The Bullworth Never Ending Story

[BloodChuckZ]

“These are some serious charges, young Master Harrington”, Dr. Crabblesnitch intoned.  “What do you have to say for yourself ?”

“I don’t have to say Anything to you”, Derby said arrogantly.  “You’re just a Puppet around here.  I’m a Harrington.”

The Prefects were shocked at Derby’s outrageous attitude, but Dr. Crabblesnitch took it in stride.  “It’s doesn’t matter just who you are, you cannot be punching girls !”

“Like I told this lame Pauper”, Derby said snidely, pointing at Tony, “I did not punch a Girl.”

“That’s not true, Sir”, Seth said.  “He was seen punching Miss Gauthier by a witness.”

“And just who was that ?”, Dr. Crabblesnitch, staring up at the ceiling, wishing he were somewhere else.

“Um, Sheldon Thompson, Sir”, Seth said, “He told me.”

“Hah”, Derby said.  “That little Twerp ?  You can’t believe him.  He’s a Liar.  He makes a career out of tattling on everybody.”

“I saw him do it, Sir”, Tony said, suddenly feeling strange to be relying on Dr. Crabblesnitch for any kind of justice in the matter, seeing as how he knew the things he did about the Headmaster.

“You’re a Liar too, Calderone”, Derby said hotly.  “Just a douchebag LIAR !!”

Dr. Crabblesnitch sighed and rose from his chair, walking to the window that overlooked the back Quad.  “I’m afraid there’s going to have to be consequences for your actions, young Harrington.”

“So, just call my Father and tell him what kind of ‘consequences’ those might be”, Derby said in a jeering tone.  He had no more respect for the Headmaster than he did for anyone else, and his voice dripped with venom.  “I’m sure those ‘consequences’ will be getting your Pauper Ass FIRED !!”

Dr. Crabblesnitch opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by the sound of a loud far-away BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!   Everyone stood stood stock still at the sound, unsure of what it might be.

Except for Tony.  He had a feeling he knew just what it was.
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The hands of the Clocktower in the Bullworth Town Square had just clicked over to high noon when the Founder's Statue in the middle of the Town Square exploded with a mighty roar.  Chunks of the statue were thrown in every direction, some of the pieces striking the Townspeople who had, just a few seconds before, been enjoying a warmish cloudless day at the start of the noon hour.  People began to run in sheer panic as a huge white cloud of dusty debris enveloped the square.

Sid’s Reign Of Terror on the Vale Valley had begun.
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[BloodChuckZ]

In the Headmaster’s Office at the school, Tony broke the silence.  “It’s an Attack !  It’s Jake’s doing, I just know it is !”

Derby turned and eyed Tony queerly.  “And just what do you know Calderone ?”, he said snidely, “You seem to know a lot about other people’s business, don’t you now, you Peon Motherfucker  ?”

“That’s Enough of that !”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said sternly, turning from the window.  “I will not have that kind of talk in my office.....”

BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Statue of the long-ago Bullworth Academy Football Player in the Bullhead Mask on the Fountain at the junction of the pathways leading from the Back Quad to the Gym and the Greasers Shop and Harrington Hall exploded with a huge roar, the figure all but disintegrating with the force of the blast.  Fortunately, no one was around the Fountain, but the few kids who were on the Back Quad were knocked down.  Some of the windows in the back of the school, including those in Dr. Crabblesnitch’s office, were shattered. 

“Good Lord !!”, Dr. Crabblesnitch exclaimed, as he looked out the now-broken window at the smoldering wreck.  He turned quickly and barked orders to Edward, Seth, and Karl, who were still standing by the double doors to the office.  “Get out there and get those children away from the buildings !  That Little Kook will probably blow them up again !  Get Everyone Out !!”

The Prefects raced to obey, leaving the Headmaster, Tony, and Derby still in the office.  Derby looked around with a hateful stare at Tony and a dismissive one at Dr. Crabblesnitch.  “I’m leaving”, he announced, and walked out, nearly running down Ms. Danvers as she came hobbling into Dr. Crabblesnitch’s office.  Derby spit on her, then trotted out of the building at a fast pace.
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[BloodChuckZ]

Jimmy approached the door that led into the Control Room, hidden Spud Gun at the ready.  Keeping the laundry cart in front of him to hide the Spud Gun, he leaned over and banged on the door.  “Hey !!  We Got A Problem Out Here !!”, he yelled.

“What Is It ?”, Dan the Orderly called back, getting up from the Control Panel and coming to the grating.

“Some Roid Monkey Is Tearing Out The Bars On The Door Down In Room 6 !!”, Jimmy shouted back, his finger tightening on the trigger of the Spud Gun.

“Aw, Holy Hell !”, Dan exclaimed, going to the door and throwing it open.  “It’s that Goddamn Ape West again.....OOOOFFF !!!!!!!!!!”

Jimmy had leveled the Spud Gun underneath the cart and fired point blank into the Orderly’s crotch.  He collapsed in pain on the floor, exclaiming, “Ohhhh, My Boys !!!!!”

Jimmy shot him in the head with another Spud to knock him out, then pushed past him into the Control Room.  Rushing over to the panel, he did the same as he had done before, and released all the locks to the cells in the Asylum.  As he headed out the door, a the Asylum was rocked by a loud BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

At once, the power failed and the interior went dark.  Jimmy raced down the hall to Damon’s room and yanked open the door.  By that time, the emergency lights placed in the corners of the hallways lit up.  “Com’on, Damon, let’s go, NOW !!”
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The Monk Statue has exploded with a mighty roar, scattering it’s chunks over a wide area.  One large chunk crashed into the entrance doors, tearing the foyer to pieces and blocking the doors to Block ‘A’.  The remaining Orderlies had rushed towards the front at the sound of the blast, only to find that they couldn’t get out that way.  When they turned to come back, they found themselves confronted by the inmates who were just leaving their cells.  The Orderlies tried to run, but were quickly overwhelmed by the inmates, who began to immediately beat up their tormenters.
______________________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Why, You Ruffian !!", Ms. Danvers exclaimed, startled by the gob of spit on her forehead by whom she considered a model student.  But Derby was gone, almost faster than she could even react.  She briefly considered going after him, but realized that would have be futile on a broken foot.  Instead, she hobbled over to Dr. Crabblesnitch’s desk.

“Milton, you should suspend that boy !”, she told him, “He spit on me !”

“You know I can’t do that”, Dr. Crabblesnitch said wearily, still staring out the broken window at the ruined statue.

Ms. Danvers appeared flustered.  “Something must be done !”, she said.  “And just what was that horrible noise ?”

“It’s that litle snot Jake, I believe”, Dr. Crabblesnitch replied, his gaze fixed.  “Call the Police, would you Dear ?  Tell them....Tell them we have a bad problem.”

Ms. Danvers reached for the phone and began to punch in the access number.  Both were totally ignoring Tony’s presence in the room.  Tony edged towards the door and slipped from the room. 
He had to find Karen and check on his friends, and he had to hurry.
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Damon stared at Jimmy for a moment in confusion.  “Whut de hell isa goin’ on ?”, he said, as the freed inmates began to wander the halls, their voices beginning to rumble in fear.

“Com’on !”, Jimmy said, “We need to get you out of here, now !”

“Hey, who you be, man ?”, Damon said suspiciously.  “You taking me for dose Treatments ?”

“No, you Dumb Fuck, you’re going on a field trip !”, Jimmy shot back, exasperated  “See all these crazies wandering around here ?  I sprung the doors, this is an escape !  Let’s GO !”

“You look....Familiar”, Damon said, staring closely at Jimmy.  “Do I know you ?”

“We already went through this”, Jimmy said, then sucked in his breath and shouted, “HEY CRAZIES, HEAR THAT BIG NOISE ?  THEY’RE BLOWING THE PLACE UP !!  NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO ESCAPE !!!  YOU BETTER RUN AFORE THE BOOGEY MEN GET YOU !!!  THAT'S RIGHT, YOU INSANE MORONS, ESCAPE !!!  ESCAPE !!!  ESCAPE !!!"

The already agitated inmates surged toward the Block ‘B’ doors to the Rec Room.  Jimmy hoped that the large explosion had diverted the attention of the remaining Orderlies enough so they could slip by in the confusion.  He grabbed Damon by the arm and began to pull him along, when a plaintive voice behind him made him pause.

“Hey, a little help here ?”, the voice whined.

Jimmy turned to see Algie standing there trembling by the door to cell 6.  “Little help here ?”, he repeated, staring owl-eyed at Jimmy, missing his glasses.

“Lost some weight, did’ja Algie ?”, Jimmy observed, without thinking.

“Jimmy, is that you ?”, Algie said, startled, recognizing Jimmy’s voice.

“Hopkins ?”, Damon grunted.  “Dat be you ?”

Jimmy swore.  He hadn’t meant to reveal himself, and had forgotten to disguise his voice.  “It don’t matter”, he said, motioning Algie over towards them.  “We have to get out now, or else we ain’t leaving.  Now, let’s Move !!”

Seeing no choice but to follow, Algie joined Damon and Jimmy as they crept to the doors of Block ‘B’ and into the Rec Room.  What greeted them was mass confusion.  Like Jimmy had hoped, the Orderlies had been drawn away by the mysterious blast, but the Rec Room was now jammed with inmates, most of who were packed around the doors leading to Block ‘A’, not being able to move further for some reason.  One lone inmate was taking a dump on top of the ping-pong table, probably the same one who Jimmy had seen doing it before, the last time he was here, busting Damon out.  Jimmy saw at once that they wouldn’t be able to get out that way.  He hadn’t been able to bring the Rubberband Ball this time like before, since he couldn’t fit it into the tight Orderly uniform.  After just a moment of indecision, he led the group over to the Block ‘C’ doors and kicked them open.

In the mostly unused section, Jimmy could see that some work had been done since he had snuck out Johnny Vincent last year using the same way.  There was a circtitious route they had to take through the Mortuary and the Furnace Room to get to the exercise yard outside.  The areas were mostly in the dark, since there weren’t the emergency lights back in this section like there was the others.  Both Algie and Damon balked somewhat before entering the Mortuary Room.  Jimmy ridiculed them, calling them pussies and other colorful names until they finally allowed themselves to be led through the room, averting their eyes as much as they could away from the gruesome spectacles within, even though nothing much could be seen in the dark. 

When they reached the Furnace Room, Jimmy had to use his lighter to see the way to the back door to the exercise yard at the North Side of the Asylum.  Jimmy fumbled with the locks while balancing the lighter while Damon and Algie waited nervously nearby.  He was finally able to push it open and ushered his two charges through it into the bright sunlight, letting the door slam shut behind him as he exited, forgetting for the moment that it was self-locking and they wouldn’t be able to re-enter the Asylum.  Jimmy spaced that little detail, in part because he had no plan to go back IN to the Asylum, only to escape.  But the sight of the high enclosed fence that went around the area reminded him that there wasn’t any easy way out of this place either.  He and Damon may be able to scale the fence, but he knew that to expect Algie to climb anything was like asking a Gnat to fly a rocketship.  On top of that, a rim of curly barbed wire now adorned the top of the fence all the way around.  It seemed, for the moment, that they were trapped.
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Tony ran down to the Lunchroom to see if any of his friends were there.  The place was mostly cleared out, students no doubt had scattered at the sound of the explosion.  He doubled back and headed to the rear entrance by Mr. Galloway’s English room and stepped outside.  There he encountered a gaggle of students, standing fearful on the steps and scattered all around the back Quad.  There was mostly an unbelieving silence, and all eyes were focused on the destruction.

When Tony got close enough to see, he stopped short.  The entire statue that had sat on the pedestal above the fountain had seemingly vanished, large chunks of it scattered close by, blocking the way from Harrington House, the Autoshop, and the Gym.  Smaller pieces were laying about all over.  Tony spotted the stone football with it’s severed hand attached laying just a few feet away.  There were a few kids bleeding from being hit by small thrown pieces.  It was a miracle that no one had been seriously hurt.

Edward the Prefect had appeared, shooing kids to back away from the rubble and attempting to keep them away from the 'ground zero’ of the blast.  It was then Tony noticed the area was all wet....The blast had cracked the walls of the fountain, and all the brackish water had leaked out.  Tony looked around then, and spotted his friends standing off to one side of the Quad in a group.  He was relieved to see Karen in the group.

Tony counted heads.  Besides Karen, he saw Nick, Melody, Constantinos, and Ray.  One was missing.  “Where’s Laurent ?”, he asked.

“He is with the Jocks”, Constantinos answered.  “Burton has them doing Gym finals down at the Football Field.”

The crowd was getting thicker as more students came out of the school to see what had happened.  Tony motioned the others.  “Let’s go around front”, he said.  “Nothing we can do here anyway.”

The group headed around to the Front Quad in silence.  Every one of them knew who the bomber was this time.  The only question was how much damage was to be done this time.  When they reached the Front Quad, it was empty, save for a couple of stray students.  The gathered in front of the school steps.  It was then that Tony noticed Max the Prefect, standing outside the front gate, talking with what looked like Officer Monson.  His Cop car was parked nearby.  Tony squinted, trying to make them out.  Crabblesnitch must have gotten ahold of the Police.  But why weren’t they coming in ?

BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two more explosions erupted from the direction of Bullworth Town.  Officer Monson said something to Max and then hustled to his car and raced away.  Max quickly came back in through the gates and proceeded to close them, running the chains and locking the locks.  Then he sprinted towards the Front Quad.  Tony moved to intercept him.

“What’s Going On ??”, he hollered at Max.

Max gave him a strange look as he jogged by.  “School Is On LOCKDOWN !!”, he said, somewhat self-importantly as he went past.  “Police Say Nobody In Or Out !!”  He kept going toward the Parking Lot, presumably to close up the gate there as well.  Tony returned to where his friends were standing.  “We’re on Lockdown”, he related.

“What’s that mean ?”, Melody asked.

“It means”, Tony said, staring at the retreating figure, “That for the present, we’re stuck here.”
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The Two explosions had occurred in Bullworth Town, one where a charge was planted at the side of the Bank, the other at the front of the old Theater.  The damage from the Bank explosion had been minimal,  cracking the thick foundation and walls, but otherwise doing major damage.  The one at the Theater, however, which had been planted directly in the Ticket-Taker’s Box Office, had blown out the entire front of the Theater at street level, leaving a gaping hole to the interior.  Several Townspeople milling nearby had been knocked down from the concussion, and a few lay bleeding in the street.

Fresh panic ensued among the Townspeople, as they ran to the explosion sites to survey the damage and drag the wounded clear.  A Cop car came wailing up and Officer Williams stepped onto the scene, only to find the crowd out of control.  After uselessly trying to move people back he gave up and re-entered his car to speed to the scene of the other explosion.  When he arrived, it was to find a bunch of the richer Townspeople rushing the Bank, worried about their money and valuables within.  Officer Monson had arrived also, but they were no more effective at holding them back here as had been the case at the Old Theater.

BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A fresh explosion erupted at the deserted bar across the street from the Final Cut in New Coventry, spewing debris everywhere and breaking windows up and down the street.  Officer Morrison, who had been enroute from the Police sub-station in Blue Skies was diverted to try to handle the situation.  As with the others, he had little succuess as the panicky Townspeople just overran him.

BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another explosion ripped through the Bullworth Vale business district, cati-cornered from the Vale Hotel.  Several people were blown to the ground, and the rest ran screaming in terror.  Windows in the Hotel were shattered from the blast, as were windows in the Aquaberry store and as far as clear down the street at the Hair, Nails, & Beauty.  Officer Ivanovich was dispatched to the scene and had no better luck at crowd control than his fellow officers. 

BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At Blue Skies, a large explosion had nearly leveled the unused Wonder Meats Packing Plant, causing the greatest amount of damage to that point.  But no one responded to it, as there was no one in authority left to respond.  The radio chatter to Headquarters soon jammed Chief Carcer’s lines begging for help.  After about a half an hour, the Chief realized that they were just way too undermanned for what was now happening. 

Chief Carcer drew in a shuddering breath.  He had always feared a day like this would come.  Barely able to maintain a modicum of order under the best of times, the force was woefully undermanned for an emergency situation such as this.   In addition to the report phoned in by Dr. Crabblesnitch at the school, there were also six other bombings reported in less than an hour.  He no longer had a choice.  He pulled his phone towards him and punched in a restricted number, his nervousness rising as he did so.
_____________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“Where do you think those other explosions were at ?”, ventured Karen.

“Somewhere in town”, Tony said, squinting towards that direction, contemplating.  “I wonder just what his game is this time ?   Distracting the Cops so he can waltz in here and just take over ?”  Images of his dream floated through his mind, about being in front of the Hardware Store, then another, about being here, in this spot on the Front Quad, with destruction all around.  Suddenly, he felt a great unease.  “We need to be somewhere else”, he said, urgently.  Abruptly, he turned to the others.  “We have to get down to the Football Field and find Laurent.”

“But, the way is blocked !”, exclaimed Melody, “We can’t.....

“There’s more than one way down there”, Tony replied absently.  He turned to Constantinos. “Go round up all the Non-Clique kids you can find, have them meet us at the Library.”  Constantinos nodded, and ran off to undertake the mission.  “The rest of us....Let’s go !  Hurry !”, Tony urged, anxious to be away from this spot.

Tony led to group around to the Library, and waited in the yard for Constantinos.  Along the way, Melvin appeared, heading from the Back Quad leading the Nerds.  Tony quickly counted heads and saw all were present, including Fatty, who was still limping on his recently healed broken leg. 

“Best stay out of the Library”, Tony advised.  “Remember what happened last time.”

“We’re going to the Observatory”, Melvin said.  “It ought to be safe there.”

“I don’t know”, Tony observed, “I don’t think the buildings will be safe, anywhere.”

“The Observatory wasn’t touched last time”, Melvin replied stubbornly. 

“Don’t mean it won’t this time”, Tony argued.  “You know who we’re dealing with.”

“We checked it for those white balls you told us about, inside and out”, Melvin returned.  “Didn’t find anything.  It’s safe, all right.”

Tony just shook his head, but let it go for now.  The rest of the Nerds filed past, heading for the wall.  “Everybody’s been ordered out of the School”, Fatty said, catching up and still puffing.  “They got the Teachers out back there, trying to keep order.”

“We’re heading for the Football Field”, Tony told him, “Soon as the rest get here.”

Fatty gave him a queer look, then said, “We’ll leave the gate open for you.”  Then he trotted away, as much as his limp would allow.  The others helped him over the wall, and in no time at all, they went through the gate and were gone.

Just then, Constantinos showed up with Gordon, Ivan, and Trevor.  They were full of questions, by Tony didn’t have time for that now.  He waved everyone over the wall and made sure they got through the gate.  Assembled on the other side, Tony told them briefly where they were headed and why.  Then he led them down the outside path around the school, following the Nerds towards the Observatory.
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

A stunned Gregory freed himself from the reception cage in the foyer of Happy Volts Asylum, and stumbled through the gaping opening of what had been the front entrance.  He lumbered towards the front gate, limping badly.  Behind him, the inmates finally broke through the rubble logjam and poured out through the front.  Spotting him, they charged after him and caught him halfway to the gate, where they proceeded to exact revenge for all the electro-shock ‘treatments’ they had been subjected to.  The rest of the Orderlies had already been beaten into submission and lay unconscious in ‘A’ Block.

Jimmy watched the action from behind the fenced-in exercise yard.  He ducked low and motioned the others to do likewise.  It wouldn’t do to be seen, especially since he was still wearing an Orderly uniform.  He had a plan in mind, but it would just have to wait awhile.  Since he had been privy to most conversations about Jake from Tony, he could guess what was going on, but he was slightly confused.  What did bombing the Asylum have to do with taking over the school ?  Or, was this something bigger, something else ?  Or just a random nothing ?

Damon and Algie were getting fidgety.  Damon was casting a wary eye at Algie, and suddenly Jimmy remembered being told that Algie had engineered those mass Clique attacks all by his little lonesome, after his nut had been blown off over at the Nerd’s basement lair at the Dragon’s Wing Comic Shop.  Damon’s look began to turn to hostility.  Algie moved a bit back further in the yard and Damon began to follow. 

“I’se gonna pound you, yah little snot !”, Damon threatened, “Beat your fat ass fer wot you done to Gloria !”

“I...I didn’t do nothing !”, Algie squealed, “They tied her up !  It was Leo !  I was just guarding them, I swear !”

“You attacked my Clique !”, Damon said, “Sneak Attacked them, you gotta pay for that !”

“That...It....Was a Mistake !”, Algie blubbered.  “I was just....Just.....JIMMY, HELP ME !!”

“Jesus Cristo”, Jimmy swore, intervening between the two of them.  “Are you Numbskulls TRYING to get the Crazies to notice us ?”, he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, where the inmates were now wandering around the grounds, unable to leave.  “If they trick to the fact we’re back here, they’ll come and find a way back here.  Do you want that ?”

“Little fat Nerd fuck needs his ass kicked”, Damon grumbled.

“Maybe so, but now is not the time”, Jimmy said firmly.  “Don’t forget I can still beat YOUR ass, Damon.”

Damon knew that to be true, and backed away from Algie.  Turning, he said, “What’choo doin’ here, Hopkins ?  I thought you was in Jail or somptin’.”

“I was, but I been hiding out”, Jimmy said.  “Good thing for you, too.  This is the second time I helped get you out of here.” 

“Second Time ?”, Damon said in disbelief.  “Naw, that was....Tony, and Nick....And....”

“And me”, Jimmy said.  “You just didn’t see me.  I started a distraction so the others could escape with you.”

Damon was further confused now, a natural state with him to begin with.  He just stood there staring, not knowing what to say.  Jimmy said, as a way to kill some time, “Just how was it you wound up here again, Damon ?”

Damon fumbled for words.  “I’se...Don’t know.....We wuz fightin’ the Bullies over at the Graveyard, and this big flash or sumptin’ knocked me out.  When I came to, there wuz....Waz a buncha black robed dudes chantin’ somptin’ at me.....Den, I was here, somehow....I donno....”

KA-BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A huge explosion suddenly took out the wooden kiosk that served as a waiting area for transportation at the entrance to the Asylum.  The force of the blast also caved in the front gates, knocking down some of the wandering inmates who were a bit too close.  Those inmates who still could headed for the breech just as soon as the dust cleared, and loped down the access road to freedom. 

The three boys stood watching from behind the fence in shock as the inmates scampered across the rubble and took off.  The way was cleared now for their escape, and Jimmy knew just what to do.  Digging in his pocket for the lump of C-4 that he got from Tony, he tore off a ping-pong ball sized piece, then he dug in another pocket and found a Firecracker.  He jammed the Firecracker in the small lump of whitish clay, and stuck it to the bottom of the fence.  Telling Damon and Algie to get back and cover up, he lit the fuse and ran like hell to the back of the yard, flinging himself flat on his belly and covering up as the charge went off.

POW-BOOM !!!!!!!!!!

The explosive took out the whole West portion of the fence and much of the base.  Debris rained down around them, but as the charge was smaller, they all escaped unscathed.  Rising, Jimmy urged them through the break and they ran across the Asylum yard, clamoring over the rubble at the front gate.  Jimmy searched for the tunnel to leave, only to find it choked with debris from the blast.  They would have to follow the crazies down the access road.
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

The phone rang in the Harrington study, but for the moment, Mr. Harrington ignored it.  He was intent on watching a special news report on his special satellite access TV, a luxury that most Vale Valley residents didn’t have.  The reporter was saying.....

“.....a late breaking story is just developing here on the Northside near the area where reputed Crime Boss Vincent Fonzerelli is said to be holed up.  A group of what appears to be Federal Agents are storming the area, and there are reports of gunfire in the immediate area.  There are also unconfirmed reports that this is a raid and that armed Federal Agents are sealing off a six block by six block area with the intent of serving arrest warrants on major underworld figures.....”

The phone kept up it’s insistent ringing, and finally Mr. Harrington reached over and scooped it up.  “What Do You Want, I’m Busy Here !!!”, he shouted into the receiver.

“Chief Carcer here”, came the reply from the other end, “A series of bombs is going off in the towns !”

“What do you expect me to do about it ?”, Mr. Harrington growled.  “You Morons are supposed to protect the city, so do your job !  Why are you bothering me with this ?”

“We don’t have enough manpower to control things”, Chief Carcer said, somewhat desperately.  “We gotta call somebody in to help, maybe the State Police or the Feds....”

“YOU’LL DO NOTHING OF THE SORT !!!”, Mr. Harrington screamed.  “May I Remind You That If You Bring Outsiders In, You Will Be A Guest Of Your Own Jail, Sitting In A Cell ?”

“But...But...It's turning into Chaos out here !”, Chief Carcer implored, almost pleading.  “We got to have some help to contain the situation....”

“THEN CONTAIN IT, YOU FOOL !!”, Mr. Harrington yelled.  “That’s What You Get Paid For, And Rather Well, I Might Add !!  Get Off Your FAT ASS And Take Care Of It And STOP BOTHERING ME !!  Like I Said, I’M BUSY !!!!!!”

With that, he slammed down the receiver and let fly with a string of curses at the inept Police Chief.  He then returned his attention to the TV broadcast in time to hear the reporter say.....

“......our affiliate station WFBC is reporting that CNN is now confirming that a series of Indictments were handed down this morning charging Income Tax Evasion, Racketeering, Bribery, Corrosion, Witness Tampering, and Murder, along with violations of the RICO statutes and the MANN Act, against the top reputed criminals of the organization, including Vincent Fonzerelli, known locally as “Bloody Vince”......There is an unsubstantiated report from an anonymous source in the Justice Department that charges of Terrorism and the commission of Terroristic Acts will also be forthcoming.....Another late report has it that the National Guard has been called in to assist Federal Agents in the apprehension of Vincent Fonzerelli and all his Lutenients.....”

Mr. Harrington could only stare owlishly at the screen as the report went on.  What was taking place in New York City would spell doom for him in the Vale Valley.....Unless.....

He reached for the phone to call the other Prep Power Brokers in the Vale and formulate a plan to ward off certain disaster.  All of them, except for Spencer, that is.  He was going to hang that bastard out to dry.
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A group of men were also gathered about a TV in the Bronx, listening to the same report.  A smiling Michael “Big Mike” Tortelli turned to the man sitting beside him and said, “Looks like your boy came through after all.”

“I never had a doubt he would”, Mr. Luntz replied.  “Never a doubt at all.”
__________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Coming around the rock-strewn pathway around the outside edge of the Academy on the boulder-strewn trail, Tony and his friends caught up with the slower Nerds just as they ducked through the archway leading back onto school property. 

Tony called to Fatty, who was still bringing up the rear, “I really don’t think this is a good idea, Fatty.  You fellows should stay away from the buildings until this is over with.”

“It’ll be fine !”, Fatty said stubbornly, “We already checked the whole place and didn’t find any..........”

BOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Nerds may have checked the Observatory, but they apparently neglected to search the upper platform over the gates where the Spud Cannon was located.  The blast blew away most of the archway above the gates and the Spud Cannon was virtually disintegrated, some of it’s pieces being flung backwards into the Observatory’s new doors and punching holes in them.  The Nerds, who were just beginning to approach the Observatory, were blown backwards, although the large boulders strewn about in front of the Observatory walls afforded them some protection from the debris pushed out from the center of the blast. 

Tony and his friends were still to the South-East side of the rock face and were therefore sheltered from the debris zinging outward from the blast, but the concussion still staggered them all backwards.  The noise of the blast receded, but everyone was unable to hear anything except the ringing in their heads.  As he looked around dazed at Karen and the rest to make sure they were alright, Tony realized that Jake’s game had turned into a deadly serious one.
______________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

“What Did You Set That Off For ?”, an angry Sid bellowed.  “I TOLD You NOT To Set Off Anymore At The School Until Morning !!!”

Jake looked up at Sid from the radio.  “Set what off ?”, he said, with an odd look on his face, almost one of glee.

“You Know Damn Well What”, Sid fired back, hotly.  “I Saw That Code You Entered.”

“Ehh...So What ?”, Jake sneered.  “Need to keep the little Bastards on their toes.  It was just the one down at the Observatory, anyway.  Those little snots won’t be down there, that bitch Crabblesnitch probably has everybody confined to the Dorms by now.”

“You Don’t Know That !!”, Sid yelled. “I TOLD You, I Ain’t Gonna Be Responsible For Killin’ No Kids !!”  Sid grabbed Jake’s chair and spun it around, getting right in his face.  In a low, almost dangerous voice, he continued, “We got a lot of time and effort into this operation, which was mostly your idea and your plan, so don’t Fuck It Up !!”  Sid locked gazes with Jake and added, “Don’t be messin’ with us, Sonny Boy, or you’ll be windin’ up a cripple in some back alley !”

Jake held his gaze with Sid, eye to eye for several seconds.  Finally, he dropped his eyes, a small smile playing around his lips.  “Sure Sid”, he said, “Stick to the plan.  No more at the School until tomorrow.”

Sid shoved the chair back.  “See that you don’t”, he said testily, and stalked out of the room.

Jake’s small smile got wider as he faced the radio again and prepared to transmit the next round of codes to trigger more bombs scattered around the Towns.  Despite the run-in with Sid, he was having the time of his life.  A feeling of almost God-like grandeur had swept over him.  Edging ever deeper in his schizophrenia, he really didn’t give a rat’s ass if their bombs killed anyone or not.  In point of fact, he hoped they would.  It would be the Ultimate power trip.
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Running down the Access Road, Jimmy sort of wished he had stashed some bikes somewhere for a faster getaway.  But on reflection, he realized that he would probably have stashed them in the bus kiosk (which had been blown up) or the tunnel (which had been blocked) and decided it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.  Following the crazed inmates seemed to be their best option at the moment.  As soon as they were past the rail underpass, they could circle back under it again up ahead, then use the small trailway to the footbridge that led back across the water to the cavern outside of the Academy.

Jimmy and Damon waited under the rail overpass for Algie to catch up.  Jimmy had another reason for waiting, and that was to peer around the corner at the road as it made a turn to the left just beyond the overpass.  What he saw at first was amusing.  The crazed inmates had bunched up ahead and were blocking traffic on the road.  Horns began honking, causing the inmates to wave their arms around frantically, looking like a Keystone Kops comedy.  But as he watched, the scene began to turn ugly.  The honking seemed to galvinize the already unstable inmates into attack mode, and the began assaulting the vehicles they were blocking, using their fists to break windows and even jumping up on the hoods and leaping up and down and screeching like monkeys.

Algie finally caught up and began to complain loudly.  Damon gave him an icy stare and Jimmy turned around and told him to shut up.  The screech of tires brought his attention back to the road up ahead, and he looked just in time to see another car, which had come around the corner up ahead too quickly, smash into the rear of one of the stopped vehicles.  The collision caused a chain reaction, shoving the car into another, and another, and another, until the car at the front was shoved over the sidewalk and up against the contrite wall of the rail overpass.  This seemingly further enraged the inmates, and they began to pummel the wrecked cars harder, yanking out the occupants and beating on them.  From the Truck Weigh Station across the road, several workers ran out in the road and began fighting the inmates.

Hoping that the commotion would provide them cover, Jimmy motioned the other two to follow him out, and headed towards the small tunnel under the overpass up ahead that would lead to the small trailway and the footbridge.  As they began to move, a large frontloader coming from the other direction caught the attention of a couple of the crazed inmates.  Running, they leaped up on the frontloader and somehow managed to get the cab door open.  Grabbing the construction worker who was driving, they pelted him with punches before knocking him off the vehicle, where he landed in a heap in the street.  Without a driver, the frontloader veered to the left, now out of control, and smashed into the lead wrecked car.  Jimmy watched in dismay as the frontloader ricocheted off the car and plowed squarely into the small tunnel, jamming itself into opening and stalling.  Fuel began spilling from the vehicle, and in no time at all, the hot exhaust pipe protruding from it ignited a fire that began to engulf the vehicle.

“SHIT !!!”, Jimmy exclaimed, “SHIT !!!!  SHIT !!!!  SHIT !!!!”  He thought quickly.  “Com’on, This Way !!”, he yelled to the others, and they headed across the road to the Truck Weigh Station, meaning to sneak through there and head North.  It was risky, as it was still in sight of all the crazed inmates still intently fighting and wreaking havoc at the scene.  Jimmy raised his Spud Gun as he ran, paralleling the mess, holding his fire until necessary to conserve his ammunition. 

BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!!

The ground shook as tremendous explosions went off at the Chem Plant on the far side of the Industrial Complex to the East.  Clouds of a billowing green gas, released by the explosions, driven by the force of the blast and helped along by a slight West wind, began to envelop the South end of Blue Skies. 

Jimmy urged the others on, running harder.  No longer concerned about being seen now, he was racing to outrun the cloud of greenish gas that was quickly rolling in.  Some of the crazed inmates noticed him them, drawn by the sight of the Orderly uniform he still wore.  Damon was able to punch a few out of the way as they raced along, following Jimmy.  Algie was gamely bringing up the rear, not lagging for once as fright made him move faster.

Jimmy had one hope, to get to what he considered to be the Save Warehouse at the corner of the street up on Meats Road.  Last Spring, after beating Edgar Munsen in a fight in the core of the Chem Plant, he had gained access to the Save Warehouse, one of the Townie’s hangouts.  He had used it often over the past summer.  While running, he felt in the pocket of the Orderly uniform and was relieved to find the key to the door was still there where he remembered leaving it.  As the trio dashed across Meats Road the giant cloud of greenish gas rolled across them like a wave.  Almost immediately they all began coughing from the noxious fumes, but Jimmy reached the door to the Save Warehouse.  Turning and firing a few shots at the crazies still chasing them, Jimmy whirled back to the door, withdrawing the key with a shaky hand and ramming it home in the lock.  Feeling sick to his stomach, he wrenched the knob and opened the door, stumbling across the threshold.  Damon, coughing, followed, but looked back to find Algie. 

Algie was not only coughing, but actively puking now from the fumes, giving him a taste of what he had done to so many others in his sneak attacks the past winter.  Damon could have left him out there, as a payback for his crimes, but inexplicably he reached out and pulled Algie inside as he was retching himself, slamming the door.  As the boys lay gasping inside, weak pounding came from the other side of the door, as the crazed inmates sought entry.  But soon, overcome by the greenish gas themselves, they too collapsed to the pavement, retching their guts out.

Rising to his feet, Jimmy took a look around.  The place appeared empty.  Fortunately, the Save Warehouse had a contained ventilation system which would keep it free of the gas outside.  The unfortunate part though, was that they were stuck here for the time being until the gas would dissipate.  How long, would be anybody’s guess, Jimmy concluded.  It appeared that this asshole Jake had indeed begun his final assault.  He wondered how Tony and the others were faring over at the school, and was particularly worried about Zoe. 
____________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

Jimmy needn’t have worried about Zoe, for she was still safe.  In fact, she had missed most of the excitement, electing to go back to the secret cave after the morning finals to see if Jimmy had been successful in his rescue mission, which he had told her all about.  She had naturally wanted to go along, but Jimmy had nixed the idea, saying that it was to be a stealth operation and there wasn’t any female Orderlies at the Asylum, which was true.  Still, she was worried.  They had been apart for so long before, and Zoe didn’t want anything to happen to Jimmy.  She knew how dangerous the situation was in the Towns and just what was at stake....Their Lives.

Finding the secret cave empty, she worried anew.  Jimmy should have been back already.  It could be they were hiding out somewhere, as Jimmy wouldn’t be bringing Damon back here to the cave.  She sat down at the makeshift table and decided to wait awhile.  If Jimmy wasn’t back soon, she would go find Tony.

When the Statue explosions went off, Zoe was able to hear them, even through the rock walls of the mountain.  The last blast in particular sounded close.  Jumping up, Zoe tried to exit the secret cave to investigate, but was stopped by clouds of choking dust.  Returning to the Cave, she had to wait until the dust settled.  After nearly an hour, she tried again and found the tunnel clear.    Deciding to go to the end of the tunnel that led out to the Asylum, she discovered the way was blocked by debris.  Really worried now, she turned back and ran the length of the tunnel to the Cavern, then South to the small footbridge.  Crossing that, she headed for the small tunnel under the Rail line, only to see that it too was blocked with the wreck of a large Frontloader that was on fire.  Doubling back, she ran back across the bridge, then hoisted herself up onto the remnants of the old spur line that went across the water and led to the Rail line.  Hearing other explosions from the direction of Blue Skies gave her pause for a few seconds, but she resolved to go on.  Before she was even halfway across the spur line, she saw the cloud of greenish gas that was rapidly growing bigger fill the sky up ahead.  Still she went on, pulling up her blouse to cover her mouth and nose.  She managed to reach the Rail line and ran across to the fence on the other side.  Looking down, she beheld an awful sight.

There were wrecked cars everywhere.  Further down Meats Road, she could see the smoldering ruins of the old Wonder Meats Rendering Plant.  People were lying about everywhere, gasping and choking on the green gas.  Some were wearing the Asylum smocks which marked them as patients.  Through stinging eyes, Zoe looked closely everywhere she could, but could see no sign of Jimmy.  Before she could be overcome by the green gas herself, she turned and stumbled back across the rail line to the rail spur, and as fast as she could, made her way back across it, stopping a couple of times to vomit from the effects of the gas.  It was a good thing she had skipped lunch, she thought with a little bit of dark humor, otherwise she really would be puking her guts out.

Back at the Cavern, the air was still clear.  Zoe decided it was time to go find Tony and the others.  She headed into the short tunnel that led outward to the pathway around the Academy, and just as she emerged, another explosion shook the ground.  This one came from the direction of the Observatory.  Running, almost out of breath now, she came to the archway that entered the grounds and, through choking dust, spotted Tony and the others.  Looking about, she saw Karen, Melody, Nick, Ray, Constantinos, Gordon, Ivan, and Trevor.  They were busy helping Melvin, Fatty, and the rest of the Nerds to their feet.  There was chunks of rock strewn everywhere, and when she got closer, Zoe could see why.  The walkway above the Nerd’s gate to the Observatory had been blasted clean away, in fact the whole top was missing.  The gates lay crumpled and torn, and some of the stone wall had been blown away.  Breathlessly, she approached Tony and began to relate what she had seen. 

Tony Grimaced. “So, the way over there is totally blocked ?”

“Yes, both tunnels !”, Zoe exclaimed, “And Jimmy is over there somewhere !”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do right now....We need to get everyone up to the Football Field”, Tony replied.  “It should be safe there, with no buildings around.”

Laurent came up beside them, having come from the Football Field with the rest of the Jocks after hearing the explosion.  Overhearing Tony’s remark, he said, “It is safe.  Trent was doing Lawnmower Detention down there this morning.  If any explosive was there, it got chopped up.”

“You mean, he’s actually good for something ?”, Tony said snidely.  “That’s a break for us.  Tell your guys we need to get everyone out there, right now !”

“Will do”, Laurent saluted, and ran off to tell the others.  Zoe was breathing easier now, but was still very concerned.  “But, what about Jimmy ?  He could be in trouble !”

“Look, I need to get these kids safe”, Tony said, “After, I can send somebody to find Jimmy.”

Bewildered, Zoe asked, “You’re not going ?  But Jimmy is your friend !”

“I know that”, Tony replied, “But Jake is going to show his face soon, and I have to be here.”  His jaw tightened.  “It’s a showdown he wants, and that’s what he’s gonna get !!”
_________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!
BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!!  BOOM !!!!!!!!!

Explosions began going off in the Business Districts of Bullworth Town, Old Bullworth Vale, and New Coventry at the top of the 3 o’clock hour.  The Mexican Restaurant, The Weet Cavity, and J’s Department Store in Bullworth Town went first, blowing out windows and trashing the interiors.  That was quickly followed by explosions at Tasteful Tattoos and the Slab-O-Meat Store in New Coventry.  A short time later, Explosions went off at The Bait Shop, The Homemade Ice Cream Place, and the newly re-opened Burger Joint in Old Bullworth Vale.  The Townspeople, who had mostly taken to the streets and had been milling about the damaged areas like looky-loos, were galvanized into a fresh round of terror.  The Cops, who had managed to finally retain some sense of order, were once again thrown into a frenzy of rushing to the newly damaged areas, only to confront the frenzied Townspeople who were yelling at them to do something and stridently questioning them as to why nothing was being done.  One of the loudest voices that afternoon in the Vale was that of Mr. Smith.
______________________________________________

[BloodChuckZ]

After the nasty business with kidnapping and holding Kurt hostage and helping to torture him, Mr. Smith had left the Vale Valley for awhile.  He still had a bad taste in his mouth from the whole affair.  He was certain that Derby’s father hadn’t known anything about the whole scheme, otherwise it would have been stopped in it’s tracks. 

Unbeknown to anyone, Mr. Smith was privy to the same information that Mr. Harrington and Dr. Crabblesnitch were....That Kurt was the illegitimate son of crime boss Vincent ‘Bloody Vince’ Fonzerelli.  He also knew that Harrington and his rich friends were tied up with the crime syndicate, information he had come across in Florida from other jet-setters who were in the know.  Unfortunately, he had found that out after he had already accepted huge sums of syndicate money for much of his holdings in the Vale Valley from the Harringtons, the Spencers, and the other rich power players who now ran things in the Bullworth Towns. 

He hadn’t known, of course.  Mr. Smith could be, in a business way, just as ruthless as the next entrepreneur, but he had accumulated his fortune honestly, without having to align himself with mobsters.  He had been a real self-made man, not born to wealth or privilege, and fought for every deal he had to make, even at the expense of neglecting his family.  He had been a true success story, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks made good.  But if it ever got out to the wrong people that part of his wealth was derived from Mob Money, he would be ruined.  The legal fees for his defense alone would consume most of his wealth.

So, he had returned to the Vale Valley with a mission, to try and wrest control back from the rich, syndicate-backed lords who had stolen the Valley from him with tainted money under what he considered false pretenses.  Slowly, he had been making deals to try to reclaim some of the businesses back he had sold off to the Harringtons and Spencers and their ilk.  He was able to re-aquire the now-closed Blue Skies Shipping and the abandoned Wonder Meats properties.  But, the pace was much to slow.  Mr. Smith knew he wouldn’t be around forever, so he hit on a plan.  He took custody of his Grandson, Gary Smith, and enrolled him at Bullworth Academy.  He would groom him to carry on the fight and take over at the appropriate time, in order to carry on his work.

But something had been wrong with Gary that he didn’t know.  Gary was a smart, ruthless kid, much like he had been as a youth.  Those qualities he recognized and approved of, for it would take a hard-nosed person to go up against the power structure in the Vale Valley.  But Gary was also a borderline psychotic and a sociopath, traits he hid well using 'head meds’ he had gotten from the state after his no-good Father, Mr. Smith’s son, was locked away in prison for white-collar theft.  Gary’s Mother was also locked up for aiding and abetting in the pyramid scheme his Father used to bilk hundreds of people out of their money.  Mr. Smith had been unaware of this highly-troubled part of Gary’s mind.

Gary was also impatient.  At the start of his second year at Bullworth, Gary felt he knew enough to take over the school.  To further his ambitions, he struck a secret deal with the Prep sons of his Grandfather’s enemies, Derby Harrington and Tad Spencer.  Gary’s grand plan consisted of inciting strife within the Cliques of the school, then coming forward to solve the very problems he created.  He was successful in that he was made 'Head Boy’ (a position that would later be defined as the 'Mediator’), but he went too far by starting a riot that most of the school became caught up in near the end of the year.  That Hopkins kid had stepped in and stopped it, with the help of the dropout and expelled Townie kids, and had exposed Gary’s treachery.  For that, Gary had been expelled in disgrace.  Mr. Smith completely lost control of him then, and Gary had gone on to incite a war amongst the Townie boys that summer, many of who were pissed off about the lack of respect afforded to them after they aided the Hopkins boy quell the Academy Riot. 

Gary wound up getting himself killed, and Mr. Smith still believed that Jimmy Hopkins had participated in his murder.  He was not aware of the other factors the Cops had uncovered and then had hushed up.  In his mind, Hopkins was guilty as hell, and he was incensed when Hopkins broke out of jail.  He vowed anew to seek justice by somehow regaining power over the Vale Valley elite who had allowed this travesty of justice to happen.

After Gary’s death, Mr. Smith acted quickly, taking charge of his other Grandson, Jake Brown, whose release he obtained from the orphanage in Connecticut where he had been placed after his Mother, Mr. Smith’s only daughter, blew her mind out on drugs.  It was a sad story, she had run away from home as a teenager to be with her no-good drug addict boyfriend, who had long since vanished after the birth of their only son, Jake.  As a gift before he left, Jake’s father had gotten his mother addicted to LSD, and eventually she took one bad trip too many. 

Mr. Smith wasted no time with attempting with continuing his plan, using an alias and enrolling Jake in place of Gary at Bullworth Academy.  But Jake proved to be even more psychotic that his cousin Gary ever was, setting up a theft ring on campus before stealing a car and attempting to run another student down.  He had fled then, after just a bare two months at the school, and was now being blamed for a multitude of attacks on the school, including bombing of buildings on campus and inciting the now-jailed Townies to take the school by force.  Seemingly, though, Jake had disappeared, and all the better for Mr. Smith.

Fortunately for Mr. Smith, very few people knew of his relationship to Jake.  Unfortunately for Mr. Smith, the Harringtons did, or at least the snot kid Derby and his lap-dog Bif did.  That was the 'debt’ they were holding over him, and why he had been compelled to stage the kidnapping of Kurt and be a participant in that boy’s torture. 

Mr. Smith had no illusions that that particular 'debt’ would ever be paid, but the unexpected news from New York had brought him back here today.  The Harringtons and the rest were about to be in far more trouble that just Mr. Smith would be worth bothering about.....It appeared that 'Bloody Vince’ was going down, and soon.  In one glorious stroke, Mr. Smith would soon be able to realize his plans to re-capture his rightful place in the Vale Valley.  The Harringtons and Spencers empire would collapse like a house of cards once Vincent Fonzerelli was brought down, and his connection with the kidnapping of the crime boss’ son would never be tied to him.  No one would be likely to believe a word of the disgraced Harringtons, and especially not from their snobby, conceited son.

It was his moment to seize the day.  He made his way through the throngs of panicky townspeople to his destination, the office of Judge Starkweather at the Courthouse.  Mr. Smith smiled.  He always operated his best in a crisis.
_______________________________________