"Well, it looks like we got a new man for this game," Throttle chuckled, "All we need to do is see if we can program him to drive."
"Yeah, and if we can't, he can be the loser!" Speed-Machine added with a laugh.
"I wonder if Turbo's made it outside."
"Should we go after him?"
"We'll do it pretty soon. But first, we're gonna find out how this coding works. It's a bit of a jungle in there, and we may need some help. From our little friend."
Throttle looked over at the orange basketball thingy with feet and the weird nose, and grinned.
Q*Bert just sighed and looked at the door, silently praying that Turbo was able to get some help.
"Hey, have you seen Q*Bert anywhere?" Ralph asked a random passerby, who just silently shook his head and went on his way.
"This is useless," Ralph sighed, "And it's my fault. Maybe he died somewhere. Poor guy."
"You givin' up NOW, Stink-Brain?" Vanellope asked, "You didn't give up when that dirty rat King Candy almost killed you!"
"But we've asked almost everyone here! All except for those newcomers who talk kinda funny... you know, those guys who talk with word balloons... hey wait a minute! I wonder if one of them's seen him!"
"I'm still brushin' up on my Q*Bert-ese," Felix said, "And I doubt they'll understand it, but it'd be worth a shot."
They followed a green woman who looked very similar to the strange people. She had leaves growing out of her hair, and vine-like designs on her skin. Her dress was also made of leaves, and her shoes looked like they came out of one of the Zelda or Final Fantasy games.
"Um hey, Miss," Felix called, running up to the woman.
"Uh, sul-sul," the woman said, offering her hand.
They shook hands, and then the group continued, following the woman to the new portal. There, they saw a whole crowd of the strange people.
[Have you seen an orange man that looks like a basketball with legs?] Felix asked in his rusty Q*Bert-ese.
The person he talked to, a blond man with a mustache and goatee, spoke in angry sounding gibberish, then faced away, plugging his ears like a child and saying "Laa-laa-laaa!" before berating him again and then walking away.
"Well, these people sure don't sound friendly," Felix declared.
He then looked around for others to see if they would be more personable. He saw a man in a brown suit and green glasses talking with a ponytailed woman in a black, gothic dress. In his word balloon, Felix saw a picture of Q*Bert, and listened to how the man talked.
Stepping up to them, Felix asked the man, [Q*Bert?]
The man gave him a puzzled look and scratched his head, then said, "Sul-sul."
Then, he heard some familiar Q*Bert-ese. It was Coily, talking with a black-haired, bespectacled man wearing a purple sun-moon design shirt.
His word balloon showed a monochrome picture of Felix, then one of Ralph, and then Q*Bert. The man replied in his strange language, his word balloon showing pictures of the man that Felix had just spoken to, and another one with a bowl cut and large, green glasses. There was a short exchange, and the two seemed to have a marginal understanding of each other's language. Finally, a picture of Q*Bert came up, and then a portal, before they stopped chatting and a couple of pictures, ones of two 'people symbols with ++ signs, briefly appeared over their heads.
Felix went over to Coily and asked him what the man said.
[Q*Bert went into game portal,] the snake replied.
[Which game?] Felix asked.
Coily shook his head.
[He doesn't know.]
"This isn't much help," Felix lamented, "Oh Q*Bert... where are you?"
"Alright, Turbo," the surge protector said, "Looks like you can go now. Just make sure to be aware of your surroundings, and don't cause any havoc inside other games."
Seeing that he was free to go, Turbo had no time to lose. Even if he had to risk getting shot, he had to take it and hope that his ability to maneuver would help. He looked at one of the other portals, than put on his best scared face and let out a scream.
Startled, the two soldiers pointed their guns at whatever Turbo had seen. Turbo saw the opening and made a run for it, just before the soldiers realised they had been duped.
Just then, Felix heard a commotion from across the hub. Turning, Felix saw someone he thought he would never see again: Turbo. Ralph was starting toward the man, who started running in the opposite direction.
"Hey wait!" Ralph called after Turbo, "I've got somethin' important to tell you!"
"Can it wait?" Turbo yelled back, trying to avoid hitting anyone.
Calhoun was already giving Turbo chase on her hoverboard. He was quite fast, but most game characters would get winded in a relatively short time.
"It can't wait, civilian!" Calhoun called to him, "Why are you out here?"
"I've got to get help!" Turbo pleaded, "But people with GUNS are after me! Why didn't anyone tell me there'd be so many violent and scary video games here?"
"Now hold on a minute!" Calhoun snapped, taking out her communicator and hailing Markowski.
"Markowski! Pivonka! Stand down!" she ordered.
Then to Turbo, she said, "Stop running so fast! You could hurt someone here, and if you die outside your game, it's Game Over – forever!"
Turbo complied, reluctantly, and slowed to a stop.
"Were those guys you talked to the ones who were chasing me?"
Calhoun nodded.
"I told them to watch you," she said, "But I guess they take their programming very seriously."
"Look if you're gonna arrest me, arrest me," Turbo sighed, "Take me to your own game if you have to. Just help me rescue my buddy! He's not from my game, and the other guys – Throttle and Speed-Machine – they're holding him captive!"
"We'll see about that," Calhoun replied, "But right now we're lookin' for someone from my husband's game. He's gone missing, and if he isn't found by the time the place opens, the game will glitch."
"Glitch?" Turbo asked, as the others caught up with him and Calhoun, "What's that?"
"It has to do with a game not behaving how it should – like when a character is missing. Happened years ago. You know what happens to games that glitch? They get unplugged."
"Hey guys," Ralph panted, "What's going on?"
"Markowski and Pivonka are being a little overzealous, it seems," Calhoun replied.
"Well," Turbo said sheepishly, "Part of it could be... I did trick them. It was just so important that I had to. My buddy is in big trouble, and I need help – badly!"
"I can help you," Ralph offered.
"Yeah, like you did earlier?" Turbo scoffed.
Dejected, Ralph hung his head.
"Look, Turbo," he said, "I have something important to tell you too."
"Okay," Turbo sighed, "Make it quick."
"I'm sorry."
"Is this a joke?"
"No," Ralph said, "I really am sorry for treating you the way I did without even knowing you. See, years ago, we had another Turbo Time game, and it was popular for a long time until a new game came along. That Turbo was jealous because everyone was playing that game instead of with him. So one night, he jumped into that game and the next day, both games glitched and got unplugged. Turbo hid in the Sugar Rush game and messed with the programming and memories of all the characters, and he programmed them to be very mean to my friend Vanellope. Then years later, he tried to kill her... I almost died saving her life and her game."
"And you thought I was going to do the same?" Turbo asked, "Is that why you went in and scared the bits outta me?"
Ralph sighed. Turbo had him there.
"That's not the whole reason," he continued, "I saw you knocking the other racers down, and hurting them. I've been bullied for years, until Felix told the Nicelanders to treat me better."
"I didn't mean to knock them down," Turbo said, "It's something I can't control. It's in my code. And it looks like with all those neat, colourful games here, I'll never get played anyway."
Ralph put a hand on Turbo's shoulder, and wasn't surprised when the man flinched.
"Don't worry," he reassured Turbo, "I'm never gonna bully you again! In fact, I'm gonna help you. What does your buddy look like? What's his name?"
"I don't know," Turbo replied, still wary of the giant, "He talks kinda funny."
At those words, something dawned on Ralph.
"Wait, wait," Ralph said, "This buddy of yours... does he look kinda like a basketball with feet... and a big nose?"
"Yes... why?" Turbo asked.
"Because, he belongs in my game, Fix-It Felix Jr.! Hey Felix! Come on over here! We know where Q*Bert is! He's in Turbo Time!"
"What?" Felix shouted, running up to where Calhoun had stopped.
"I said, 'Q*Bert is in Turbo Time'," Ralph repeated, "And according to Turbo, he's in deep trouble!"
Ralph took off to the Turbo Time portal, with his friends and Turbo following close behind.