Chapter 3

Game Central Station never used to be the nightmare that it is now. This entire hub, once buzzing with life and activity, now resonated with an air of gloom. There had always been homeless characters in the arcade (poor Q*Bert, his game was unplugged long before the Bugs first invaded), but never on a scale such as this. And of course, when Litwak would eventually return to find his arcade in turmoil, each and every game would be unplugged for good, and those that remained would find themselves cast down into this hopeless place.

Even still, while Game Central may no longer have the pleasant atmosphere it once had, without question it's the safest place in the arcade- in fact, it's the only safe haven here anymore. The entire team of Surge Protectors in our Power Strip have made sure of that- they've set up living accommodations, eating quarters, and the best defenses in the arcade. I can see why they would want to take that extra measure to keep us safe, but their defenses aren't really necessary. Bugs pass through all the time, but their sights are set on the other games in the arcade, not on us. They'd have to be looking rather hard to stumble upon the new bunkers set up for us beneath Game Central Station.

But not even the Surge Protectors can stop the invasion from spreading to other games. Day by day, more and more game's fall under the Bugs' influence. It's been four days now since the epidemic began, and now only a handful of games remain free of their control- Bad Dudes, The House of the Dead, Street Fighter, and some other game that was only just plugged in last week. I don't remember it's name- I only know various tidbits about it from the others in the arcade. Someone even suggested that the Bugs actually originated from that game.

As I make my way back to the bunkers at the far end of Game Central, I'm approached by dozens of characters without a game- weak and weary, desperate, some begging for food, some too heartbroken to bother to ask. A zombie from Ghosts N' Goblins lurches out at me unexpectedly, a ravenous look in his eyes. Without a second thought, I pull a Gold Coin out of my pocket and plunk it into the creature's outstretched hands. I didn't know if it would really attack me or not, but seeing as I was almost eaten by Cy-Bugs yesterday, I'd rather be safe then sorry. Besides, it's not like I'd be using those coins in any Random Roster Races anytime soon.

The path to the living quarters within the bunkers takes me through a narrow hall flanked by several large rooms that I can only guess are used for conferences. As I head for the residence rooms to rendezvous with Citrusella, I can hear mutterings coming from one of them- there must be a meeting inside. I'm not too sure what's going on, but then I hear Bowser's signature roar, and it becomes clear: Bad-Anon is meeting inside.

"DON'T SAY THAT!" the Koopa King growled from behind the door of the conference room. "After everything that happened to him, after everything he did to save us? How can you say such a thing about Ralph? That guy was the bravest man I ever knew."

"But again, like I've tried to point out," said a voice that resembled Clyde's, "How can we be so sure about what happened? None of us were there. And from what I could get out of Felix Jr., there are theories going around that he caused the invasion in the first place!"

The suggestion is met with angry yells from the other Bad-Anon members, and I can't blame them- if I were there with them I'd join right in. How could Clyde, the leader of Bad-Anon, of all people, ever believe that Wreck-It Ralph, the man who gave his life for the arcade, was to blame for all this? Curiously, I press my ear against the conference room door as Clyde attempts to calm the others down.

"Hey now, hey now! Look, I'm not saying that's a fact, okay, everyone? It's just a theory. And with the arcade in this condition, it's a possibility we just can't overlook."

"Well, nuts to that!" Bowser sneered. "You can live by your little theories all you want, Clyde, but as for me, I'm sticking with what I know is the truth, and the truth is that Ralph gave his all to save us. Besides, I've been doing this job longer than anybody-"

"Oh really?" Clyde retorted. "You're the most experienced Bad Guy in the room even though my game came out years before yours? Listen to yourself, Bowser."

"Bowser's right," M. Bison joined in. "That man was only one of us for a day, but he was the greatest of us all! He's a legend! You should hear the stories they tell about him in Game Central. They say he stood up to Turbo before he invaded the arcade. They say his last words were the Bad Guy Affirmation."

"Is that what you've heard?" retorted Clyde. "Well, what I've heard- from a significant minority, mind you- is that Ralph started the invasion. Again, guys, I'm not telling you what to believe. As your leader, I'm just giving you a possibility to consider-"

"Well, consider this, Ghost Boy," said Bison, raising his voice. "Maybe we don't want you as our leader anymore!" The other Bad-Anon members punctuate this remark with yells of agreement.

That's when the fight begins. The shouts and yells of the group's many Bad Guys resonate through the hollow halls of the bunkers. The sound is terrifying, but at the same time I want to know more- I want to know these theories about Ralph and how the invasion started. I lean against the doorknob for support, but suddenly the door slides open and I fall headfirst into the room.

Instantly, everything falls silent. The sight of a Sugar Rusher was obviously disconcerting for Bad-Anon, a group that had lost its last greatest member to an attack staged in that game.

An awkward silence passes before Clyde clears his throat. "Ms. Bing-Bing! What's going on? Is there something wrong?"

I pick myself up off the ground and take in the sight of the Bad-Anon members, all with puzzled looks on their faces. I suddenly want to tell them everything I know about Ralph- how I met him in Tapper's, how I failed to save him.

But I can't- all I can tell them is "Um… no? Nothing's wrong. I… I guess I'll just go now…"

The still-dumbstruck Bad Guys watch as I close the door behind them. Then I turn and run down the hallway- running because I'm ashamed that I let this happen to Ralph, because I feel stupid for not being able to say it in front of Bad-Anon, and most importantly, because I want to see Citrusella, the only person in the world who could possibly understand everything that's going on in my troubled mind.

…

The living quarters in the bunkers below Game Central are utilitarian at best. With their metal walls, dull, dim colors, and utter lack of whimsy, they're big a step down for those of us from Sugar Rush. But at the moment, they're the only home we've got.

When I arrive at the row of rooms for the Sugar Rushers, Taffyta's door is open. I stick my head in the room and find her sitting on her cot, brushing her hair.

"Hey, Taff."

At the sound of my voice, she whips her head around. "Oh hey, Jubes," she says. "I heard you had a Bug encounter! Your sister's been worried sick!"

"Yeah, I just got out of the hospital," I say. "Have they found any of the others?"

"Still no sign of Minty, Crumbelina, or Adorabeezle," Taffyta sighed. "And it's been four days now, so I doubt if they've managed to last this long… Oh, but Snowanna managed to make it out yesterday, so she's alive. And Citrusella, of course, thanks to you."

Minty was my closest friend in Sugar Rush, save for Tafftya, and her ongoing disappearance only adds to my feelings of devastation.

"Great," I tell her half-heartedly. "Well, I guess I'd better go find my sister."

I pass several more rooms for the other racers before reaching the door labeled, "Jubileena B. B." When I open the door, Citrusella is crouching next to my cot, clutching her little bear in a death grip. The worried look on her face vanishes at the sight of me.

"JUBI!" she screams as she rushes me for another hug. She sends me down to the floor, completely knocking the wind out of me as she showers me in kisses.

"Citrus!" I shriek, laughing. "You're gonna send me right back to the hospital!"

"Oh, Jubi," she whimpers in between kisses, "I was so worried…"

"Don't worry Citrus," I whisper, stroking her blue hair. "I'm here now. I'm here."

…

"Hey Jubi?" Citrus asks as the two of us lie in our cots, trying restlessly to fall asleep. "Didn't you say earlier you wanted to ask me something?"

"Well, yes, but…" I hesitate. Citrusella is the most understanding person I've ever met, but even this might sound strange. "It's about… about Vanellope."

"The Glitch?" Citrus looks at me with wide eyes. "She's dangerous, Jubi. Everyone says she can't race or be trusted or anything, or she might destroy our game. You didn't run into her back in Sugar Rush when I left, did you?"

"Well… actually, I did, but-"

"Jubi…" Citrus sounded horrified. "You might have caught her Glitch disease! What were you thinking?!"

"Something happened that night," I tell her. "After you left and those Cy-Bugs attacked me, she showed up and…" I try to remember the whole scene. "…And she stopped them from killing me! And then… after I blacked out… I think she brought me back to the Sugar Rush portal! Citrus…" Again I hesitate, because what I'm about to say must sound absurd to her. "…I think she saved my life."

"That can't be true, Jubi!" Citrus cried. "She tried to kill us all! Everyone in Sugar Rush is sure of it! I bet if you asked her, even she'd be sure of it!"

And suddenly I know exactly what I have to do. "Citrus," I say. "I've been thinking… I want to go back to Sugar Rush and find her, and figure out for myself what happened. I'm not sure she's as dangerous as everyone says she is."

"Jubi, no, you can't," she tells me. "Don't you remember what she did to Wreck-It Ralph? I'm not letting you end up like him. I don't want to lose you again…"

I don't respond; don't bother telling her everything Clyde had said about Ralph. I don't know what really happened to him, or to me when the Bugs attacked. The only person who knows the truth is the Glitch, and I'm more determined then ever to find it out.