massive crowds, making Jubileena's chest tighten with fear at the thought of her and the others traveling through this game just a little longer.
"Come on, let's get back before-"
And then there was an even more frightening sound that made them all stop in their tracks and their eyes widen.
"What in the name of all that is sacred are you kids doing here?!"
It was an incredibly angry voice, deep but feminine, that cut through all other eardrum-shattering tones of the machines at work and the bugs colliding with the light. The three of them gulped and turned to see who it was that was addressing them.
A tall figure, dressed in highly advanced attire that looked about as heavy as the weapons she carried, was staring down at them, looking both terrifying and captivating. But perhaps the most frightful feature of her in that moment was the infuriated expression that was on her face. It looked as though the three of them were about to receive much more than just a heated lecture about their mistake.
Jubileena hung her head. "We can explain."
AN: I love writing battle scenarios. They're a lot of fun. Also, y'all probably guessed which racer is my personal favorite.
I'm glad to be receiving reviews so early in my story's progress. It helps keep me motivated. I'll withhold my feelings about Ralph Breaks the Internet for when I write my Author's Note. But in response to one of my reviews, Crumbelina seemed to me - for some reason - like she would be the most empathetic racer. I don't know, just looking at her made me think she would be nicer than the others.
Thanks for leaving answers to my questions in the reviews. It helps clear things up.