Chapter 16

"No…"

Amidst the chaos, it's impossible for me to make sense of anything. My sister's dead, everyone I know is a traitor and my code has become glitched. And yet, there's only one thing my befuddled mind can piece together.

This is NOT happening right now…

A second glint of red pulls my attention back to my hands, which have begun glitching again. Horrified, I hold my hands away from me and back away slowly, as if to run away, and the moment I unexpectedly bump right into Calhoun, my entire body flashes red.

I jump back in shock. Keep calm, Jubi, I think. This isn't happening; it's all just a bad dream. But then I take one look at my glitching body, and any sense I might have still had is gone. I charge at the injured Vanellope and seize her by the scruff of the neck.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!"

I'm right on the verge of wringing the life out of her when Calhoun scoops me up by the torso and drags me away.

"Don't you dare lay another finger on her, kid, or so help me I will end you!" warns Calhoun. "Do not underestimate my resolve!"

The Sergeant nods at Kohut, most likely authorizing him to drag me back to my detention cell again. Oh, perfect- that's just what I need to cap off the day my sister dies and I get turned into the freak of nature of a Glitch I've become.

The thought of being taken back to Hero's Duty engulfs me with rage, and an odd sensation hits me- the sensation of a new power surging through my being. With a flash of red, I slip right through Calhoun's arms and charge in Vanellope's direction.

"What did you DO to me?!" I demand, grabbing her by the wrist.

"Jubes, listen!" Vanellope rasps. "Your code's been broken. You're a Glitch now. It's gonna be okay, just don't panic…"

"DON'T PANIC!" I shriek, the action causing my body to glitch again. "Look what you've done to me! Killing my friends and my sister wasn't enough- no, you just had to break my code, didn't you?! Well, guess what? Now I'm gonna break YOU!"

"Jubi, WAIT! Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Vanellope yells frantically. "I'm sorry about everything that's happened to you! I'm sorry your sister was killed! I'm sorry your code's broken… but you really think I made all that happen?"

I step away from her in shock, remembering what Calhoun had said about her. All this time… could she really have been trying to help?

"I never did anything to you or your friends!" she snaps. "I told you before, Jubes… you can't go on blaming other people for your problems! Like it or not, the only one you can blame's yourself, and that's the truth!"

I bury my face in my arms, thinking about everything that's happened to me these last few weeks. The encounter with Ralph… Glass Joe's battle with Bald Bull… My leaving Citrusella behind to die… She's entirely right. They're all dead now, and it's my fault…

What are you thinking, Jubi? the voice in my head scolds me. Don't be a fool! Don't listen to her- you can't trust her! Not after everything she did to you…

Rage fills me again, bubbling inside me like a volcano. "No… it's… NOT!" I scream at her. "You don't knowwhat the truth is! You never have! The truth is that everyone I've ever known is dead… because… of… YOU!"

My whole body flashes red as I throw her one final punch, sending her crashing down to the ground flat on her face. The soldiers gasp again, and Calhoun narrows her eyes with a disapproving grimace.

Vanellope slowly lifts her face off the ground. "You really are crazy, aren't you?" she snarls, her face full of anguish, her eyes full of tears.

I hold my glitching fist to my face, wide-eyed. She's right… what have I done?!

My hand keeps glitching, and I pull it away from me again, looking away in disgust. I want nothing more than to run away from it… but I can't do it. I know I can't do it.

That's been your whole life, Jubileena- running away… From the competition, from that monster from the taffy swamp, from all those Cy-Bugs… the voice in my head tells me. And now, you've found the one thing you can't run away from: yourself. So why are you so afraid of it? Why fight it? This is what you've become, Jubileena. Why not… embrace it?

My train of thought is interrupted by the sky suddenly darkening. The shadow of a large Bug passes over our heads, and its startlingly familiar voice makes my blood run cold.

"Well done, my little Jubileena, well done! Your thithter would be tho proud…"

…

My heart skips a beat as the shadow descends and its owner confronts us, all six of his arms spread open in a show of force. The same gaunt face I had known and foolishly trusted for fifteen years now sat atop the body of a terrifying metal monstrosity.

"TURBO!"

"Light him up, ladies! It's time to zap this Bug once and for all!" orders Calhoun. Without hesitation, the soldiers open fire on the Bug King.

"Hoo hoo, how rude," Turbo chuckles as he merely swats away their bullets with a swipe of his arm, "Now, ith that any way to treat hothpitality?!"

Turbo leaps high into the air, before crashing down right in front of Calhoun. "Perhapth I need to teach you a thing or two about mannerth!" With a single swing of his tail, Calhoun, Kohut, and the rest of their corps are sent flying like leaves in a storm.

"SARGE!" I cry out. But before I can run to her aid, Turbo, glitching into his true form, snatches my waist, lifting me into the air.

"You've been hanging with the wrong sort, Jubileena," laughs Turbo. "Your friends from Hero's Duty can't tell kindness when they see it. But you, on the other hand, are perfectly welcome into my game. Of course… Now that I command the Bug army, every game in this arcade will soon be my game! Hoo hoo!"

"Not if I have anyth-!" I scream, but Turbo cups one of his gigantic hands over my mouth, as his face glitches back into its false King Candy form.

"Now now, my thweet, hear me out for a moment, and I think you'll find we're fighting the thame enemy here," he chortles. "Tho pleathe, why not be a good girl and help uth both out?"

"What makes you think I'd ever do anything for you, Turbo?" I snarl.

"I don't think you will, Jubileena… I know."

"Prove it, then."

"Very well," Turbo says as he releases me, before quickly snatching Vanellope in his arms. "JUBI!" she cries out.

"Now then," continues Turbo, "I suppose it's time for a little explanation…"