Vanellope's Bug Problem
Chapter Eight

Felix and Calhoun didn't know what they expected when Ralph charged at the arch made by the two sugar-free lollipops. Naturally, they were on edge until they were glitched through the wall by Vanellope.

As soon as they recovered, Calhoun had her tracker in hand and was marching forward, the area lit up only by the dim glow of the super hot Diet Cola.

Vanellope glitched in front of her, taking in the sights of what was left of her old home.

"Hold up, Sprinkle Toes." Calhoun pointed the tracker where the strange reading was coming from. "We need to figure out what's in here before we go wandering around like we own the place."

"I used to own this place before Ralph came along." Vanellope ran toward the hot spring. "The track he made is still here."

Ralph looked up. "And all the Mentos are back in place."

Felix looked around. "Jimminy jamminy. You used to live here, Vanellope?"

The girl nodded. "It was the best place I could find where no one could find me, and I couldn't leave the game because Turbo made me a glitch."

Ralph sighed. "I sure hope Turbo's dead. The last thing we need is another game shaken up by him."

Calhoun walked over to a sponge cake covered in candy wrappers. "I'm getting a reading from this area here."

Vanellope shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. That's what I used for a bed when I was here."

"Wreck-It, stay over by the entrance and keep watch."

Ralph nodded and headed down.

Calhoun drew her weapon as she approached the spot where the mystery entity was hidden.

Vanellope reached for the candy wrappers on the bed. "There's definitely something in the bed."

Felix saw a red shoe sticking out from the wrapper. "You may be right, Tammy."

Calhoun immediately jumped in front of Vanellope and whisked the wrappers off the cake bed, revealing that Calhoun's prediction was correct.

"It's Turbo!"

Turbo snapped awake and scrambled for the exit, his progress halted by Ralph.

Vanellope was the first to reach him. "I thought I flew you into that beacon!"

Calhoun produced a pair of handcuffs and put them on Turbo's wrists. "I don't know how you got here, but I know where you're going next."

"Whoa, hey! No need to be so rough!"

Vanellope glared at Turbo. "Alright, Skull-Face. What are you doing in here?"

"I was trying to find a way out of this place after you seized my kingdom."

"Your kingdom? I don't see your name written on it."

Ralph chuckled. "She's got a point. They called your game TurboTime for a reason."

"Shut up, Ralph."

"So, how are you still alive if I flew you into that lava stack?"

"All I know is that the geyser fizzled out before you could go into the light."

"Well, just count yourself lucky that I'm not a Cy-Bug anymore, because otherwise I'd be tearing you limb from limb right now."

"Kid, just let it go."

"Why should I? He stole my game from me after trashing two other games, and I guarantee you he's going to do it again if he ever gets the chance!"

"Which is why his next stop is going to be Hero's Duty maximum security prison." Calhoun summoned the walkie-talkie on her wrist. "Kohut. I need an escort for a virus from Sugar Rush to the maximum security prison."

A voice responded punctually. "Copy that, Sergeant. Dispatching an escort now."

"Meet at the base of Diet Cola Mountain within the game."

"Roger."

Calhoun turned to Vanellope. "It'd probably be a good idea to wait at the game entrance so you can guide him here."

"Right." Vanellope zapped out of the mountain and waited for the escort.

The escort from Hero's Duty arrived within minutes, and they soon had Turbo on his way to maximum security prison. The other racers had gotten wind of it all and had gathered at the finish line to watch.

Taffyta was the first to speak once Turbo was gone. "Was that Turbo?"

"Yeah, that was the guy that hijacked my game and made me a glitch and made you guys think he was your king."

"Wait until I get my hands on that son of a glitch!"

"You and me both, Taffy." That's when Vanellope remembered something. "Oh, yeah, Callie had a few questions for everybody about what happened when Turbutt got overthrown."

Rancis looked to Calhoun. "About what?"

Calhoun sat down on a giant snack cake. "I just needed to know what everyone remembers about the Cy-Bugs that overran this game."

Ralph looked to the entrance of Sugar Rush. "So, kid, did that guy ever tell you how he escaped RoadBlasters after breaking it?"

Vanellope nodded. "Yeah, he told me after I had taken him to the Fungeon..."