The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

In a group, they charged down the circular catwalk, through the doors held open with the pipe that Nick had placed there, and down the long hall towards the elevator.  In the lead were Bryce and Gord, still carrying the shields in front of them to ward off any attack, followed closely by Trent, Ted, and Johnny.  Behind them came Davis and Tom of the Bullies, Damon, Casey, Juri, and Luis of the Jocks, Justin and Parker of the Preps, Peanut, Hal, Lefty, and Norton of the Greasers, with Lola tagging along, who had somehow obtained a Spudgun.  Trailing last was the band of Nerds, Melvin in front lugging the Super Spud gun, with Bucky, Donald, and Thad following closely.

Some had stayed on the Chem Plant roof....Russell and Bob, who were busy kicking and stomping on their defeated opponents....Trevor, Gordon, Ivan, and Ray, who were helping pull the wounded back out of the rain and into the sheltering ramp, where the girls of Binky, Angie, Mandy, Gloria, Jimmette, Paige, and Amber were tending to their wounds....And Fatty, whose limp was making it hard for him to get around.  In all, there were 11 casualties so far, but none had suffered real serious wounds, though they were bleeding a lot.  And, behind the Access Shed, Constantinos and Tiffany were still busy at her game, which had taken of a whole new flavor.

Johnny, Ted, and Trent had relieved the Townies of their Air Rifles, but had discovered the guns were very low on ammo.  They brought them along anyway, but still carried their primary weapons.  The entire group approached the elevator in the dim light, and then saw Laurent step from the elevator.

 “Mon Dieu!”, Laurent exclaimed, “I am so glad it is you fellows !  How is going the big battle ?”

“They’re all defeated”, Bryce informed him.  “Where do we have to go now ?”

Laurent’s face showed relief.  “This way, ride down the elevator, I will show you....But it can only ride five at one time.”  He looked beyond them, and saw the long hall crowded with students.  “It will take several of such trips....”

“Then, we better get started”, Ted said grimly, the memory of the Pellet shot into his chest just a few months ago by Omar burning in his mind for revenge.  “Take us down !”

Laurent nodded, then herded the front four of Ted, Trent, Bryce, and Johnny into the elevator.  He then got in himself, pulled the gate closed, and pushed the button for the ground floor.  “Make ready !”, he called out to the others as the elevator began to move, “I will return shortly for more !”

In all, it would take twenty minutes and five more trips with the elevator in order to bring the remaining Students down to the ground floor, and on his last trip, Laurent was to bring down the last two Nerds of Bucky and Donald, along with two last minute passengers who appeared just as he was ready to close the gate....Constantinos and Tiffany.
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony and Nick had made their way cautiously down the U-shaped stairs that led to the second level.  They came out of the alcove at the bottom with loaded weapons at the ready, but after a few minutes it seemed certain there was nobody on the floor.  Otto and Leon, who had been the two Townies up on the first level just a while ago, had presumably gone down to the third level.

The second level provided more light, as most of it was coming from a sort of straight line glass-walled area that bisected the circular room.  Tony and Nick walked towards it, hunched over and looking around everywhere at once, in case an attack were to come.  None did, however, and they arrived at the glass wall, peering in.

A ghastly sight greeted their eyes.  Inside were scores of cages, and within them were the rotting remains of hundreds of dead animals, large and small.  It was a gruesome sight, and Tony could only imagine at how this came to be.  The one dead dog that was in a cage directly in front of Tony bothered him the most, for unlike most of the rest of the other animals who had rotted into mostly shapeless masses of flesh, this poor dog had managed to survive longer than many of the other animals. Tony gazed at the dog who had surely died of hunger and thirst. He was just beginning to rot, as much of his once-shiny coat was still intact.  A memory welled up in him about his pet dog Fluffers, who had gotten hit by a car on the road where he lived.  Tony wound up having to bury his canine pal in the backyard.  A great sadness welled up in him as he looked at the poor dog who had died friendless and alone, and on the heels of that, a great anger.



Nick laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder.  “Come on”, he said, not unkindly. “We got to go.”

Tony swallowed, and turned away from the sight, not looking back.  The cruel callowness of those who had run the Vale Valley still never ceased to stir feelings of revulsion in him.  Those who had fled and left these animals to their awful fates were heartless monsters indeed.  And the remnants of the way of life that they had imposed upon the Valley, the very ones that the rich had disenfranchised, lay beneath them....The Townies, victims who had turned perpetrators.  Greed an Hate always spawns more Greed and Hate, no matter what the class.  It was time for this cycle to end, right here, tonight.  Not only to rescue Karen and Melody, but to rescue the kind of life to which all were entitled, free of fear and madness.

The boys found the other set of stairs in an alcove not far from where they had emerged, in another alcove.  They were identical to the stairs they had just come down.  Just why they weren’t in the same place as one stairway was a mystery.  Tony an Nick tred down, weapons at the ready, just as noiselessly as Foxes hunting in the night.  At the bottom, from the shadows of the alcove, they gazed out onto the third level.
________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Nothing up there, Boss”, Otto reported.

“Yeah, didn’t see nobody”, Leon added, “Or hear anybody.”

“Hmm....That’s good”, mused Omar.  “Did you see Jerry ?”

“Ahhh....No.  We didn’t go up above”, Otto replied.  “You just told us to check the Levels, remember ?”

“Yeah, he oughtta be back soon”, Leon said, hopefully.

Omar wasn’t so sure.  “Then, where is he ?”, Omar muttered, more to himself than the others.  Again, he picked up the Walkie-Talkie and tried again.  “Jerry....Come in.  What’s going on up there ?”  Only static answered him. 

“He won’t answer you”, Karen jeered suddenly, viciously.  “He’s beaten, they’re all beaten, and Tony and Nick are coming for your Prevo Asses !!”

Even though still afraid, Melody piped up bravely, “They’ll make you Sickos Pay for what you’ve done to us !”

Omar seethed at their words, but just turned and looked at the girls.  It wouldn’t do to show that these two little girls were getting to him.  “So, you Bitches know just what’s gonna happen, don’cha now ?”, he said with a smirk.  “Those Schoolboy Princes of yours are just gonna waltz down here and save you from the bad men, is that it ?”  He walked over and faced the bound girls.  “Lemme tell you how it’s really gonna be.  First off, your boyfriend Clowns aren’t gonna find their way down here, it’s too well concealed.  So then, they’re gonna pay us some money, or else you two Sluts are gonna be comin’ with us to our new digs a long way from here.  There, you’ll be our Slaves, and will do anything we want, eventually.  You’ll even get to like it.”

“We will never Like It, and we won’t be you Slaves, either !”, Karen shot back.  “You’ll never be able to hold us, ever !”

“Yeah ?”, Omar guffawed.  “I heard tell of this guy in Cleveland who’s keeping three girls he snatched right in his house, for years.  And he’s just one dude.  What chance you Bitches think you got ?”

Gurney came up behind Melody while Omar was talking, and grabbed her under her boobs, cupping them.  “I want another crack at this one a’fore we leave”, he said in a lecherous tone, “Now that she ain’t a Zombie no more.”

Panic seized Melody at his touch.  “Leave Me Alone Motherfucker !!!”, she screamed, struggling against her bonds and trying to shake off Gurney’s hands. 

“Shuddup, CUNT !!”, Gurney reacted, and suddenly smacked Melody in the side of her head.

A cry of protest arose from Karen.  “Stop That, You Asshole !!”

“Why, You Bitch....”, Gurney said, raising his hand to strike Karen also.

But Omar interrupted him.  “Cool it, right now !”, he ordered. “Don’t be damaging the merchandise.  If we get that ransom, and do turn these Whores back over to to their Asswipe boyfriends, I want those Bastard’s crotches to ache and their hearts to break every time they think about us havin’ them, just like a knife to their guts !”

That last part Omar said savagely, almost gleefully.  Preoccupied as they all were, no one thought to look towards the alcove stairway down the narrow hall to the South and and chance to see two figures sneaking in.
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Shadowed somewhat in the alcove, Tony and Nick looked down the narrow hallway, where they could just make out some figures in what appeared to be a glass-walled portion of a room towards the center of the third level.  Just outside the alcove, what looked like a circular hallway ran both left and right.

“Which way ?”, Nick whispered, indicating the circular hallway, since advancing straight ahead was not an option.

“Um....”, Tony whispered back, struggling to remember the crude drawings that Mr. Riddle had made.  He had them shoved in his pockets, but this wasn’t the time or place to pull them out to look at.  He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and then he had it.  “That way...To the left”, he told Nick.



As they could tell nobody was looking in their direction, they slipped into the circular hallway.  Cautiously, weapons at the ready, they tred around past what seemed to be smaller rooms to their left and larger rooms to their right.  Within less that a minute, there was a break in the pattern, as a space to the right opened up.  They both cautiously peered around the inner wall.

Beyond a small open area, a glass entry door gave way to a much larger room. Peering through, they could see tables and chairs arranged within in an familiar, orderly fashion.  This was a Lunchroom of some sort, Tony decided.  There was a glassed-in area that contained vending machines off to the left.  He took note of the tables. They were thick, looking like solid wood, rather than the cheap plastic ones he was used to seeing in a normal lunchroom.



Tony chanced to pull out his drawings then, and quickly shuffled though them, finding the third level one.  Crude as the drawings were, the area was noted there.  He also saw that it wasn’t far off to the Steel Doors and the wide straight hallway.  Stuffing them back in his pocket, Tony pointed back towards the circular hallway, and they resumed their advance. 

Nick was the first to spot the Steel Doors on the left just a few seconds later.  He bumped Tony’s arm and pointed.  The wide hallway led from there, and the boys edged up to the corner.  Nick took a quick look around the edge, then pulled back so Tony could take a look.  Tony edged his head around the corner slowly.  The first thing he saw, at kind of an angle, was what resembled a Cafeteria Line, set running parallel to the wide hallway, with a Kitchen area behind it.



Tony poked his head further around until he was looking straight down the wide hallway.  He was looking at a large glass-enclosed area at the center of the level.  There were two glass entry doors that had been propped open.  Inside were tables and other things.  But what made Tony’s heart race was not what he was seeing, but whom. 

There were the Townies, all right.  They were involved in a discussion of some sort, he could hear voices.  As a couple of them moved, Tony caught a glimpse of two other figures who were seated....A dark-haired person and a strawberry blonde person.  He could just see the tops of their heads, but it was enough.  A sudden stab pierced his heart.  He would recognize that hair anywhere.  It was Karen !  And the other one had to be Melody.  They had found them at last.

As Tony pulled back, a sort of giddy feeling rose in him.  But it was quickly tempered with the reality of the situation.  He had also glimpsed the weaponry that the Townies were carrying, slung over their shoulders.  It was the Air Rifles.  There was no way that they could mount an attack, as much as he wanted to.  It would turn into a suicide mission, and the girls would still not be free.

“We need help”, he whispered to Nick, who already had assessed the situation and nodded.  Just their Spud Guns wouldn’t be able to hold out for long against those Air Rifles....Not to mention that they were outnumbered.  “We gotta go back, and get some of the others....If they made it down !”

Nick considered, then whispered, “You go....I’ll stay.”

“What ??”, Tony mouthed.  “Are you Nuts ?  What ...?”

“Go On”, Nick whispered urgently, “Go bring them...The Shields....Super Spud Gun....Just like we did up top.  It’s the only way !”

“But...I can’t leave you here !”, Tony whispered hoarsely.

“I’ll be alright”, Nick whispered back.  “I’ll duck into that Lunchroom if any of them come.  Now, GO !!  Get them here !”

There wasn’t time to debate.  Tony nodded and headed back the way that they came, hoping the rest of the assault at the top had been successful.
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“So what now, man ?”, Trent asked Laurent as the students stood milling around the Ground Floor.

“Yeah, like where dem Bastids at ?”, voiced Damon.  “I wants to tear dem up !”

Other voices joined in the throng. The consensus was to go after the remaining Townies.  There was payback to be had, the one uniting factor among the diverse Cliques.  Laurent held up his hands.  “They are below !”, he addressed the group.  “Under where we now stand, somewhere !”

This revelation jolted the group, who had not been told of the underground levels.  They had expected to fight the Townies here, like a replay of the fabled Jimmy Hopkins - Edgar Munsen fight of more than a year ago, now a part of school lore.  “What do you mean, below ?”, Ted demanded.  “Like in a basement or a cave ?”

“I am...Um, not sure”, Laurent admitted.  “Tony, Nick....They went ahead to scout it out.  I am to show you the way....But....”

“But what ?”, Johnny asked snidely.  “What’s more to it ?  Just take us there, we fix der wagons, real good !”

“It...It is not so simple”, Laurent said weakly.  “The way, it is unknown, past where we must go down....We will not know of which way to take once we are there.....”

“I Will Show Them The Way !”, a voice spoke from across the large room.  The group turned to see Tony, who had emerged from the Storage Room and was standing beside the open door.  All their attention has been focused on Laurent, and nobody had seen Tony enter. They started en mass towards him, but Tony held up his hands.  “Wait !!”

The students halted in their progress, confused.  “There are some things have you must know first !”, Tony said.  “First...The girls are there !  But, they are being held in with the group of Townies.  They must not be harmed by our firing on the Townies.  Second, they have more Air Rifles, like up above...”

“We have some too now”, Ted said, “We took them off those ones up above when we beat them.  They’re low on ammo, though.”

“We have the ammunition for them”, Laurent exclaimed, “We have taken a whole bagfull from that Jerry !”

Tony held up his hands again for silence.  “There are other things you need to know.  There are three underground levels, and they are being held on the lowest one.  We must go down, single file, and above all, maintain silence !  We have a chance if we attack them by surprise.”

Tony looked towards Laurent.  “Go get that ammo...Let’s load up.  There’s not much time.  Nick is down there alone, waiting on us.”

Within a few minutes, they were ready to go.  Tony picked Bryce and Gord, who were carrying the shields, to be up front with him, followed by Melvin with the Super Spud Gun.  Ted and Johnny came next, followed by the Jocks and Greasers.  The rest of the Preps and Bullies fell in behind, with the Nerds following.  Constantinos was to bring up the rear.  Tony gave him the eye when he saw Tiffany with him, but said nothing.  He assumed that she would stay up on the Ground Floor with Lola.

The line of students went down the ladder in the opening from the Storage Room, and snaked down through the first two levels, strung out as Tony had indicated.  They maintained stealthy silence on the way down, and soon the front of the group started down the steps to the third level.
________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The Recreation Room was in the center of the third-floor underground section.  To the North-West, outside the Rec Room, was the Kitchen Area, and to the South-West lay the Lunch Room.  A wide hallway extended out from the Rec Room to the West, dividing the Kitchen and Dining area, and ultimately connecting onto a tunnel through steel doors that led to other buildings in the complex.  One small hallway that went to the North connected to the emergency escape tunnel.  Another small hallway went to the south, connecting to the alcove and the stairs that led up to the second level, and it was this hallway that Omar looked down as he came towards the front of Rec Room while his bantering with their girl hostages continued.

“You Bitches just don’t get it, do you ?  Your so-called boyfriends ain’t gonna want you back, nohow....You’re damaged goods, you been havin’ sex with the lot of us”, he laughed.  “You know how repulsive that is to a guy, havin’ other guys dippin’ their candles into their women’s snatches ?  They’ll dump you so fast, you Cunts won’t even have time to change yer underwear....”

Omar suddenly froze as he glanced down the hallway, his mouth still open but no words coming out.  Momentarily, it was hard for his arrogant brain to process what his bugged-out eyes were seeing....A stream of those snot-nosed schoolkids filing out of the alcove on the end, taking a left turn into the outer hallway. 

“Well, Tony and Nick aren’t like that !”, Karen said hotly, not noticing that Omar had cut off in mid-sentence.  “They’re gonna know we were forced to by you Animals !  An then, they’ll take you Fuckers apart, and...and....”  Her words faltered as suddenly Omar pulled open the narrow side glass door, then raised his Air Rifle to his shoulder.

“SHIT !!!!  SHIT !!!!  They Got In !!!”, Omar screamed, as he began firing the Air Rifle as fast as he could move his finger.

POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   

“Cover Them Hallways !!”, Omar yelled to the others, and they scrambled to comply as Omar reloaded.  Gurney headed to the North hallways and Otto and Leon scrambled past Omar to head for the South hallways.  Duncan went out the double-glass doorway into the wide hallway, planning to cut through the Lunch Room.

Omar socked the Air Rifle back to his shoulders to resume firing down the small hallway.  His first burst had dropped some of the invaders, namely Justin and Parker, who had been unlucky enough to have been the first to have appear in Omar’s sights, and Tom and Davis, who had been right behind.  His next rounds took out Bucky and Donald, who had little time to react to the carnage in front of them, getting cut down as they turned to flee backwards.  Only Thad somehow made it through, and broke to the right rather than the left.

POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!

Thad stumbled by the others slumped in front of him, and took off down the circular outer hallway.  He made it as far as the room where Karen and Melody had been held before encountering Otto and Leon coming at him from around the curve of the hallway. Skidding to a stop, he let off a couple of rounds from his Spud Gun, which missed wildly, before turning and running back, all the while trying to think of what General Custer should have done.

Pinwheeling his arms as he ran, he nearly stumbled over his fallen comrades and the two Preps, but somehow missed getting shot as Otto and Leon raced after him.  It was difficult to shoot Air Rifles on the run with any degree of accuracy, and their shots went wild.  The backend of the line, which were now the Greasers of Lefty, Peanut, Hal, and Norton, realized that nobody was now following them and turned around in time to see Thad running at them, calling for help.  As Thad ducked in front of them, first Lefty and Peanut, then Hal and Norton let loose with their Spud Guns, missing Otto and Leon around the circular hallway but driving them back.  They were to make up the rear defense for the next half-hour or so, pushing the two Townies backwards in the hallway to a standoff.

Meanwhile, Duncan had moved forward in the wide hall, making his way to the Lunch Room.  Suddenly, Nick stepped around the corner and nailed Duncan with two shots from the Air Rifle he held.  KA-POW !!  THUNK !!  KA-POW !!  THUNK !!

The Pellets hit Duncan in the knee and the gut, bringing him down.  Dropping his weapon as he fell, he never got off a shot.  Hearing the shooting, Omar left his position and reloaded.  He barreled to the front glass doors and out into the wide hallway just as Duncan fell.  Spotting Nick, he made to take aim at him when Nick raised his own Air Rifle to draw a bead on Omar.  Stunned to see Nick wielding an Air Rifle, he jumped to the side, squeezing off an ineffective shot the went wild, striking the Steel Doors behind Nick. 

Nick’s shot missed also and smashed into the glass to the left of the enclosed Rec Room, shattering it.  Karen and Melody screamed as the broken glass showered backwards towards them.  Omar scrambled back into the Rec Room as Nick ducked back around the corner.  Needing something to take cover behind, Omar upended one of the thick, long tables in the Rec Room and pushed it up against the opening where the double-glass doors were.

In the meantime, Tony, Ted, and a few of the Jocks had gone into the Lunch Room, seeking a way to get closer to the Rec Room to rescue the girls.  Hearing the girls scream and looking through the glass at the fallen Duncan, fear rose in him that Karen or Melody may have been hit.  Ordering the Jocks to pull out a couple of tables into the outer hallway so they could set up a defensive line, he went to out himself to check with Nick. 

Nick was unhurt, but like Tony, did not want to risk injuring Karen or Melody with random gunfire.  “The Girls are all right....What Now ?”, he asked Tony.  “One of them is putting up a barricade.”

“Then we have to do the same, just like up above”, Tony said, as Damon, Casey, Luis, and Juri emerged from the Lunch Room, dragging the heavy tables.  Tony told them to upend them and shove them into the wide hallway in front of the Steel Doors, to provide them cover.

While they were doing that, Gurney was sneaking up on their position around the North side of the circular hallway.  As the Jocks were pushing the last table into place, Gurney let off a shot from his Air Rifle that hit Casey in the thigh.  Blood flowed as the other Jocks took off after him, showering the hallway with Spud Gun fire.  Gurney was un-hit as he retreated back to the short hallway by the escape passageway, where he ducked around a corner.  As the Jocks came close enough, he stepped out to fire, and they retreated back a bit.

With both sections of the outer hallways defended, and the barricades in the wide hallway, it seemed to be a standoff.  But Tony was sure of one thing....These Townies down here probably didn’t know about the Shields and Super Spud Gun.  He drew Melvin, Bryce and Gord towards the Lunch Room.  They would launch their assault from there.
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Unable to convince Tiffany to stay put on the second level after the Nerds in front of them had gotten blasted, Constantinos gave up trying.  She told him that Lola had gone down, so she was going too.  Besides, this was exciting, and sure beat anything that happened in Reform School.

They made their way down the stairs cautiously, having to step over the injured of Bucky and Donald, who were moaning and crying.  As they reached the alcove and ducked to the side, they encountered Lola, grimly trying to tend to the other fallen students of the Preps.  She had a Spud Gun that she had picked up somewhere, slung across her back.  Johnny, having drifted back to see about his Clique, stood guard over her.  Working his way to a more forward position, Constantinos briefly spoke to Nick, then sought out Tony, who he found in the Lunch Room. 

Tony looked at Tiffany, who was trailing in behind Constantinos.  “What is she doing here ?”, he asked pointedly. 

“Well...You know...”, Constantinos muttered, “I can’t really....Control her...”

“Hey, I can fight !”, Tiffany said with and wicked look.  “Just gimmie a gun !”

Tony shook his head and shrugged. He could hardly believe that Constantinos had been sucked back into her matrix somehow, but there was no time to dwell on that now. 

“Here, I brought these”, Constantinos said, showing Tony the M-80s.  “The back of the line got hit....Thad is the only one left.  The rest of the Nerds and Preps are down.  But the Greasers are holding that side of the hall now...They musta spotted us, coming in....”

“Shit”, Tony muttered. “How many down ?”

Constantinos shrugged.  “Four, I think....Five, if you count Casey, he got nailed from the other side.”

“Where’s the rest of the Jocks ?” Tony asked.  “Did they get the barricade up ?”

“Yes, they did, and they’re holding the other hallway right now”, Constantinos told him, “According to what Nick said.”

Tony squinted his eyes, lost in thought.  Laurent had ferried down about 20 Students, it looked like, and they had already lost a quarter of them.  So much for the element of surprise.  Tony stared at the M-80s clutched in Constantinos’ hand, and a new idea blossomed up in his head.  It would take some timing, however.  Leaving the others in the Lunch Room, he headed out into the circular hallway to find Nick.  Ted followed him out.

When Tony left, Constantinos regarded Tiffany, thinking.  If he was going to get suckered back into her web, as he felt Tony was probably thinking, he might as well make it worth his while, for however long it lasted.  Having grabbed the last Air Rifle left on the Chem Plant roof, he pulled out his Spud Gun and tossed it to Tiffany, who deftly caught it.  “Here...If you really want excitement, you’ll have to fight, just like the rest of us.”

Tiffany looked back at Constantinos.  A new understanding came to her, not about using him as a pawn in her perverted games of lust, but something else.  She cocked a Spud into the chamber.  “I’m ready....Count on it !", she said with a gleam in her eye.

Meanwhile, Tony and Ted had located Nick at the new barricade, and told him his plan.  Laurent, Trent, Bryce, Gord, and Melvin listened in.  “It might just work”, Nick said when Tony had finished. “We can only try it....If we can fool them....”

“I think we can”, Tony said, “They really aren’t all that bright.  And since Jerry and Duncan are down, plus those ones on the Roof, there can’t be too many of them left.  If we can make them think that we don’t have very many either, they might get too smug.”

The group made preparations to implement the plan.  First, Tony had Nick assemble shooters behind the barricade.  Nick, Ted, and Constantinos were to line up behind it, bearing the Air Rifles, Laurent and Trent would have Bottle Rocket Launchers.  Any others left would just show Spud Guns or Bottle Rocket weaponry.  Johnny had the fourth Air Rifle, and Tony the fifth Air Rifle, but Tony felt sure that the Townies didn’t know just what they had....If they could convince the Townies that the Students were still outgunned, it might buy them time for what Tony was planning.

Next, Tony had the shooters open attack on Omar behind his barricade in the Rec Room, to which Omar responded.  Just as Tony thought, the heavy up-turned tables were too thick for the Pellets to penetrate.  Tony had been sure to specify that the Student shooters only fire at the table of the Townie barricade, and not to chance hitting Karen or Melody in the room behind.

POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   

Tony let the barrage continue while he assembled his team in the Lunch Room....Bryce and Gord, with the Shields, would head out the door of the Lunch Room, with Melvin following with the Super Spud Gun, just as they had done on the Chem Plant Roof.  Tony would fall in behind with the M-80s.  If they got close enough, they could take out Omar and whoever else was behind the barricade without harming the girls.

The siege was on, and continued for the next 15 minutes.  Tony then signaled he was ready, and the Student line slacked down on it’s firing, waiting for Tony’s new assault.
__________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

That was a close one, Omar thought as he upturned one of the tables and shoved it up against the open double glass doors.  How had that shit got ahold of that weapon ?  He had to have taken it from one of the younger Townies on the roof....Which meant, since a lot of them had somehow gotten down here, that they probably taken all those weapons. 

How did did this happen ?, ran through Omar’s mind again. There was only one way, he surmised....Somebody had talked, had revealed the way.  It had to have been one of the kid Townies.  And why hadn’t Jerry returned ?  They must have got him too.  Omar’s mind raced.  How many of them were left ?  He’d made a mistake in sending Duncan out towards the Lunch Room, now he lay bleeding and disabled in the wide hallway floor.  That left....Just four of them. 

Melody continued to issue short screams due to the glass shower the girls had gotten.  Neither of them had been injured by it, being far back in the Rec Room, but the sound was irritating and was getting on Omar’s already frayed nerves.  Hunkered down behind the table, he turned his weapon toward Melody.  “Shuddup, Bitch !”, he commanded, “You Ain’t Hurt None !”

“Shhh, Mel”, Karen cautioned, “”It’s all right...They’ve come for us....”

“You Shuddup Too !”, Omar growled, swinging the Air Rifle slightly at Karen.

Karen opened her mouth to reply, but thought the better of it with the Air Rifle pointed at her and the ugly look on Omar’s face.  At that moment, Leon came charging into the Rec Room.

“Get Down, Fool !”, Omar hissed.  Leon ducked and joined Omar behind the overturned table.

“How goes it over there ?”, Omar demanded.

“It’s all right”, Leon answered.  “Just taking potshots, we just snipe back if the try to come around the hallway.”

“Got plenty ammo ?”, Omar grunted.

“Yeah, we can hold out for a long while”, Leon said.

Omar thought furiously.  All may not be lost.  “Go relieve Gurney and send him back here.  He’s holding the other hallway.  And, stick a table there”, he said, indicating the short hallway extending towards the alcove and stairs.  “That opening makes me nervous.”

“Yo, Boss”, Leon said.  He wasn’t one to question orders, it took too much thinking time.  He pulled an upturned table over to cover the side opening, then took some ammo from the back and headed off down the other short hallway towards Gurney. 

A few minutes ticked by.  The only sounds were an occasional shot from an Air Rifle or Spud Gun in the outer hallways.  Gurney finally appeared, and as he made ready to enter the Rec Room, the Students suddenly opened a barrage from behind their barricade at the end of the wide hallway.

POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   

Gurney dived behind the table next to Omar.  The shots hit mostly the table they were protected behind, with some stray pellets striking the glass to the right of the enclosed Rec Room, shattering it and once again showering the girls in the back with bits of it, eliciting more screams from them.  At a lull, Omar and Gurney rose up and fired back a barrage of their own.

POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   
POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   POW-THUNK !!!   

These shots failed to strike anyone either, the Pellets unable to breech the heavy, solid wood of the tables.  It was just like shooting into a tree. Nick, Ted, and Constantinos had all ducked down to reload for another round. At the end of the Townie’s firing, the shooters on the Student line popped up again and let loose another barrage.  So it went for 15 minutes, neither side doing damage to the other, only peppering the up-turned tables with a lot of pock-marked Pellet holes. 

In the eerie silence that prevailed after the last round, Omar suddenly called out. “HEY FUCKERS, WHERE’S THE MONEY ?  SHOW US THE MONEY, AND THESE BITCHES MIGHT GO FREE !!”
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

There was silence at this pronouncement.  Tony, who had just been ready to move out behind the Shields of the Preps and the Super Spud Gun of the Nerds, suddenly changed his mind.  Putting the team on hold, he exited the Lunch Room and went back to where Nick and the others were manning the table barricades. 

“What now ?”, Nick muttered as Tony hunkered down beside him.

“Bluff ‘em”, Tony answered, thinking a new plan that might be better than a direct assault.

“WELL ?”, Omar called.  The two barricades were at least 60 feet apart, necessitating the shouting.  “YOU FUCKERS DON’T HAVE IT, DO YOU ?”

“WE HAVE IT !”, Tony lied, and then, to make it more believable, added,  “NOT ALL OF IT THOUGH.”

“YEAH ?  HOW MUCH ?”, Omar shouted back.

Tony deliberately paused for effect.  Then, not as loudly as before, he lied again, “HALF.”

Omar sat figuring.  Half was $50,000.  That could carry them for a long while.  Whether or not they released those girls, they would still have to leave the Valley.  They would have to have a stake, no matter what.  But what if the kid was lying ?  “WHERE’D YOU GET IT, SCHOOLBOY ?  YOU ROB THE BANK OR SOMETHING ?  KIDS LIKE YOU DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF SCRATCH.”

“I GOT IT....FROM THE PREPS”, Tony hollered back with a third lie.

“THE PREPS ?”, Omar guffawed.  “THEM BASTARDS DON’T NEVER GIVE OUT THAT KIND OF DOUGH !”

“THEY OWED ME !”, Tony shouted with a fourth lie, although there was some truth in it. 

There was a long silence from the Townie’s side.  Omar conferred with Gurney.  Then shouted back, “WE’LL TAKE IT.  WHERE’S THE MONEY AT, SCHOOLBOY ?”

Tony thought fast.  “Uh...I HAVE IT WITH ME !  IN MY BACKPACK !”  A fifth lie.

“SURE, RIGHT”, the sarcastic answer came back from Omar.  “SO WHY ATTACK US THEN ?  WE COULDA MADE A DEAL.”

“FOUND OUT WHERE YOU WERE AT”, Tony spoke, truthfully this time.  “COULDN’T GET ENOUGH BEFORE THE DEADLINE, SO WE ATTACKED !”

A half-minute of silence ensued.  Then Omar spoke again.  “BRING ME THE MONEY THEN, SCHOOLBOY, AND WE’LL LET THESE BITCHES GO !!”

“NO DEAL !”. Tony responded.  “BRING KAREN AND MELODY TO US, AND YOU’LL GET YOUR MONEY !!”  A sixth lie, stalling for time.

“NOT A CHANCE, SCOOLBOY !”, Omar hooted.  “BRING ME THE CASH, OR THESE BICHES ARE DONE, YUH HEAR ME ?  DONE !!!”

“What are you doing ?”, hissed Nick hissed at Tony, “We don’t have any money !”

“They don’t know that”, Tony replied, “Their greed makes them believe.”

“Now what ?”, Laurent interjected, “Are we to attack ?”

“Yes”, Tony said, “But maybe we can take them by surprise after all.”

Raising his voice again, Tony hollered, “OK...BUT I’M BRINGING PROTECTION WITH ME !”

“WE’LL HAVE OUR GUNS ON YOU SCHOOLBOY !”, Omar called back.  “DON’T TRY ANYTHING FUNNY !”

“They’re gonna think funny”, Tony muttered.  Out loud, he said to Nick and the line, “Keep your guns trained on them, just in case.  Constantinos, come back to Lunch Room with me.”

Tony headed back to the Lunch Room, followed by Constantinos.  When they reached it, Tony hauled off his backpack.  “Gimmie them M-80s”, he said to Constantinos, and the boy gave them to him.  “Melvin, help me rig these up”, Tony said next to Melvin.  The two went over to a table, where the M-80s were tied together and then Tony pushed them down in the backpack with a short fuse hanging out. 

“You better toss this quick after lighting these”, Melvin advised him.

“Don’t you worry about that”, Tony replied, “I plan to.  You just lay heavy with that Super Spud Gun on that table they’re behind.  With any luck, we can...Turn the tables on them.”
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Omar waited as a couple of minutes went by.  Getting pissed, he hollered, “HURY IT UP, SCHOOLBOY, WE AIN’T GOT ALL NIGHT !!!”

“They’re stalling”, Gurney muttered, “They ain’t got nothing.”

“They better have something”, Omar returned darkly, “Or else we blast ‘em.  They get close up, these guns’ll tear ‘em a new asshole.”

“If they do got cash, you gonna turn them Bitches over to them ?”, Gurney asked.

Omar debated, and then said, “Yeah....Gettin’ tired of watchin’ them all the time.  And it’s not like they’re a good fuck either, layin’ there like stiff boards when you do ‘em.  We set out to take them two fucks down what beat us, to cause them PAIN, and sendin’ them Bitches back to 'em is gonna do just that.  They can heal up from a beating or a Pellet, but there ain’t no healing up from them knowin’ that we put our loads in them.  That’ll haunt them for the rest of their lives.”

“You may be right”, Gurney chuckled, “But I’ll miss corn-holing them little Cunts.”

“You would”, Omar muttered.  “Listen, in case this is on the up and up, we’re gonna hafta get a move on tonight......”

“Look !”, Gurney said suddenly, pointing.

A strange procession was coming out of the Lunch Room, threading it’s way up the wide hallway towards them.  Two in front, carrying giant Shields of some sort, were followed by what looked to be maybe two other hidden behind. 

“What the Fuck”, Omar muttered, watching the procession come closer.

“That’s....That’s them Shields that Otto and Floyd told us about, when they was fightin’ those Nerds at the Observatory”, Gurney said.  “Them things are practically impenetrable ....”

“He did say he was bringin’ protection”, grunted Omar.  “Listen, go back and unchain them Bitches from the chairs, and bring ‘em up here....But leave their hands shackled to those waist chains.  We gonna have us some Shields too.”

Gurney hurried to the back of the Rec Room and unchained Karen and Melody, slinging his Air Rifle over his shoulder to do so.  He grabbed both the girls roughly under their arms and begin to bring them forward.

At that instant, something happened that froze everybody in place.  The bright, white-hot flame of a Cutting Torch suddenly bloomed, punching a hole in the Steel Doors behind the table barricade that Nick and the others were behind.  Sparks showered several feet forward, and the boys scattered and ducked with cries of shock and surprise.



Hearing the cries, Gord made the mistake of turning to look behind him.  Shouting, “IT’S A TRICK !!!”, Omar rose, aimed and fired, striking Gord in the shoulder and driving him back, where he slipped and fell on the floor, his Shield clattering away. 

“Melvin, FIRE !!!”, Tony shouted, and Melvin made a step to his left, pointing the Super Spud Gun at the Townie’s table barricade and working the trigger.

SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!

The barrage pushed the heavy table backwards, dislodging Omar, who sank down on his knees.  At that instant, Tony lit the fuse to the M-80s, and flung his backpack towards the table barricade of the Townies.  However, the distance was too far, and the backpack struck the table and bounced, falling in front of it.

BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!

The table cracked, but held.  Gurney shoved the girls farther towards the front, up to the table.  “You All Right ?”, he called to Omar.

“Yeah”, Omar said, rising.  He roughly pushed by the girls, getting behind them and leveling his Air Rifle dead at them.  “Go get Otto, we’re cuttin’ out !!”

Melvin was out of Spuds.  Bryce went over to Gord, attempting to pull him back behind his Shield.  Melvin and Tony backed away towards the Lunch Room, but Melvin tripped over the prone form of Duncan, who groaned and said weakly, “Ayyy, I’m bleedin’ here...”

Tony’s eyes bugged out as he saw Omar behind Karen and Melody, holding the Air Rifle on them.  “FALL BACK !!!”, he screamed, “DON’T FIRE !!!  CEASE FIRE !!!!”

Omar yelled then, “YOU DOUBLE-CROSSIN’ BASTARDS !!!  PULL OUT, NOW, OR THESE CUNTS GET IT !!!  UNDERSTAND ??  I’M DONE PLAYIN’ HERE !!!  MOVE OUT, NOW !!!!”

Omar eyed the steady progress of the Cutting Torch on the Steel Doors, and knew it would be only a matter of minutes before they were breached.  But by whom ? 


_________________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

While shooting and exploding Fireworks were going on in the wide hallway, the Greasers pressed forward around the circular hallway.  With Johnny in the lead and Peanut following, they cautiously crept along the inner wall.  There had been no scattered fire in the hall to hold them back for quite some time, and Johnny figured that whoever was doing the shooting was low on ammo.

Peering around the curve in the hallway, Johnny finally spotted someone at an intersecting hallway, half hidden and looking down the other hallway, towards the sounds of shooting.  Johnny and Peanut crept closer, behind them Norton, Lefty, and Hal followed.  Unknown to them, Lola trailed behind, Spud Gun at the ready.

Johnny swung out into the hallway and took aim.  Alerted by the sound, or maybe movement from the corner of his eye, Otto looked up suddenly and took aim on Johnny, stepping into the short hallway for cover.  Both fired at the same time, their Air Rifles sounding loud in the narrow hallways.  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!

Due to his ducking for cover, Otto was only winged on his left arm, but Johnny was hit square in the lower ribcage, bones snapping.  He fell back as Peanut and the others charged forward.  Otto tried to raise his Air Rifle to draw a bead on them, but his just-shot arm was a bit too slow and Both Peanut and Hal shot him in the guts and legs with their Spud Guns.

SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!

Otto went down on his knees, groaning, “You...Little...Punkass....Bastards....”   

Seeing Johnny down, Lola charged past the others, shooting Otto in the chest with a Spud as he wavered there.  Still, it did not take him down.  Enraged, Lola came closer, smashing Otto in the face with the butt-end of her Spud Gun.  Blood and Teeth exploded from his face as he fell back, knocked out.  Lola stared with hatred at the battered Townie, then ran back to Johnny.  Kneeling and cradling his head in her lap, she cried, “Johnny....Oh, Johnny !!”

“Gotta Help Johnny !”, Peanut exclaimed, and the Greases formed a protective ring about him.  Gurney happened to come down the short hall then, to alert Otto that they were bugging out, but instead seeing him on the floor.  He snapped his Air Rifle up and took some shots at the Greasers gathered at the two hallway’s junction.  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!

One shot in the hip took out Lefty, but Gurney was met with a hail of Spuds from the remaining Greaser’s Spud Guns.  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!! 

Gurney easily ducked the Spuds and retreated, heading back for the Rec Room.  The Greasers froze in place then as they heard Tony yelling to cease fire and stand down.  Not knowing just what was happening, they resumed their protective ring around Johnny and Lola, and did not go after Gurney.

Tony had retreated back towards the Lunch Room, stopping only briefly to grasp Melvin’s arm and drag him backwards with him.  Glimpsing the Cutting Torch flame inching along the skin of the Steel Doors, he had no time to dwell on just who that might be, but he was certain of one thing...It was somebody the Townies weren’t expecting, just as much as he, Nick and the rest of the Students weren’t expecting.  Thoughts of Karen, and Melody, loomed large in his thinking.  It was now the Townies’ next move, and they weren’t going to be too long in making it, of that he was convinced.  He would have to do something, think of something, fast. 

Gurney returned to the Rec Room then, staying low.  He went over to where Omar was holding the girls at gunpoint.  “Otto’s had it”, he told Omar.  That just left three of them.

“Let’s move, right now, before they wise up”, Omar said.  He reached forward and grabbed Karen, and Gurney grabbed ahold of Melody.  The two Townies hustled the girls towards the other side door and into the narrow hallway that led to the Escape Tunnel.  Mass confusion was taking place in the length of the wide hallway, with attention being drawn to the ever-increasing path of the Cutting Torch.

“HELP !!!”, Karen suddenly screamed, “TONY....HELP !!!  HELP!!!!”

“NICKY !!!”, Melody sobbed, trying to drag against being pulled into the narrow hallway.  “NICKY !!!!!”
____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony looked back out in the wide hallway, just in time to see Omar and Gurney hauling off Karen and Melody into the short hallway leading North.  Running into the Lunch Room to grab up his Air Rifle, he then charged back into the wide hallway.  The Rec Room was now empty of anyone, he saw, but was unsure as to where any other Townies were.  Catching Nick’s eye, he pantomimed that Nick should go down the circular outer hallway, where the Jocks had gone.  Nick signaled he understood, and Tony ran to the small hallway where he had seen the girls disappear, followed by Trent who vaulted the table barricade and ran after as backup.

Omar and Gurney had dragged the struggling girls to the Escape Tunnel doorway, at the junction of the small hallway and circular outer hallway.  Leon was there, armed with his Air Rifle pointed out towards the circular outer hallway, where he had been in a standoff with the Jocks around the curve of the outer hall.  Omar stopped to briefly give Leon instructions.

“Hold them off for....30 seconds, then follow us”, Omar told him, “And lock the door after you.”

“What...Uh, what about Otto ?”, Leon asked, “Ain’t he coming ?”

“Otto’s down”, Gurney said, “It’s just us now.”

“Um...Ok then, I’ll follow right after”, Leon said.



Omar pulled Karen into the Escape Tunnel and Gurney followed, dragging Melody, closing the door after them.  The girls struggled, but were no match for the much stronger Townies.  Still bound by handcuffs to their waist chains, they could do little to resist the strong hands digging into their upper arms pulling them along and making bruises.  The Tunnel was old and arched, though clean and well lit with lights set along at intervals along the apex of it’s arched ceiling.  Omar and Gurney were slowed to a pace less than a walk, having to pull their unwilling captives along, but Melody in her rising panic resisted more.  Soon, a gap grew between Omar and Gurney as they moved deeper into the long tunnel.

Stopping briefly to get some M-80s from Constantinos, Nick charged into the circular hallway, until he encountered Damon, Ted, Juri, and Luis.  Going ahead of them, he then crept around the circular hallway on the inside until he spotted the silhouette of Leon.  He had slung his Air Rifle on his shoulder as he prepared to light and toss some M-80s.  He had been followed into the circular hallway by Ted and Constantinos.  Nobody saw Tiffany as she pattered into the circular hallway after Constantinos, a Spud Gun at the ready in her hands.

Tony edged down the short hallway as quietly as he could, followed by Trent, and slowly drew nearer to where Leon was standing. Laurent had run the length of the wide hallway and entered the short hallway behind them both, planning to be a second backup.  Finally, Tony spotted Leon, or rather a part of Leon.  The Townie was faced towards the circular hallway, and Tony could only see Leon’s back and butt, as the wall blocked a clearer view. Tony sighted with his Air Rifle for a clear shot, and as he did, A series of explosions went off.

BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!  BLAM !!!

Nick had lit and tossed the M-80s in rapid succession as far into the circular hallway as he could, and then prepared to step out and forward to shoot at Leon.  But before he could, the smaller figure of Tiffany darted past him, coming to a stop a few feet ahead.  A look of orgasmic bliss on her face, she triggered off a volley of Spuds at Leon.  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!  SPLAT !!!

But only one of the Spuds hit Leon, a glancing blow on his hip.  Firing through the smoke the Firecrackers had thrown up, he spotted Tiffany and laid three shots to her mid-section.  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!  Her eyes wide, Tiffany crumpled to the floor.

“TIFFANY, NO !!!!”, Constantinos cried.  He had chased after her as soon as he saw her speed past him, too late as it turned out.  Unheeding, Constantinos ran to her, directly in the line of fire.  Nick moved, trying to get a better sight on Leon, who had stepped back to re-sight on Constantinos, now kneeling by the wounded Tiffany .  Unfortunately for him, Leon had moved back far enough to come fully into Tony’s sights, and Tony squeezed off a couple of shots.  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!

Tony’s shots hit Leon in the left shoulder and upper thigh, throwing Leon against the outer wall, where he slid to the floor, his weapon falling by the Escape Tunnel door.  Nick and the Jocks behind him moved up quickly on his position, and Tony, with Trent and Laurent following, closed in from the other direction.

Nick arrived first, and stuck his Air Rifle in Leon’s face.  “Where Did They Go ?”, he demanded grimly, “Where Is Our Girls ?”

“Fuck Off....Schoolkid”, Leon retorted, “I ain’t tellin’ you nuttin...”

Tony pointed his Air Rifle at Leon’s crotch.  “Maybe I oughtta put a Pellet here”, he remarked.

“I’se take care o’dis”, came Damon’s voice.  He stepped forward and grabbed Leon, hauling him up.  “I’ll hit him so hard his head will come off !”

“Hey, now, you wouldn’t hit a Brother, would’ja ?”, Leon said pleadingly.

“I’m gonna bust your gut up and watch you Bleed !”, Damon responded, and sent a huge meaty fist into Leon’s nose.  An audible cracking and a spray of blood was enough to know that Leon’s nose was broken. “Nows, where’d they go, BROTHER ?”

“Ung...Ung....”, Leon snuffled, streaks of blood oozing down his face.  “Dey’s wenta in dere !”, he said, pointing to the Escape Tunnel door beside him.  Damon dropped Leon to the floor in a heap.  Tony bent down and retrieved the dropped Air Rifle, tossing it to Laurent, and opened the tunnel door. 

Just then, there was a loud CLANG that sounded throughout the Third Level.  The metal of the Steel Doors had been cut through.  Trent backtracked in the short hallway to see what was going on. Tony didn't have time to wait on a report.  He turned to Damon and the Jocks and said,  “Hold off whoever that is....We’re going after the girls.”

Nick and Tony charged into the Escape Tunnel.  Laurent, following for backup, closed and locked the tunnel door.  The chase was on.
___________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The cut metal of the Steel Doors fell to the floor with a huge CLANG, and the fire from the Cutting Torch went out.  Federal Agents poured through the newly-cut opening, with weapons drawn.  They were equipped with some serious weaponry, from .50-caliber rifles, 870 shotguns, MP5/10 submachine guns, M-4 carbine rifles and .308 caliber rifles.  For handguns, the Agents also carried Smith & Wesson .357 Combat Magnums and Colt Government Model 38 Supers.

There wasn’t anyone at the table barricade at the time the Agents came through, the ones who had been there just bare minutes ago had gone into the circular tunnels to fight as the Townies had cut and run.

Only Melvin remained in the Lunch Room, along with Bryce, who had dragged a bleeding Gord inside.  Bryce had stacked the Shields in a corner as he used strips torn from his shirt to staunch Gord’s blood.

Mustering up courage he didn’t know he had, Melvin advanced into the wide hallway with the reloaded Super Spud Gun in front of him to face the latest invaders.  Jimmette would have been proud of his bravery.

The Agents spotted him immediately.  “YOU !!!  DROP THAT WEAPON !!!  NOW !!!!!”

Melvin’s wide eyes fastened on the Agents, who had all drawn a bead on him with their various weapons.  Slowly, he let the Super Spud Gun fall, where it clattered to the floor.

“GET ON THE GROUND !!!  GET ON THE GROUND !!!  NOW !!!!”, several of the Agents shouted at him, and Melvin had never moved faster in his life as he dropped to the floor, spreading his arms out like he had seen on old TV shows.  Five Agents swiftly surrounded him, one pinning Melvin’s arms behind him and slapping on handcuffs.

“Hey, I’m not the bad guys, they’re getting away !”, Melvin protested.

“Right now, we don’t know WHO you are, kid”, one of the Agents said.  “So just lay there and keep quiet !”

“Spread Out, Look For Any Others !”, another Agent ordered, who also seemed to be in charge, as the other agents broke away and began investigating the other areas leading off the wide hallway, the Kitchen and Lunch Room.  A couple then headed for the Rec Room in the center, weapons at the ready for any sign of threat. Trent was found and forced to surrender, his hands cuffed behind him.  Bryce was taken into custody, but handcuffed in front and allowed to stay to tend to Gord.

After some more checking, one by one the Agents called “ALL CLEAR !!” to the areas they were searching.  “Get To Those Halls !”, the Agent standing by Melvin, whose name was Hill, ordered.  Another Agent back by the cut Steel Doors, whose name was Kellerman, also ordered the rest of the agents both ways down the circular hallways.

“What kind of Weapon is this ?”, Agent Hill said, as he shoved it away from Melvin.

“It’s....It’s a....Super Spud Gun”, Melvin said shakily, trying not to blubber.

“You shoot this boy over there with that ?”, the Agent asked, indicating Duncan, who was laying nearby, moaning.

 “N-no !”, Melvin replied nervously, “I didn’t shoot him, that was....Was somebody....Else...”
 
“Then what are you doing with a thing like that ?”, the Agent asked him, not really expecting an answer.

“It’s...For Defense !”, Melvin exclaimed, somewhat defensively himself.

“That’s what they all say”, Agent Hill said, looking around.  His attention was drawn from far-away commands of the other Agents as they encountered the remnants of the Jocks and Greasers, with shouts of “DROP YOU WEAPONS NOW !!” and “GET ON THE GROUND !!”

Soon enough, the Agents began herding kids from the circular hallways, moving the tables out of the way where the Jocks had put them, and gathering their detainees in the wide hallway, where they were quickly handcuffed and made to sit in groups on the floor.  Similar to Bryce, Lola had been allowed to stay with Johnny, and Constantinos had been allowed to stay with Tiffany, after they all had been disarmed.

“There’s multiple wounded in the halls, Sir”, one of the Agents reported.  “It looks like there was some kind of War here.”

“Get on the Radio”, Agent Hill told Agent Kellerman, “See if this burg has any Ambulances and send them here for evacuations.”  Agent Kellerman pulled out the Radio and began relaying the message to those up above.

While he was doing that, Agent Hill addressed the group of detained Students who were gathered in the wide hallway. “All Right, Listen Up !  I Want Answers !  Just What Is Going On Here, And Where Is The Rest Of This 'Townie’ Group ?”

Naturally, everyone started trying to talk at once.  The babble rose as the Students tried to outtalk one another.  Finally, Agent Hill whistled and shouted, “ALRIGHT, SHUT UP !!!!  Just One of you talk !”  He pointed at Ted.  “You...Start Talking !”

Ted spoke up and tried to concisely explain that they were there to help Nick and Tony rescue the kidnapped Karen and Melody, and the battle that they just had to try to defeat the Townies, only now that some of them had escaped.

“Well, Now We’re Getting Somewhere”, Agent Hill said, “So Where Did They Escape To ?”

“Umm....I don’t know....He knows”, Ted said, pointing at Damon.

Agent Hill turned his eyes to Damon. “Where’d They Go, Kid ?”

“Uhh...Dey went in that door, rights there by where yous Po-Po’s found me”, Damon said.

Agent Hill spoke to a couple other Agents.  “Take that boy back there and check it out.”  The Agents complied, grabbing up Damon and escorting him back to the Escape Tunnel door.  In a couple minutes they returned, the Agents telling him that the door was firmly locked. “Get that Acetylene Torch back there.  Cut through that lock.  Some of us will go in after them.”  Agent Hill pointed to several Agents nearby.  “You, You, and You.  The rest of you, secure this Level.  Check ALL the rooms.  Let’s Move, People !”
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Through the Tunnel they raced, Nick in the lead as he was faster than Tony.  Laurent hung back a bit behind them, casting looks behind him in case of pursuit, even though he had locked the door.
 
The Tunnel went straight for quite a distance, then began to slope downward.  At the bottom of the slope, the Tunnel bent slightly to the left, and that was where a racing Nick spotted Gurney, practically dragging Melody behind him.  Nick put on an extra burst of speed to close the distance between them.  Gurney heard the running steps and turned, seeing Nick charging at him around the slight curve.  Melody also saw Nick.

“NICKY !!!” she screamed.  Melody suddenly began to struggle harder in Gurney’s grasp.  Gurney would never be able to drag her along and outrun Nick, so he didn’t try.  Instead, he grabbed Melody around the neck with one arm, and with the other one stuck the Air Rifle in her face.

“THAT’S FAR ENOUGH KID !!”, Gurney hollered.  “COME CLOSER AND THIS LITTLE BITCH GETS A FACEFULL OF PELLETS !!”

Nick came to a stop, but brought up his own Air Rifle, drawing down a bead on Gurney’s head. “LET HER GO, ASSHOLE !!”, he shouted back.  Melody screamed anew.

“NOT A CHANCE, DUMB SHIT !!”, Gurney shouted back.  “THROW THAT WEAPON DOWN OR THIS STUPID CUNT GETS IT !!”  In so saying, Gurney brought his hand up to Melody’s face, covering her screaming mouth and lifting her up off her feet so her head was nearly level with his own.  Melody kicked the air with her legs to no avail.  “TOSS THAT WEAPON, NOW !!!!!”

Nick hesitated a second or two, then slowly lowered the Air Rifle.  He couldn’t risk shooting Melody by trying to snipe Gurney.  He tossed the Weapon from him as Gurney made threatening gestures at Melody by poking the barrel of his Air Rifle in Melody’s cheek.

Tony came around the curve and spotted Nick, who heard him coming up behind him.  “Stop Right There”, Nick called without looking back, “Lay Down You Weapon.  Do It Now.”  Tony stopped and looked past Nick, and saw what was happening.  Slowly, he laid his Air Rifle on the floor beside him.

“THAT’S RIGHT, MOTHERFUCKERS !!”, Gurney chortled.  “KEEP YOUR LAME ASSES RIGHT THERE WHILE WE BACK AWAY, YOU PIECES OF SHIT......OWWWWW !!!!!!”

Gurney screamed as Karen bit down on the meat of his thumb, which was nearly jammed in her mouth.  Gurney reflexively dropped her while also lowering his weapon.  In a flash of anger, he smacked Melody hard in the head, driving her against the tunnel wall.

Enraged, Nick speed forward with the speed of a track runner, closing in and launching himself feet first, at Gurney’s head.  Gurney pulled up his weapon and fired at the form of Nick the instant before Nick’s feet slammed into his face.   KA-POW-THUNK !!!!

The Pellet smashed into Nick’s neck, running through the soft tissues before striking his upper jawbone, breaking it.  Gurney was thrown back by the force of Nick’s charge, losing his grip on his Air Rifle, his nose and face exploding in a shower of blood.  They both fell heavily to the ground.  With a single-minded purpose, Nick crawled to where the Air Rifle landed, then to a prone Gurney.  Getting to his knees, Nick slammed the but of the Air Rifle into Gurney’s head over and over before collapsing himself.

“NICKY !!!!”, Melody screamed again, running over to him, despite being slammed into the wall.  She threw herself down on her knees by his side, sobbing and crying.

Tony watched the events swiftly unfold in front of him.  By the time he scooped up his Air Rifle and charged forward, Nick had already sailed through the air and nailed Gurney.  Tony got to him right after he fell, seconds after Melody, who he now noticed was handcuffed to a chain around her waist.  Nick was bleeding copiously, blood running out of his neck.  Laurent caught up to them at last, and moved over to where Nick lay also.  Seeing Nick bleeding, he stripped off his shirt and knelt down.  “We Have To Compress Ze Blood !”, he exclaimed.

“You know what to do ?”, Tony asked him.  Laurent nodded, and placed the shirt on Nick’s neck, applying pressure.  “Good....Take care of him.  I’m going after Karen !”  He rose and ran off past the unconscious Gurney and down the Tunnel, where his and Karen’s fate awaited them both.
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[BloodChuckZ]

“Const....Constan....”, Tiffany murmured weakly.

“Shhh...Don’t talk....”, Constantinos said.  He was shirtless, holding his bunched-up shirt against Tiffany’s stomach to keep her from bleeding any more.  Tears sprung to his eyes as he gazed at her, but he quickly wiped them away so she wouldn’t see.

“I’m....I’m scared”, Tiffany moaned.  “Afraid....Ohh....It hurts...”

“It...It’s gonna be Ok”, Constantinos told her, desperately wanting to believe that himself.  “Listen...I got gutshot, back in the spring....I made it through....You will too....Just...Lie still...Save your strength....”

Instead, Tiffany drew a shuddering breath and said, “Constantinos....I got to tell you something...Important....”

“Please, Tiffany....Stay calm....You can tell me later....After....”, Constantinos said, icy fear creeping along his spine.

“No....Have to....Tell you now”, Tiffany said, barely above a whisper.  She grimaced as the pain gripped her.  “I....I think I...Love you....Really...Love you....So strange.....I’ve never....Loved anyone....Before....” 

Tiffany gasped then as a bolt of pain hit her and she quickly fell unconscious.  Tears flowed down Constantinos’ face, but he didn’t bother to wipe them away this time.  Around him, the Agents continued their room-by-room search up and down the circular hallway with a single-minded purpose, ignoring them on the floor.  Constantinos had never felt so much alone.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On the other side of the Third Level, in another circular hallway, Johnny Vincent lay with his head cradled in Lola’s lap.  He moaned, coming back to consciousness.  “Ohhhhh....I’ve been hit...Me, the King....Hit !!”

“Shhh, don’t talk”, Lola cautioned, “You’ll get the bleeding started up again.”

“Eeey, did I get him ?”, Johnny gasped, “Is that asshole down ?”

“He’s down, Johnny, we got him”, Lola replied, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Thass good...”, Johnny said, having a bit of trouble breathing.  “Howya doin’ Lola ?  You all rights ?”

“I’m fine, Johnny, just fine”, Lola said, a sob escaping her lips.

“Eey, Eey...What’s dis ?”, Johnny said.  “Don’ts be cryin’ now....Ise gonna be all rights....It’s just a flesh wound, rights ?”

“Oh, Johnny !!”, Lola sobbed, her voice breaking, “I Love You !!  I promise Never to break up with you again, or play games on you, ever, ever, again !!”

“What’s dis you talkin’, I’se gonna be fine, we gonna be like we was, Johnny and Lola, rights ?”, Johnny said with some difficulty.

“Oh, even better, I promise !”, Lola told him.  “Just you and me....For all time !”

Johnny tried to chuckle, but it came out as a cough.  “You knows....Youse drive me crazy....The foist time I seen yous, Ise was in Love wit yous, you know dat ?  Den, I have yous for my Girol, and dat makes me feel like a King....Lola....I wants to marry you someday....”

“Oh, Yes....Yes, Johnny, Yes”, Lola said, openly crying now, her love for Johnny overflowing her thoughts.  At the same time, she felt extremely terrified....Not for herself, but for Johnny, her Man among Men, her King among Kings.  She stroked his brow with one hand while keeping pressure in his wound with the other.  She would much rather loose that hand than to see him die.  Johnny slipped back into semi-consciousness as the bustle of Agents searched rooms unnoticed around them.  For that moment, it was only the two of them in the World.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“All the rooms are clear, Sir”, the Agent reported to Agent Kellerman.  “We found one kid, hiding under a bed, scared shitless.  He’s been put with the others.”

“Very good”, Agent Kellerman said.  “I think we got the whole story now....You and the others guard these kids in the big hall here until further orders.”  With that, he went off to report to Agent Hill, who was at the North end of the Level, having finally gotten the Cutting Torch to the Escape Tunnel door.  On his way, he passed the latest arrival to the group in the wide hallway, Thad Carlton, who had made even a bigger mistake than General Custer ever did, turning tail under fire, running and hiding under a bed like a little chicken.  Unlike the General’s blunder however, Thad’s cowardly acts went unnoticed to all, but would eat at him for the rest of his days.  He had dismally failed the Code of the Knights.
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