Well, here is the next chapter. Sorry for the long wait everyone. BUT its a longer one this time. :)
Disclaimer: You people all know how it goes.
Chapter 9
While Cobra was swimming, he tried to figure out a way to steal, or negotiate Puck back from City. The solution, however, was eluding him, which aggravated him to no end. After a half hour of swimming, he went back to the 'Lodging House', and thought for awhile. He sat in his chair, and stared at the floor, deep in thought. Fifteen minutes later, he gave up a bit, and went out to go sell the evening edition. As he was going to the small distribution center, he ran into David and Specs, coming back from their hard day of selling. It was then that the idea hit Cobra, the idea that he could get Davey to help him in negotiating Puck back. After all, David had helped Jack Kelly with the strike.
"Hey, you." Cobra said as he walked by David, and grabbed him by the back of the shirt collar.
David's eyes bugged out a bit, and he took a step back, so as to release some of the pressure on his neck. Cobra looked up at the sky out of the corner of his good eye, and spun Davey around, so that he was facing him. David looked up at Cobra and swallowed.
"Yes?" he asked, still having a hard time breathing, beings that Cobra still had a hold of his collar.
Cobra looked down at David, and almost smiled,
"I want you to help me. I want you to help me negotiate my runner Puck, back out of Queens. You will help me do this, right?" Cobra said, telling, not asking David to help him. Sure, Cobra could have gotten Puck out without any help, but he wanted to see what David was made of.
David bit his lip, and tried to keep eye contact with Cobra, but the icy blue eye and cold white one, were too menacing just then, and Davey couldn't keep his own eyes on Cobra's face.
"Of…..of course…..I will." David choked out, trying to ignore the beads of sweat running down his face, and that his hands were shaking, he had never been this intimidated before, and it was scaring him.
Cobra smiled a bit more, and let go of David. Then he spun around, and went on his way.
"Good, I knew you would. Meet me at the park, in half a hour." He called over his shoulder, as he walked away.
David nodded to Cobra's back, and rubbed his neck, then turned to Specs, who had watched the whole thing in silence, and the two of them went inside, to cool off abit.
"Wonder where everybody is." Specs said, as he slumped down the cool brick wall, and pushed his glasses up his nose.
"I don't know." replied Davey, looking around the empty building, and wiping the sweat off his face. "But I think its hotter up here, than down in Manhattan."
Specs nodded, and sighed, "I wonder what Jack and the others are doing right now……"
Manhattan
"Alright everybody!" Jack yelled, from the top of the Horace Greeley statue, to the small group of Newsies that were waiting for orders.
Racetrack looked up at Jack and squinted, while wiping his face,
"We're listenin' Jack." he said, Blink and Mush nodded their agreement.
Skittery was leaning against the base of the statue, sweating profusely, and looking like he was dying. "Yeah….Jack, we're listening…..but hurry up, I can't …….take much more of this heat." he said, coughing a bit.
Jack nodded and ran his hand through his greasy brown hair,
"Ok….Me and Race will go to Brooklyn, and see if Spot knows anything else. Blink and Mush, you go into upper 'Hatten. See if you can find out anything, since that's the last place they were."
Race frowned up at Jack,
"Jack….I know we got to find Davey and Specs…..but do I have to go to Brooklyn with ya? I wasn't made to stand this heat, ya know." he said, whining a little tiny bit, and wiping some more sweat off his face, with his sleeve.
Stress came up behind Racetrack, and nudged him aside,
"Stop your whining Race. But if you don't want to go…..I'll go for ya." she said, smiling up at Jack.
Jack frowned, and shook his head, then jumped off the statue, to sit in its shade with dying Skittery.
"I don't think that's a good idea Stress. Race will go with me."
Race melted into a puddle next to Jack, and Stress pushed out her bottom lip and gave Jack 'the look', before walking away. Jack shook his head and sighed as he leaned back into the shade as much as he could. Race looked at Jack out of the top of his eyes and wiped his face yet again,
"Come on Jack, do I have to go? Somebody needs to stay here with Skitts, ya know." he said, casting a glance at Skittery, who had his eyes closed and was breathing hard.
Jack looked at Race, almost smiling at the pitiful look that he had on his face, then shook his head,
"No Race, I need you to come with me. Crutchy and Snipeshooter and Itey will be here to watch Skittery." he replied, getting up, and going over to Bumlets, Pie Eater, and Jake, to tell them where to go.
Racetrack sighed and glanced up at the sun, then the street. You could see the heat waves, dancing on the cobblestones. There was a bit of a breeze, but it was just enough to make you mad. Race hoped desperately, that it would be cooler in Brooklyn…………..
Queens
Puck had woken up sometime that morning, to find her self in a dark, hot, backroom, of she didn't know where. But she had a sneaking suspicion that she was in Queens still, especially after she had felt her head, and the bruises that were there.
"Dumb Queensers, they'll pay for this." she growled to herself, as she began searching for a way out, but stopped and collapsed on the ground, when she heard someone coming.
"Shut up Charlie." City growled, as he pushed Charlie back, and went to the backroom door, were he had been informed, that a little Harlem spy was staying.
Charlie swallowed, and backed away, while City opened the door, and looked down at Puck, who papered to still be out.
"That's one of Cobra's runner's." he growled, then turned to Charlie, Where'd you pick her up?" he asked
Charlie came forward, "Down in the bad part of town, where we were patrolling last night, City." he said
"Hmmm." City replied, going into the room, and picking Puck up, looking at her head, "You boys certainly beat her up enough, didn't you?" he asked, turning to Charlie. Before he could answer, he had Puck shoved in his arms,
"Do you realize that Cobra's going to be all over us now? You idiot. Take her, and clean up those wounds." he snapped, pushing by Charlie, and going out the door, to finish selling.
As soon as she heard City leave, Puck came alive, and hit the unsuspecting Charlie, then bolted like a rabbit. Charlie was in shock for a minute, then made chase, but didn't get very far, since it was hot, and he was a few pounds heavier than most newsboys.
Puck flew down the streets, despite the heat, and tore down an alleyway, crashing into David and Cobra, who were coming to find her. David yelped, it seemed to him, that people ran into him an awful lot. Cobra caught her, and pulled her into a quick brother-like hug,
"I was getting worried. Are you ok?" he asked, pushing back her unruly hair.
Puck pushed his hand back, and smiled her smile, "Yeah, I'm fine." she said, even though she knew he'd see the gashes, and carry her back to Sugar Hill.
He did see them, but said nothing. Instead he turned, and headed back to the Bronx.
David looked at Puck and followed, and Puck quickly ran after them, not wanting to be alone in Queens again. After walking in silence for about two blocks, Cobra finally spoke up,
"What was Conlon's answer Puck?"
She came up next to him, for she had been walking behind the two, and looked up at Cobra,
"He said, that he'd give an answer in three days, two now……" she replied, and waited for Cobra's outburst.
It never came. He just nodded, and kept walking. But Puck knew, just by looking at him, that he was on the line of fury, and barley controlled rage. Because he was quiet, and cold, and just had this air about him. The air that one false move, and you were dead.
David didn't notice anything, and kept his mouth shut, a wise move on his part…………
Charlie watched Puck disappear around the corner, and sighed, wiped his face, and started slowly back to the Lodging House. He knew that City wasn't going to be happy about this…..or would he?
Brooklyn
It was the second time that Ad approached Spot about his…….test. He really hadn't got much of an answer last time, since Puck had showed up, and it hadn't been brought up since then.
This time, Ad approached him at the Distribution Center, waiting to get the evening edition.
"Hey, Spot?" he asked, coming up to said Brooklyn leader.
Spot looked up, from where he had been staring at the ground, deep in thought, and raised a eyebrow at Ad,
"Yeah?" he asked, his cyan eyes searching Ad's, wondering what he wanted.
Ad held the stare for a few seconds, then looked away, at Spunk, who was standing on the edge of the small group. It was so hot, so most of the Newsies, were trying to find anywhere cool. Forget the evening paper, they'd rather be hungry, than die from the heat.
"Well……I was wondering about what I asked about the other night. About me getting beat up." he said, bringing his focus back to Spot.
Spot leaned on the gate and looked at the few newsies, then back at Advantage,
"It was just that. A test. To see how good you really are." Spot said simply.
Ad looked at him in shock, "And I got broken ribs out of it, just to prove if I was good enough?" he asked, a bit upset.
Spot shrugged, "Well, your one of the few people that said with him that long." he replied, as the gate opened, and he walked in and up to the window, were he demanded his papers.
Ad followed, got his papers, then went back out into the small courtyard. He was about to pursue the matter further, but, once again, was cut off by a runner, actually, it was one of Spot's birdies.
"SPOT!" Bittah yelled, as she barreled into the courtyard, panting and choking from the heat.
Ad caught her, as she collapsed, and pulled her over to the shade of the building. Spot watched her, and waited most impatiently for her to catch her breath.
"Well?" he asked, when she had calmed down some.
"I have news, about the war." she said, mopping her face, and pushing her hair back up into her cap.
Spot leaned on the gold tipped cane, "Yes?"
Bittah stretched her legs out, and undid the first two buttons on her shirt,
"Night before last, some of City's boys, caught and beat up Puck, Cobra's runner. That's all I found out, but she never made it back to Sugar Hill, after she left, here." she said, waiting for her leaders reaction.
"How did you find this out?" he asked, glancing at Ad out of the corner of his eye.
"One of the Queens implants." she replied.
Ad grinned, "Birds of a feather." he said, as he walked over to Spunk and talked with her, while Spot was getting his info from Bittah.
Spot narrowed his eyes at her, "One of MY implants, or one of Cobra's?" he asked
Bittah shook her head, "Can't say." she replied, getting up, having cooled off some.
Spot glared at her, but didn't reply. If it had been one of Cobra's implants, she wouldn't have known. And if it was one of his implants, she wouldn't know either, so he left the subject alone, and stalked off to sell his papers………….
Harlem Manhattan
Kid Blink, and Mush stood on a somewhat empty street in Upper Manhattan and looked across the street, to the Harlem side. Neither of them, were going to venture across the street, for they had seen some of the Harlem boys, watching them from the ally. After a couple of minutes of staring at each other, one of the Harlem boys came out of the shadows, and into the street.
"Whada you two want?" he yelled across to them.
Mush and Blink looked at each other, then Blink came out into the street as well. The two boys looked at each other, like dogs that didn't know each other. Blink, made the first move,
"We're looking for our friends. They was last up here, never came home." he said, looking at the other boy, waiting for answer.
Harlem smirked, "Yeah, they was here. We beat them up pretty bad, but two of our boys got hurt bad too. But, they ain't here anymore."
Manhattan folded his arms. "Then……were are they?" he asked, worried about David and Specs. But most about David, he wasn't really the fighting type.
"Them sugar coated weasels up in north Harlem, they got them." Harlem spat, showing his hate for the Sugar Hill newsies.
Blink looked back at Mush, then backed up, "Thanks for the info." he said to Harlem, then went back to Mush.
"Come on Mush my man, got to tell Jack." he said, grabbing Mush's arm, and pulling him towards Lower 'Hatten.
"Tell him what?" Mush asked, following Blink like a puppy down the street.
Blink smiled, and pulled Mush into a ally, and shook him,
"They're in Sugar Hill, with Cobra! They'll be ok there!" he said, shaking his friend.
Mush smiled, widely, slapped Blink on the back.
"They're ok!" he said, and took off, this time, Blink following, trying to keep up with his friend………