Chapter 23 – Driving to the Airport

Meanwhile, that evening

Inside the elevator, Clifford opens the case latches with his paws. SpongeBob opens it, and he smiles widely as he grabs his paws. The elevator opens. "Finally!" Happy said impatiently. As he heads toward the elevator, SpongeBob struggles to get out as Clifford's spring starts to stretch out. Farquaad pops up, and yanks the sponge back. SpongeBob loses his grip, and Clifford is sent back hitting the elevator wall. Mandible forces SpongeBob inside as the case closes.

Clifford falls to the floor, with Jimmy, Cody, Sherman, Agnes, Oscar, and Alex falling on the floor. Happy opens the door, and walks to his car. Thinking quickly, Oscar takes off his trashcan top and throws it at the closing doors like a Frisbee. It wedges between the doors. The toys run out, and Oscar gets his trashcan top hat off as the doors close.

The toys were too slow, and Happy already began pulling out. As the toys see Happy driving off, Alex said, worried, "How are we gonna get him now?"

The toys look around, until Oscar smirked, "Pizza, anyone?" Oscar motioned to a nearby Pepperoni Planetoid truck nearby! It was from that time SpongeBob and Jimmy were trying to get back to Mike at a certain popular eatery, Pepperoni Planetoid years ago. The truck vibrated to indicate that it's still operable. The toys run toward it. They can use it to catch up to Happy.

"Go, go, go!" Jimmy ordered.

"I got it!" Utility Belt Jimmy called out, catching a small ball.

"Jimmy, are you coming?" Jimmy asked his doppelganger.

"Nope. I got a whole lot of catching up to do with my dad." Utility Belt Jimmy replied.

He tosses the ball to Darth Vader, striking him in the head. The ball was small and didn't attract any disorientation. Vader must've survived the fall, changing personality for his treachery, abuse and animosity to a more gentle nature. Vader cheered gleefully, "Good throw, son! That's my boy. Go long, Jimmy-Dimmy!" Vader fired another ball for Utility Belt Jimmy to catch.

"Oh, you are a great dad! Yippee!" Jimmy 2 whooped, running off.

"Farewell." Jimmy said, bidding a Vulcan salute. He motioned to Sherman and Agnes, "Looks like Vader made an improvement, didn't he?"

Sherman nodded, "Oh, yeah. His fall made his attitude change into a fatherly nature."

Agnes said, "He is now Darth Vader, a softie father to that Utility Belt Jimmy."

Jimmy chuckled, "He sure is. OK, guys. Come on!" He, Sherman and Agnes ran to the truck to join their friends.

"Does anyone even know how to drive?" Alex asked. Once everyone is inside, Jimmy closes the door, locks up the door, and pulled a pizza box up to reach the steering wheel.

"Clifford, take the pedals! Alex, you navigate. Cody and Oscar, operate the levers and knobs. Sherman and Agnes, help me with the wheel." Jimmy instructed. Sherman and Agnes held the top of the wheel as Jimmy's co-operators. Oscar manned a few controls, causing a gust of air conditioning to activate and blow in Clifford's face, sending his ears back.

Alex saw something upward, and said, "Hey, guys look!" It was none other than 3 familiar South Park squeeze-toys, whose names are Stanley Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Craig Tucker. They're hanging on a string on the rearview mirror.

"Hey, dudes!" Stan said.

"Yeah, good to see you!" Kyle replied.

Alex looks ahead, and said, "He's at a red light! We can catch him!"

"Maximum power, Cliff!" Jimmy ordered. Clifford slammed down onto the gas pedal, but the weight was too light, and the car still wouldn't move.

"It turned green! Hurry!" Alex cried.

"Why won't it go?" Jimmy wondered.

"Use the wand of power!" Craig said, pointing down to the gear lever. Oscar pulled it, and the car drove out and into the city roads. It knocks down some traffic cones, and things fall onto Cody. Boston's More than a Feeling plays on the radio.

More than a feeling
When I hear that old song
They used to play
I begin dreaming
More than a feeling

"Alex!" Jimmy called to the lion. "Which way?"

"Left!" Sherman, Agnes and Jimmy steered slightly, but Alex corrected, "Oh, no, no! Left is right. That's right! No, I mean left! Left is right." Happy Chapman was oblivious to a crazy delivery truck swaying back and forth, commandeered by toys catching up behind them before the boy genius action figure kept it straight. The lion toy sees Happy turning a corner. Alex alarmed, "Jimmy, he's turning left!"

Jimmy called out, "On my mark, guys!" Sherman, Agnes and Jimmy work together to turn the wheel with all of their combined might, making a hard left.

"Whoa! Oh, boy!" The South Park kids cried. The string holding them breaks off. Oscar jumped to the window edge and catches the string's end. Cody studies the manual. According to it, the Pepperoni Planetoid truck happens to be a 1978 Ford F-150 Ranger. "I seriously doubt he's getting this king of mileage." Cody scoffed.

Happy makes another turn. "Go right! To the right! Right, right, right, right!" Jimmy makes the turn, and Oscar yanks the 3 boys back into the truck.

"You have saved our lives!" Stan said, relieved.

"Yeah, we are eternally grateful!" Kyle said.

"Eternally." Craig replied happily.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever." Oscar said snidely.

The truck passes a sign, which leads to the Tri-County International Airport, which is the nearest airport the best they could find. The patrons visiting the airport travel in different planes for traveling and they fly the plane back to where they came from after their travel.

"The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading." A woman's voice rang on the P.A. system. The delivery truck arrives as the P.A. system continued, "No parking." The truck parked near the doors, one wheel unwittingly hitting part of the white zone.

"Guys, we can't park here. It's a white zone." Alex issued.

"We know that, Alex. But this truck is borrowed, and the owner may presumably retrieve it back, but it'll cost him a big ticket." Agnes explained.

Sherman appeared next to Agnes, "Besides, us toys having nothing to do with the law of driving, especially if someone is booked with a ticket for what we thought was illegal."

Jimmy peered through the window, and pointed a finger to Happy. "There he is!" The toys see Happy Chapman unloading his suitcase to the baggage claim.

Jimmy turned to Sherman, "Hey, Sherman?"

"Yeah, Jimmy?" Sherman turned to Jimmy.

"Any way we can get inside without getting caught?" Jimmy asked.

"Final boarding for United Airlines flight 451 to Tokyo. All confirmed passengers with boarding passes must board at this time." the female announcer said.

Sherman surveyed the area until something caught his eye: a set of nearby pet carriers. "Those pet carriers can be useful."

Jimmy obliged, "Good plan."