The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony ran through the Escape Tunnel, which seemed to be a half-mile long.  He had no idea of where it was leading him, but urgency moved his feet.  Since he had been delayed, Omar certainly had a big lead on him now.  If he was ever to catch up, he feared there would be a protracted battle, another standoff, with Karen caught in the middle.  His backup was gone now, and he was alone.

In less than five minutes, the Tunnel came to an abrupt end.  At it’s terminal point, a ladder was set into the wall of the tunnel.  Tony searched around and saw nothing else.  He took a look up the ladder and saw the ladder went up into a circular opening.  With no other options left, he climbed up.



He emerged into a small, dark room.  Tony had left his flashlight behind on Level Three, but he still had his lighter.  He pulled it out and flicked the wick.  When his eyes adjusted, he could see he was in a very small room indeed....More like a closet.  There was a door just a couple of feet from him.  Tony stepped forward and tried the knob. It was unlocked, which he expected, as Omar was to have been followed by Gurney with Melody as hostage, and perhaps Leon afterwards.  Tony eased the door open, Air Rifle at the ready.  Gradually was revealed what looked like the inside of a Cabin.  There were some lights on.  Tony entered cautiously, looking both right and left for any signs of a sneak attack, but none came.  A quick look around the smallish Cabin told him it was deserted.



Tony went to the only door the Cabin presented, in the front.  As before, he eased open the door.  A light was on outside, overhead, but he saw nobody, and no movement of any kind.  He stepped out onto a small porch.  Realizing then that he made a prime target to anyone watching, he hurried down some steps and crept off further away into the darkness.  It looked to be a wooded area, from what he could see.  He turned and glanced back at the Cabin.  It was set nearly flush with a rising stone faced wall behind it, similar of many places in the Vale Valley. 



There was a pathway leading from the steps he had just been on.  Tony turned back to the wooded area in front of him, and was able to pick out the trail.  It was then he realized it was no longer raining.  The storms had apparently passed while he had been inside, and underneath, the Chem Plant.  It was still somewhat cloudy and windy, but the clouds were thin and some Moonlight was showing through them, making them appear white-ish.  It was enough to give him some visibility to follow the trail.



The wooded area ahead wasn’t a forest, and the trail began dropping down steadily, as if on a hill.  The stand of trees he was traveling through cut down the wind sounds considerably, and as Tony moved ahead, other sounds came to his ears.  The first was the sound of water moving.  The second was of a motor running.  As Tony emerged from the stand of trees, he was in a more open area, and ahead of him, although he couldn’t see it very well, was a River.

In a sudden flash, Tony realized where he was at....In fact, he had been here before, on this very River, the River that was fed by the Bullworth Dam some three miles distant, the River that ran out to the Narragansett Bay....Just a few weeks ago, as he and Karen had ventured off on their vacation aboard Tad Spencer’s boat after Jake and the Punks had failed in their attempt to take over the School and the Towns.  The motor sound was coming from off to his right, and as Tony looked that way, he saw a Boat Dock sticking out into the River a short ways.  On the other side of the Dock was a mid-sized boat with it’s running lights on, aft and stern.  The motor was idling.  Squinting, Tony could make out two figures on the boat.  He couldn’t tell just who they were, so he crept closer, and then saw one was the figure of a man, and the other a woman...Or a girl.  Her arms seemed to be restricted by her sides somehow.  Tony’s heart leapt...It had to be Karen !



Tony crept slowly to the Dock as soundlessly as he could.  He reached it and paused.  The figure he believed to be Omar was fiddling with something, and wasn’t paying attention to the Dock.  It looked to be ropes to Tony’s eyes, and he realized that Omar was preparing to cast off, only waiting for the other Townies before removing the final rope from the stern. 

There was no other choice.  Tony started moving on the dock, with the goal of getting close enough to be able to cleanly target Omar, if that was him.  He would only get one shot, after that his element of surprise would be over.  He moved slowly, as not to attract attention, and the journey was an agonizing one with what seemed to be Karen right there in his sight.

Tony was more than three-quarters of the way to where he judged he would have to be when Omar looked up in his direction....Expecting to see Gurney with Melody, no doubt, since he spoke up sharply, “GURNEY ??”

Tony kept moving, any doubts dispelled about who was on the boat.  He had his Air Rifle raised to try to obscure his face, but not pointed at anything, as Omar was in temporary confusion.  Each step brought him closer to a better shot.  “LEON ?  THAT YOU ??”

It was time.  Tony could wait no longer.  Dropping the Air Rifle level, he sighted Omar and let loose a few rounds.  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!

But Omar was no dummy, as it swiftly occurred to him that the person on the Dock was neither Gurney nor Leon.  He ducked to the deck as the Pellets from Tony’s Air Rifle smashed into the partly-open bridge overhead of him.  But instead of raising up and firing back, as Tony expected he might, a crouched Omar went to where Karen was still standing on the deck.  She didn’t see him approaching, he eyes were fixed on Tony.

“TONY ?!?”, Karen squealed, "I’M RIGHT HERE !!!”

Omar grabbed Karen around the waist and spun her around, placing her in-between himself and Tony, much as Gurney had done with Melody.  “BETTER STAND DOWN SCHOOLBOY !!”, he yelled, “SOON AS THE OTHERS GET HERE, WE’RE LEAVING AND TAKIN’ THESE BITCHES WITH US, SINCE YOU AIN’T GOT NO RANSOM !!!”

“YOUR FRIENDS AIN’T COMING, THEY BEEN PUT TO SLEEP !!!”, Tony couldn’t help jeering, sighting on Omar with the Air Rifle.  “IT’S ALL OVER, SO GIVE UP AND LET KAREN GO !!”

“Yeah, Let Me Go, You Perverted Bastard !!”, Karen said, struggling against Omar.  “I Told You Tony Would Come Save Us And Make You Assholes Pay !!”

Already under pressure and angered by another of Karen’s outbursts, Omar moved his arm holding Karen upwards, and in a flash grabbed her around the throat from behind, lifting her up on her toes.  “You Just Won’t Shut Up, Will You ?”, he said as Karen gurgled.  Omar raised his Air Rifle and poked the barrel under Karen’s ear.  To Tony, he yelled, “AIN’T NOTHIN’ OVER SCHOOLBOY !!  I’M TAKIN’ THIS BITCH AND LEAVIN’, RIGHT NOW !!!  THROW DOWN YOU WEAPON AND STEP BACK, OR I’LL TAKE A MIND TO PUT SOME PELLETS IN THIS CUNT’S HEAD !!!”

“NO, I WON’T !!!”, Tony shouted back, seeing Omar doing practically the same thing as Gurney had done with Melody.  Unlike Nick though, Tony wasn’t about to drop his gun...Omar would just start shooting at him.  With no place to duck for cover on the exposed Dock, he would be shot even before he could jump off the other side into the water.  Omar would zoom off with Karen, and Tony would fail.  He would never see her again.  Tony settled the Air Rifle’s sights directly on both Karen and Omar’s heads.  He shouted back with grim determination in his voice, “YOU SHOOT HER, AND YOU WILL BE FULL OF PELLETS THE SECOND AFTER YOU DO....AND I WON’T STOP FIRING TILL THIS THING’S EMPTY !!”

“YOU KEEP THINKIN’ THAT, SCHOOLBOY.....BUT YOUR LITTLE GIRLFRIEND WILL BE MIGHTY FUCKED UP, MEBBE FOR LIFE !!  CAN YOU LIVE WITH THAT ??”  As he spoke, Omar begin to slowly move towards the stern to cast off the last line, keeping Karen between them as Tony tracked them with his Air Rifle.

“I’LL KILL YOU, MOTHERFUCKER !!”, Tony replied, with a depth of hatred he didn’t even know he possessed.  “I’LL SHOOT YOUR RAPING ASS DEAD....THEN I’LL SMASH YOUR FACE IN, TILL IT’S JUST A BLOODY PULP, EVEN YOUR MAMA WONT RECOGNIZE YOU !”

“THAT’S BIG TALK, SCHOOLBOY !!”, Omar yelled back, still on the move, “BUT I AIN’T GOT A MAMA, OR A DADDY EITHER, YUH DUMB.........OOO-OUCHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!

While dragging Karen in front of him, Omar had let her drop slightly, enough so her feet could touch flat on the deck.  Shifting her weight to her left leg, Karen slammed the heel of her right foot down on Omar’s instep as hard as she could, a move that the Jock leader Ted Thompson had taught her the year before, when she had sought refuge within the Jock Clique for protection from the Bullies.  She mashed down so hard that she actually cracked her heel bone, though she wouldn’t feel that until later. 

“NOW, TONY....NOW !!!!!!”, Karen screamed, ducking down and falling to the deck as Omar released his grip on her.

POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!  POW-THUNK !!
Tony fired off a stream of pellets as Karen dropped. The first ones struck Omar in the chest, cracking his sternum and driving him backwards, where he dropped his Air Rifle.  Two more slammed his guts, pushing him back further, to the knee-high gunwhale of the boat.  The final Pellet struck him and toppled him over the side of the boat, where he hit the water with a splash.

Immediately, Tony raced on the Dock and jumped the short distance into the boat.  He frantically searched for Karen in the weak light, and about pissed himself in relief as he saw her on the deck, struggling to sit up.  He went to her and bent down, circling her with his arms.  “Karen, Karen, Are You Alright ??”

“Yes, Yes...But Watch Out For Omar, He’s Got A Gun !!”, Karen responded, not having seen Omar fall over the side of the boat.

“It’s Alright”, Tony told her, “He Went Over The Side....You’re Safe Now, Safe !!”

Karen burst into tears of relief at Tony’s touch.  She could hardly believe her ordeal was over, at long last.  “Oh...Tony, Tony !!!”, was all she could say, as she buried her face in his chest.

“HELP !!!!  HELP !!!!”, Omar’s voice called suddenly from out in the water.  “HELP !!!!  I CAN’T SWIM !!!! HEL-L-L-L-P !!!!!!”
____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Stay here”, Tony told Karen as he gently pushed away. “Stay down on deck.”

“Oh, Tony, don’t go !”, Karen begged.  “It might be a trick !”

“I wounded him”, Tony said, “I know my shots hit him.  Don’t worry, he can’t fight me now.”

Tony left Karen and went to the side of the boat where Omar had fallen over.  Peering out into the Inky water, at first he could see nothing.  As anyone who has ever been out on the water at night knows, without light, water is black, and becomes indistinguishable from the horizon.  Tony kept looking though, and then he saw a head bob to the surface about 50 feet away.

“HELP !! *cough, cough*, HELP !!”, Tony heard Omar say again, only in a weaker voice. “CAN’T *glub* SWIM.....”, he sputtered, before going back under.

The current was carrying him off, Tony knew, and fairly swiftly too.  Tony was a good swimmer, he had practically grown up in the pools around his neighborhood as a young boy.  But a river was different, particularly one with fast currents.  There were many spots where a sudden undertow could pull the best swimmer under, even when wearing a Life Jacket.  Tony had been pulled under by such an undertow in a much smaller river when he was but 8 years old, and was barely able to make it back to shore.  And that was a much calmer river than this one was tonight.  The Storms that evening had swollen the volume of the river from the Bullworth Dam clear out to the Bay, and the current had increased double as a result.  It would be madness for him to jump in and attempt any kind of rescue.

Tony hurried to the partly-open bridge.  “Tony...What Are You Doing ?”, Karen called, but he ignored her for the moment, looking for something, anything he could use.  Spotting a Life Preserver cast off in the corner of the bridge, he grabbed it up.  A thin nylon rope was tied to it, and he gathered that up also.  Before leaving the bridge, he saw the key by the Pilot’s Wheel and turned the motor off.  Heading back to the side, he fumbled with the rope and found the end of it, which he tied off to a nearby cleat.  Then he heaved the Life Preserver as far out as he could, in the direction where he last saw Omar.

The Life Preserver drifted out swiftly with the current.  Tony looked hard, but he couldn’t see Omar anywhere.  Seconds ticked by, and what looked like a white face emerged in the water more than a hundred feet distant, and then was gone as quickly as it appeared.  Then, nothing.

Karen had struggled to he feet and went to Tony, where he was standing by the side.  He had a peculiar look on his face.  “Tony...What is it ?  What are you doing ?”, she implored.  “You’re...Not going in after that Bastard, are you ?  Are You ?”

Tony was silent for a moment, debating.  He could grasp the thin rope, go over the side, keep a grip while he was searching....But it would be incredibly risky. Would it even be worth it ?  There was not much chance of finding Omar now.  Karen was staring at him, begging with her eyes, waiting for his answer.

“No”, Tony said at last.  “I’m not gonna do it.”

Karen pressed up against him in relief.  She wanted more than anything to put her arms around Tony and hold on tight forever, but the Townie’s handcuffs still bound her wrists to the waist chain.  Karen had to settle for burying her face in his chest.  Tony encircled her with his arms as he gazed out at the black water of the river.
___________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Heavy running footsteps sounded on the wood dock.  Tony quickly grabbed up his Air Rifle and prepared for another attack, but suddenly he and Karen were bathed in a bright spotlight as a voice spoke through a Megaphone, shattering the stillness of the night.

“DON’T MOVE !!!  F.B.I. !!!  LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPON AND SURRENDER !!!”

Tony did as he was told, extending his arm and dropping his Air Rifle to the deck, then raising his hands.  “PLACE YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD AND STAND STILL”, the voice ordered, “WE ARE BOARDING YOUR VESSEL !!”

In front of the near blinding light directed at him and Karen, Tony saw figures jumping onto the boat.  He as quickly surrounded and then handcuffed.  Tony’s weapon was picked up, as well as the Air Rifle Omar had dropped.  Some of the Agents, with weapons drawn and using flashlights, began to search through the boat from bow to stern.  After some minutes, they called, “All Clear Here, Sir”, and “Clear Here Also, Sir.”

The spotlight was lowered and not directed at Tony and Karen any longer, although it continued to brightly illuminate the boat.  One of the Agents approached Tony.  “I’m Special-Agent-In-Charge Clifton Hill”, he said.  “Are you Calderone ?  Tony Calderone ?”

“Yes, that’s me”, Tony admitted. 

“And is this Karen Johnson ?”, Agent Hill asked.

“Yes, that’s her”, Tony said, and Karen nodded, not speaking.

Agent Hill nodded to another Agent.  “Release him”, he said, and then noticing Karen was also shackled, said, “And, get those cuffs and that chain off of her and bag them for evidence.”

The other Agent uncuffed Tony, then went to work on Karen’s bonds.  In less than a minute, her Handcuffs and the Waist Chain were removed from her.  When that was complete, Agent Hill poised a question to Tony.  “Where is Omar Romero ?”

Tony pointed towards the River where he had last seen Omar.  “Out there, Sir....He fell overboard, after....Umm....After I shot him.”

“You shot him ?”, Agent Hill said, but not as a question.

“Um...Yeah....See, he was, that is, he had a gun to Karen’s head, as she somehow, Uh, kicked him or something...”

“I stomped on his foot”, Karen said, speaking up.

“Umm, yeah”, Tony continued, “Then I shot him with the Air Rifle, and I hit him, I’m sure, cause he stumbled back and then fell overboard...”

“I see”, Agent Hill remarked.  “So....You killed him ?”

“No, No”, Tony said, “He wasn’t killed, he was shouting for help, and the current was taking him off, then he shouted he couldn’t swim....I threw a Life Preserver I found out there, but he was too far off then, and he went under.  I....I couldn’t see him after that.”

Agent Hill listened impassively as Tony related those events, giving no hint as to weather he believed Tony or not.  Then he said, “If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I’ll be right back...Wait here.”  He strolled to the other end of the boat, pulling out a radio as he went.  Tony watched as Agent Hill began talking into it, although he couldn’t hear what was being said.  When the Agent returned, he said to Tony and Karen, “We’re going to be taking you both back to Bullworth Town for the remainder of the night.”  Looking at his watch, he continued, “It’s about 4 AM.  I suppose you both need some rest, after what you’ve been through.  We will debrief you tomorrow afternoon about all the events that have transpired here tonight then.  If there’s anything else you can think of, then that’ll be the time...”

“Uhh...There is one thing...”, Tony said, “Um, me and my friend Nick found some...Containers of that....VX Nerve Gas, up on the first level, in some long-ass shipping crates....”

Agent Hill’s eyes lit up.  He pulled up his radio, not bothering to walk away this time.  “Patch Me Through To Hosty”, he said.

In seconds came a reply.  “This Is Hosty...Go.”

“Those WMD’s We’re Looking For Are On The First Level, Repeat, First Level, In Long Shipping Crates...Copy ?”, Agent Hill said, excitement creeping into his voice.

“Aye, Copy That”, the radio crackled, “Long Shipping Crates, First Level.  Good Job.  Secure Those Immediately And Prepare For Transport, Copy ?”

“Yes Sir, Copy That Fine”, Agent Hill spoke, a look of satisfaction settling on his features.  Tony and Karen were turned over to a couple of the other Agents then, who led them to the dock.  Agent Hill then directed the other agents to seize the boat and to conduct a search for the missing Omar at first light.  He then joined the Agents on dock and they all began the walk back to the Cabin, and after that, the Escape Tunnel.  From there, they would wind their way back through the Tunnel system to Blue Skies. 

Tony walked arm and arm with Karen, as he reflected what the night had cost them, had cost his friends, had cost those who had come to help them.  Karen and Melody were free at last, but the price for their freedom had been an ugly one.  Tony hoped his friend Nick would be alright.  He hoped everyone would be alright, would recover from their wounds, there were so many.  Most of all, Tony hoped he would never have to go through something like this ever, ever again.  He Hoped.
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------{{ END OF CHAPTER EIGHT }}----------

[BloodChuckZ]

                     THE BULLWORTH NEVER ENDING STORY

                                                        {{ CHAPTER 9 }}

                                                   The Binding Agreement


“Are we ready ?”, the Reporter asked.  The Cameraman nodded and gave the countdown signal with his hand...Five, Four, There, Two, One...Go.  The Reporter assumed a professional air as she began to speak, a room in the Bullworth Courthouse behind her in the still dark and overcast early morning.



“This is Robin Miller with a Special Breaking Report from Bullworth Town, Rhode Island.  According to a reliable anonymous source, the two girls that were kidnapped from the Fourth of July celebrations here nearly two weeks ago have been rescued alive and well.  There has been a flurry of activity here at the Courthouse Building and at the Bullworth Police Station just down the block in this past hour.  The Source has told us that the rescue was carried out in the Blue Skies Industrial Area overnight, and that Federal Agents and a number of Students from Bullworth Academy were involved in the rescue.  No other Information is forthcoming at this early time.  Stay Tuned to this Station for further updates throughout the day on this breaking live story.  For WPRO 12 News, Robin Miller, Reporting.”
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[BloodChuckZ]

In all, 21 injured Students were taken out of the Third Level and off the roof of the Chem Plant by dawn.  The most seriously injured, Troy, Gord, Johnny, Nick, and Tiffany, were taken to the Vale Clinic, as they had the better care facilities. The lesser injured of Dan, Bo, Lucky, Wade, Davis, Tom, Bucky, Donald, Justin, Parker, and Casey were divided up between the Clinics of Bullworth Town and New Coventry.  The least injured of Ricky, Vance, Kirby, Ethan, and Cornelius were treated and able to be released before the day was over.  Karen and Melody were taken to the Vale Clinic as well, and were checked out and had Rape Kits administered.  Karen had a cracked heel, and a ‘boot’ was applied.  Both girls were traumatized by their captivity, Melody more than Karen, and would need Physiological Counselling in their futures.

All the Townies were injured, many seriously.  They were taken to the Blue Skies Clinic, which was reopened just for that purpose, and kept under heavy guard until such time as they could be transported to the State Prison to await their Trials.  All were charged with Kidnapping, Extortion, Rape, Confinement, Infliction Of Bodily Harm, Assault With A Deadly Weapon Against Minors, and a host of other lesser offenses.  In addition, the Cases for their abortive attempt to take over the School were re-filed against them.  Ironically, the craziest Townie of them all, Clint Henry, escaped prosecution altogether, since he was not a part of the kidnapping and was judged too insane to be recharged for his earlier crimes.  Instead, he would become a resident of Happy Volts Asylum for years to come, and would gradually even forget about his former Townie colleagues as he sank further into the depths of his insanity.

The body of Omar Romero was recovered just before dusk that Friday, caught up in the branches of a tree downed by the storm near the mouth of the river by the Narragansett Bay.  He was shown to have been shot 5 times, but the worst of the wounds was a cracked sternum, and his death was ruled as drowning.  His body was brought back to the Blue Skies Docks in a Body Bag, and then sent on to the Morgue at the Asylum, where he would occupy the same Cold Storage Vault as his former leader Edgar Munsen had lain in just less than a year before.
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[BloodChuckZ]

School was cancelled for the day Friday after only a handful of students showed up for classes.  The bulk of the uninjured students who had participated in the Chem Plant raid were returned to Bullworth Academy after being disarmed and then questioned briefly at the Bullworth Police Station.  As they arrived, they went to the Dorms or other areas and went to sleep, since they had been up all night.  By Friday evening, they were awake, and gathered in their groups on campus, telling and reliving their exploits to one another of the previous night’s raid.  A strange era of peace and tolerance settled over the campus, as the Cliques who had spent untold years fighting each other now afforded respect to one another after having battled together in a common cause.

There were a few exceptions however.  Tad, and those Preps who had not joined in on the raid, poo-pooed the efforts of the others.  Bryce, who had been allowed to bring the Shields back to Harrington Hall, was frankly disbelieved as he tried to tell the others of the heroism of Gord, since he was the lone returning Prep as the others had been shot down.  An argument ensued, and Bryce stormed out, saying he was quitting the Clique and that Tad and his chaps could go to Hell.  Bryce went to the Beach House and took up residence, and eventually Gord, Justin, and Parker would join him there, creating yet another split in the Prep Clique ranks. 

Melvin, disarmed of the Super Spud Gun by the Federal Agents, would face the wrath of Fatty for the loss of the weapon, and it would eventually come to blows.  Thad, the only other unhurt Nerd, who had run and hid, tried to concoct a fantastic fantasy tale of his exploits which was roundly disbelieved and he was labeled as a liar.  In addition, the Nerd Clique would come under pressure to make and resupply new weapons, since all of the weapons used in the raid had been confiscated by the Feds.  This would create further dissention within their ranks.

Trent, who was forced to surrender by Agents sticking guns in his face, never even got to shoot a Townie, but it made no difference.  He preformed well in his backup role, as had Ted, who didn’t land a shot on any Townies either.  Both of them were accorded respect nonetheless for being in the thick of the action.  In all, there was enough heroic stands to go around for all the Cliques who fought that night, and there would build wild and incredible embellished tales of the Student’s involvement in the raid that would pass into legend as the months and years rolled ahead.  But for now, all was peaceful on the Campus, there was no fighting, taunting, or plans for revenge.  Prefects stood around with nothing to do and nobody to bust, their roles finally relegated that evening to guarding the school gates and keeping the Media out.

All this peaceful co-existence benefited Tony, who spent the afternoon and evening being questioned and debriefed by the Federal Agents.  A return trip all day Saturday to the Courthouse Conference Rooms for more grilling also kept him off  Campus until late that evening, unable to even attempt to tend to his Mediator responsibilities.  However, the peace would be short-lived, as things would gradually drift back to normal in the coming weeks, forcing Tony to try to come up with the ultimate plan to prevent a return to the total violence of the past at Bullworth Academy.
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[BloodChuckZ]

At the first, Tony had been sequestered in the fancy Vale Hotel under guard until Friday afternoon, before being taken by the Agents in their black car to the Bullworth Courthouse for questioning and debriefing.  He didn’t know where Karen had been taken, and was relieved to see her in the hallway near the Conference Room where he was being taken himself. She had been kept separately (and ironically) under guard at the Boar Inn.  They had rushed into each other’s arms as the Agents stood by and watched.

There were no words for the moment as they had just stood and held each other tight.  It had seemed far too long since early that morning, although it had only been a few hours.  Even that had seemed too long for Tony, much too long after waiting nearly an agonizing two weeks not knowing if he would ever see her again.  There were some whispered words before the Agents gently separated them and led them off to different rooms for their interrogations. 

Tony spent that Friday afternoon and evening telling the Agents everything that had transpired from the time of the Kidnapping to the appearance of the Agents at the Dock, leaving out only his interaction with Mr. Riddle and his strange contacts.  For reasons he still didn’t fully understand, he felt he should keep that information under wraps.  When the Agents had inquired just how he had known of the secret levels under the Chem Plant, Tony told them of the twisting path he had traveled, first suspecting the Church and the mysterious Monks, then following the lead to the Asylum, then to the Chem Plant from the discovery of the tunnels.  He wasn’t so sure the Agents believed him, but he stuck to that, and then began telling them about his dreams, which was the truth, the parts that gave him clues on how to proceed, again leaving out the parts that concerned Mr. Riddle.  The Agents may have though him a little off by those admissions, but if they did, they gave no sign.

Finally, at close to 9 PM, Special Agent Hosty entered the room.  “Hello, Mr. Calderone”, he said, “We meet again.”

“Oh...Hello, Sir”, Tony said, “You’re the one who arrested Dr. Crabblesnitch and took him away, right ?  I remember you.”

“Yes”, Agent Hosty showed a rare smile, “I am indeed.  The Doctor has a nice tidy cell these days and three squares, awaiting his upcoming trial.  I see you’ve been keeping busy yourself.”

“Only because I had to, Sir”, Tony said, “I didn’t really plan on this....I just wanted to have a nice summer, after all that other stuff happened, you know....”

“I’m sure you did”, Agent Hosty replied.  “Tell you what, we’re going to cut this short for today, since it’s late.  All of those ‘Town Boys’, as you call them, have been rounded up, and we don’t believe you or Miss Johnson are in any further danger, so....We’re going to transport you both back to your school for the night.  We’ll send someone for you tomorrow morning though, there’s still more we want to discuss with you.”

“But...I’ve told everything I can”, Tony said, worriedly, “What more is there ?”

“We want to discuss how you came across that VX Nerve Gas up on the first level”, Agent Hosty said, “All the particulars and details of that.  I want you to remember everything about that, since it will help us in building cases against certain people.”

“Well...Um...Ok”, Tony said, “But...You should talk to Nick about that too, he was the one who really found it....He’d maybe be able to tell you more....”

“Regrettably, Mr. Penty is in a coma right now, and won’t be of much help”, Agent Hosty sighed.  “This information is vital, and time-sensitive.....Anyway, we’ll fill you in tomorrow about that.”

“Nick’s in a coma ?”, Tony asked then, suddenly really worried.  “Is he gonna....Be all right ?”

“I’ve been told his injury is not...Life Threatening, but it was a near thing”, Agent Hosty told Tony.  “I understand there’s a Surgical Team en-route here this evening, to remove the....Projectile from his neck.  I believe he will recover, based on what I’ve heard.”

“Whoa”, Tony muttered.  He really hadn’t given much thought to Nick today, or Melody either for that matter.  “What about Melody ?  Is she...All right ?”

“Miss Adams is unharmed”, Agent Hosty said, opening the door and ushering Tony from the room.  “Since she was checked out, she’s been keeping vigil at Mr. Penty’s bedside.”

Karen was waiting in the hall with another Agent.  “This is Agent Kellerman”, Agent Hosty said, “He’ll transport the both of you back to the school.” 

Agent Kellerman nodded.  “Come with us, you two.  There’s lots of reporters hanging about, but don’t comment on anything.  We’ll escort you to the car outside.”

It was a bit of slow going, as Karen had to contend with her cracked heel, limping all the way.  What the Agent had said was true, there was a bevy of Reporters and cameras awaiting out side the Courthouse, and they began shouting questions as soon as Tony and Karen started down the Courthouse steps.  Getting to the car without saying anything reminded Tony of some of those old Gangster movies.  The dark vehicle sped off and went to the school, where there were even more Reporters and cameras about, almost as much as there had been right after the town bombings of just six weeks ago.  Those Reporters too shouted questions and stuck microphones in their faces as they walked to the entrance, which Tony saw had the gates shut.  They had to endure a minute longer for Karl the Prefect to unlock and open the gates for them, then close it off behind them.  Still, the Reporters persisted, shouting their questions through the gate bars.  Tony got Karen up to the small plaza between the Dorms, and then began to walk her slowly toward the Girl’s Dorm, as she was limping badly.

“Maybe you should have gotten some crutches”, Tony remarked, when the rabble of voices were behind them.

“They offered me some, I turned them down”, Karen said.  “Wished I’d taken them now !”

“Just hang on to me”, Tony said gently, “Maybe Mrs. Peabody will let me take you up to your room.”

Karen held closer to Tony, and said suddenly, “Tony...Don’t leave me...We’ve been apart so long !”

“But...What about Mrs. Peabody ?  Or Mrs. Carvin ?”, Tony asked, “They likely won’t let me stay...Probably make me leave...”

“Just let them try”, Karen said viciously.  “I’ll tell them old biddies where they can shove it !”

Tony had to laugh, and then Karen laughed too.  It was so good to finally be able to laugh again.
________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Pinky had left early Friday morning from the Boar Inn to stroll down the street to Shinjo’s to have a bit of Breakfast.  It was convenient, as it was just a short walk past the Dry Seaman’s Bar and the Vale’s Shiny Bike Shop to the West.  On the corner of Vale Boulevard and Hill Street was the nondescript Vale Finance Institution (known as VFI), and across the street was the restored Homemade Ice Cream Shop.  Up the walk steps and a couple of buildings to the North was Shinjo’s, her favorite eating spot in the Vale, the scene of many a meeting lunch meeting with Christy in the past, when Pinky was with Kurt and the Rockers.  She didn’t get to see much of Christy these days, at least not socially...Both her and Winkie were tied up with the work thing and their time with each other, but she missed them both.

Pinky hadn’t really looked down the street the other way as she left the Boar Inn.  If she had, she would have noticed three dark Government cars parked in front of the Vale Clinic on the next block.  Eating alone, as always these days, she finished her Breakfast and sighed.  Time to catch the bus for school, she supposed.  At least it was Friday.  With only a month more to go in the Summer Term, she'd be out of school for a while, that was, until the month following that, when she would finally get to her Senior year at long last.  Then she supposed she could go to Paris or Milan after she finally graduated to model or something.  Since her Daddy was tied up in all that legal trouble, she probably wouldn’t have a Trust Fund and have to earn some actual money to sustain herself.  A year ago, her future had been all but decided.....She was to marry Derby and become a Prep’s kept wife.  But Derby was long gone now, sent away she’d been told.  She wouldn’t have gone back with him even if he had stayed, broken jaws had a way of changing one’s outlook on life.  Kurt was gone too, a mental vegetable now, so she heard.  She had been willing to plunge into his exciting seedy underworld life with him, but that was not to be either.  She was done with Tad, if she were ever to take up with him again, there would always be a Vanessa in the shadows.  Then there was Tony, who had made it clear enough that he would never be with her, whether Karen was rescued or not.  No, it looked like her future was pretty uncertain these days, and that she would be fighting it alone. 

Pinky left Shinjo’s, going across Vale Boulevard to the Bus Stop there, almost directly across the four-lane Boulevard from the Dry Seaman’s Bar.  It seemed The Bus was late, and she idly looked around, bored.  A glance across to the Boar Inn sparked her interest then, as a dark car pulled up in front.  More interesting was what seemed a cluster of people with cameras and microphones following along the walk and gathering in front of the Boar Inn.  The car doors opened to the sidewalk side, away from her sight, and some men hustled out.  In the middle of them, Pinky could barely see something all too familiar....A person with a head of honey-blond hair.  She was being hustled into the Boar Inn through the crowd.  One of the men in black from the car blocked the entrance after the girl was taken in, denying entrance to the crowd, who must surely be those News People, Pinky thought. 

But that girl....Pinky had almost no doubt as to who it was.  It had to be Karen....Kidnapped Karen, her nemesis for Tony’s affections, the girl who had slammed her into a wall, not once but twice....And the girl she had gone to Bryce to enlist his help for, to somehow aid Tony to save her.  Why else would all those News People be gathered around her ?  Tony and his friend Nick must have succeeded in their mission.

But what about Bryce ?  Had he been able to convince any other Preps to go along ?  Had anyone gotten hurt ?  Had Tony gotten hurt ?  Had Bryce ?  These questions swirled in her mind as the Bus pulled up at last.  The door was opened and she stepped up and inside...But the bus was empty.

“You being the only rider today, looks like”, Chuck the Bus driver said.  “Some big goings-on this morning, all right....Buncha those News Freaks are comin’ out of the woodwork like Cockroaches.  I gotta park this thing and get the Cab going soon”, he added.  Chuck drove the Valley’s only Taxi as well as the School Bus. 

Pinky took the seat behind the driver as the Bus lumbered on towards the School.  Pinky knew one thing...She would have to track down Bryce and find out what had happened....To find out if it had been enough, that she had done enough, to be able to start on the road to her redemption.
__________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Constantinos sat hollow-eyed by Tiffany’s bedside at the Vale Clinic that Friday night.  He had barely dozed since....Who knew when ?  Seemed like days.  Already, the self-recriminations were washing over him like a Tsunami.  He shouldn’t have taken her along into the bowels of the Chem Plant.  He shouldn’t have given her that Spud Gun.  He should have watched her closer, protected her somehow from danger.  He knew how unstable she was, better than anyone.

His mind swirled like a Tornado.  How had this happened ?  How had he allowed this to happen ?  It had all spun out of control, as if he had any sort of control to began with.  Over and over, her last words echoed in his head, like an old record skipping back in a groove....

“I....I think I...Love you....Really...Love you....So strange.....I’ve never....Loved anyone....Before....”

Then, she had passed out.  As yet, she hadn’t woken up.  Maybe never would.  A terrible shiver wormed it’s was through his own guts at that thought.  If she died........He couldn’t continue the thought, couldn’t deal, and his mind rebelled in an agonized spasm. 

“Yep, you really fucked up this time !”, the Voice of Reason chortled. “Really pissed it right down the john !  You might as well just shot her yourself, up on the roof, saved us all a trip down to that Hellhole.”

“Nooooo.....”, Constantinos moaned.  “”Go away.....”

“Can’t very well do that, buckaroo, since we’re LOCKED IN YOUR MISERABLE HEAD”, the Voice continued, unheeding.  “It ain’t no picnic watching you fuck up, you know.  In fact, it just makes us want to throw the hell up, but we can’t of course, cause we don’t got no finger to stick down your miserable throat.”

“Leave me Alone”, Constantinos muttered, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.

“Would if we could Chief”, the Voice of Reason continued, “Impossible, since we’re kinda stuck in what they call a Symbolic Relationship here.  If you really want us gone, why didn’t ja just take that gun you had down there and stick in your mouth ?  One pull and we’re all outta this misery.  One pull on the trigger and we could all end this.  But you don’t have the BALLS to do that....Do You ?”  The voice snickered as Constantinos moaned anew, his hands grasping his head.  “Of course not...You’d rather just sit and watch her DIE, wouldn’t you ?”

Constantinos broke down in sobs then, as his swirling emotions of grief, guilt, self-hate, and despair overwhelmed him.  He had no answer for the Voice of Reason.  None at all.

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

The Medical Team who had responded to the call for help concluded that Tiffany was in very serious condition.  Because of her petite size, the Pellets shot by Leon had penetrated her abdominal muscles and punched small holes in her Intestines.  Tiffany needed an operation to remove the Pellets and repair her Intestines, and soon, as Peritonitis was setting in and would lead to Septicemia and eventually death.

With all the injured that had resulted from the two battles....30 in all, including the Townies...The skeleton staff that manned the Clinics in the Vale Valley were quickly overwhelmed.  Ergo, a Medical Team had been summoned from nearby Warwick before that afternoon.  Still, there were a few simultaneous serious cases to deal with at the Vale Clinic, as well at the Blue Skies Clinic, where the Townies had been taken.  The decision was made late Friday evening to airlift Tiffany by an Air Medical Helicopter to a Hospital in Providence.

The Reporters stationed outside the Vale Clinic were galvanized as the Helicopter flew in that evening and landed at the foot of the Long Pier across the Vale Boulevard not far from the Clinic.  A couple of Paramedics hustled out of the Helicopter with a stretcher on wheels and headed for the Clinic, ignoring the Reporter’s shouted questions as they went inside.  In a few minutes they reappeared with Tiffany in tow, the Reporters following them across the street still shouting questions which the Paramedics still ignored.  The Idling Helicopter powered up as soon as she was loaded in, and then rose into the sky, heading off swiftly in a North-East direction.



Constantinos had followed Tiffany’s stretcher out into the street.  The Reporters, who were focused on the girl on the stretcher, ignored him.  Constantinos watched with tears flowing down his face as the Helicopter rose and flew away.  Then, he turned and headed down the street, wandering aimlessly, and disappeared.  He would not be seen again for more than a week, and in the commotion of events, hardly anyone noticed.
________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

In another room at the Clinic, Johnny Vincent came to.  “Ohhhh....Ooohhh....Lola....Lola Babe...”

“I’m right here, Johnny, right here !”, Lola responded eagerly.  She had been sitting with him in the room every since he’d been taken care of by the Medical Team, who had extracted a Pellet from his chest earlier in the day.

“Wheres...am I ?”, Johnny said woozily, trying to move.

“In the Clinic”, Lola told him, putting her hands gently to him.  “Try not to move around.”

“Is...It Bad ?”, Johnny asked, pointing to his chest.

“Not so bad”, Lola assured him.  “Couple of broke ribs...A...Punctured Lung....”  She broke off with a short sob.

“Eey....None’s of that”, Johnny said, “Ise gonna bees just fine, rights ?”

“Yes....”, Lola said, hitching in a breath, “They told me...You would.”

“Sees ?  It’ll bees just Ok”, Johnny said, “Just likes new....Sames as always.”  He gave her a slightly painful grin, and her eyes brimmed with tears. 

”Johnny...Did you mean it ?”, Lola asked, “About wanting to marry me ?”

“Sures I did”, Johnny said, “Lola, we’s gonna be...Engaged.”

The tears spilled over Lola’s cheeks. “I meant what I said, Johnny...Being there, seeing you shot....We are the most important thing, I know that now....I won’t ever leave you again, Ever !”

“Ey, rights....We a Team, youse and mees”, Johnny said, “I always Loves you Baby, yous knows that....We should gets our own place, Ise be runnin’ the Blue Balls, we’s can make out, sure...”

“You mean it Johnny ?”, Lola said, “Our own place and all ?”

“Sure, Sures, we get us an Apartment foirst, likes we had in Detroit, den we can mebbe gets a house, when the Bar picks up...”, Johnny said, “We’s can make it, Lola, all the way...”

“And....No more jealousy, Johnny, hey ?”, Lola asked, “I want you to trust me, really trust me.”

“Ey, de boys said youse stepped up for mees...Down there...”, Johnny mummered, “Says youse took outs dat Townie boy good....Ise can always trusts you now....”

“I bashed his face in”, Lola said, with a trace of savage vengeance.  “It felt...Good.”

“Heh...Dats my giorl”, Johnny said, sleepily.  “De mos beautiful warrior...”

They chatted on, as Johnny fell down into sleep.  Their days ahead would be better, she knew now.  Together, they would make them so.
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Melody came awake with a start.  It had to be after midnight.  How long had she dozed off ?  She looked over to the bed next to her chair in the Clinic, fearful that Nick wasn’t there, that he had been moved like that other girl, taken off on a Helicopter, or maybe that he had, maybe....Died. 

Her heart hammered, and then she saw him there, still in the same place, the same position, breathing slow and regular.  Melody let out a harsh breath and hitched a sob.  Nick was still sedated to keep him from moving because of what had happened to him.  The Medical People had told her the Pellet had entered his neck, just missing his right Carotid Artery.  Apparently because of the way he had jumped, feet first, Gurney’s shot had struck his neck at an upward angle and wound up smashing into into apex of his upper jaw, breaking it because of the close range.  He could not be safely moved, they said.  As it was, he had been extremely lucky, they told her.  The Pellet would be removed later, when it was deemed safe.

“Oh, Nicky”, she moaned, the tears coming again.  He looked horrible, bandages swathed his neck, and some sort of brace was fitted to his jaw.  His lower face was swollen and purplish-looking.  She lifted her hand and gently grasped Nick’s hand, which was laying alongside him, stroking it.  He had rescued her after all....Karen never seemed to have doubts that the boys would come for them, but in the depths of her terror, when she was alone, with all those filthy monsters using her, degrading her, she had shut down and ceased to believe in anything. 

It was all her fault, not being able to hold her pee.  Her fault for getting separated from Nick in the first place.  Her fault for asking Karen to go with her.  Her fault that Nick got shot.  Gurney had stuck his thumb hard against her lips in that tunnel, and in her fear and terror, she opened her mouth and bit it, bit it hard, just as she wanted to do to that other thing he put there but didn’t dare.  All her fault, she knew. 

Those Government people had wanted to talk to her.  She refused to go, to leave Nick lying here alone in the Clinic.  Even Karen had wanted her to come along today, after their exams, to talk to those Government Men about what Omar and Gurney and the rest of those foul bastards had done to them.  Melody didn’t want to talk to anybody about that.  Not Ever.

A small stab of anger went through her.  Karen had her man.  Tony wasn’t hurt rescuing her.  He wasn’t shot like Nicky had been.  Tony hadn’t even looked at her, or asked if she was all right, he just ran off after Karen.  If Laurent hadn’t been there, Nick would have bled to death.  Those Government Men virtually ignored her, most rushing past her heading further into the tunnel.  The ones that stayed only hustled her back to that horrid underground place, not allowing her to stay with Nick.  They didn’t even unshackle her until everyone was taken out of the underground via some other tunnels soon after that.  No one had comforted her.

Melody gazed at Nick as the sobs overtook her again.  She just wanted back what she had lost two weeks ago.  She had been saved from that terrible place now, but she wasn’t really free.  Her tears flowed at the bitter price that had been levied, as outside the night wore on.
____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The Government car was waiting at the curb, as Tony and Karen headed for the front gates.  Tony had actually stayed the night in Karen’s room.  No one had tried to stop him.  In fact, Tony hadn’t seen anybody....Not Mrs. Carvin, Mrs. Peabody, or Nurse McRae.  Tony and Karen had fallen into bed and quickly slept.  It had been much the same this morning also....They saw no Adults.

Edward the Prefect, looking bleary-eyed, watched them approach.  A few News Reporters could be seen out on the walkway.

“They’re here for us”, Tony said to Edward.  “You’ll have to let us through.”

Edward stared owlish at them.  For a few seconds, Tony thought Edward wasn’t going to make a move, then he went robotically to the gate.  Before he swung it open, he turned and said, “Better get back here as soon as you can, Calderone.  All the Staff have fled the Campus, except Mr. Neil...And he’s holed up back at the Autoshop.”

“What ?”, Tony asked, “There’s nobody watching over things ?”

“Just Us”, Edward said, referring to the Prefects.  “The Teachers and Staff took a powder after classes were canceled yesterday morning.  Hardly any Students showed up, due to your little escapades, so they all left.”

Tony ignored the tone of Edward’s voice....The Prefects were probably peeved that they hadn’t been invited along.  Most likely, they would have enjoyed beating some Townie’s asses and getting some of the glory.  But being the way they were, they would have tried to take over the whole mission and would have likely mucked it up.  Tony didn’t think much of the Prefects anyway, and even less since he’d become the Mediator and had gotten immunity from their overbearing discipline.

“Don’t they usually go home for the weekends anyway ?”, Tony replied.  “How is that a big deal ?”

“They don’t ALL leave, as you well know”, Edward said as if he were talking to a Third Grader.  “Mrs. Carvin, Mrs. Peabody, Mrs. McRae, they all monitor  the Girl’s Dorm, Miss Edna’s always here on weekends....Several live on Campus.  Why, Dr. Crabblesnitch mostly stayed at the school day and night, and Ms. Danvers too.”

“So, I see you’re still here”, Tony commented snidely.  “I’m sure you four can handle things.”

Edward unlocked the gate and pulled it open.  “We’ve been ordered to watch the gates, and keep those people out”, he said, indicating the Media.  “We’re doing shifts, day and night, no thanks to you and your pals.  No time to Police the Campus.  You’d better get back here soon and maintain order...That’s your job, isn’t it ?”

“I’ll be back just as soon as Important Government Officials are done talking with me”, Tony said pointedly, as he led Karen through the gates.

“You’d better, Calderone, before some other crazed maniacs try to take over the School again !”, Edward proclaimed, getting in the last word. 

Karen, who had not spoken to that point, openly laughed out loud.  Who was left to try and take over ?  Tony smirked, and Edward looked after them disgustedly as he closed and re-secured the gates.

“Hey, isn’t that one of them Kidnapped Girls ?”, a voice from the Reporters shouted, and as if they were Drones to a Hive, the Media people closed in on them from both sides.  Two Agents got out of the car and began pushing the News People back.  Tony and Karen made a loping run for the car amid their shouted questions and piled in the back seat.  The Agents returned to the car, and then it sped off.

But on the way over to the Courthouse, Tony got to thinking.  Having a Power Vacuum in the Administration was not a good thing.  Without any kind of controls, chaos would eventually result.  He mad a mental note to check in on Mr. Galloway just as soon as he could.  With all that had been going on, he hadn’t so much as given a thought to how his recovery was going.  He hoped that Christy and Winkie had been looking after him well, and that his Demon addiction had been quelled.
_______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Gord woke up Saturday to find his Shoulder immobilized and strung up, Bryce sitting patiently in a chair next to the bed.  “Hey there, Chap, what’s happening ?”, Gord said groggily. with a wince of pain.

“You got shot”, Bryce told him.  “Hit that meat part of your upper shoulder....Chipped a bone, as they tell me.  You’ll recover just fine.”

“What about....The other Chaps ?”, Gord asked, “How are they ?”

“Justin and Parker got hit with a few Pellets, but nothing serious.  They’ll be in the Clinic a few days”, Bryce said, and added, “That OTHER Clinic, at Bullworth Town.”

“Oh...Just horrible...Maybe they could transfer here later ?”, Gord said hopefully.  The snooty Preps didn’t like to be treated in what they considered to be the ‘Low Class’ Clinics, which was anywhere else than the Vale Clinic.

“Maybe”, Bryce said.  “I’ll have to see to it, Tad won’t bother with them.”

“Have you....Spoken to Tad ?”, Gord asked.

“Yes”, Bryce said sourly, “I went and returned the Shields yesterday.”

“What did he have to say ?”, Gord asked, frowning.

Bryce sighed.  “He said....That I was worthless for going off to help those low-lifes, and that I got all you Chaps shot.”

Gord was somewhat shocked.  “Why, that’s not true, we volunteered to go along !  Didn’t you tell him those dastardly devils were defeated ?”

“Makes no difference”, Bryce said.  “He said the whole thing was a farce, and he shouldn’t have let anybody go in the first place.....Basically called me worthless, and said I didn’t deserve to be a Prep.”

“I say, that’s not Cricket !”, Gord exclaimed indignantly.  “You should have given him what for !  Did you ?”

“We got into a big row about it”, Bryce admitted, and taking a breath, said, “I....I quit the Clique.”

You What ?”, Gord said, really shocked now.  “Quit the Clique ?  What’s to become of you now ?”

“I...Um, moved into the Beach House, for now, since it’s unoccupied”, Bryce said.  The Beach House technically still belonged to Jimmy Hopkins, who had won it in a series of Boxing Matches, but the Preps had been using it on and off since he was no longer here. 

“Well”, Gord reflected.  “Maybe, I should join you there....Tad and I are not the best of Chaps.”

“You’re welcome to, if you want”, Bryce told him.  Settling back, he turned reflective.  “I can’t help but think that Tad is acting like this because he found out who really sent us on that mission....Pinky.”
____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Hey, Troy, how you doin’ ?”, Trent said, as he walked into room.  “Real fancy digs you got here.”  Trent looked about the clean room.  It was far better than the other Clinics, where the Bullies usually wound up.

“Oh..Uh...Yeah...I’m, Uh, gonna be Ok”, Troy said, “That’s what they told me...”

“They tell everybody that”, Trent laughed, continuing to look around, trying to find something to swipe.  He zeroed in on a Hospital-type Urinal.  “Hey, what’s this thing ?”



“Uhh...I pee in there !”, Troy told him. “It’s a....Portable Toilet !”

“Ick, Gross !”, Trent exclaimed.  “But....Interesting though.”

“Whadda mean ?”, Troy gasped, a spasm of pain hitting his guts.

Trent picked the little Urinal up.  “We could take this thing on missions and stuff.  Might come in handy.  We all gotta piss sometimes.”

“Put that nasty thing down”, Paige said, walking into the room. She had been checking out other areas of the Vale Clinic.

“But, Babe, we could use something like this”, Trent protested.  “Like, tie it to our belts when we go to fight somebody !”

“Don’t be ridiculous”, Paige laughed. “Walking around with Urinals on you belts ?  You know how stupid that would look ?”  She walked over to Troy’s bed.  “How are you Troy ?  Feel any better ?”

“I feel too slow”, Troy lamented, “I Lost.”

“Poo, we didn’t lose, we won !”, Paige exclaimed.

“I’m so angry about this !”, Troy went on, like he didn’t hear her.

“Shouldn’t have stood up in the line of fire, Dumbass”, Trent commented.

“I screwed up.  How could I screw up like that ?”, Troy wailed, heedless.

Trent started to respond, but Paige sent him a warning look. “It still came out just fine”, she said to Troy.

“I really dropped the ball this time”, Troy continued, “We let those girls down.”

“Those girls got rescued”, Paige said.  “Nobody was let down.”

“I’m not tough enough !”, Troy kept up, morosely. “Sometimes I think I’m not manly enough....That Sucks !  So much for the Army.  I’ll never see a war now !”

“Don’t be silly”, Paige soothed.  “Of course you’re manly....You got shot in battle !  You’ll be a like a Hero now !”

Troy looked up at her.  “Uhhh....You think so ?”, he questioned. 

“Sure”, Paige said.  “Fact is, there’s a bunch of Reporters just waiting to hear all about your exploits outside right now, soon as you’re healthy.”

“But....Uh....I don’t get it", Troy said, frowning, “This is too confusing for me !”

“It’s simple”, Trent said, “All the others got shot too, ‘cept for me and Russell....But you were hit the worst.  Instant Fame !”

At the mention of Russell, Troy’s face clouded.  “Russell ?  He must think I’m no good, gettin’ shot down bein’ stupid !”

“Are you kidding ?”, Paige said, “Russell’s the one who carried you down from the roof, after I got your bleeding stopped.  He’s actually real worried about you !”

“He Is ?”, Troy asked, and a smile broke out slowly on his face.  “Wow....Where is he ?  He gonna come see me ?”

“They, uh, wouldn’t let him in”, Trent told him.  “Somethin’ about bein’ too big, or scaring the other patients, or something.  But he said to get better soon and get back to the Clique.”

A look of relief crossed Troy’s face.  “Maybe, when I’m better, I should go beat some other boys or something ?”

“That’s the spirit”, Trent told him.  “Nothin’ like a good beatdown,...That’ll perk you up for sure.”

“Trent, we gotta go soon”, Paige interrupted.  “Out time’s almost up.”

Trent nodded, then cast a look at the Urinal again.  Paige saw that and shook her head.  Troy suddenly said, “Hey...You gotta do this for me.”

“What ?  What do you need ?”, Trent asked.

“Tell me....Somebody said Thad made a Grenade out of an Eraser”, Troy asked.  “Is that true ?”

Trent laughed so loudly he could be heard out in the hall.  “Shit, No !”, he exclaimed, “That little Wimp ran and hid like a little Chicken !  BRAWK !  BRAWK !”

Then Troy did laugh, wincing at the pain.  It would be all right after all.  They would be famous this time.  Why, maybe they could even do a TV show about it.
______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony and Karen sat in the Courthouse Conference Room where the minor Agents had left them.  In a few minutes, the chief Agents on the case, Hosty, Hill, Kellerman, and Greer, filed into the room, followed by Chief O’Rouke.  They all took chairs at the big Oak table, opposite where Tony and Karen were sitting.

“Good Morning, Mr. Calderone”, Agent Hosty said, and looking at Karen, added, “And to you also, Miss Johnson....But your presence here today is not necessary.”

“But I want to be here”, Karen said, almost timidly.  “Tony and I are in this together.”

There was a whispered conference among the Agents, while Chief O’Rouke sat by impassively.  Finally, Agent Hosty spoke up.  “All right, Miss Johnson, you may stay, but the both of you need to understand that some of what we are going to discuss here relates to National Security Issues that are not to be discussed with anyone else.  Is that clear ?”

Karen nodded, almost meekly, and Agent Hosty continued.  “Both of your accounts as to what took place at the Dock and on that Boat that night match up, so we are well convinced your accounts are truthful and accurate as to what took place there.”

A measure of relief appeared on Tony and Karen’s faces, and they briefly smiled at one another.  Agent Hosty continued, “I can tell you now, that Omar Romero is dead.  His body was recovered early Friday morning at the mouth of the River by the Bay.” 

Neither Tony or Karen were really shocked at the news, as that wasn’t an unexpected outcome of what happened that night on the boat.  Still, it was worrisome, as charges could possibly be leveled at Tony for shooting Omar.  That worry, however, was dispelled as Agent Hosty continued.  “An Autopsy that was done late yesterday showed that Mr. Romero had been struck by Five Pellets from that Air Rifle you used....Two to the chest that resulted in a cracked Sternum, two to the Abdomen that penetrated into the muscular area but no further, and one struck up high, chipping the Collarbone.  None of these wounds would have been fatal.  Omar Romero died from drowning, as the Autopsy has shown.  Both of your accounts match as to what took place, and since Miss Johnson’s life was in obvious jeopardy, you, Mr. Calderone, will be absolved of the shooting of Mr. Romero.  It will be ruled as justifiable.  Isn’t that right, Chief ?”

Chief O’Rourke responded, “Aye, no charges, that be right. Justifiable for sure.”  The Chief looked a mite uncomfortable in the room in comparison to the four Agents, like a fish out of water.  It was obvious he would rather be out fighting fires that sitting in on an interview. 

“Nor is anyone else going to be charged for taking part in your little raid on the Chemical Plant”, Agent Hosty continued, “Since it been fairly well established that those Town Boys were the first to open fire on both the Roof and down on that Third Level, from all the interviews we’ve conducted.  But I feel bound to mention that what you did was a very ill-advised venture.”  At this point, he removed a notebook from his jacket pocket.  Flipping it open, he began to read.  “It appears you drew 51 people to the Chemical Plant, most of them Students, just as yourself....And of that, 21 of those were shot by Air Rifle Pellets, resulting in wounds that ranged from minor to extremely serious.”

“Well, um...”, Tony said, a bit nervously, “Really...Only a few fellows came with me....The rest just kinda....Showed up.”

“We’re aware of that”, Agent Hill put in.  “But it seems many came because of you, and some because of their desire for revenge against those Town Boys.”

“At this junction, it’s really immaterial”, Agent Hosty continued, “Since there is no way now to alter what has happened.  But you should have come to us with your suspicions about where the kidnapped girls were being held...No offense to you, Miss”, he added to Karen.

“But if Tony hadn’t gotten there when he did, Omar and them were going to take us far away and make us their Slaves !”, Karen exclaimed.  “That was their plan !”

“Be that as it may, Miss Johnson, the presence of Mr. Calderone, Mr. Penty, and the others seriously interfered with our Operational Mission that night, and might have compromised your entire Vale Valley, not to mention the prosecution of certain dangerous individuals”, Agent Hill told her.

Tony was becoming confused.  “What do you mean ?”, he said, frowning.  “Didn’t you invade the Chem Plant to capture the Townies and free Karen and Melody ?”

“No, Mr. Calderone”, Agent Hosty told him, casting a look at Agent Hill.  It seemed the cat was out of the bag now.  “Our Primary Mission was the recovery of something else.”
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